Remington settles suit, to fix triggers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. gunmaker Remington Arms Co. and plaintiffs in two class-action lawsuits formalized a settlement agreement this week under which the company will replace the triggers on millions of guns, including its most popular bolt-action rifles.

Under the deal reached in July and filed Friday in federal court in Kansas City, Remington will replace X-Mark Pro triggers on its popular Model 700 and Model Seven rifles manufactured from May 1, 2006, through April 9, 2014. It also agreed to replace XMP triggers on a number of other models but does not acknowledge any equipment defect.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Remington over the past three decades, several by people who claimed injury and death from guns that misfired.

In 2010, Remington issued a statement saying its Model 700 had been “free of defect” since it was first produced. But in April the company issued a nationwide recall of both the Model 700 and Model Seven rifles.

On its website, Remington urges all owners of models identified in its recall to take the guns to an authorized repair center or ship them, with Remington picking up the cost. It encourages owners to immediately stop using their rifles until they have been inspected and repaired.

The deal still must be approved by a judge.