I just picked up a LV SF chambered in .223 from my Dad's about a week ago. He bought it 3-4 years ago and never even fired it. It even came equipped with a Bushnell Elite 3200 3X9 40mm scope!

He decided he liked the .22-250 better and hasn't looked back. I scored BIG!

Anyway, after he went to bed one night I picked it up and cycled the bolt (after looking into the chamber to make sure it was clear). I pushed the safety forward and heard the pin snap. If there had been a live round in it there would have been a hole in the floor! I cycled the bolt again with safety on. I pushed the safety forward and heard the pin snap again... I pulled the trigger to make sure and found that the trigger acted as if it had been pulled. Indeed the pin had released! I tried it 3-4 more times with the same result. After that it quit happening and hasn't happened since. Dad kind of acted like I was crazy when I told him the next morning, but I'm definitely not.

I've got instructions on how to adjust the trigger and have been told that if I give the sear adjustment screw 1/4 turn counterclockwise it should alleviate the problem. The hitch is that I have read all over the place that the only thing a regular guy should ever adjust on a Remington 700 trigger is the pull weight and it should never be adjusted below 3 lbs. I'm also in a financial situation where I can't afford to just go to a gunsmith or to ship the rifle anywhere. Should I make the sear adjustment? Any advice would be appreciated.

Some day I'll put a different trigger on it but for now I can't afford to.

Best advice - take it to a good gunsmith and let him rework the trigger/sear engagement. The reason it is malfunctioning now is that a home adjustment was made and have the adjustments out of whack. Anything you do will probably compound the problem.

No home adjustments were made to this rifle. This was my Dad's rifle that he bought new. He never fired the rifle. He has over 30 rifles at this time and there are several that have not been fired and at least one is older than the one I have now. He doesn't do his own trigger work... ever. He works only with high end custom shops. He has money so he wouldn't bother with adjusting a trigger. All the screws are still factory sealed.

A call to Remington might be your best bet, Unless you can get your Dad to spring for taking it to a gunsmith

the caveat to contacting remington might be that it comes back with a terribly heavy trigger pull

Thanks for the concern and support. I followed instructions from a gunsmithing site. First I flushed the trigger group with brake cleaner and found some shavings. Then I soaked it with Ronson and cycled it a few times. After that I followed the calibration instructions. When I backed out the sear engagement screw I counted two full turns before it was flush with the housing. It was so deep I had trouble getting a screwdriver in deep enough to bite. Out to the grinder to touch up the screwdriver I went. By the time it was calibrated and functioning correctly, the screw was only about 1/2 turn deep in the housing. It would seem to me that perhaps the shavings gave someone the wrong indication that they had calibrated it correctly. I locked all the screws with nail polish and let it dry while I cleaned the bore for the first time. Plenty of shavings there too. Assembled the action to the stock and torqued the screws. I slammed the bolt 12 times, no pin drop. I drop tested it next, all was good. I'll still play it safe (I always treat them like they could discharge anyway)for the first several hundred rounds.

Sounds like you got it under control, let us know how it shoots

Thanks for the concern and support. I followed instructions from a gunsmithing site. First I flushed the trigger group with brake cleaner and found some shavings. Then I soaked it with Ronson and cycled it a few times. After that I followed the calibration instructions. When I backed out the sear engagement screw I counted two full turns before it was flush with the housing. It was so deep I had trouble getting a screwdriver in deep enough to bite. Out to the grinder to touch up the screwdriver I went. By the time it was calibrated and functioning correctly, the screw was only about 1/2 turn deep in the housing. It would seem to me that perhaps the shavings gave someone the wrong indication that they had calibrated it correctly. I locked all the screws with nail polish and let it dry while I cleaned the bore for the first time. Plenty of shavings there too. Assembled the action to the stock and torqued the screws. I slammed the bolt 12 times, no pin drop. I drop tested it next, all was good. I'll still play it safe (I always treat them like they could discharge anyway)for the first several hundred rounds.

This is what I had contemplated advising. I was pretty sure that there was not enough sear engagement for safe operation. It's also possible to not have enough trigger return spring tension to engage the sear for a good positive engagement. Never have (never say never), needed to send a Rem. 700 off to a gunsmith for safe trigger adjustment. Like all of us here will say, a very careful technique and testing and retesting a dozen times or more, like you have done, is advised. That will almost always (never say always), result in a good , clean, safe, and reasonably light trigger pull (2 1/2-3 lbs.). These are my experiences with the Rem. 700 triggers of yesteryear.

One thing that I might add is that older Rem. safeties had a tang that locked the bolt shut when on safety. That meant that the safety had to be OFF in order to open the bolt for unloading the chamber (not a good idea). My opinion is that the bolt locking tang NEEDS TO BE FILED OFF. Rem. must agree after numerous law suits as that bolt locking tang is not there any more.

Rev

One other test - cock the rifle, put the safety on, squeeze the trigger WHILE THE SAFETY IS ENGAGED, and then take the safety off. I had a Rem 700 that would fire every time you flipped the safety off IF you squeezed the trigger while the safety was engaged. It wouldn't fire when slamming the bolt, dropping the butt against the floor, etc. - only when you followed these steps.

