Author Topic: New to me 7400 30-06 (Read 3165 times)

454Puma · « **on:** April 18, 2011, 12:39:28 PM »

A man can never have too many '06's right? We'll I got the bug to get a Semi in the '06 and was on here last night looking at and reading all the threads I could on these!

Yes I read all I could find ! Yes I saw all the negatives on these well I know to take this and everything else with a grain of salt or two!

I was going to make a road trip to Cabelas as I was going to get some other stuff but decided to go to my local fun store first! When I first glance at the racks I didn't see any Rems but when I looked closer I spied this lonely Rem 7400 '06 sitting there- didn't know it was an '06 until I picked it up! Bingo my local fun shop comes through again!! I'll admit here and now I've been a bolt gun guy forever -the only semi-rifle I ever own until recently was a 22LR. I look this one over - very nice wood, finish on the metal very good, checked the bore,crown etc perfect!
Then I looked at the tag $400 marked down from $450! Sweet! Wasn't going to spend over $450 for one ! Well after bring it home and giving it a good once over and quick cleaning/lube I grabs a box of my reloads and went out to break it in! Shot 11 rounds before the rain started up again so thats what on the target- open site at 55 yards lasered! Wind was blowing stffly at 25-30 Rt to Lt so I'll not mess with the sites until I get a better day! Oh by the way it fed these rounds without nary a hitch, bind,nor misfeed! Perfect!

possume · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2011, 04:27:26 PM »

congrats on your find i have two 7400s a 270 and a 243 love them both never a jam or a missfire and accurate

OldSchoolRanger · « **Reply #2 on:** April 19, 2011, 06:08:08 PM »

Never had a Rem 7400, but I did have a Rem 742, its predecessor. The rifle is a little heavy for a stalking rifle, but if your a stand hunter, it's a good rifle. Good luck.

454Puma · « **Reply #3 on:** April 19, 2011, 09:01:04 PM »

OldSchoolRanger
Yea it might not be the lightest stalker - my AR weights about the same!

I'm thinking I might be stuck shooting 150 gr out of it -tried some 165's and it was a shotgun patern at 100 yards ! I did notice some contact points on the forearm so I removed some wood and I got it scoped now as my eyes don't care to much for the irons on this! If I get a chance tommorow I'll get her sighted in!

OldSchoolRanger · « **Reply #4 on:** April 29, 2011, 07:27:55 PM »

454Puma
I wasn't thinking about it that way AR15 (5.5LBs - 8.5LBs)

to Rem 742/7400 (7.25LBs)

, but when your right, your right. I was thinking about it compared to what I use for hunting, a Rem 700 (6.75LBs). But then again, 1/2LB isn't that much more weight, right?
Isn't it amazing that you forget how heavy or light a (AR/M-16) rifle feels even after carrying it for a year and a half. It just that the Rem 742 for some reason felt heavier to me than even my Marlin 336C which is actually lighter (7LBs).
How did you make out sighting the rifle in?

charles p · « **Reply #5 on:** April 30, 2011, 03:37:51 AM »

I have a 742 in 30-06 purchased in 1967. I use a small base die set, trim cases frequently, and avoid hot loads for best results.

Halwg · « **Reply #6 on:** April 30, 2011, 05:23:11 AM »

I want one.

454Puma · « **Reply #7 on:** April 30, 2011, 02:54:29 PM »

Halwg
Depending where your at shouldn't be to hard to find one- since everyone says they are junk jamomatics!!!

I lucked into this one as I've looked at Cabelas, and a few other shops around here after I had picked this one up! None zip zero! Asked at Cabelas and one other shop they had no clue what I was asking for?

So I let it go wasn't going to jaw about something they had no clue about! These are not to well known out west! More of an Eastern timber rifle! Must have been an old vet sold this off!

Been shooting the heck out of it- worked up two cast bullet load that cycle just fine! Makes for cheap practice ammo! Though either would be an excellant hunting load!

It now also sporting a scope as my old eyes don't like the fine iron sights !

Swampman · « **Reply #8 on:** April 30, 2011, 03:22:30 PM »

I like them but our local shops won't take them in so they are hard to find.

Flynmoose · « **Reply #9 on:** April 30, 2011, 07:27:47 PM »

I had a beautiful 742 in 30.06, sold it as it went through ammo like crazy and I didn't reload yet. I do miss it though and the guy I sold it to won't let it go!
FM

454Puma · « **Reply #10 on:** May 01, 2011, 11:03:47 AM »

Flynmoose
Yep like all semi's you tend to burn more ammo!

Been a reloader for years so it's just more fun at the bench!

