The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is alerting shooters to the recall of two popular models of rifle - one of which a Perth-based shooter describes as "the most prolific bolt-action firearm in the world".
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The two rifles of concern are the Remington Model 700 and the Model Seven with X-Mark Pro triggers, manufactured between May 1, 2006 and April 9, 2014 and sold nationally by licensed dealers.
The ACCC understands that more than 21,000 of these rifles have been imported and approximately 4000 are still within the supply chain in Australia.
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said “the ACCC is concerned that around 17,000 rifles in the hands of gun owners across Australia may unintentionally discharge without touching the trigger”.
“These rifles are currently under recall in the United States. Although there have been no reports of injuries in Australia or the United States, care should be taken when handling these rifles,” she said.
A Perth-based shooter told Fairfax Media that the Remington 700 was “probably the most prolific bolt action firearm in the world”.
He estimated there would be at least hundreds of this model in WA, if not thousands,
The shooter said they would mostly be owned by competition shooters but were used for a number of purposes including hunting.
The ACCC urges owners of the guns which are subject to the recall to stop using their rifle as “any unintended discharge has the potential to cause injury or death".
They should take extreme care when unloading the guns, making sure to always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and keep the rifles safely stored, without attempting to repair them.
Remington proposes to replace triggers in all affected rifles free of charge.
Owners can get more information, including instructions on how to locate the serial number on the Recalls Australia website and can check their serial numbers against the global database online.
