Remington to replace triggers on popular rifles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- U.S. gunmaker Remington Arms Co. and plaintiffs in two class-action lawsuits formalized a settlement agreement last 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. 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 a 1994 Texas case, a jury awarded $17 million to a man who lost his foot.

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 the Model 700 and Model Seven rifles.

The company claims in the settlement that excess bonding agent used in the assembly process could cause the rifles to discharge unintentionally. The assembly process has been reworked to avoid similar problems in the future, Remington said.

A media contact listed for Remington did not return a call or email Saturday seeking comment.

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 stop using their rifles until they have been inspected and repaired. Also under the deal, Remington agreed to provide vouchers ranging from $10 to $12.50 each to owners of older models that can't be retrofitted with the new trigger mechanism.

The settlement caps the amount of attorneys' fees, costs and expenses Remington must pay at $12.5 million.

The deal still must be approved by a judge.