Remington Model 700 Trigger Removal, Installation And Adjustment

Among the more troublesome tasks attempted by the average gunowner is the removal, installation and adjustment of the Remington Model 700 trigger. There are many replacement triggers on the market which are quite easily installed, but I get quite a few of these in my shop half way through installation with the owner wondering what to do next.

Some trigger manufacturers provide fairly good trigger installation or removal instructions, but the customer simply doesn’t understand them or is equipped with the wrong tools to perform the work. The following paragraphs and pictures should help simplify the job. A few notes on the Remington trigger. The Remington 700 trigger consists of about 20 parts housed in two laterally opposing stampedout and formed steel walls.

Among the major parts that make up the trigger are the sear assembly, safety assembly, trigger with connector, along with a number of pins, washers, springs, screws and related parts. The bolt stop and spring are involved with the trigger removal and installation. Most other replacement triggers consist of essentially the same parts in one form or other.

These triggers are fully assembled and should not be These triggers show the bolt release slide attached to the outer trigger housing operated by a thumb tab from below. Note the through holes in the upper trigger body where sear trigger interaction occurs. The Remington trigger on left shows slave pins in position ready to fit into the trigger well on the rifle.

Slave pins are shown in position at the rear holding the spring loaded sear from popping upward. disassembled unless repair or major cleaning is required and then only by those experienced in this area. Removing The Trigger Trigger removal and replacement is made much easier with the use of two 1/8th inch diameter slave pins which span the thickness of the trigger housing. Along with these slave pins, a slightly undersized 1/8th inch punch, lightly beveled at one end, is used. The punch is used to remove

the sear pins (trigger mount pins) that also hold the trigger housing in position. The rear pin also retains the bolt stop and bolt stop spring in place. These slave pins hold the sear assembly together under the light pressure of the sear spring and keep the trigger assembled as it is removed or reinstalled. These two pins make the job a lot easier for the gunsmith or firearms owner working with the Remington Model 700 series trigger.

The rear sear pin is removed first which will allow the trigger housing to pivot downward. The rear pin is driven out from right to left. With slave pins in position, the trigger will remain intact when removed. This also frees the bolt release lever and spring. Next, drift front pin left to align slave pin in trigger body. Trigger can then be removed from trigger well. Installing A New Trigger Installation of new trigger is essentially reverse order of trigger removal.

Be sure slave pins are in place on the new trigger before attempting to install it. With the trigger housing in position in the receiver well, align and repin the front pin first. The slave pin is driven out as it is replaced by the main pin, falling free of the action. Then, reinstall the rear pin from left, securing bolt release lever and spring. Replacing this pin is a bit tricky as the bolt release lever and spring must be properly positioned and aligned as the punch is manipulated.

An extra pair of hands may come in handy here. The slave pin is driven out and should be placed in the trigger removed. Slave pins are held in place by sear spring pressure, keeping the sear and spring intact. New Trigger Testing For those testing a newly installed trigger, follow any instructions that accompany the trigger. Be sure the safety and the bolt release are working properly with any newly installed trigger. The malleable tab that pushes the bolt release sometimes needs realigning for proper contact.

Sometimes, stock wood removal is required to accommodate different trigger body configurations for proper fit. With a few variations, Remington triggers can be safely adjusted down to about two pounds. For my own use I have adjusted a few down to just over a pound. The Remington 700 Series trigger is easy to adjust. Get a well fitted screw driver to fit the adjusting screws, which may be sealed with resin or the like. The resin must be removed to expose a clean screw slot.

Trigger over travel is adjusted via a screw positioned at the front of the trigger housing. This screw interfaces the top of the trigger connector, limiting over travel as it is adjusted. Below this screw is the trigger pull weight, which controls spring compression. The factory spring is pretty stiff and some parts outlets offer replacement springs. The third screw is positioned at the rear of the housing and controls trigger sear engagement.

With the rifle cocked, slowly turning this screw inward will reduce sear-trigger engagement and cause the rifle to fire. At this point, turning the screw outward will set the degree of sear-trigger engagement. As little as a fraction of a turn will allow the trigger to be cocked with only a few thousandths of an inch of engagement. Trigger sear engagement can be viewed through a small hole at the top of the housing. This allows the user to set the trigger quite softly but should not be set below safe limits.

As the trigger is adjusted it must be tested for safety. Some may advise the slam-fire maneuver by opening and closing the bolt repeatedly and quite forcefully. More tests should be routinely implemented to test the trigger function. First, test the trigger for pull weight using a scale or with your finger. Test for creep, smoothness and over travel. Then, lift the bolt handle fully upward and slowly lower it. A too soft trigger may not cock as American Gunsmithing Association

it should with this test and require more sear-trigger engagement and/ or spring pressure. Another test the trigger must pass involves pulling the trigger with the safety in the safe position, followed by moving the safety to the fire position. Some rifles will fire following this maneuver, indicating far too little sear-trigger engagement and/or spring pressure. A trigger must never be set this lightly.

The reason factory triggers are set quite firmly is to avoid the problems encountered by too soft a trigger pull. Always exercise caution when adjusting a trigger or have a gunsmith or someone thoroughly experienced in trigger function do the job. As for lubrication, do so very sparingly and with a synthetic, noncongealing lubricant. Oil soaks up dirt and abrasives that can markedly alter lubrication.

Poor bore cleaning practices allow all sorts of crud to enter the trigger mechanism from the top past the sear where a cleaning rod guide isn’t used. Cleanliness is key here. The rear pin serves to hold the bolt stop in place as the thumb operated bolt stop release opens it. The bolt stop release spring is sandwiched just inside the inner wall of the bolt stop also held by the rear trigger pin. 7 ounces on a Remington Model 40X rifle.

Such a light trigger pull is not advised using a stock Model 700 Remington trigger even though it may be possible. Far The two short pins shown at left are slave pins used to hold the sear and spring in place while installing it. At center are two different 1/8th inch punches used to drift the pins. A needle nose pliers, small screwdriver and/or special wrenches are used to adjust the trigger. Were the slave pin not in position, the sear could swing freely, releasing the sear spring.

Conclusions Trigger replacement and/or adjustment can be performed by following instructions carefully. I would strongly advise having an experienced technician or gunsmith assist anyone in doing the job until such time they are fully capable of doing it, or just leave this work to a qualified gunsmith. AG