Remington Arms Company, LLC has sold and marketed rifle with defective triggers for over thirty years. Remington’s Model 700 rifles with the “Walker” trigger and newer X-Mark Pro (XMP) triggers can fire without warning. Plaintiffs have successfully won lawsuits against Remington since the 1980s alleging that the rifles misfire without pulling the trigger. Despite the growing number of preventable deaths and severe permanent injuries that occurred as a result of Remington’s defective trigger designs, Remington continued to manufacture rifles with the defective trigger design. In 2014, Remington finally issued a nationwide recall.
Remington’s Knowledge
Remington has used the Walker Fire Control since 1948. Since 1979, Remington has been aware that the trigger can fire unexpectedly. The Model 700, one of Remington’s most popular rifles, has been sold for decades with the defective design. The newer 710 model contains the same defective trigger design. Despite thousands of customer complaints, hundreds of injuries and deaths, lawsuits, and a new design introduced in 2007, Remington refuses to admit that the Walker Fire Control is defective.
The Defect
The trigger design is defective because the connector is not bound to the trigger. The connector separates from the trigger body when the rifle is fired and creates a gap between the two parts. Debris, dirt or manufacturing scrap can become lodged in the space and prevent the connector from returning to the original position.
Failure to Warn
Despite losing many lawsuits and settling hundreds of cases, Remington refused to sell rifles with a warning that the rifles may discharge without a trigger pull. Approximately four million guns are currently used by sportsman with the defective trigger design. The rifle may discharge upon opening or closing the bolt, upon releasing the safety or upon loading or unloading the firearm.