Rem 760 too long

[handirifle]

Was at the gun shop for a bit today and saw a Rem 760 in 257 Roberts.  Tried it and the combination of the long LOP and the slide being "out there" was way too much reach for me, so it is out of the question.

[NYHunter]

Was at the gun shop for a bit today and saw a Rem 760 in 257 Roberts.  Tried it and the combination of the long LOP and the slide being "out there" was way too much reach for me, so it is out of the question.

No problem, just shorten up the stock.  LOP shouldn't me more than 13.5 (+ / -).  What sleeve length do take in a dress shirt?
First time I ever heard that complaint.

[The Gamemaster]

Without knowing how big you are, the question would be what part of the gun does not fit you?

You do not have to hold on the very end of the pump to pump the rifle.


When the action is open the total length of the rifle from butt stock to the end of the forearm is only 28 inches, with the action closed it is only 31 inches.  I really don't see how you figure that the gun is too long for a average size guy?

Even a 22 rifle is that big.

WE have cut 2 inches off the stock to install a recoil pad on BDL's with no problems.  But you have to remember that there is a rod that goes through the inside of the stock that holds it to the action and there is a limit to how much material you can remove.

I was told that a stock for a Model 870 Remington 12 gage is exactly the same as the one on the Gamemaster, so you could just buy the gun and buy a replacement stock and then cut the replacement stock down.

Or you can buy a synthetic stock for the 760 for about $40 from gun shops such as Grice Gun Shop in Clearfield PA.

A stock for a Model 760 - post 1968 to 1980 is all the same as is the Model 6 which was made from 1981 to 1986 and then the model 7600 which is still made to date.  So any of the newer model stocks will work on that rifle as long as it does not have the tube style forearm that has a lug under the barrel - like the earlier models.

[Foggy]

Buy it a 257Roberts 760 does not show up every day have a smith fit it to you .

[handirifle]

I could easily take material off the stock, that's not as big of an issue for me as other fit issues.  If I shortened the LOP to comfortably reach the REAR of the slide, it would put my face too close to the scope, not good.

I'm 5'7" tall and avg length arms, no idea what sleeve length is, either.  I own and have shot a mossberg 500 for many years, but I do not have to worry about a scope on it so the LOP can be and is shorter.  I KNOW how to use a pump gun.  Even the Mossberg seems a bit long and I've thought many times of shortening the slide bars to bring the forend closer.

Yes a 22 is a certain length, but I don't have a pump 22 for those reasons.  Either semi auto or bolt.

I figured the 257 would be a little unusual, but he's asking around $600 for a used one.  At least that's what I remember, I might be off, but he's usually high on used prices.

[Siskiyou]

When I was in high school I had a recoil pad installed on my M760.  I believe the pull length is about 13.5 inches.  That is measuring from inside my elbow to the first knuckle on my bent trigger finger.  This length works well for me when I am bundled up for cold weather and presents no problems when I am dressed for warm weather.



I have had a number of scopes on this rifle.  Currently there is a Burris 3x9 FFII on it.  Note how it is completely forward in the mount.  I have done this with other scopes on the rifle.  This gives me enough room to adjust the power, and the focus. 

The bluing has worn from fifty years of carrying in the woods but it is still a solid rifle.

If spacing is still critical for you I would recommend a fix power scope.  The power ring on a variable power scope eats up about an inch of space.  For years I had a fixed 4x scope on my 760 and it was all I needed.  I have had variable power scopes on a rifle for about 37 years, and only once have I cranked it up to full power to shoot a buck. 

From a safety standpoint I use binoculars or my rangefinder for glassing. 

The optic zone might be able to advise you on a scope that would fit your needs on a 760.

Here are a couple of suggestions.

http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=3605

http://theopticzone.com/detail.aspx?ID=2525

I was happy with a fixed power scope for years.  But I hunt a big country that offers up close to long range shots.

