Remington 597 Rifles and .17 HMR Ammunition Recall

Remington Arms Co. has announced a major rifle recall, and a serious warning on .17 HMR ammunition.  Remington is immediately recalling all of the Model 597 rifles chambered for the .17 HMR.  Remington is not offering any repairs, rather they are issuing coupons of $200-250 for a replacement Remington rifle and refunding the shipping costs of sending the rifle back.

Additionally, Remington announced that their .17 HMR ammunition is not to be used in semi-auto firearms.  Stating that the use of Remington .17 HMR ammunition in a semi-auto firearm “…could result in property damage or serious personal injury.”  People wanting to return the ammo will be issued $10 coupons for each box of 50 they return.

Remington specifically states about the ammo:

The use of this ammunition in a semi-automatic firearm could result in property damage or serious personal injury.

Yikes.  The whole thing is a bit of  a black eye for Remington.  Any time you have to recall a product, you will generate bad press and probably lose a few customers.  That is unfortunate.  Remington is known to make quality firearms and ammunition.  My experiences with the brand has always been very positive.

However, a recall without any repair is an even bigger problem.  What this suggests is a design defect rather than a single part problem.  What that defect may be, well, we may never know the specifics.  I’m guessing it is something pretty serious, and something that is cost-prohibitive to fix.  Not only does the company have to refund up to $250 per rifle, but there are customer loyalty issues to consider.  If the company is willing to lose a few miffed customers, then I suspect the cost of designing and implementing a fix must have been very steep indeed.

Recalls on Remington products are relatively few, especially when compared to the sheer number of products they produce in the sporting, military and ammunition verticals.  The company makes a lot of things, and a recall now and again is to be expected.  Don’t judge them too harshly.