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Thread: How to test your Model 700 trigger…

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    CWPINST's Avatar
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    Default How to test your Model 700 trigger…

    I really need pictures for this….but here goes.
    There has been a lot of discussion about the “pre X Mark-Pro” triggers over the years. A lot of it was due to the TV special on the Model 700 trigger. First, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with the original trigger as long as you kept it clean and didn’t mess with the sear adjustment and knew what you were doing with the weight adjustment. There are a few things to understand about this trigger. Since the action is a cylindrical action, the trigger housing acts like a sump to collect oil, cleaning solvent and debris. The trigger housing has some fairly close tolerance parts that slide beside each other, and there are small springs that keep everything moving properly and in alignment. It does not take very much cleaning solvent or oil to gum it up over time, especially if the weight adjustment has been backed off a bit. A Model 700 trigger should NEVER be lubricated.

    While there is nothing wrong with the trigger, it IS susceptible to getting gummed up which can definitely cause an AD when you take it off safety. A friend had this happen. He replaced it with a Timney and gave me the old one. It took me over an hour to clean the gunk out.

    So how do you check it to make sure it is safe and not gummed up? First, make sure it is unloaded then remove the bolt. On top of the trigger, you will see the part that the cocking piece on the bolt engages. Without pulling the trigger and with the safety off, press your thumb downward on this part with moderate pressure. You will see that it doesn’t move. Now, while pressing down on it, pull the trigger and you will feel this part drop. This is what allows the cocking piece (with firing pin attached) to move forward when the gun is fired. Repeat this a few times. Now, press down on it and pull the trigger just like you did before except this time hold the piece down while you take your finger off the trigger. Now slowly release the pressure. You should hear a very distinct “click” as the trigger sear resets and you should be able to see the trigger “jump” forward. Do this a few times. Then put very light pressure on the trigger as it jumps forward. If everything is working as it should, the resetting trigger should actually move your finger forward. If it does this, your trigger is in good shape and you shouldn’t have any problems.

    IF the trigger reset is not crisp with an audible click and the reset feels mushy, it means that it is quite possibly gummed up to some degree and could cause an accidental discharge when the safety is moved to the “fire” position even without touching the trigger. If this is the case, the trigger should be thoroughly cleaned with carburetor cleaner or something similar or it should be swapped out. All Model 700 triggers should be flushed out occasionally with lighter fluid and allowed to dry. This will flush out oil and cleaning solvents. When you clean your bolt, always remember to wipe off any excess oil to prevent it from collecting in the trigger. Now you know how to check your model 700 trigger!
    Last edited by CWPINST; 10-16-2021 at 10:40 PM.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

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    Very good post. Should be a sicky.


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    Damn now you got me sitting in my stand wondering if this joker is going to go off when i pop the safety off. Thanks for the info I will be checking this back at camp this afternoon.
    F65437C8-EDD4-4F6D-A46A-EEC174F76065.jpg

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    forget all that.

    pro tip- replace 700 trigger with timney of trigger tech and set to 1.5 pounds.

    only rookies shoot rifles with 7 pound triggers.
    Windows Down!

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    Quote Originally Posted by raybird View Post
    forget all that.

    pro tip- replace 700 trigger with timney of trigger tech and set to 1.5 pounds.

    only dumbasses shoot rifles with 7 pound triggers.
    Fixed it but you were close. Damn a creepy heavy factory trigger.

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    Quote Originally Posted by raybird View Post
    forget all that.

    pro tip- replace 700 trigger with timney of trigger tech and set to 1.5 pounds.

    only rookies shoot rifles with 7 pound triggers.
    Yep. I'll take a Timney.

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    A Model 700 trigger should NEVER be lubricated.
    Learn something new every day. Thanks...

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    No doubt a Timney or a Jewel is the way to go but until then it is good to know that the factory trigger is reliable and not on the edge of reliability due to sticky gunk. The X-Mark Pro is a pretty crappy trigger although I have seen a couple that weren’t terrible. They added an extra spring and perhaps a little different geometry to help make the reset more certain and less susceptible to gunk.

    Bottom line is that if you have an original, you need to know how to check it and to flush it occasionally with lighter fluid. I have a few aftermarket triggers but most are the original version including one from the 70’s that has to be taken off safety to open the bolt.

    EDIT: If your trigger is not crisp in the reset (not to be confused with the trigger pull) it is likely either out of adjustment or gummed up. If this is the case I would NOT recommend trying to clean out the gunk. It would be better to replace it. I wrote the original post not to talk folks out of a new aftermarket trigger but to recognize that not everyone has one or the means to get one yet, so they need to know how to check the one that they have. Having said that, a Timney is a very good trigger for the $. It ain’t a Jewell but it doesn’t miss it very far.
    Last edited by CWPINST; 10-17-2021 at 02:06 PM.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

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    Ill have to check mine. It had a crisp trigger when i bought it new 20 years ago and shoots great. I need to put a timney in it though
    "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
    I am haunted by waters" Norman Maclean.

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    Put a Timney, TT or Jewel in it and be done. Or buy a Begara, they make a better Remington 700 than Remington does with a good trigger to begin with.
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


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    So did anyone find out anything about their Model 700 trigger?
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CWPINST View Post
    So did anyone find out anything about their Model 700 trigger?
    Yep, that they’re still in the drawer I put them in when I switched for the Timneys.
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


    You might take out a dozen before they drag you from your home and skull fuck you to death. Marsh Chicken 6/21/2013

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    Quote Originally Posted by Saltydog235 View Post
    Yep, that they’re still in the drawer I put them in when I switched for the Timneys.
    Lol send them to me.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

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