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Old March 11, 2013, 12:20 PM   #1
barnettamb
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Remington 7600?

Hey does anyone have an opinion of the 7600 for deer hunting and just a general purpose rifle?

I have 2 870s and i know they are similar...
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Old March 11, 2013, 12:38 PM   #2
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I have the older model which is a model 760. Over the years I've had two, one a .270 and the other a 30-06. Still have the 30-06 which I use as a night hog gun. Very good guns. If you are accustomed to the 870 shotgun you will really like the 760 / 7600 as they are so similar. I used to use the .270 for deer until it was given to someone else in the family. I shot my first deer with it when I was 5 back in 1965.
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Old March 11, 2013, 12:41 PM   #3
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I think they have a lot to offer especially if you have an 870, just not enough for me to buy one. I've handled and shot a few. My brother had one for a while. They are a better option than a tradional lever action in that they are about the same weight, shoot faster, are more accurate, load and unload easier and are generally more reliable than a lever. Not to mention come in better chamberings.

Accuracy is better than average if you can get past the poor triggers. They are simply not in the same league as a good bolt rifle however. They are on the heavy side and they aren't quite as accuate or reliable. If getting off fast repeat shots are your primary goal only a semi is faster,and they do seem to be a bit more accurate and reliable than most semi auto's.
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Old March 11, 2013, 12:49 PM   #4
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I have to echo jmr40's opinion. My 7600 in .243 win is amazingly accurate...if you can get used to the spongy trigger. I also have a 7400 chambered for .308 win and both the 7400 and the 7600 have been utterly reliable.
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Old March 11, 2013, 02:34 PM   #5
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Nice Rifle

I have seen one of my cousin's blow the chest out of a deer with an older 760 in 30-06. Nice rifle, I got to handle it and test the action. Very accurate.
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Old March 11, 2013, 03:40 PM   #6
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I've got a 7600 in '06. Great hunting rifle. Never had a malfunction, plenty accurate, and hits really hard. With the a/market 10 round mag it's a hoot for hogs.
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Old March 11, 2013, 05:06 PM   #7
Lucas McCain
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They are very accurate rifles, but beware they known to have soft steel in the bolts and lugs and have head space problems. The good ones are kept the bad ones are traded off. Be careful of used Rem pumps and autos.
Not all are bad but enough to give them a bad reputation
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Old March 11, 2013, 05:24 PM   #8
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i saw what was left of a 7600 that was fired with a large overload of fast powder and i mean a large overload with a 180gr bullet, reciever sides were buldged out and the whole trigger group and magazine were blown down and out, the owner got a broken finger and had trouble hearing for a few days. i can,t think of too many bolt or lever actions that would have held up as good while containing the hot gases that would have caused more injuries. i know of no 760,s or 7600,s that are or were made of soft metal. with the whole reciever closed to the rear they will handle more hot gases with out injuries than a bolt or lever. eastbank.
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Old March 11, 2013, 07:59 PM   #9
Jack O'Conner
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Slide action Remington rifles are VERY POPULAR here in Pennsylvania among deer and bear hunters. Fast handling, accurate, sturdy, and chambered for popular hunting cartridges.

This photo illustrates just how accurate they are. I toppled this 'lope at approx 275 yards in western South Dakota.

Jack

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Old March 11, 2013, 11:29 PM   #10
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My 760 Carbine in 308....My go to gun....
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Old March 12, 2013, 09:11 AM   #11
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I don't know where the fellow in post # 7 got his info , but it's as bogus as the day is long ! There were issues with the older 742s , caused by wear and lack of maintainence and lubrication ! Never any issues with the pumps that I'm aware of . As far as reliability and accuracy , they are every bit as good as a bolt gun , and way faster on follow up shots ! I carry a 760 (either .358 Win. or .300 Savage) for about 90% of my big game hunting . Nothing gets away from either of them !
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Old March 12, 2013, 09:50 AM   #12
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Awful rifles...

Better sell everyone you can find in .308 to me a.s.a.p., as cheaply as possible. Would hate for the word to get out...I mean, I would hate for you to suffer through such a bad firearm.

Just kidding obviously. Good shooters. Keep them clean and correctly lubed, and they do well for whitetail.

