Trigger Failure

[redneckbmxer24]

Any more instances of this after a few years?
Are Triggertechs less prone to freezing? (some have mentioned buying them after having troubles)
Aside from grease-pack, what is the believed root-cause to rem700 issues?

I had never heard of the freezing trigger issue with rem700's until I was browsing the ice/snow comparison test yesterday (posted by Formidilosus a year ago)

Triggers freeze from moisture and debris collecting. Most trigger failures are from a lack of maintenance. R700 trigger packs are a little more complicated than many and are thus more likely to experience issues than some others.

The key is lubricating the trigger pack to displace moisture while not coating everything with a lubricant that will attract and trap debris that will then trap moisture. Flushing with lighter fluid and then blowing it out with compressed air is the best solution for any bolt trigger. The lighter fluid provides a dry film lubricant that works better than any wet lube as as as trapping crap and not freezing up. It still requires maintenance though. In dusty conditions it will need flushing more frequently.

If you run a bunch of lube on your bolt that will also work it’s way down into the trigger pack and render it useless eventually no matter what trigger it is.

If someone is a heathen and never maintains their rifle anything will fail. If you’re going out on a hunt or another scenario where operation is critical, just maintain it. Clean your trigger and action properly before hand and only lubricate your bolt lugs with some light grease that’s appropriate for low temperatures. The military figured this out a long time ago with R700’s, it’s not rocket science.

 

[gabenzeke]

Shotguns...more times than I can count. Rifles...never.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[JohnJohnson]

Clean your trigger and action properly before hand and only lubricate your bolt lugs with some light grease that’s appropriate for low temperatures.

It's interesting to me that I almost never see hunters talk about trigger cleaning/maintenance. I only really see it spoken about by PRS guys.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

It's interesting to me that I almost never see hunters talk about trigger cleaning/maintenance. I only really see it spoken about by PRS guys.

Hunters aren’t shooting their rifles as much. You’re going to see a lot more issues from someone who’s shooting thousands of rounds a year at matches where moon dust is blowing all around than from someone who’s taking their rifle out of a case to carry to a stand or ride around in their truck for two weeks out of the year and maybe shoot a box of ammo.

On two day matches I’ve always started the match with a clean trigger and after the first day I wipe my bolt and action down and flush the trigger with zippo fluid. I don’t doubt they’d go the whole weekend, but I do it because it’s not worth the 10 seconds it takes to clean it to find out. Never have I had a trigger failure at match. I’ve had Jewels gum up during casual shooting because they’re super sensitive (stopped using them a decade ago) and I’ve also had a couple Timneys go down due to breakage, not maintenance.

 

[svivian]

My buddies tikka t3x trigger froze this year during our second season mule deer tags. Luckily 15 minutes over the Jet boil and he was back in business.

 

[Flyjunky]

Never. A few years ago in Montana, worst conditions I've ever hunted in, the wind blew 50+, snow, freezing rain for 3 straight days. Things were so bad we went and bought ski goggles so we could actually keep our eyes open looking into the wind, my beard was frozen solid. Rifle strapped to the outside of my pack with no cover. On the night of the 3rd day I shot a bull...no rifle issues, and that's with an Andy n bix trigger. I hear all the stories but nobody I've ever hunted with has had a trigger problem, over 30+ years. Just lucky I guess.

 

[ID_Matt]

I don't usually hunt in too extreme of cold so I have not had any failures from that. I have had 2 different trigger techs fail from dirt/dust. Both instances were in dusty areas with high wind that was impossible to keep out of your action. 2 day competitions. Both would hang fire until we flushed them with lighter fluid.

 

[Ohiohuntr]

Had my browning maxus freeze up duck hunting but never my rifle albeit I duck hunt in worse weather than I big game hunt

 

[wind gypsy]

Only ones i can recall are Timney m700 and that was just at the range on a cold day, not hunting, and there wasn't a bunch of moisture or anything in the action.

My buddies tikka t3x trigger froze this year during our second season mule deer tags. Luckily 15 minutes over the Jet boil and he was back in business.

Was the bolt degreased?

 

[Reddish]

Had it happen on a Jewell 700 trigger...actually it didn't fail to fire...it just fired when I closed the bolt.

 

[Shortschaf]

Only ones i can recall are Timney m700 and that was just at the range on a cold day, not hunting, and there wasn't a bunch of moisture or anything in the action.

Did you find a root cause? Also, was it not allowing FP fall, or was the sear not catching the FP in the first place?

 

[svivian]

Was the bolt degreased?

Did not ask and not sure since it wasnt my rifle. It sleeted on us the first day then temps dropped to 0 by morning and the gun was exposed. Mine was covered and i had no issues.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Had it happen on a Jewell 700 trigger...actually it didn't fail to fire...it just fired when I closed the bolt.

User error, not enough sear engagement.

 

[roosiebull]

The closest I have had was a sako a7, shooting it, something felt very odd, almost like a hesitation to fire. I figured a couple years of packing it through wet brush I probably had a dirty trigger assembly

Took it apart and didn’t see anything that would have caused what I experienced, so I took the bolt apart, and I couldn’t believe it even fired, it was a mess of rust, especially the firing pin…

I got it all cleaned up and never had another issue. That experience has increased my firearm maintenance routine that was zero before that

Now I take my bolt apart after the wet fall hunts, but have never had any issues since, I must have had trapped standing water in that bolt that rusted out.

 

[Formidilosus]

Leave grease and oil inside the bolt body in cold weather and all will fail. The observable differences are when all the actions are dry or lubed correctly and they are used side by side in differing conditions and bad weather.

 

[Reddish]

User error, not enough sear engagement.

The sear was in two pieces… I’ve had two Jewells break.

 

[Afhunter1]

Yup, twice. Had 700 trigger freeze up in bad weather. Caused me to shoot a deer I wasn’t trying to actually. I was a kid and it was doe season. A big doe ran up to me and her two fawns were behind her. I put crosshairs behind her should and pulled the trigger and nothing happened. I lower gun and am looking it over and BOOM. Guess firing pin thawed out. Well gun was still pointed in direction of deer and now a fawn was kicking like crazy cause I just blew its face off. I had to run up and put another one into it but damn gun wouldn’t go off again. Put it down and had to slit deers throat. Was quite the eventful day. I was prob 14ish at the time. I degrease and flush triggers and firing pin assemblies now if it’s calling for bad weather.

 

[MattB]

I had a factory remington 600 trigger fail in the opposite (and worse) way. Closed the bolt and the hammer dropped. I cycled it on an empty chamber a bunch of times and it did it every time. I had to replace it but I still have the rifle.

Not me, but a friend did a mountain goat hunt and had the same thing happen with a R700. Fired every time he closed the bolt.