Remmington 7400 ?

[tomfromblaine]

I picked up a 7400 270 last winter and have just recently had a chance to shoot it. I know the guy that owned since new the the gun has never been in the field other then to be sighted in. He stated it was a tempramental S.O.B. action wise while sighting it in. Well I fired it acouple of times at a 50yd target and it did sound abit dry but the shoots were well placed. I then cleared the gun and reloaded for the 100yd target when I closed the bolt it locked up and I ended up brining it to a GM gunsmith, he freed it up and tried a differnt magazine with no help it's now on it's way to Remmington.. anybody got any ideas on whats up??

TOM.

[SmilinBob]

This is a common problem with the 742, the 7400 was supposed to be "the cure". As the gun wears, the bolt actually etches itself into the receiver and the locking lugs stick. Sometimes it does it in the lockup and sometimes in the open position. It lies in the design of the action bars and the way they hold the bolt. Replacement with another rifle is the ultimate fix.

[vister]

well, he was right about it being a tempermental s.o.b. get rid of it, or keep it and by another gun, maybe the 7600. much more reliable. the 7400 is a jam-o-matic, plain and simple. I have taken it to a gunsmith, sent it back to remington, only to recieve the same results. doesn't matter what type of ammo u use, or how clean the gun is, it is always going to be an issue. there is too much metal contact going on, a lot of etching, even the GS couldn't take care of. But keep it if you like having a clip in a single-shot

[mrklean]

is this the gun onsale everywhere for like $300 or something like that

[ccarlson]

I'm glad I just read this post. I need to get a deer rifle for my daughter this year and was ready to go pick up a used 7400 today. I called a dealer yesterday for some prices on new rifles of various types and he pointed out to me that they had several nice used 7400's at good prices. I knew the older 742's were bad for wear and jamming but wasn't as aware of problems with the 7400.

I'll start a new thread on some questions I have about a gun for my daughter.

Thanks,

ccarlson

[tomfromblaine]

Hey vister, what did the factory do to your gun to try and fix it? Did you try any super duper synthetic lubes? maybe streaching or shimming the bolt spring? the gun I have is not worn and has never been in the field hunting, and from what I'm reading I can see why and am starting to get bummed.

TOM

[vister]

remington replaced both the hammer and bolt. they said the original ones hadn't been properly deburred prior to assembly. the gun was a 30-06 caliber. got it back, and it was no different. gunsmith filed down the hammer, which helped out a bit, but about every third shot it jammed. again, back to reeds. they sent it back to remington. 6 weeks went by. a week and a half from opener, still no gun. went back to reeds a bit irritated. they hooked me up with a .270, threw in a scope, case, and two boxes of shells. must have wanted me out of there. however, this gun still jams, not as much as the other, but come on. oh yeah, it was the reeds in walker. i'd have to say decent customer service up there.

[echotrail]

I must have lucked out with a rare 742 in 1977 when I bought a new one. I've used it every year since and never had a problem with it. I've noticed the scope is getting a little more shaky as I get older though.

[Scott K]

I have a 740, and a 742 30-06 never jammed on me and I have been hunting with them for many years. Now watch, this year, "Click"

[tomfromblaine]

Well mines at the factory at this time, from what I've heard thats usually no help but we'll see, I've also found a site that has had some proof of actual damage at the gas tube from the factory , so I will check this when I get it back as well as the metal contact areas. other than that I'll probably just use a good syn oil and maybe alittle more than recommended, plus a few other tricks up my sleeve I picked up while shooting for the military rifle team, I'm trying to be optimistic about this rifle, if it doesnt go well I'll just keep banging on Remmington until they give me a deal on that new bolt action they have .

Thanks again for your input.

Tommy T.

[SmilinBob]

More oil will not fix anything. if you try anything on your own try stoning any burrs and keep a close eye on the wear points.

[vister]

the only problem with the 7400 being gas operated is too much oil can be bad. you can get unburned powder residue from the gas operating auto and it will stick to the excess oil, making a bad situation worse, then it is a bugger to clean that gun.

