I'm considering a Rem 7400 in .243 or 308 to plink with and maybe do some hunting in heavy cover. Has anyone got a Remington 7400 rifle? How accurate is it? Does it balance well? Does anyone make an extended magazine for this rifle?

Elkhunter,

I had a 7400 in 243 cal for years. I have killed a bunch o deer with it and as long as your not taking shots over 100yds it is fine. In the brush or open timber it is great. Mine would shoot groups in the 3 to 4 inch size at 100yds. not to say it wouldn't kill deer at distance, but it wasn't my first choice for 200+ yard shots. I think Ramline makes an extended mag for it or at least they use to. either that or it was for the 7600 that I had. let me look I may still have one laying around. just informational. the 7600 didn't shoot any better than the 7400.

Elkhunter
Go with the 308. There are many more factory loads avialable so you just mihgt be able to find a load that shoots better than 3 inches at 100 yards.
Also the 308 is better for use in heavy cover.

I read somewhere that Remington revamped the pumps and self chuckers.

I'm considering it mostly for punching paper. Somthine fun to shoot. I would love to buy an AR15 but they are too expensive at the moment. I want a better rifle than an SKS and one less expensive than an AR. The Mini-14's seem a little pricey as well. I've also heard they don't shoot that well. I was hoping the 7400 would shoot in the 2" range at 100. If not maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

You're barking up the wrong tree. If you want <2 inch groups buy the 7600. Good hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by elkhunter:
I'm considering a Rem 7400 in .243 or 308 to plink with and maybe do some hunting in heavy cover. Has anyone got a Remington 7400 rifle? How accurate is it? Does it balance well? Does anyone make an extended magazine for this rifle?

This autoloader surprises me that Remington continues to make it at all. It's famous for inaccuracy and jamming. Maybe the only competition is the Browning BAR and a quite a bit more cash.....
The Remington pump however is a fine shooting gun.

I mounted a scope and zeroed a new 7400 in 243 this fall and with factory federal gray box 100gr. the rifle shot honest 1 to 1 1/2" 5 shot groups best shooting rem auto I have ever shot and there is a bunch of them around.

I've got a buddy with a synthetic rem autoloader. He said it shot 1.25" groups with factory ammo and wanted me to try some handloads. I thought he was full of balogna till we shot at my range. He was right..was easily getting 1.25" out of factory. The wierd thing was he was really beating up and bending the rim at the bottom of the case with the factory loadings. We tried several 165 loads with 4350----no more bent rims and groups at 1". Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. He was one happy guy with a good gun.

Re rem pumps......yes almost every one I've seen has been a very good shooter.

I have a used 7400 that I bought as a beater/loaner. Did not shoot factory 150 CLs very well ... 2-3 MOA.

Put together some 150 Nosler BTs on LC 84 cases driven by BL-C(2) and it immediately started shooting about 1 MOA. Used it for about 5 years and took 5 deer with it.

Loaned it to a friend. The second season we started having problems with it. Had a cartridge head failure and then it began failing to extract. Still sorting out the problems with it.

All in all, a handy little rifle that works well in the woods. I had wanted a 7600 but could not find one at the time ... wish I had been able to do so then.

It is critical to keep the chamber of the 7400 clean and rust free. Needs to be cleaned every time it is shot and every time it is subjected to cold weather.

elkhunter,

found the clip it is made by ramline but it was for my 7600. sorry.

If my 7400 or 7600 would have shot 1 to 1.5 moa they would still be in my safe.

I've had a 7400 for 20 years and mine has never jammed or let me down. Mine shoots 1 to 1.5" groups consistantly and I'm no marksman. I have a 30-06 and can not speak about the 243 but the rifle is fine. The only issue is you have to keep it clean. This is difficult do to having to clean from muzzle to action. I use liquid fire to clean the action after the barrel is clean. In short if your lazy cleaner look else were, if you care for your rifle this will do an excellent job.

quote:

Originally posted by elkhunter:
I'm considering a Rem 7400 in .243 or 308 to plink with and maybe do some hunting in heavy cover. Has anyone got a Remington 7400 rifle? How accurate is it? Does it balance well? Does anyone make an extended magazine for this rifle?

