I have a chance to pick up a Remington 7400 in .243 for a decent price...are the short actions the same jam-o-matics that the long actions seem to be ?...or is it hit and miss..or are they just high maintenance pieces of equipment.
Short action Remington 7400 : yes/no
- Thread starter coltfan
- Start date
I've had one in 30.06 and still have one in 308, I've never had one jam on me ever.
Both have been great hunting rifles, accuracy is not like a bolt gun though. All though the 308 is capable of sub moa @ 100 when using the right ammo.
I never paid more than 400 for either rifle scoped, the 308 is a 1967 Canadian Centennial and the 30.06 was almost brand new when I got it.
To prevent jamming always make sure that this type of action is clean and dry and no rust, too much grease/oil can collect a lot of crap in the action.
Good luck
Both have been great hunting rifles, accuracy is not like a bolt gun though. All though the 308 is capable of sub moa @ 100 when using the right ammo.
I never paid more than 400 for either rifle scoped, the 308 is a 1967 Canadian Centennial and the 30.06 was almost brand new when I got it.
To prevent jamming always make sure that this type of action is clean and dry and no rust, too much grease/oil can collect a lot of crap in the action.
Good luck
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Same action different barrel.
gunrunner100
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- NW Ontario
Do not confuse the 7400/7600 with the 742 and 760. Although they look similar, the bolt head design is different. The newer version (74/7400/7600) are much better than their predecessors, although the maintenance advice should still be followed.
The 7400 fixes a design flaw in the 742s, whereby bolt travel is sloppy and the top of the bolt repeatedly makes contact with the inside top of the receiver, causing small grooves perpendicular to the direction of bolt travel. Over time and with repeated firing, the grooves eventually cause the bolt to slow on closing, which causes jamming. This condition is called a "chattered" receiver and guys will ask if there is any chattering. Typically a 742 will not have been fired all that much (most guys just use them for hunting season), and most 742s are just fine. But many are not, and when the receiver is badly chattered, you need a new receiver. There are not a lot of used receivers out there because this problem has been around for a while. So at that point what you own is a single shot rifle, which is basically a parts gun.
A 7400 in .243 is a very good semi, and is not a "jam-o-matic."
Doug
A 7400 in .243 is a very good semi, and is not a "jam-o-matic."
Doug
- Location
- St. Joe's Island, Ont
Hate to disagree with ya bud but I used to have a 7400 in 243 and what you described is exactly what happened with it, I think I got $200 for it and I wouldn't take it back if they offered it to me for free.
Happy Easter Joe!
Take a look back at your records, and see if that was in fact a 7400 or a 742. If it was a 7400 that is the first time I ever heard of a 7400 receiver getting chattered up.
But I learn new things on this board all the time.......
Doug
Take a look back at your records, and see if that was in fact a 7400 or a 742. If it was a 7400 that is the first time I ever heard of a 7400 receiver getting chattered up.
But I learn new things on this board all the time.......
Doug
This would be the first hunting semi in the safe...and am having reservations about it.....I'd like it to be a keeper as I'm getting tired of all the trips to the post office after I sell off what I buy....
I suppose the only way to find out if it's a keeper is to buy it and shoot it...
..Wish I could find a BLR 81...again...
PS...Was there not an issue in the past with the 7400 barrel retaining nut coming loose making zero impossible to hold ?
I suppose the only way to find out if it's a keeper is to buy it and shoot it...
..Wish I could find a BLR 81...again...
PS...Was there not an issue in the past with the 7400 barrel retaining nut coming loose making zero impossible to hold ?
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
For me, it was the 7400 that coined the term Jam-O-Matic. I had a really bad one. It was a One shot Semi. Unless you were at the range trying to fix it, then it worked perfect. It could fire ten shots, two mags and not jam, then turn around and jam every shot for a week. A bastard of a rifle.
Went to several shops for repair too.
I wouldn't own another.
There are plenty of good ones out there, but I think just as many bad ones. I may be wrong, but that's my opinion.
Went to several shops for repair too.
I wouldn't own another.
There are plenty of good ones out there, but I think just as many bad ones. I may be wrong, but that's my opinion.
- Location
- St. Joe's Island, Ont
Ya, she was a 7400 Doug, had the fleur de lis (think thats how it's spelled) checkering pattern on it, was my first rifle I ever bought and took a handful of bucks with it. Loved the gun right up till the day it jammed when I was shooting at an 8 pointer about 30 yds from the bottom of my tree.
After that I wanted something a little more reliable so I traded it in on a Rem 700 LSS in 300 WM which is gone now as well. Actually besides the Mossy 500 shotgun that I've been playing with and a Zabala SXS 410 the rest of the safe is all Savage now.
After that I wanted something a little more reliable so I traded it in on a Rem 700 LSS in 300 WM which is gone now as well. Actually besides the Mossy 500 shotgun that I've been playing with and a Zabala SXS 410 the rest of the safe is all Savage now.
Well by golly, the longer I stay here the more I learn......
Back to coltfan, if you want to KEEP a hunting gun, a 7400 would not be my first choice. But I am pre-disposed to not like semi's, they in general are heavier and less reliable than just about anything else....
We can find you a BLR 81, just be patient. See my pm to you, coming soon.
Doug
Back to coltfan, if you want to KEEP a hunting gun, a 7400 would not be my first choice. But I am pre-disposed to not like semi's, they in general are heavier and less reliable than just about anything else....
We can find you a BLR 81, just be patient. See my pm to you, coming soon.
Doug
gunrunner100
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- NW Ontario
Joe:
IIRC, the 742 did have a limited run of fleur de lis stocks, I remember seeing a few. This particular rifle is popular in my area, both in the 742 and 7400 series.
IIRC, the 742 did have a limited run of fleur de lis stocks, I remember seeing a few. This particular rifle is popular in my area, both in the 742 and 7400 series.
I owned a 742, the first time it jammed on me was the last, hunt with a guy that bought a 7400 new has had it for over 10 years and it has never jammed once. The 7400 did change the bolt design, but I just never trusted a remington semi again. I have a few 7600 pump rifles and if you are looking for a great deer gun that would be my choice, you pull the shell out yourself so if it jams its the guy using it, and for deer acuaracy I can outshoot a bolt user anyday on a running deer. If you are a semi-fan I have two Brownings and a Benelli in 30-06, know several browning semi owners, you pay a bit more but if you want a semi to be confident in that would be my choice.
Well..............I asked my smith about the 7400s and he says it is not possible for this to occur in a 7400. I hope he will visit this thread and tell us why. If I understand him correctly, he has not seen a chattered receiver in a 7400 either...........
Doug
Doug
