760 vs. 7600

[Cement Man]

Several months ago there were some posts here regarding the accuracy of the 760/7600's.  I forget which model specifically, but I had always overlooked these rifles because I never associated a slide action with good accuracy.  From what I read, they are indeed accurate (for hunting) and I have an interest in getting one.  My local gunshop has a pristine 760 in the caliber I want, but the price seems a little steep.  In fact, I believe he could order a new 7600 and sell it to me for the same or less.  I'm not buying this for collector value. I want a shooter, so the 760's vintage isn't important to me - other than if there is some definitive quality and accuracy difference.
The 7600 is supposed to be an improved 760.  What are the improvements, and other than the issues I have heard about Remington's current quality, is there a reason to choose one over the other.  Accuracy and dependability are what I am after.  Any advice appreciated.

[R.W.Dale]

so the 760's vintage isn't important to me - other than if there is some definitive quality and accuracy difference.

 You'll be set as long as you buy a model new enough to have a free floated barrel or rather one where the slide has it's own hangar bar that isn't attached to the barrel. In my opinion the Remington slide action rifles are on average the MOST ACCURATE hunting weight rifle Remington makes. A rem 700 has NOTHING on a well cared for 7600 , I believe this is due to the fact that by a fluke of design  it's practically impossible to have bedding issues on a 7600 (see pic below)

 My remington 7615 is accurate enough to be competitive in our local 200 and 300m high power rifle matches, I have no trouble holding sub 2" groups at 100yds WITH SIGHTS!!!!!!

[Cement Man]

Thanks for the information.  Appreciated very much!

[Siskiyou]

I am in some disagreement with cement man.  I have an early model 760 and it is a real shooter.  Way back when the “U.S. Army” marksmen team where using the 760 in the wild boar competition. 

I think price is a matter of where you are and the time of year.  Deer season or just before it may have prices higher.  Last winter I was in a shop that had an early 760 in .300 Savage for $295.  It had some deep rust, and had been badly abused.  It looked like it had spent its life under the seat of a drunken cowboy’s pickup.  It was surprising after seeing a number of them in .270, 06, and 308 the week before at the Reno Gun Show for approximately $300. 

A while back my brother bought one with a good scope for $300.  It is in excellent shape and shows little use.  And it has a very early serial number.

I always ask myself when looking at a used gun is the price difference between it and a new one make it a value.

And I should note that a number of agencies including the Border Patrol and the F.B.I. used the 760 before the day of the AR.

[Lone Star]

A free-floated barrel does not make an accurate rifle - plenty of Garands and M-1As demonstrate that definitively.  Barrel quality and action lockup along with consistent ignition are what make an accurate rifle - without those, bedding is immaterial.  Lock times on the M760 and M7600 are slow compared to a bolt rifle, but ignition is good.  Barrel quality is the big buggaoo - are barrels made today better than those made 30 years ago?  I do not know.

M760s are usually a little smoother operating than M7600s, but part of that is the years of use with M760s versus newer M7600 rifles.   The four bolt lugs on the M7600 are probably easier to get to bear evenly versus the dozen plus on the M760.  IMO it is a crap shoot, but my 1982-vintage M7600 is accurate and dependable.  But then so was a 1960-vintage M760 I used to shoot.  Depending on use, a synthetic stock is a big plus in some hunting conditions...available on new M7600 rifles but extra cost on M760s.

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[The Gamemaster]

BUY the model 760!

The out of the box accuracy that the 760 has over the 7600 is 1000 times better.

The quality of the stock and receiver and the barrels are what gives you the accuracy.

The Garand did not have a FREE FLOATING BARREL, but it did have good accuracy in the National Match Grade rifles that were reworked for the military.  Which by the way was not a general issue rifle.  So you have to compare apples to apples here.

The older 760's has multiple lugs that locks when you cycle the receiver, which are spiral shaped around the bolt.  Anyone that has ever hunted with me will tell you that I can play one like a fiddle.
In the hands of the right person, you can fire 5 rounds just as fast as you can pull the trigger.

The 7600's were a sorry excuse of a replacement for the 760 and most of them will not hold a 1 moa at 100 yards.  They are slower to cycle and are not the same quality of materials as the older 760.

As for having a model 7600 - made in 1982, I would have to see it to believe it.