Watch out for bubba'd versions. That's all I seem to see used anymore--"home gunsmithing" nightmares...
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Old March 12, 2013, 05:27 PM   #13
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I've always wanted to own one of the Remington pumps but haven't taken the plunge, so far.

When I do, it will probably be either a 30-06 or a .308 ... Does the .308 have a noticeably shorter pump stroke? Is it a bit faster?
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Old March 12, 2013, 05:46 PM   #14
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The 760 and 7600 are very accurate, due mostly to a free-floated barrel. The older rifles had the forend hanging off the barrel and were not as accurate, though passable.

Most 7600s will shoot close to MOA, but extraction of tight cases, mostly reloads, is not as strong as bolt actions. They're mostly used by people who use pump shotguns. Others with less experience with pumps don't tend to cycle the action under stressful situations (like buck fever).

The biggest "problem" I have with them is that the pump handle, by necessity, is fairly loose and rattles a bit. The other thing I don't like about the design (including 7400s) is that the sides of the receiver are flat and reflect the sun's rays, almost like a mirror.
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Old March 13, 2013, 06:40 AM   #15
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If you like a pump shotgun youll love a pump rifle. Used a 7600 for years & still do in 270win.short fast dependable,lots of deer & hogs have fell to mine. give them a try
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Old March 13, 2013, 07:43 AM   #16
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Quote:
They are very accurate rifles, but beware they known to have soft steel in the bolts and lugs and have head space problems
Totally false. There are no soft steel issues in 760/7600 bolts and I've never heard of one having head space issues either.
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Old March 14, 2013, 03:51 AM   #17
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The new ones have magazine issues. They went from all steel to ones with plastic bottoms. You can get the new ones to feed by bending magazine lips but if you find a all steel one buy it they feed great. If you have problems with accuracy make sure your action tube is tight. Mine came from factory a little loose. I got a trigger job on mine cut over creep down and pull is 3-3.2 lbs and the guy put a set screw behind trigger to stop over travel. If your interested I can post pics and will look around for contact info.
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Old March 14, 2013, 10:22 AM   #18
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Lucas McCain said:

"They are very accurate rifles, but beware they known to have soft steel in the bolts and lugs and have head space problems. The good ones are kept the bad ones are traded off. Be careful of used Rem pumps and autos.
Not all are bad but enough to give them a bad reputation"

Lucas, we would appreciate it if you could post a link to your 'facts'. My family has had at least a dozen Remington 760s/7600 going back to the 50s. In my younger reloading days, I shot 06 loads of 60 grs. of slow powder under 180 round nose bullets. Dumb stunt but nary a flutter. Now that I've matured a little, my deer rifle is a 7600P in 308 loaded to 30-30 levels to keep from tearing up these little white tails we have around here.

Not calling you out, but there are a lot of folks posting/lurking here who have extensive experience shooting, loading for, and customizing Rem. pumps who have never heard of such problems much less seen them. Give us a link please. Photos would be helpful.
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Old March 14, 2013, 10:31 AM   #19
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Zmax,

I would love to find out who did your trigger job and any other info you have on smoothing these rifles out. I have a 760 in 30-06 that my father bought in 1959. After hundreds of deer and thousands of rounds practicing to hit deer and beer cans, the action has really smoothed out. The round kicks too much for me, so I am loading it with cast bullets at just below good hunting velocities. It is more accurate than some expensive bolt actions I have had in the past. I have been trying to slick a .35 Rem out of my brother in law to add to the family.

