At least two dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries have allegedly been linked to inadvertent firings of the gun. The 2010 documentary " Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation" examined allegations that for decades, Remington covered up a deadly design defect in its signature product.
"The Court cannot conceive that an owner of an allegedly defective firearm would not seek the remedy being provided," Smith wrote.īut even now, the company insists the Model 700 - the most popular bolt-action rifle in the world - is safe. Many of those lawsuits blamed Remington for serious injuries, as well as multiple deaths. It would be another 17 years, thousands more complaints and about 100 more lawsuits before Remington would finally put a new fire control for the Model 700 on the market. It would need new safety features, the notes say, including a design that keeps debris from getting inside, and a way to keep customers from making dangerous, do-it-yourself adjustments. Topping the agenda, according to notes by engineer James Hutton: coming up with a new firing mechanism that would allow the company to continue defending the old one. So on a chilly March day at Remington's main plant in Ilion, New York, the engineers met with the lawyers. But first, they had to get it past the legal department.
The engineers set out to design a new version, better than the original. But there were also complaints - even lawsuits - about the guns going off without the trigger being pulled. The top-selling product at the Remington Arms Co., the Model 700 rifle, was successful - practically beloved. It was the kind of challenge that engineers live for and dread all at once.