Remington 7400 accuracy?

[longship]

Well, search engine has been down for days and I need some info. How is the accuracy of the Remington 7400?
I'm looking for a rifle to hunt with and I never considered any autos because it's nice to take fairly long shots on occassion (also I'm a lefty). Recently I've gotten to know someone who is an experienced rifle shooter, gunsmith and taught sniper school (I'll provide no more details but include this information for background). In talking with him about my search, he recommended the 7400 for my purposes. I said I thought they weren't too accurate but he said they're more accurate than people think and can be really accurate if you do a little extra work on one. He has one and indicated that it had been used to take a deer at 600 yards! I didn't really want to question the guy and he's not the type to typically feed you a line. Maybe he's just a really good shot in general.

What is you all's experience with the Remington 7400.

Thanks.

 

[longship]

Also meant to ask about it's reliability.

 

[BIGR]

Longship,

Years ago I had a Remington 7400 in 30.06 and used it to deer hunt with. I guess I must have taken 5 or 6 deer with it what time I used it hunting. The best I can remember the groups that it shot were nothing to brag about. I think if you are planning on shooting deer at over 200 yards it will take some major tuning to get great accuracy out of it. I sold that rifle and decided to go with a Browning Mark II Safari in 30.06 . I know the Browning is more expensive but trust me when comparing the 7400 to the Safari the Browning by far excels in my book. That is of course my opinion and everyone has an opinion. My Browning will come close to shooting groups comparable to some bolt guns. Don't get me wrong the Remington 7400 is a good rifle for hunting but I don't think you are going to get that tack driving accuracy out to 300 or 400 yards with it. Another thing is that I didn't always like the way the 7400'S magazine had to be inserted into the gun. It seemed like I had to postion it just right to get it to go into place. I am not trying to get you to buy a Browning but my preference is the Safari. Good luck on your decision.

 

[BusGunner007]

Re Remington 7400 vs. Browning BAR:
I have both and like them both for different reasons.
The Remington is a 7400 Carbine Synthetic, only offered in .30-06.
The Browning is a BAR Safari MKII in 7mm Rem.Mag.w/ B.O.S.S.
The Browning is by far the more accurate of the two.
The Remington is accurate enough, at 1.5-2" at 100yds.
The Remington is at present modified to be more of a heavy duty survival gun.
The Browning is at present my nicest rifle.
A couple of years ago I wanted to modify the Browning into what is essentially a new offering by Browning called the 'Stalker'; all matte black.
Between your choices, I'd say get the Browning BAR in .300 Win.Mag. and have the best of both worlds with a very accurate rifle and the extra 'oomph', softened somewhat by the gas-operated action.
Then again, the 7400 is a pretty good choice.
I don't know how to post more than one link in here, so I may have to post twice to show the pictures.

 

[BusGunner007]

The BAR looks like this:
Bell&Carlson 2-pc. stock; Leupold 4.5-14x40 Vari-X III w/6"shade and Stoney Point target turrets in Millett 'engraved' rings and 1-pc. base; B-Square Match Roto-Tilt bipod.

 

[BusGunner007]

Here's a target my buddy shot with Remington 220-gr. SP on a rainy 52 degree NorthWest afternoon, from the 7400 configured as in the picture. The POA was the middle of the target. With 180's it shot into the target about as accurately.
I shot some 180's from Winchester and they were slightly different POI. I also shot some Fail Safe ammo; this rifle shot them about 3-4" left of POA; didn't like 'em at all.
The 220's would be my all around choice in this little shorty.

 

[DeBee]

Great setup on that 7400 Carbine...


Both the 7400 and 7600 have reasonable hunting accuracy hovering around 1.25" best case to around 3-4" with loads it doesn't like.

There are several "tunes" including professional trigger jobs and recrowns which can bring you into the lower end of the accuracy spectrum. If your friend can perform these mods, especially for a discount, the 7400 could be a great choice for a lefty if you don't mind the brass flying past you nose...

Most hunters keep their shots restricted to about 300 yds max on deer sized game and this gun should be up to the task.

The 7400 is usually finicky in regards to the ammo you feed it. Surplus is out, handloads for the most part out, and certain factory ammo while excellent in other rifles like Federal in the case I'm stating is out. Finding something the gun likes is trial and error. Also, get one of the dogleg chamber brushes and clean the chamber religiously...

Shooting 3 220 grain .30-06s into that kind of group from a 7400 Carbine is not bad at all...

 

[newkahr]

7400 junker

Seems the problem is the gas block or the spring strength. You can file the forend down and bed under the block to get off the barrel.

I am looking into cutting the spring and opening the ports in the gas mechanism so it will quit failing to feed and sometimes closing the bolt without cocking the gun. On the majority of the time, when the slide goes back far enough, it works nicely, but I don't think anyone should ever have given $500 or more for any of these.

 

[Horseman]

I've owned several. Expect 2" to 3" on average with factory loads. Magazine function is tricky. I agree the Browning BAR is one of the best rifles of any kind being made today.

That said the 7400 is accurate enough for what it was made to do. You really need to know your holdover and windage if you're gonna be shooting far enough for the guns lack of accuracy to matter IMO. They lack the accuracy for bragging rights on forums though. And that seems to be the most important thing for a lot of shooters.

 

[davlandrum]

Had a 7400 that was turned in to trade fodder. MY experience with MY rifle was it would not reliably feed. Hunting accuracy was good enough, I just didn't want to carry a single-shot while hunting.

