New rifle purchase?

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rustynut1

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I have had my Remington 7600 in 30-06 since around 1986 or so. I went to the range yesterday and from a rest at 100 yards my average (4x)3 shot group was around 4 inches other was 5 inches. I have a 3x9 Bushnell Scopechief on it from the same era. The gun has never been great for accuracy but this is too much for me. I used two different boxes of ammo I have had for a number of years, maybe 8 years, the newer ammo was better I think but it shot like 6 inches high older stuff was more like 1 inch low to 3 inch high. If I had to be totally honest here I have never had the bolt out of this gun as it is a bigger job than I want to tackle, that is a long time and maybe 200 rounds fired. The gun works OK as is regards to going bang when the trigger is pulled. The bore is good. There is a muzzle brake on the gun.

I also have a Weatherby MarkV deluxe in 270 weatherby mag. The 270 is a lot of gun, more than I need where I now live, in Alberta in farm country it was a good choice. I'm thinking the 7600 has next to no value so I don't want to spend a bunch of money on it. I guess I could get a new "better" quality scope and try that first. The scope could be funky. My shots were mostly all high and more or less to the right but not even grouped close. The gun should shoot about 2 inch high at 100 yards. It did this in the distance past. I'm no marksman but I was as careful as I could be and it was in a solid 2 part rest, no movement and on a solid wood bench.

I'm looking at .308 or another 30-06. I shoot left handed so left hand bolt would be a natural for me. I don't care if it is wood or synthetic stock. I like the 30-06, I have a bunch of once used brass for this round, 400 hundred 150 grain projectiles, 1000 primers and 2 bottles of propellent for this calibre. And the reloading dies etc for this calibre. The .308 isn't a bad round and close to the 30-06 in performance and good enough for me. The projectiles and powder would work for that round as well I think.

I just don't know what gun I should be looking at. I don't want to spend a lot of money, more $$ on the scope than rifle maybe. I would be deer hunting but they are few and far between in this neck of the woods! I may try to trade in the Mark V, it is left hand bolt.

I'm looking for people to give me feedback on the 7600, the inaccuracy of it and choices for a new gun. Should I pull the trigger and bolt out, it is a pump? Try brand new ammo or maybe reload a few and try that? Thanks.
 
I am a lefty. I bought a BAR left hand 30/06. Semi auto and I love it. Recoil is very good and accuracy too. Will try it again this winter in the deep North. See if it works under extreme cold. I own a 300 mag left hand 700 SPS and a Leupold Mark IV on it. Used it in the worst conditions. Like both these rifles and I would have looked at Tikka T3 left hand in 308 varmint rifle instead of the 700 SPS. But no regrets.

Hope this helps.
 
You have never cleaned the bore at anytime in the 200 rounds fired since new?
Have you checked that the screws are tight on the 7600??
You should be able to hit a 4 inch pie plate at 200 yrds with ease and at will with your gun.
Drop the trigger group, remove the bolt and give it a good scrubbing and if you think it is clean , clean it again.
But, then again I sold my 742 woodsman several years ago..yes it was an auto loader, but those guns had issues and a pump should be ten times easier to clean that the automatics.
Go to the Remington web page and you will find pdf files on how to disassemble you gun and of course hot to re-assemble too ;)
But, if all this fails to impress you go ahead and buy a new gun from on of the many CGN Dealer supports or drop by the EE.
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
Definitely strip it and clean it. Is it possible the crown got damaged? Somewhat common with pump and lever guns where you must clean from the muzzle. Scope mounts and scope would be the next place I would look after cleaning and inspecting the crown.

If you just want to wipe your hands of it toss it on the EE with full disclosure and buy a left handed Ruger M77 in .30-06, top it with a Leupold VX-2 and Leupold rings and bases and be done with ever worrying about your rifle ever again.
 
Check screws on mounts and bases as well, unless you have decided already to get a new rifle that is.

