Hi
Well my son in law picked up a 7400 chambered in 30-06 in excellent condition for a real sweet price. He had some questions and thought I would ask you guys what you thought about them.
One thing I know is you have to use small base dies for reloading, so got that covered.

Three main questions came up;
1. What kind of accuracy can we expect from a 7400?
2. What kind of maintenance does the action require?
3. The rifle does not have any sling swivels. Is it common or advisable to put swivels on 7400's?

Anything else you can think of is appreciated..
Thanks!

Actually I have a 7400 and don't need small base dies, just actually full length size the cases. My rifle, also in 30-06 is very accurate putting 3 of it's favorite load into an inch. I find my rifle very easy to maintain, especially if I avoid ball powders which leave more powder residue. I use IMR 4350 with perfect results using 165 and 180 grain bullets. My rifle has sling swivels and you can get a set from Uncle Mikes, easy to install. More on the maintenance, I shot my rifle 80 times before I cleaned it testing reloads with zero issues. You need to make sure the forearm is not touching either the reciever or the barrel. This may require some trimming but I consider this absolutley necessary. My rifle functions best at full power level reloads.

I get about 2 inch groups at 100 yards with handloads. The action is cleaned and maintained just about like your 1100 or 11-87 shotgun. I clean the trigger group and gas ports every 2 or 3 years.
As far as a sling, get an uncle mikes kit. You put a post in the rear stock and have a screw on forarm cap with the front swivel--- very easy.
I always use small base dies in an autoloader, pump or lever action.

The trigger is lousy.
Accuracy is quite decent.
The Bolt-Hold open is a definition of misery and requires the magazine to be in place to physically hold the bolt open. Sucks.
Handling is good.
Magazine's are prone to jamming if not take care of.
Super-soft recoiling.

My dad has one - it's perfect for him. He's nearing 68 years old and has a dinged up right shoulder. 150's at 2800 are about the same as my .257 Bob. Soft and super easy to shoot.

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Originally posted by RDub:
Three main questions came up;
1. What kind of accuracy can we expect from a 7400?

Just depends on the specific rifle and the Load.

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2. What kind of maintenance does the action require?

Special Chamber cleaning. Place a "spent cartridge" in the chamber when cleaning from the muzzle. That way the majority of the trash goes inside that case.

Hoppe's makes a special T-handle cleaning rod with a Nylon shaft which allows you to scrub the chamber through the Ejection Port. A 45cal Brush is normally enough to do a good job. Then wrap it with a cloth Patch and wipe the Chamber dry.

Most semi-auto Remington problems I've seen are either due to a dirty chamber or the gas seals need to be replaced. You can get the Gas Seal Kit at most well stocked Gun Shops.

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3. The rifle does not have any sling swivels. Is it common or advisable to put swivels on 7400's?

Doesn't hurt a thing when done properly. Uncle Mike's(I believe) makes a Kit just for them.

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Anything else you can think of is appreciated.

Look for recommended Semi-auto Loads in the various Manuals. A person can alter the "timing" and cause jambs if the Pulse Duration is too Long or too Short. Speer used to specify them, but I do not know if they still do or not.

Great rifles when properly cared for. When you hear people refer to them as Jamb-O-Matics, it is generally due to a problem created by the Trigger Yanker.

Best of luck to you and the son-in-law.

Great responses.. Lots of good information.
Thanks!

While it is important to keep your chamber clean this is not that hard to acomplish, also use a small tooth brush to clean the locking lug recesses. I have never put a "spent" cartridge in the chamber and I clean the rifle with a pull through style of cleaning kit. This keeps you from damaging the muzzle and pulls all the powder residue out the muzzle. Also the trigger is the easiest to smooth up and lighten to a very reasonable trigger pull. Lightly polish the sear surfaces and take a coil or so off the return spring. I have owned a 740, 2 742's and 1 7400. None ever malfunctioned for me as long as the magazines were good and the ammo was reasonably close to full power. The loads "recommended" for semi auto rifles often will not function the more modern 7400. Definitly try IMR 4350, you won't regret it.