It seems for reliablity you find guys who swear by them, and others that swear at them.

I would almost bet it will be pointed out that it was my fault it would not cycle. I obviously didn't clean it correctly, etc. I cleaned it better than my M-16 and it wouldn't run, so that was enough for me.


I bought a 700 instead.

 

[crowbeaner]

I have a 742 (the forerunner of the 7400) and simply love it. It is only used for big game hunting, and with my handloads will shoot under an inch with a clean cold barrel and 4 shots. The Remi semi is often maligned here on TFL, and there are those that love them, and those that love to hate them. I've had the opportunity over the years to shoot and handload for several in different calibers. KEEP IT CLEAN! Chamber and barrel; the gasport won't be a problem as long as you don't shoot cast bullets in it. If you want to shoot cast, get a different gun. If you handload, stick to medium burn rate powders! Nothing faster than IMR 3031 (and it's a little fast with some cartridge/bullet combos) and nothing slower than WW760 or H414. This will help with the cycling and feeding, as well as not blowing hot gas at you because the burn isn't finished when the bolt opens fully. Try different loads to determine just what bullet/velocity your barrel likes; the semi is like any other gun in this respect- they have their preferred loads. Crimp your bullets in the crimp groove if there is one; this helps keep the SD down when the rifle is fired quickly. If you can find them, use 760 mags; the bolt hold open jams the bolt and mag together wearing the bolt assembly and mag unduly causing mag failure and excessive wear on the moving parts. The hold open feature is NOT necessary if you know how to handle your rifle. There are other things to remember but I don't want to go into detail much more and bore everybody.

 

[Sarge]

re-run

I've had 740's, 742's and 7400's. The 740's worked most of the time but grouped well only rarely. The 742's shot better and worked well when they felt like it, if kept clean enough to eat off of and fed Remington factory ammo. Otherwise they were odd-looking single shots with a too-delicate extractor that was a nuclear-powered b___h to replace. Remington has not made replacement parts for a few years, and they are fast drying up. My advice is to avoid these rifles at all costs.

I was pretty fed up with Remington autos, but a friend left a 7400/'06 at my house for a year with a request to zero a new scope, and Carte Blanche to shoot the dickens out of it. We did, with factory ammo; he still shoots it occasionally and hunts with it every fall. That rifle shoots very well and it has never jammed.

That experience enabled me to bite my lip and buy a nice used 7400. I gave it to my wife who killed deer with it like she was born with it n her hands. She later gave it to one of our sons when his 742 laid down. That rifle has now been fed a heaping 3# coffee can of my reloads and maybe 4 boxes of factory loads. It has never jammed either. It will crowd 1 MOA with 150 grain Nosler BT's over H4895 powder.

My experience, FWIW, is that the 7400 is as good as the 740/742 were lousy.

 

[Swampghost]

I've had a 742 for 12 yrs. It shoots tight and I haven't had any problems. I wish that I'd saved the last targets from my sons last outing with the 'old man' The 'old man' kicked some SEAL wanabe butt. Yes, he is currently in training for the SEAL team.

 

[KSDeputy]

Remington 7400

I have a new one in the box, never shot it. I also have several Eagle 10 shot magazines for it, and a case of ball ammo. It does not come with sling swivels, and it is a heavy rifle. At present I am trying to figure out how to put a sling on it without drilling holes in the stock. The iron sights seem quite adequate, so I do not plan on putting a scope on it. If I can just solve that sling problem. I use a quiet 1" nylon sling on some of my other long guns, I would like to have that on this carbine.

 

[Fat White Boy]

I had one in .30-06 that I loved. Never had a FTFeed or Fire. The iron sights were great but as I got older, I had to put a scope on it as my eyes went downhill. The darn thing knocked the zero off a Leupold VXII, a Buckmaster, a Simmons and a Bushnell. I finally sold it. I had my eyes fixed last year and wish I had it back...

 

[KSDeputy]

Remington 7400

If I can't find a sling that I can put on mine, without drilling holes in the stock or elsewhere, I might sell mine. That is if the Eagle 10 round mags would work in their new autoloader which does have sling swivels. Are you really serious?

 

[g.willikers]

Apparently, some are better than others.
No telling, sometimes.
I once had a 742, ln 30-06, that was completely reliable, even with 10 rd plastic mags.
And it was about the same accuracy as a friend's respected model bolt action.

 

[hooligan1]

The wife won one in 1984, in a VFW raffle.She's always had a knack for the cool luck around here. As far as accuracy, the best it would shoot 180 grn corelokts was 2 1/2 inch groups at 100yds. I never toyed with the action, stock, or barrel to make it shoot better. I may have found a more accurate load but never took the time. The rifle looked nice, fired everytime, no complaints from me, had to sell that puppy to pay for groceries for my kids They could all use a diet now so I can say without a doubt I'll never sell a firearm to buy food ever again.

 

[Colorado Redneck]

Had a 7400 in 270 Winchester. It didn't shoot for beans. Fooled around with it some. Used it on a deer hunt that became FUBAR. Traded it off and have never looked back.

I have a couple of buddies that have Remi-Semis in 30-06 and love them. Both have been very successful using them for elk and mulies. Seems to be kind of hit and miss.

 

[sc928porsche]

I have a 742 and a 760. One belonged to my grandfather and the other to my father. Ive had the 742 since 1970 and the 760 since 1973. They both work flawlessly and accuracy tends to be 1 3/4 to 2". Both are in 30-06 and handle reloads quite well (full length sized).