A M760 in .257 Roberts is a great find, and a very effective deer getter but if he is asking $600 he is out of line for S. Cal.  Does the rifle currently have a scope? 

If you are really interested you might make an offer of $400.

[whelen36]

have you considered looking into a scout scope mount ( if it's available in a 760 ) ??

[Dave in WV]

The 257 Roberts 760 is a rare rifle as fewer numbers were made than other offerings. IIRC the .222 is the most rare.

[The Gamemaster]

Siskiyou - the first and second Gamemaster I ever bought was the same style as yours and both served me well..  My dad also hunts with one of them old Billy Clubs.

Thats what we call one of them Old Gamemasters with the Heavy forearms and plain stocks.

But the internal mech is all the same and you can remove the stock and forearm and replace them with the newer style ones as long as you have a trombone style tube to go inside of the forearm.

Again, the guns are all the same and the mounts are all the same and what you see is what you get.

The way to get around the scope is to buy a SEE Throu scope mount such as from Weaver or Qwik Site.  It will raise the scope and you will not have to hunker down to see through the scope.

I own 3 with see throu mounts and 1 with a Redfield Style mount - rail style and they are all very accurate rifles.

With your size being what it is - there should be no other issues once you change the scope mounts.

My cousin Brian is 5'7 and has hunted with his Gamemaster since he was 14!  The gun was bigger than he was.

I have 4 Gamemasters and my dad has two and my brothers each has one and my Uncle and his son both have one as does two other people that hunted in our camp - when we had a camp.

I have owned everything from a .35 to .243 and they all shot very well.

I believe that so far, I have bought and sold over 12 Gamemasters.  That's a lot of Remington's.

[Siskiyou]

I consider the early Model 760 as a transitional firearm.  It’s great uncles the Model 14 and Model 141 where designed in an era of iron sights and comparatively lower velocity cartridges such as the .25 Remington, .30 Remington, .32 Remington, and .35 Remington.  The stocks on these rifles had a lot of drop in them, which accommodated the shooter in lining up the low over the bore iron sights.

According to my M760 serial number it was manufacture in 1954.  My Dad purchased it new for me in 1957.  The new rifle was a high velocity .270 Winchester with iron sights designed for a .30 Remington.  The stock was designed for use with low iron sights, and there was a lot of drop in the stock.  The rifle was not tapped for scope mounts. 

My first effort to improve on the ancient sights was to install a Williams’s peep sight on it. 

Around 1960 a brother received a M760 BDL in .270 Winchester with a B&L scope on it.  The stock had been redesigned for scope use and it did not have the drop of the early M760.  The stock was shinny and had a basket weave design on the pistol grip and forearm.

The two different stock designs generated a lot of conversations and everybody had a theory.  The theory on my stock was that because of the excessive drop the shooter was at a disadvantage because he had to lift his head off the stock to look thru the scope.  This was the elder hunters talking, men who use or seen military 03, M1, and British sniper rifles with lacy on cheek pieces so the shooter could use his scope.

If I had paid attention to them I would have never had my rifle drilled and tapped for scope mounts because of the stock.  I followed the advice of Jack O’Connor and selected a Weaver K4 and low mounts.  His advice was to mount the scope low and center to the bore.  I later replaced Weaver with a Bushnell Banner 3x9 with a 32MM front bell.  This kept the scope low and to the center of the bore.

These setups worked great in the field, and gave me plenty of clearance.  I had no problems with them.  It allowed me to get into action quickly when kicking bucks out of thick brush or out shooting jack rabbits.