1marty · « **Reply #11 on:** May 01, 2011, 03:21:23 PM »

I bought one in 30-06 I believe over 10 years ago. The gun always jammed-in fact I use to carry a screw driver with me when I went hunting. The magazine would sometimes fall out when I was shooting. I switched magazines which didn't help. I sent it back to Remington who made "adjustments" however it didn't help. The gun would never hold zero (had a Nikon Monarch which was mounted by me then by a gunsmith). After missing a 8 point buck at 50 yrads I sold it and went back to my old Rem 700.
It sounds like they may have improved the gun or I just got a lemon.

454Puma · « **Reply #12 on:** May 02, 2011, 10:26:57 AM »

1marty
Maybe! Like I said I did alot of reseach on this before I bought one! Sometimes one get a lemon and nothing can be done to fix it! It happens! After all my reseach the scope not keeping zero can be traced to one of two things- the mount screws being to long-IE bolt hitting them as it travels- this also causes the jamming! Also Remington for some unkown reason uses a different size screw whole then everyone elso to mount a scope! Found this out the hard way as I tried to mount a scope from another gun and the screws from that mount would not work! Had to buy the Weaver mount made for the 7400! As far as accuracy- had to tweak the forearm- remove all contact points between it an the barrel! Yes one shouldn't have to do that with a rifle if it was made properly at the factory, but it all pays off when you get a rifle that works like a dream!

1marty · « **Reply #13 on:** May 02, 2011, 04:56:02 PM »

Remington back then was a company which had fallen on hard times and I believe the quality suffered. The deal about mounting screws may have some validity but I've mounted many scopes and on this one I even had my gunsmith remount it. No, it was just a lemon. I've owned plenty of firearms which performed great without tweaking.

loneviking · « **Reply #14 on:** May 24, 2011, 09:01:31 AM »

My dad just gave me one of these. He bought it at a yard sale and never fired the darn thing!

So, off to the range I go to try it out and I'm impressed! No jams, it's 'Montana' rigged and once the scope rings got tightened down I was hitting paint buckets consistently at 300 yards. Much easier recoil than the 03A3's and the Mosin Nagants I'm used too!

Maybe somebody can tell me what's up with the magazine oddities. One mag has a little sliding button on the bottom. The slide locks open when the rounds are gone, shouldn't you be able to drop the mag, insert a fresh one---hit the button and chamber a fresh round? This gun won't drop the mag with the slide back.

The guns trigger also won't move with the mag out, so I guess there's a magazine disconnect with these guns? Anybody have a vid on youtube of how to modify a 10 round mag to work? I can get the mag to lock in when empty, but it won't chamber or fire with even one round in the 10 round mag.

Anyway, this gun hasn't jammed on me yet and firing 180 gr RN with 49gr of IMR doesn't seem to faze its accuracy any.

454Puma · « **Reply #15 on:** May 24, 2011, 03:07:43 PM »

loneviking
From my research the ten round mags are not that good! Some get them to work others don't!
Now as far as the 4 rounders the button on the mag is your bolt release! It locks back the bolt when empty! Yes you must release the bolt to remove the mag by pushing the release on the mag forward! If your at the range and shooting this is the time to drop a round in the chamber and release then reload a fresh mag!

loneviking · « **Reply #16 on:** May 25, 2011, 02:45:35 AM »

Quote from: 454Puma on May 24, 2011, 03:07:43 PM

loneviking
From my research the ten round mags are not that good! Some get them to work others don't!
Now as far as the 4 rounders the button on the mag is your bolt release! It locks back the bolt when empty! Yes you must release the bolt to remove the mag by pushing the release on the mag forward! If your at the range and shooting this is the time to drop a round in the chamber and release then reload a fresh mag!

So, manually insert a fresh round into the chamber, release the bolt and then put a new mag in. OK..I'll try that the next time out. There must be a way to lock the slide back manually, either with or without a magazine, but I haven't figured out what the trick is. Thanks for the info!

Spencer, Carey · « **Reply #17 on:** May 25, 2011, 04:00:36 AM »

Congrats Puma454! Ive had a couple come thru my hands over the years, but never had the opportunity to really wring one out to see what they were capable of. Ive found an older model, the 740, also in 3006 at a local pawn shop here in Winston Salem NC for -get this- $275. Finish isnt great, but still looks pretty good. Bore is in good shape, the action locks back on the empty chamber, then is released properly by the magazine slide/lever mechanism, hammer falls, safety functions, and its gauranteed to shoot by the owner of the shop. Thinking 100yd+- stand rifle. You or anyone else out there point me in the right direction? Any info on the older version would be appreciated, and id like to hear what kind of groups your 7400 is printing now that it has optics! Thanx everyone.

chefjeff · « **Reply #18 on:** May 25, 2011, 03:51:39 PM »

I won't own one of these except for trading stock.Rough inside, out of production for many years,parts are scarce. I know many animals have and will fall to them,but I"ll take the heavy BAR anyday. I own end enjoy a couple of fine 760's but don't want the auto .Don't know about the 750 yet.