Here is the 7600P in .308 that is my main woods rifle. With .308 factory loads from a 16 1/2 inch barrel, any deer killed under 20 yards is cooked medium rare by the time I can get out of the stand.
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Old March 14, 2013, 11:35 AM   #20
Zmax
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Mines a 35 whelen from 2001. I worked the pump a buch of times the first week I got it. I had a recoil pad installed and a trigger job from http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=331972196 I got the stage 2 and he will give you the 2 and 3 lbs spring at no extra charge. I tried a lighter spring from Barnesgunparts.com and it broght the trigger pull down to 4.8lbs but creep/over travel was extreme.(it is a shot gun trigger ). Then I just lurked on eBay until a all steel magizine showed up. The new mags are crap.image.jpg
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Old March 15, 2013, 10:26 AM   #21
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Quote:
Here is the 7600P in .308 that is my main woods rifle. With .308 factory loads from a 16 1/2 inch barrel, any deer killed under 20 yards is cooked medium rare by the time I can get out of the stand.
Nice..I like....
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Old March 15, 2013, 04:43 PM   #22
Lucas McCain
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Jay south, no problem, I understand what your saying. Only info I have is my personal experience.
In my deer hunting group which consists of 15 members there is at least 7 Rem autos and pumps in 270 and 06's. One of the hunters had a new Rem auto and got rid of it for bolt action rifle. 3 other members traded their old model in for a newer model rem. Some were the original 740's and 760's and the rest were the later 7400,s and 7600,s. Most of us hand load and with these rifles you need use small base dies. Then we started to experience problems with the resizing the case and the rifle not closing properly using hand loads.
When the no-go head space gage was used on these rifles the action still closed with ease, indicating to much headspace.
I also attend a lot of gun shows as a vendor and when some one approaches me and wants to sell or trade a Rem auto or pump I first ask if I can check the headspace on the rifle. A majority of the time the action closes on the no-go guage, and I am not interested in the rifle.
There are others that don't close on the no-go gauge, but do on the go-gage. some are quite old and like the good ones that are in my hunting group where they have been shot a fair amount they still are tight.
With factory ammunition those guns shoot and cycle fairly good, and maybe if we hadn't been hand loading, we wouldn't have seen it.
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Old March 15, 2013, 07:02 PM   #23
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Not Hardly

Lucas your story just doesn't hold water . I have been hunting with , and working on the 760-7600 series for 40 years . I have been reloading for them just as long . They are as popular here in VT , as they are anywhere ! Once in a while you will encounter a pump that needs to have it's ammo resized with small base dies , but they are an exception , not the rule ! If you use SB dies for a gun that doesn't need them , and bump the shoulder a little too hard , you can creat a situation that will resemble excessive head space , when inspecting the brass fired in said gun . It won't be verified by a Go-No Go gauge though !
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Old March 16, 2013, 02:17 PM   #24
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@Mr. McCain & Mr. Sap: I've been following this thread and like many others poo-poo'd the excessive head space claim. However, the second part of Mr. McCain's response gives me pause. He states that he trades/deals with many remington pumps and autos, and about half accept a no-go gauge. If we accept his actual experience, then that could mean one of three things:
A. bolt setback occurs, or
B. half of remingtons left the factory with excesive head space, or
C. his no-go gauge is bad.
Which begs these questions to Mr. Mccain:

1. Did you try your no-go gauge in other makes and actions of rifles and did you experience similar rates of excessive head space?
2. I know the lugs and barrel extensions were re-designed and are different between the 760/740 series and the 7600/7400/6/4's. Was there a difference in failure rates between the older and newer model series or were they the same?

As an aside to Mr. Sap: I really envy you for your 760 chambered for .300 savage. That's a classic rifle.

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Old March 16, 2013, 02:58 PM   #25
Lucas McCain
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I'm quit positive that the no-go gauge is OK. I trust it completely, I've used it on various bolt actions, M-i,s and Browning also and it works. Like I said, its mostly on guns people are trying to move, probably because they are having a problem with it. They won't admit to that if they want to sell or trade.
I believe the Rem auto or pump for the most part is a blue collar gun owner who only owns a half a dozen or so guns. They don't get rid of them unless there is a problem. For that matter they don't shoot them much either to create a problem.
I have used the gauges on my friends Rem rifles that are not experiencing any problems and the action won't close on the no-go gauge.
In my original post I said beware of the used Rem rifle. I'm not laying claim to all of them. A lot of Rem owners a satisfied with there rifle and evidently not experiencing any problems. Thats proven by how many are out there in use. I personally don't sell a lot of Rem autos or pumps. I have sold some, but the headspace is correct. The people who bought them from me must be happy or they would be calling me. I stand behind the guns I sell, if there is an immediate problem, let me know. I don't operate on a "Buyer Beware Basis."
My take on them is this. They either left the factory with excessive head space. Or they are soft, because like I said the owners as a rule don't shoot them often enough to WEAR them out. That should not happen until we pass 20,000 rounds fired.
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