I have a rem 7400 in .280 rem. Just sent it to the gunsmith to get the barrel trimmed from 22" to 18.5" with target crown muzzle. It will be my still hunting carbine. Have shot two deer with it so far. both one shot kills, lung shots. The deer ran but a blind man could have followed them
. 154 grain hornady sp handloads. handloading for an autoloader can be a frustrating experience, until you get it right. If you stick to factory ammo loaded to standard pressures, you should have no problems (do not use light magnum...too hot
). Rem shells seem to work the best, because the rem brass is a bit softer and the rem extractor is able to get a bit better hold of it. Mine cycles reliably with factory rem ammo IF if is kept clean. Small base dies are a must for handloading.
They won't work if they are not cleaned thoroughly and regularly, including dropping out the trigger group. They work best if the action is free of lube. The chamber, action and barrel should be lightly lubed in storage, but all lube removed before shooting. Get the trigger worked by a competent gunsmith. Still creepy, but an improvement.
These guns can be real shooters with the right load. I have shot an inch or less on a good day. DON'T use see through mounts. Get strong conventional rings and bases, and DON'T put a cheap scope on it. The gun will shake it to pieces. The slide action puts too much vibration for anything other than a well-built scope. Mine killed 4 scopes befor I put an elite 3200 on it, which is up to the task.
The .280 rem is about as versatile as they come. Can shoot anything from gophers to moose. in the 7400 the recoil of even the big 175 grain slammers is manageable, and a 7mm mag doesn't outperform it until you get to at least 300 yds, well beyond where the majority of game is shot.
Other than dirt, the #1 problem with them is extractors, and a new extractor often cures cycling problems. The jamomatic reputation comes from guys firing them a few times, and sticking them in the corner of the camp with no maintenence. Are there lemons? Yep. Just like every other gun that has ever been made. If you like it, buy it and have fun!