My line with my wife is usually that I can't get a good grouping anymore ;)
 
Also check that the action tube is tight ... this is the tube that the forearm slides on. There will be 4 holes in it. Stick a drift pin that fits snugly through 2 of the opposing holes and turn the tube clockwise (righty/tighty) towards the action (don't bend the action rails while doing this). Sometimes the action tube can come loose and of course that affects the barrel to action fit ... and definitely wont help accuracy. Hope this is the issue cause its a quick/simple fix.
good luck

(to add - the action tube is what secures the barrel to the action ... a snug/tight fit is mandatory for function and accuracy)

Just noticed your comment "There is a muzzle brake on the gun." .. so the barrel has been off - presumably the guy who threaded it for the muzzlebreak (it is threaded? if not make sure it is on straight - AND TIGHT) had the barrel off - and removed the action tube at least once - certainly worth rechecking then. FWIW - not all muzzle brakes are "good" for accuracy.
 
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FLHTCUI said:
You have never cleaned the bore at anytime in the 200 rounds fired since new?
Have you checked that the screws are tight on the 7600??
You should be able to hit a 4 inch pie plate at 200 yrds with ease and at will with your gun.
Drop the trigger group, remove the bolt and give it a good scrubbing and if you think it is clean , clean it again.
But, then again I sold my 742 woodsman several years ago..yes it was an auto loader, but those guns had issues and a pump should be ten times easier to clean that the automatics.
Go to the Remington web page and you will find pdf files on how to disassemble you gun and of course hot to re-assemble too ;)
But, if all this fails to impress you go ahead and buy a new gun from on of the many CGN Dealer supports or drop by the EE.
Tight Groups,
Rob
Click to expand...

Good call Rob.
Perhaps you are preaching to the "They clean themselves with every shot fired" group.
There are some with bolt actions that are to overcome to remove the bolt to clean and then there are some that don't want to go to the expense of by cleaning supplies.
This rifle is definitely worth paying some gunsmith to clean and check out the inner workings.
The moment a POI is not where anticipated or the scope does not function it is time to check the screws in the bases and/or the rings.
 
I just bought a Savage Axis in .308 LH, no scope. There is a Cabellas coming to the area so the local dealers are anxious to deal. I got the gun for a touch over $300 with the mail in rebate. The Axis isn't what I wanted but basically there are no deer in my area so I just hunt for the fun of it. I saw three deer this season and all at a full run.

I watched the u-tube on how to remove the 7600 bbl and clean the gun so I will do this. Once the 7600 is cleaned I will take it out again, maybe at 50 yards and see if it shoots better. The brake has been on the gun since the 1980s. It is treaded on. I have been told this gun is worth $250-300 so I may sell it for that without the scope. Thanks everyone.
 
While as the guys point out there's a very good chance a simple problem or three is causing the accuracy issues I agree with your take rusty the gun isn't worth much and... hello, you've had it for almost 30 years cut the some biatch loose. Put it on the EE here with an honest description sold as is for 400 or so and see where that takes you.

Ruger is a company that makes good rifles and caters to south paws. The hawkeye for about 8-900 or even the American for 4-500 in a left hand are quite available. 308 is a good choice and they make a true short action unlike some who stuff short action chamberings in a long action rifle. I was going to suggest a Weatherby Vanguard S2 to keep with your Wby loyalty but I don't think they make leftys. Weatherby mk5s etc do but you say you want to keep the rifle cost reasonable and they're up around 2 grand.

edit- missed that you bought an axis already ^ food for future thought
 
Why would anybody put a muzzle brake on a 7600 ???
Clean it up and check it over real good, there must be a reason for the poor grouping.
If you don't want to fix it, sell it to me (cheap).
 
Agree on the thorough cleaning suggestions, especially with a bore brush and lot's of copper solvent.

I have a 1957 built model 740 Woodmaster (30-06) and it still easily shoots a 1 1/2" group at 100 yards - so they (the Rems) are capable of the accuracy.
 
" I just don't know what gun I should be looking at. I don't want to spend a lot of money, more $$ on the scope than rifle maybe. I would be deer hunting but they are few and far between in this neck of the woods! I may try to trade in the Mark V, it is left hand bolt. "

I would suggest you head to your nearest (well stocked) gun shop and kick some tires. Pick up rifles that appeal to you and find one with a good fit. Perhaps you have a caliber you're interested in too? If you find a platform that fits, you can always order one in with your chosen caliber. I would suggest you pick a realistic budget (not too cheap as you get what you pay for), and focus on the models that come with an accuracy guarantee.

Winter's long so you have lots of time...
 
Royzo said:
Why would anybody put a muzzle brake on a 7600 ???
Clean it up and check it over real good, there must be a reason for the poor grouping.
If you don't want to fix it, sell it to me (cheap).
Click to expand...