It's worth checking, anyway. Those 700 safeties always made me nervous after that...

One other test - cock the rifle, put the safety on, squeeze the trigger WHILE THE SAFETY IS ENGAGED, and then take the safety off. I had a Rem 700 that would fire every time you flipped the safety off IF you squeezed the trigger while the safety was engaged. It wouldn't fire when slamming the bolt, dropping the butt against the floor, etc. - only when you followed these steps.

It's worth checking, anyway. Those 700 safeties always made me nervous after that...

I can vouch for that! It happened to me with just a few feet between me and a hunting buddy. Fortunately, the muzzle was pointed at the ground several feet from both of us. That's what made me mention that bolt locking tang removal. Scared the heck out of both of us. Now, my gun is always unloaded with the safety in the SAFE position.

Rev

Crap! That's what I forgot to do! I read that some of the older 700's had trouble with that and was going to try it on mine just in case. Mine is only 3-4 years old so I doubt it but I'll check it tomorrow anyway... Thanks! In the morning I'll get it out, put it on safe, give her a pull and then put it in the fire position... Oh, I'll cross my toes for good luck first (my fingers will be busy):D!

I have had that happen to me as well. I squeezed the trigger while the safety was on and forgot about it untill we got into a vehicle to warm up. I decided to unchamber the round that was in the chamber while in the truck nearly shot my brother-in-laws toe off. Beleive me a 7mm mag is loud in a truck with the windows up. I know I should have never gotten the truck with a loaded weapon shame on me. But I learned a valueable lesson from it. Luckly no one was hurt.

Well I WAS going to check that safety the other day.... Then my back went out. 3 days later, some valium and hydrocodone and I'm getting better. Checked it tonight after my son's choir concert. I tried four or five times... Cycle bolt, turn safety on pull trigger hard, turn saftey off, no problem. Looks like I'm good to go. if the weather holds I may go out this Saturday and start breakin her in. Joined the NRA the other day and I've selected a local club to join with 50 yd pistol and 100 and 250 yd rifle ranges. They also have killer shotgun facilities but I'll get into that later since I shold my beloved 870 wingmaster 13 years ago after a divorce. Saturday I can go try out their 50 yard range with my pistol and 10/22 for a couple of bucks. Then I'll head for the woods to try out the .223. My danged back better be good by then!

3711 - I own a LVSF, mine is chambered for 221 Fireball. I think you will like it a lot once you start shooting it. I changed out my synthetic stock for a Boyd's Thumbhole Varmint/Target stock. The photo below is what it looks like now but it no longer qualifies for "light" other than stock color. Now it's just a VSF! I just came back from checking the safety firing inadvertently as per the posts above. Not much of a safety if there is a mode where it will fire when engaging the safety.

The reason I changed out my stock was it flexed quite a bit. It was giving me random contact points on the barrel. I folded a business card in half and wedged it under the front of the forearm and it started shooting consistently. It's something you might be mindful of when you get yours to the range. I hope yours is as accurate as mine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/GuideGun/NewStock2.jpg

I did take the LV SF and my inherited Marx X .25-06 out shooting after my last post here. With the Mark X I shot a sub 3/4" group at 100 with three bullets in the same ragged hole with Remington factory ammo. I'll be working on custom loads for it later this week with the Redding dies I bought and some Varget.

I ran 30 rounds through the LV SF first though. 25 rounds to zero it in good (the boresighting was 6" low and right while the .25-06 turned out to be 1" low and near center) and then gave it a real good cleaning. Took my time and fired five on a fresh target at 100. The first shot was dead centered in the bullseye, the next touching it but top left. The next three were just below the first shot and were in a horizontal line touching each other. They all fit under a quarter and the last three under a nickle. I was using bulk Cabelas ammo. These were all fired from old plywood range rests, next time I'll bring my rest.

70 more rounds to break in the .223 and it's looking good already. I'll leave the factory stock on it, I like the light feel and have been thinking of hunting coyotes in the mountains NE of Mt. Rainier. It would be easy to carry. Eventually I'll get a .22-250 that's heavier for sit down shooting. I happened across a free set of RCBS .22-250 dies so you know I'm motivated! I'm on the verge of affording .223 dies now as well so I'm looking forward to some fun!

I have both triggers adjusted to 3 lbs and I'll tell you the Mark X trigger is buttery smooth compared to the Remington. Of course the Rem is new but then the Mark only has 120 rounds through it ever. The Mark has one incredible piece of English walnut attached to it too. Hard to believe they go for 1/3 of what the LV SF is listed for. Here's the Mark X, I refinished it myself last month, had a few dents in it I had to steam out, cant tell now:

I have one that I modified and bad breath will set it off. Used to use it in bench competition, where you went to the bench selected your target. Handed the range master your round, he chambered it when you were settled on the bags and bbl pointed down range. I could always tell when the trigger group was dirty it would not cock without holding the trigger fwd. 1/2 oz trigger. It now resides on my varmit (retired bench gun) it is now a 4 oz trigger. Sound like you have your problem under control.