I recently purchased a Burris FFII for a long action .270 bolt.  Because of it’s design the Burris presented a problem and would not fit.  So I switched scopes around and mounted it on the M760.  I prefer scopes with front bells that do not exceed 38-40MM to keep the scope low, I did compromise on one scope that has a 44MM bell and requires high bases on a different rifle.   If I were to replace the scope with the 44MM bell I would most likely drop back to a scope with a 38-40MM bell to get the scope down

The FFII required a taller set of rings then the old Banner and the large power ring required the scope be mounted far forward as it would go and still allowed me to turn the power ring and focus on the scope.  The scope is still mounted low enough that it meets my needs.
Another minor change I made to the rifle effected the drop and better accomandated scope use was having the stock cut and a recoil pad installed.  The gunsmith measured me wearing my cold weather hunting cloths of the day, a sweat shirt, and a Navy Pea Jacket.  I think he cut of an extra half to 3/8 of and inch plus the thickness of the recoil pad.  These had the effect of reducing the drop in the stock and making it a little more scope friendly.

I have looked at a few rifles with See-Thru mounts on them and feel they would be taking me in the wrong direction.  The intent with them is to allow the hunter to take advantage of iron sights when a scope is fogged or covered with raindrops.  I would get a case of Turkey Neck looking thru my scope.  Factory rifles are a compromise designed to fit many but not all and at the same time allow the manufacture to make a profit.

Years ago my brother put a very nice, fancy grade stock on the rear of his M760 from a shotgun.  I was a little bit jealous.  Mechanically my Plain Jane rifle has served me well.  I hate dinging the stock on any rifle, but I have a M700 with a very nice stock.  I just about had to breakout the Kleenex when I put a small ding in it.  Having spotted hunters a half mile away because of the reflection off their stocks I would much rather have a stock similar to the 7600 QWAC sold by Grice or just flat black stock similar to the synthetic stocks that can be had on current 7600 rifles.  In the last year I have come across two different new 7600 rifles with great wood.  I was badly tempted, because I like pump rifles and because they had great wood.  But I would not want to carry either in the woods. 

A question:  Any idea why Remington does not put a recoil pad on it’s wood stock M7600? http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_7600.asp
But they appear to be standard on the 700, Model Seven, and the 770.  Is it a cost control measure? 

[The Gamemaster]

At one time, the Model 760 was the cheaper model of the Remington line.

You can remember when they sold them at Kmart for as little as $150 if you are as old as I am.

My dads sold new at Grice Gun Shop in 1971 for $99, I believe that Scoot sold them two of them at the same time for $95 each!

The Model 700 at that time sold for about $150 and cost $250 - when the Gamemaster was $150

The only way to keep costs down was by not having a lot of options.

I don't believe that I saw any Early Gamemasters that were drilled and tapped for scope mounts.

Keeping the scope low worked 50 years ago when Jack O'Connor was hunting big game with his elephant guns.  But back then the optics were not of the quality that they are today.
A $99 Bushnell today is better than a 50 year old Leupold scope.

Leupold makes a nice scope that has the lens shaped like a crescent moon to accommodate for people that would like to mount their scope as close to the barrel as possible and still have a big objective lens.

The only job of the big objective lens is to let in as much light as possible, which makes it clearer and brighter than a normal 40 mm scope.

As for shooting a gun with SEE THROU mounts, once you do it, you won't even notice the difference  once you get used to it.  Looking under the scope to see the open sights isn't easy.  But they are still in the same place - and if you have a hard time seeing through them with the scope above them - then you have the same problem seeing through them when the scope isn't there, you just don't realise it because you are used to it.

[NYHunter]

I bought my first 760 in '72 and paid  $123.00 for it. Never should have sold it.

[Siskiyou]

If I recall correctly Dad paid $79.95 for my new 760 at Montgomery Wards in 1957.   I know he felt he got a good deal on it.  The first buck I took with it was in September 1957 and my second buck was in October 1957.  Those were big events in my simple country life.  The rifle was a success and Dad bought a brother a 760 ADL a few years later.  The M760 was popular in our area at the time with most of them sold in 30-06.  I do not recall any of the early ones having scopes on them.  It was a big deal for me to spend haying money on getting a peep sight.