This is a sad story. Back in the 80's my vision was going and I needed glasses for long distance vision. Trouble is the doctor gave me the wrong prescription. What ended up happening is I had to put my eye almost on the scope to see out of it. I cut my face over and over, blood running down my face. Not knowing what the issue was it was decided the gun kicked too much and a rifle brake was the answer. Eventually I discovered the problem was the wrong glasses.
 
If you completely strip the action of your 7600 and give the rifle a good cleaning, it will improve the cycling if nothing else. I've shot a number of Remington 760s all .30/06s that stayed within 1.5 MOA even with inexpensive factory ammo, which is pretty good I think. I've had enough guys bring their 760/7600s to me for cleaning that I bought a Menck wrench which makes stripping the rifle much easier, as the rifle doesn't have enough clearance for a mechanics wrench.

You should remove the scope, ensure that the base screws haven't become loose, and if they have, put a dab of thread locker on them. The same goes for your rings, make sure the cap screws are tight enough that the scope isn't moving, same goes for the windage screws, and if any have come loose, give them some thread locker. If the cleaning and attention to the scope mounts haven't dramatically improved the accuracy of the rifle, swap the scope with one known to hold its zero, and see if that makes a difference. Given my experience with the the out of the box accuracy of these rifles, it could be that yours has had a scope issue right from day one.

If that brake isn't concentric with the bore, that won't do much for your groups either; just one more variable to check.
 
Just a thought. If you have been bitten by the scope on that 7600 as you stated above, you may be suffering from flinch factor. The flinch could very well be just when you use the 7600 and not with other rifles. The mind does funny things!!
Get some buddies to shoot the 7600 and see how it groups. The findings may surprise you.
 
Royzo said:
Just a thought. If you have been bitten by the scope on that 7600 as you stated above, you may be suffering from flinch factor. The flinch could very well be just when you use the 7600 and not with other rifles. The mind does funny things!!
Get some buddies to shoot the 7600 and see how it groups. The findings may surprise you.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, a scope cut from a .30/06 tends to be memorable, particularly to your subconscious.
 
Boomer said:
That's a good point, a scope cut from a .30/06 tends to be memorable, particularly to your subconscious.
Click to expand...

Not to mention the "Weatherby Eye" that I got long ago from an old Model 11 Remington 12 ga. auto with a 2.5 x Weaver on 'er. Was in a hurry to get it out to test it with some Imperial high brass slugs an got dinged pretty good on the first shot.

After getting the gun home, along with bandaging the gouge over me eye, I found upon taking the fore end off that the friction collar was missing from the mag tube. Oh well...live and learn.:redface:
 
I highly dought there is anything wrong with that 7600. As others have stated check the scope, clean the bore, if there is a muzzle brake on it the crown should be fine. I dought an aluminum cleaning rod is ever going to do anything to a steel barrel. My 7600 in .308 is a early to mid.80's model with probably between 600 and 800 rnds through it. Still tight and still accurate. Like any gun can be fussy with factory loads, any where from 4 inch groups to 1 1/2" groups depending on the ammo. My home load hunting loads are fairly hot and shoots around a 2" group at 100yds but a 3" group at 300yds (figure that one out) but it is consistant so It's fine.
 
I took the 7600 apart and gave it a good cleaning. I could see no issues but a bit of burnt powder. I used two different copper cleaners than oiled the bbl. The bbl is clean and shiny. Had a bit of trouble getting one pin to stay in place but managed it on the third try. Cleaning wasn't that hard but a bolt is much easier. There is no way the bbl is lose. I looked at the scope mount but it seems tight, been there since the 80's. I have maybe 20 rounds left so I will go out again and give it another go. Will be warm tomorrow so this is a good time.

More on the muzzle brake. What I would do is go way back in the woods, like 15 miles on my quad, trike in those days. I would end up shooting the 7600 and hitting my face with the scope. But I wouldn't know it and have blood running down my face. Get back to civilization and run into someone and they would see me with blood all over the place. Sort of embarrassing. The trouble was the eye glasses were wrong but I didn't know it. Once I got the proper subscription all was good. Your eye sight goes bad over time and it isn't always obvious to the person. You make due how ever you can, unaware of the problem. I just about fell over backward the first time I put on glasses.
 
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