[tomfromblaine]

Well the gander g.s. told me 6-8 weeks at the factory ... I hear you on the excess lube, stoneing and polishing is on the list along with a couple of other things, man this is gonna be a long wait.

Tom.

[sparkydm]

I had one of those 7400's too. Same jamming problems as stated. My GS told me the best fix was to get rid of it. I did and haven't had any issues with it since.

[benelli_dude2002]

Seen a guy shooting a 742 ( at least I think it was a 742 ) blow apart its receiver last fall. He had the right caliber and even remington ammo. Not sure what happened there. Receiver was bulged and the magazine was blown out also. Nobody got hurt other than the gun is now trash. A guy I work with has a 7400 in 308 and no problems for him. I have a 7600 in 270 that has taken a few moose and a few deer over the last 18 years. Never thought much of the semi autos by remington. my 2 cents

[c&amagn]

I just inherited a .30-06 REM Model 7400 in w/black synthetic stock a few weeks ago. I put a new scope on it and took it up to the Del-Tone gun club on Sunday to sight it it. Shot over 30-rounds and zeroed it in pretty good even at the 200-yard range and never once did it jam. It shot flawlessly. Might have a good one???

[Insp Gadget]

gramps had a 740 since I don't know when now one Bro has it, Dad has a 742, My Bro and I have had 7400's for 25 years. We bought our as "factory rebuilt's" at GM in about '83. All of ours have jammed at times, but with the right ammo we have only one problem. the bolt doesn't completely lock unless you let it slam forward or when you close it you give it a shove. not a fun thing to need, but ....... my last 13 deer took 14 shots. My Bro that has the 7400 exactly the same age scope etc as me hunts wyoming and has many deer at 200+ yds and 2 Elk at 250. (all 30.06)

The rancher in Wyoming for 15 yrs gave my bro $h!t about hunting with and auto loader. He bought a ruger bolt 10 yrs ago and started to hunt with that. His ruger jammed while practicing the year they went elk hunting. He switched to the 7400, Whammed 2 elk in 2 minutes (party hunting with cow tags) at 250yds and even when the ruger was fixed, the rancher told him to use the "city slicker" gun today! (7400 auto) Every day for 10 years since!

The moral here is if it can work, and you can shoot it, why buy new? (other than it's fun to have multiple toys!!!) We all shoot federal 3006D (they may have changed the code now) but it's their 165gr boat tail. I have shot over 200 rounds in 10 years, (no not much) but never had a problem except as mentioned, the bolt doesn't like to lock itself, but only on the initial load, never a problem on the shot with the federal 165 BT. It's not the greatest gun, but for $300 add a $150 scope and you'll kill as many dear as with any $800 - $1000 combo out their. That is if yours works like ours?? If yours jams on the shots, try different ammo, find what the gun likes and it will likely be the most consistent shooter you could pick.

Most experts recommend trying several brands of ammo with any gun to find the one most accurate with the gun. As the Wyoming rancher said, "it don't matter so much just how big the hole you make is, as much as where you make the hole!"

Try different ammo, be willing to let the bolt slam shut and you might just be ok.

Wish I could afford a Sauer 202 ..... now that's one sweet gun!

[sparkydm]

I tried every brand of .308 ammo in 150 and 180 grain. some were better than others but it jammed often enough that i didn't trust it.

[c&amagn]

As far as ammo goes I used the Federal Fusion 180gr. at the range from my post above, shot flawlessly for the .30-06.

[BigWadeS]

180grain you don't want to track anything do you

[c&amagn]

180grain you don't want to track anything do you

Put it this way, my .30-06 while at the the gun range was the small caliber, most guys where shooting .338 and .300win's, and in talking with them use those for deer hunting, seemed to be the norm at the range that day, out of the 3-hours I was there, my .06 was the smallest cal shot. As far as 180gr. goes I picked that grain when sighting in in case bigger game in the future too.

[BigWadeS]

just ribbin' you a bit, mine may be a slight bigger, since my father-in-laws cousin re-loaded them and they kind of hurt...