I would not be surprised that Dad bought our M760’s in .270 Winchester because of the influence of Jack O’Connor.  Luckily he did not realize the .270 was meant for elephants.  He would not have wanted his sons shooting Mule, and Blacktail deer with such a powerful weapon.  I was amazed at the power of the first M760 I seen fired.  I went with a group of friends out to a long canyon on a ranch.  Dad was shooting his bolt action .300 Savage, and our friend was shooting his Savage 99 in .303 Savage.  Another friend showed up with a new M760 in 30-06.    Compared to the other rifles the M760 in 30-06 was a real boomer and it was accurate.  Ted was able to pop rocks and bushes at 300 and 400 yards.  I believe that demonstration influence my Dad when he bought my rifle and later my brothers. 

It would have been nice to buy .270 Winchester ammunition at K-Mart prices, but K-Mart had not to open its first store in Michigan until 1962 or so.  I never visited a K-Mart store unit 1967 or 68 on a trip to Southern California.  K-Mart never built a store in our rural county.  This was the boom years in Western deer herds and by that time the rifle had collect ten or more bucks.  The family lived on a lot of deer meat in those days; with Mom’s tags we had ten tags in the house

I do agree that the quality of scopes have improved greatly over the years.  I have a few old scopes that are setting in a drawer now as memories of the past.  I have also thrown at least three or four Japanese scopes from the 1960’s away.  I have been pleased with the Bushnell Banners that I purchased in late 60’s and early 70’s. 

Good Reading:

THE HUNTING RIFLE BY JACK 0'CONNOR Library of Congress catalog card number 72-99749

[Dave in WV]

The 760/7600 seems to have a following in various areas of the country but in some states in localized pockets. PA is the leader in sales and Remington says 1/2 of all 760 & 7600 rifles & carbines go to that state. I'm not one for running shots unless the game has been hit. That said, for me nothing mounts and swings like a Remington pump.

[Siskiyou]

Thank goodness for Pennsylvania, Gamemaster and others like him that have kept the 760/7600 series alive.  The Remington 700 and it’s different variants killed off a lot of 760/7600 sales.  It is the nature of the business that a manufacture may have products the compete for the same customer.  Dave is correct in that the 760/7600 is popular in some localized pockets.  I believe that pocket has disappeared in many areas.  The hunters that have moved here from Pennsylvania have bought Model 70 Winchesters, and Model 700 Remington's.

I believe there will be a lot of 760 rifles change hands in the next few years and there will be a new generations of hunters who will inherit them or buy them used.  But the challenge for Remington will be maintaining a market for the 7600.  I think a variant the same as or similar to the 7600 QWAC will sell some addition rifles that would not otherwise be sold if offered to a broader market. 

The problem is that for every 700 or 798 Remington sells for fifty to one hundred fifty dollars less then the 7600 a sale will be lost based on price alone. 

Will there even be new centerfire pump rifles on the market in ten years?  The Savage 170/170C where dropped over twenty-five years ago.  The Remington niche is the relationship between the 760/7600 and the 870 in today’s market place.  In 1950 is was the continuation of the market held by the Model 14 and 141 centerfire pumps.

Has the 7615 come to late to grab a major part of the law enforcement market; or is it a good politically correct answer to law enforcements need for a patrol rifle.  I rather doubt that those departments that have issued semi-auto rifles will go backwards.  But there are other departments that have resisted issuing patrol rifles.  The 7615 could be the answer.  Remington might kill that market by trying to make a big profit on a little rifle.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

The 257 Roberts 760 is a rare rifle as fewer numbers were made than other offerings. IIRC the .222 is the most rare.

Actually a .222 ADL grade is the most rare; they made 1 in 1958 but for shear numbers the .223 is rarer. They made around 2,800 of those in various grades whereas they made 3,300 .222's. The .222 is also beaten by .244 Remington (around 3,000) and the .280 Remington (around 3,100). The .257 comes in at 5th place rarity-wise with about 6,800 produced.