Remington 7400

[Rooster52]

What experiences has anyone had with the Remington 7400? I just bought a 30-06,have not scoped it yet ,never owned one of these rifles.

 

[schmalts]

Hated it. My first and only auto loader deer gun when I was 14. It jammed a lot.

 

[gtaggart]

I have had one in 30/06 for years. It doesn't see a lot of time in the woods anymore, but it has been a great gun for me. I have never had a jam in mine and it is a fairly accurate rifle. I have no complaints other than it's a little on the heavy side.

 

[Rooster52]

Yes,it is a little on the heavy side.

 

[Southwind]

I have owned a couple. A 243 which I think was actually a 742 and 30/06 carbine I know was a 7400.

I never could get the 243 to shoot worth a crud but never had and jamming problems with either. I was very pleasantly surprised how well the 06 carbine shot. I never shot anything with the 06 but would bring it on several hunts because well some of my buddies are not so good at checking their weapons before a hunt. Anyway, that rifle has killed some really nice animals but just not from me.

I had a hog hunting friend that coveted that rifle and I let it go.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I had a 750 in a 270 that I just couldn't trust to go bang everytime. So I sold it....

 

[SFC B]

Shot my buddy's quite a lot at Ft Lewis trying to zero/get a decent group for him prior to hunting season one year. It was all over the place. No problem with function but I wouldn't have taken it into the field. He sold it and bought a Marlin lever gun.

 

[Tjay]

Had one for a few years and never had a problem. It shot very well with ammo it liked. By very well I am talking 1 to 1.5 in. groups at 100. The key to keeping a 7400 running is keeping the chamber clean and Remington supplies a chamber brush that works well.

 

[GSP4EVER]

Earlier this spring I had bought a 742 30.06. It was OK until I tried to completely take it apart for a good through cleaning. The person I bought it from said he just gave it a good cleaning, but when I got to taking a closer look, it was as though it had never been cleaned. When I started digging in to it there were alot of rusty parts inside. The barrel nut was rusted and rounded off. Couldnt get it all the way apart. Long story short, the reading I did on these rifles before I bought this one is that they need to stay clean. Jamming problems are usually a sign of a dirty gun (from what I was told by a gunsmith). Another thing the smith told me was the rails for the action need to be smooth and if they have "teeth like" ridges on them they are on thier way to failure. The smith said he would only work on them to convert them to a pump action. This one had the "teeth". In the end I took it to a retailer, told them everything and ended up getting what I paid for it on trade in. I was also told that these rifles are moade for high volume shooting. Got a Howa 1500 270 Win now.

 

[Rooster52]

Mine is a nice gun and from what I have now shot it ,it shoots geat,but I think I am going to sell it ,just don't feel right to me ,

 

[tarheel]

I had a Model Four in 30-06 which was the top of the line version of the 742 family and had no problems with it nor has my son since I gave it to him, and like Tjay it had no problems holding a 1.5" group with 165 handloads

 

[COmarshrat]

I've had two...a Model Four in .308 Winchester and currently have a Model 7400 in .270 Winchester. I have had two shoulder surgeries and feel better for my long-term health with the reduced recoil of auto loaders. Both have functioned flawlessly for me and have been more than accurate enough. I am able to get 1 - 1 1/2" groups with factory loads. One thing I found out with these two rifles and a 7600 pump in .243 that my son uses has to do with scope mounting.

I have found that if I file the mount screws down a bit there is no resistance on the top of the bolt. Believe it or not, the rifles I have seen of these two models which have had jamming problems have had scour marks on top of the bolt. This is caused, in my experience, by the mounting screws being just a tad long...no matter which brand I have used. Once the screws are filed down a bit (1/16 or so) the resistance goes away and so do the "jamming problems".

Yes, they are heavier than some of the bolt guns out now days, but I find the weight tolerable and desirable for keeping my shoulders healthy. I love the availability of a quick second shot. Nothing grinds me more than watching hunting shows where a shot is made and the animal is still standing, wobbling around, whatever, and the hunter doesn't put in a quick second shot for humane reasons. The "one shot kill" is not as important in my mind as a quick-as-possible humane kill. The quick second shot helps with this.

Others knock them, but I like them in rifles and shotguns.

 

[Rooster52]

Good idea about filing the scope base screws.