In determining my 7400's accuracy I would fire two shots then let the rifle get stone cold befor firing two more shots. Trying to duplicat hunting situations. Very accurate with this method. Mine has a decided preference for flat based bullets. 150-165-180 grs but flat based.

My rifle seems to shoot 165 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips best but Remington corelokts of the same weight also shoot very nicely. I guess I should have tested the rifle before I altered the forearm to not touch the barrel or reciever as then I might have to resort to 2 shot groups. I use this rifle to hunt hogs at night so I hunt with the corelokts, no need for more expensive bullets and the corelokts are plenty destructive.

quote:

Originally posted by rickt300:
I use this rifle to hunt hogs at night ... .

Hey Rick, What kind of Sight do you use?

I am presently using Mueller 2x7 Multishot. It has a illuminated reticle feature but I don't use it, the reticle is a heavy circle and dot which is easy to pick up. I have been using my 35 Whelen lately though, what a cartridge!

I have one I bought new in the mid-80s

I determined that the road to happiness was mid-burning propellants like IMR4064 and 165gr bullets.

My rifle is particularly fond of the Nosler Ballistic Tip and Accubond and 49.5gr of IMR4064 in a Remington case.

In my rifle small base sizing is MANDATORY
Some factory ammo won't chamber and unless small base sized the cases cannot be extracted from the chamber without firing them.

accuracy? Not "Braging groups" but I can't remember having shot that rifle into MORE than 1.5" @ 100yd with it's favorite loads.

I've fired groups offhand in front of witness of <0.75" and firing as quickly as I could get a good sight picture.

In timber and shooting at unpredictable distances I wouldn't feel uncomfortable taking any shot at <175yards with that rifle even on moving targets.

The only thing that could improve imy comfort with it would be if I rechambered it as a 35Whelen.

AD

Again, thanks for the great replies.. We appreciate it.
One more question.. On average how many rounds can you fire before the chamber gets dirty enough to become a problem?

Hard to say because it depends on the entire Load combination. As a Rule-of-Thumb(which can be incorrect ) Faster Single-Base Powders tend to burn cleaner than Slower Double-Base Powders. But, they also Spike Pressure quicker and do not always result in the most optimum velocity, nor the most accurate Load. Even the Flash Duration of the Primer can have an effect on how clean the burn is. Grip on the Bullet by the case plays a part in some Cartridges.

So, I doubt there is any reliable answer other than the, "Mine burns pretty clean using .....", type responses.

And you may find some folks claiming the exact opposite to be true.
-----

I tend to clean rifles more than other folks, so I'm on the "Clean often and clean well" side of the argument. But, you might get 2-3 boxes through one of the 7400s just fine, maybe more. But I'd be cleaning long before that.

Best of luck to you.

I found that H414 and H380 left too much powder residue to suit me but getting 40 rounds thru the rifle caused no problems. My rifle would function using 4350 with loads down to starting load levels, with 4320 I had to be at max.

Ok, good 'nuf.. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
Most semi-auto Remington problems I've seen are either due to a dirty chamber or the gas seals need to be replaced. You can get the Gas Seal Kit at most well stocked Gun Shops.

Uhhh... you are going to have to come here and show me where these "gas seals" are...

the remington functions on a "Short Spigot in a moving block" setup.

So there are no "Seals" in it at all.

It's nothing like the system used in say... a Remington 1100 shotgun,


BTW, as for propellant combinatons?

If you want a real "Light show" load up some 150gr bullets with as much IMR4831 as you dare...

the rifle will usually cycle, but will also belch flame straight up from the gas vents on either side of the handguard.

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I had the exact same rifle for years. I found the accuracy excellent on mine under an inch with handloads with slightly lower fps. I had a gunsmith polish the trigger and that was worth the money. I would if possible pick cleaner burning ammo. Federal ammo gummed up mine fast but mine never jammed. I did however clean my regularly. I found when it was clean it ejected the brass forward and as it fowelled it slowly worked until it was ejected out at a 90 deg angle. At this point I cleaned it. Good luck a good purchase I say.