I used to have a 6mmRem in the 7400 and with 41.5grs. IMR4350 and 100gr. Hornadys, it would put 5 shots into an inch @100yds. I guess it had pretty good balance, don't know about extended mags, though. Jay

I also had a rem. 7400 in 3006 that I bought used. Took some cleaning,after that it shot really consistent.With 180 gr.accubonds that rifle would shoot 300 yd. groups between 21/8"and 23/4". Wish I would have kept it now, those were factory loads not tailored hand loads. It never jammed either,hope the new kimber will do that well. Buy one,keep it clean and try different loads as with any rifle. It'll make you happy.

[/QUOTE]
This autoloader surprises me that Remington continues to make it at all. It's famous for inaccuracy and jamming. Maybe the only competition is the Browning BAR and a quite a bit more cash.....
The Remington pump however is a fine shooting gun.[/QUOTE]

Vapodog, My dad and I both had a 742 and 7400 in 6mm, respectively, and never had a single failure of any kind. And I'm sure you read my post above. So much for that inaccuracy statement. But that doesn't mean I like autos, quite the contrary. Jay

Regardless of how good they are or not, a lot of people kill deer with them! I wish they would just spend 13 cents and chrome the chambers in the guns.

My mom bought a 742 in .243 Win for my dad years ago. I think it is ugly. I don't like semi-autos. It has an el cheapo Tasco scope on top of the Wal-Mart see-thru rings...all that said there is no telling how many rounds have been fired through the thing. It has NEVER jammed or had even the slightest malfunction. He has taken a truckload of whitetails with it. I shot my first one with it at 310 steps. Accuracy is 1-1.5" with Remington factory fodder.

Again, I don't like it, but you can't argue with the results it has given us.

I just bought a 7400 in .270win.It has the cheap see throw rings ,a Bushnell 3-9x50 and shooting 130gr winchester power points it will group 5 rounds in 2" at 100yds.(Thats not 5rds. continuously,my buddys think its an automatic not semi-auto.) I had a 7400 in .30-06 years ago it shot about the same ,loved it but I wanted my 7mm mag more(the stupid things we do,wish I had it back).
For mags look here http://www.cdnninvestments.com they have 10 rd. Eaglemags for $7.99.

I won a 7400, in .270 Win, at a DU banquet, and
in the initial testing/scope zeroing, it shot
factory ammo in the 2 MOA range. I handloaded
some 130 gr. Sierra SPBT bullets, over IMR 4350,
and it went to 1 MOA consistently. Mine never
jammed, either. My brother wanted it, and I
was yearning for a BAR, in .308 Win, so it went
to his gun safe. He still has it, it still shoots well,
and has yet to jam. My BAR came out of the
box shooting factory ammo 1 MOA, and I have
a 130 gr. Barnes XBT/W-748 load that shoots
sub MOA, in the BAR. For a lower priced
semi-auto slug launcher, I would not be afraid
to recoment a Remington 7400, unless the
prospective buyer wanted to shoot a lot of
ammo through it. These guns slowly beat
themselves into inaccurate, and unreliable,
firearms. There have been some technical
explanations of what actually happens, to
cause these failures, floating around the
internet. For most hunters, that shoot a
box or two of ammo a year, this rifle will
last a life time, but for the person that wants
to plink, or varmint hunt, and prefers a
semi-auto rifle, there are better choices, like
the BAR.

Also, I have a Remington 760, in .30-06 Sprg,
and I have to agree the 760/7600 have
shown me to be more accurate, and easier
to find accurate loads for, over the 7400.
So that might be an alternative to the
7400, for a plinking gun, on a budget. My
only problem with this gun is I loose a second
or two reminding myself to cycle the silly
pump, in high pressure hunting situations.
I am not a pump gun shooter. I inherited
this gun, when my Father passed away, so
I don't hunt it much, but I do shoot it
occasionally, and I have always been impressed
wi th accuracy of this rifle.

Squeeze