Remington 700 Recall & Injury Lawsuits

Houston personal injury lawyers at Morrow & Sheppard LLP are evaluating Remington 700 personal injury and wrongful death cases.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a shooting incident involving a Remington 700 or Model Seven rifle, a defect in the product may be to blame. Please contact us now to discuss your rights and remedies.

The Remington 700

The Remington 700 is a bolt-action rifle manufactured since 1962.

The gun has a centerfire bolt action and typically a 3-, 4-, or 5- round magazine.

The Remington 700 is arguably the most popular bolt-action rifle in American history.

The Problem

Both older and newer model Remington 700 rifles and Remington Model Seven rifles have inadvertently fired with the safety on, allegedly leading to numerous injuries and wrongful deaths.

The problem is demonstrated here:

The XMP Recall

Newer model Remington 700 and Model Seven rifles have the “X-Mark Pro” or “XMP” trigger mechanism. Remington has issued a voluntary recall of XMP triggers, which were manufactured from 2006 to 2014.

The company acknowledges that the firearms “could, under certain circumstances, unintentionally discharge.”  Published instructions on the Remington recall website detail how to determine whether your gun is subject to the recall.

It has been estimated that more than 1 million rifles with the XMP trigger are still in circulation.

Older Models Have Also Caused Alleged Injuries And Deaths

Older model Remington 700 guns have the “Walker” trigger mechanism, which Remington still denies is defective.

Ironically, the XMP trigger was introduced in 2006 because of the thousands of complaints Remington had received regarding the Walker trigger, which Remington had allegedly considered voluntarily recalling as well.

The inventor of the Walker mechanism, Merle “Mike” Walker, told CNBC in 2007 that he had proposed a safer trigger in 1948, while the 700 was still in the testing phase.  But the alternative design was rejected because it would have increased the cost of the gun by about six cents.

Internal Remington documents dating back to the mid-1970s show inadvertent firing during field tests.  And over 150 lawsuits have been filed against Remington arising from alleged issues with the Walker mechanism, including a class action lawsuit that was ultimately settled.

Remington has made the following statement:

“Remington stands behind the safety and reliability of its products and vehemently denies allegations that there is any design defect in the Walker trigger mechanism. However, to put an end to the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation, Remington agreed to settle the class action on terms which are in the best interests of Remington and its valued customers.

Separately, after Remington’s own investigation determined that there was a possible assembly error affecting another trigger mechanism, the X Mark Pro (“XMP”), it immediately and voluntarily issued an international recall on all Remington products with XMP trigger mechanisms manufactured from May 1, 2006 to April 9, 2014 and broadly promoted and advertised the recall. Firearm safety remains our number one priority.”

It is estimated that as many as 7 million Remington 700 rifles with the Walker trigger mechanism were sold and may still be in circulation.

The 60 Minutes Piece

The TV show 60 minutes recently did a piece on the Remington 700. You can watch it here.

Contact Our Injury Attorneys Now To Preserve Your Rights

If you or a loved one has been injured, or a loved one has been killed, by a Remington 700 or Model Seven rifle in a hunting accident or other shooting incident, contact us now at 1-800-489-2216 to discuss your legal rights.

We provide 100% free case evaluations, and if you hire us to take on your case, we only get paid when you win.