I do not believe that Remington made a model 7600 in 1982, they did make a model 6 from 1981 to 1988!  I know - I own one, and it is the ugliest gun I ever owned.  I threw away the original stock and forearm and replaced it with a RKW stock off a 760!

It's accuracy - even in a .270 Winchester is poor and the quality is no better.

It has the same style lugs on the bolt as the 7600.

If the price of the 760 is less than $400, I would buy the 760

If the price is more than $400, I would wait and buy a used one at a later date, off a different dealer.

Since there was over 1.5 Million 760's produced, it is not hard to find one at a reasonable price in fair to good condition.

The 300 Savage Model was worth more, because they did not make as many of them as they did the .243, .270, .308, 30-06

The .222 are the most rare of all.  That is the only one of any value in my opinion.

[Willum241]

I have a 760 in 30-06 that I bought this spring from Target World for $350, it came with a 3x-9x scope.  It looked like new, so I thought it was worth taking a chance.  I immediately checked out the fasteners on the scope mount, and found they were all just a little more than finger tight!   After tweaking the scope, I was getting 1-1/4 inch groups at 100 yd with 165 gr Winchester Super X psp, and a groups of 1-1/2" with 110 gr psp and hp that I'd handloaded for my single shot SPR 18.  Also tried some 150 gr Remington Express psp, with groups of 1-1/2". It seems to prefer the heavier bullets, so this weekend I tried some 165gr Hornady btsp and the best results were with 50.5gr of IMR4064, groups of 3/4" to 1".  All the shooting was from a benchrest.

I've been practicing getting off a quick second shot from a kneeling position, and have had several people ask me if I'm shooting a semi-auto.

[Lone Star]

As for having a model 7600 - made in 1982, I would have to see it to believe it....I do not believe that Remington made a model 7600 in 1982...

Your belief would be wrong then.  Remington introduced the M7600 in 1981.  Read it and weep.   

http://www.remington.com/library/history/firearm_models/centerfire/model_7600.asp


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[clodbuster]

Cement man  Acouple years ago I bought a 760 in .270 Win with a lower 3x9 Bushnell  for about $300 off one of the on line auctions.   It shoots  1-1.5 inch groups without trying.  The caliber will really change the price though.  If your going after anythiing but '06 it goes up quickly and the rare one, forget bargains.  They are a great gun value all in all and fun to shoot.

[The Gamemaster]

As for having a model 7600 - made in 1982, I would have to see it to believe it....I do not believe that Remington made a model 7600 in 1982...

Your belief would be wrong then.  Remington introduced the M7600 in 1981.  Read it and weep.   

http://www.remington.com/library/history/firearm_models/centerfire/model_7600.asp


.

Read what I tell you and take it as GOSPEL.

Remington Made a Model 760 Until 1981, at that point, they changed the name to a Model 6
The Model 6 HAD a Remington Head-stamp from a round of ammo embedded in the receiver.
In an effort to cheapen the gun, they changed from Multi lugs to the square lugs on the bolt.
The clips interchanged.  They also came out with synthetic and plain wood models that year.

The Model is the same as the 7600 - But was not called a 7600.

When people decided that they did not like the NEW Model 6, sales declined and they decided that in an effort not to loose customers, they would change the name to 7600.

7600 sounds a lot like a 760 and people could relate between the two.

But again, they lost so many people with the loss of the 760 that they still did not recover from the change.

The 30 - 06 Govt. model came out more than 1 year ago and they made a special run of them and Grice Gun Shop still has 1/2 of all that were made on stock.  The 280 Remington was made in a special run and Grice Gun Shop still has 1/2 of them on stock.  The 300 Savage was brought out in a special run and Grice Gun Shop still has about 75 out of 300 made that year.

Before Winchester went under, they came back out with controlled round feeding.  In an effort to restore confidence and promote sales.  Their effort failed and they went out of business.

If Remington wanted to get back in the game, they will have to bring back the model 760, High Gloss RKW stocks and blued finish.

The Internet might be a good source for information about the battle of Hastings, but is not the best source for information about hunting rifles.  Due to the fact that peoples opinions gets in the way of facts.

If you would like more facts about Remington, please feel free to join the Remington Society of America.

There is a link there to check production date codes, barrel stamp codes and retired employees of Remington that can answer questions for you.

[Mike103]

As for having a model 7600 - made in 1982, I would have to see it to believe it....I do not believe that Remington made a model 7600 in 1982...