454Puma · « **Reply #19 on:** May 25, 2011, 05:21:50 PM »

Spencer, Carey
Pop up to the Semi auto section here- thats where I got alot of info! Quite a few own the 740!
Also due a google search - I got the manual, watched many vids etc.

guzzijohn · « **Reply #20 on:** May 26, 2011, 03:58:13 AM »

Mine will shoot Winchester Super X 165s in a 1.5-2.0 three shot group with two usually touching at 75 yds. Since I just got it I have not tried any other brands or weights. The largest gun shop in my area will not buy, trade or sell them either due to reliability concerns. So far mine has functioned fine.
GuzziJohn

parkergunshop · « **Reply #21 on:** May 26, 2011, 04:36:25 AM »

Used 740's are not a good buy unless you really know what you are doing and can do repairs yourself, many gunsmiths will not work on them.

Lots of them have been abused, the bolt locking lugs damaged, burred, many reloaders tend to load and shoot hot loads in them this can lead to premature wear and damage to the operating mechanism parts including the bolt.

The 7400 bolt is a resdesign to try to avoid some of the issues with the 740 especially with the bolt locking lugs.

I have no experience with the 7400 but have done some reloading for the 740's but used 150 grain bullets with medium loads, not hot ones. The use of factory loads only is a good idea, this is not a reloaders dream gun. Load must be at a pressure level high enough to operate the action, but not excessive to the point of damaging the bolt and other moving parts.

parkergunshop · « **Reply #22 on:** May 27, 2011, 10:49:25 AM »

Cary Spencer

looked all over trying to find parts for the Remington 742, more scarce than hen's teeth, same way for the 760.

I would not buy either one of them as used guns since parts are hard to come by or non-existant.

Add the lack of parts issue to the difficulty of working on these explains why most gunsmiths don't want to touch them.

If they work ok, but be prepared to junk them when they start to malfunction from anything other than the lack of cleaning and routine maintenance.

454Puma · « **Reply #23 on:** May 27, 2011, 07:38:38 PM »

parkergunshop
Yep found that out working up my cast loads- have to run them at 40000 psi or above for positive ejection /loading next round!

loneviking

Nope with out an empty mag in the gun -no way to lock the bolt back!

Spencer, Carey · « **Reply #24 on:** May 28, 2011, 10:51:14 AM »

Thanx for the heads up Parker Gun Shop. Ill pass on this one.

NYH1 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 16, 2011, 02:08:02 PM »

My friend has had a 7400 30-06 for the last 15 or 20 years. It's his only rifle. He shoots a deer or two a year with it and has never had any trouble with it. Another friend, a member here has a 7400 35 Whelen. Instead of buying it myself, I gave him the heads up on it. As far as I know it's been totally trouble free.
I was watching a hunting show on TV last night. They were hunting in Texas. One guy shot a deer at about 150 yards with a Remington 750 Woodsmaster semi auto. Not sure what caliber he was using. I wouldn't mind having a 750 Woodsmaster 308 or 35 Whelen carbine or a 7400 280 Rem., I'd make it a carbine if I couldn't find one for a reasonable price. Or a 7600 carbine in one of the above mentioned cartridges. I'd shorten the barrel if I had to.

NYH1!

oneoldsap · « **Reply #26 on:** August 16, 2011, 04:31:44 PM »

IMO The 7600 is a far superior gun to any of the autos !

ba_50 · « **Reply #27 on:** August 17, 2011, 03:40:37 AM »

I had a 742 in 30/06 which would jam the next day if the chamber wasn't cleaned that night with a chamber brush. Small base dies were used too. 1 1/4" @ 100 yards with reloads.

pastorp · « **Reply #28 on:** August 17, 2011, 04:42:18 AM »

I believe the remington semi-autos are fine guns for the guy that dosen't shoot a lot. If you just deer hunt with it, buy it new, and shoot a whitetail or two each year, it will last a lifetime.

For a shooter & reloader there are better choices.

When I first started hunting big game in the early 60s our gunsmith hunted with one. Don't remember if his was a 740 or 742 but he took it hunting in texas every year and used it in florida as well. He was the local PD armour and rangemaster as well. He also taught me to shoot along with a slew of other boys in my home town. So I bought a 742 in 30-06. My love affair with that rifle did not last long though. It never was a consistantly accurate rifle for me so I moved on to the then new Browning BLR, and never looked back.

Regards,

.Dirty-.30 · « **Reply #29 on:** August 21, 2011, 07:43:08 PM »

I have been hunting the last several years with a 7400 in .30/06 seems to be a fine rifle. I didn't know that there was a 10 round magazine available for them, does anybody have a link or info on this magazine? .DT