Your belief would be wrong then.  Remington introduced the M7600 in 1981.  Read it and weep.   

http://www.remington.com/library/history/firearm_models/centerfire/model_7600.asp


.

You don't like Remington auto's/ pumps. Why are you here? MIKE.

Read what I tell you and take it as GOSPEL.

Remington Made a Model 760 Until 1981, at that point, they changed the name to a Model 6
The Model 6 HAD a Remington Head-stamp from a round of ammo embedded in the receiver.
In an effort to cheapen the gun, they changed from Multi lugs to the square lugs on the bolt.
The clips interchanged.  They also came out with synthetic and plain wood models that year.

The Model is the same as the 7600 - But was not called a 7600.

When people decided that they did not like the NEW Model 6, sales declined and they decided that in an effort not to loose customers, they would change the name to 7600.

7600 sounds a lot like a 760 and people could relate between the two.

But again, they lost so many people with the loss of the 760 that they still did not recover from the change.

The 30 - 06 Govt. model came out more than 1 year ago and they made a special run of them and Grice Gun Shop still has 1/2 of all that were made on stock.  The 280 Remington was made in a special run and Grice Gun Shop still has 1/2 of them on stock.  The 300 Savage was brought out in a special run and Grice Gun Shop still has about 75 out of 300 made that year.

Before Winchester went under, they came back out with controlled round feeding.  In an effort to restore confidence and promote sales.  Their effort failed and they went out of business.

If Remington wanted to get back in the game, they will have to bring back the model 760, High Gloss RKW stocks and blued finish.

The Internet might be a good source for information about the battle of Hastings, but is not the best source for information about hunting rifles.  Due to the fact that peoples opinions gets in the way of facts.

If you would like more facts about Remington, please feel free to join the Remington Society of America.

There is a link there to check production date codes, barrel stamp codes and retired employees of Remington that can answer questions for you.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

According to my info the 7600 was introduced in January of 1981.

Production numbers were 971,712 not 1.5 million.

300 Savage was made more than the .243; 41K vs. 31K.

The .222 was not the rarest; they made 3,306 of them.

The rarest would be the .223 @ 2,723 followed by the .244 @ 3,080 and next would be the now very popular .280 caliber of which only 3,102 were made. These are rifle numbers mind you, not carbine.

Anyway, this is what my sources tell me.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Read what I tell you and take it as GOSPEL.

Remington Made a Model 760 Until 1981, at that point, they changed the name to a Model 6
The Model 6 HAD a Remington Head-stamp from a round of ammo embedded in the receiver.
In an effort to cheapen the gun, they changed from Multi lugs to the square lugs on the bolt.
The clips interchanged.  They also came out with synthetic and plain wood models that year.

The Model is the same as the 7600 - But was not called a 7600.

When people decided that they did not like the NEW Model 6, sales declined and they decided that in an effort not to loose customers, they would change the name to 7600.

7600 sounds a lot like a 760 and people could relate between the two.

But again, they lost so many people with the loss of the 760 that they still did not recover from the change.

I'd like to rewrite or at least clarify the "GOSPEL" a little...

In late 1980 Remington introduced the "new generation" of pump and autoloading rifles designed to replace the 760 and 742. There were 4 rifles; Model Four, Model Six, 7400, and 7600.

Initial advertising in 1981 concentrated on the higher grade Model Four and Model Six rifles; it wasn't until 1983 that the more popular grade (and priced) models 7400 and 7600 received equal billing with the Model Four and Model Six. Essentially the Model Four and Model Six were simply high grade model 7400 and 7600's; in fact, internally they were referred as "BDL" grades.

So... most of what Gamemaster related is true (4 square lugs on the bolt, etc.) but they didn't "change the name" to 7600; it was already being offered when the Model Six came out. They dropped the Model Four and Model Six in the 1988 catalog. There was also a model 74 Sportsman and 76 Sportsman during that era but that's another story...

I'd love to find a nice Model Six myself....

[firstshot]

BUY the model 760!

The out of the box accuracy that the 760 has over the 7600 is 1000 times better.

Well rats!!!!  I really hate to hear that!  Guess I'll just have to dump my 7600 & see if I can find a used 760.  


firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Nice looking group! IMHO, you can't believe everything that people say about the "inaccuracy" of the 7600 or how 760's compare to 7600....even if their screen name would leed you to believe that they were closely tied to Remington...