Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Browning BAR -vs- Winchester SXR -vs- Remington 750 Model Woodsmaster.

I've been looking at semi auto hunting rifles lately. I love the look and feel of the Remington 750. I don't know if I'm sold on the 750's reliability. I know guys that love their 7400's and others that hated them. Is the 750 any better then the 7400? I'm also the kind of guy that strips my firearms down and keeps them clean.

I've never really heard a bad thing said about the Browning BAR. Everyone I know that's owned or shot the BAR liked them. Or at least liked and respected how they functioned.

The Winchester SXR appears to be made like the BAR from what I've seen. They cost a little less then the BAR as well, which is good!

All three of these rifles feel good to me. I have to be honest, I would probably be happy with any of the three as long as they functioned and shot well. As far as cartridges go, I'd go with a 308 Win., 30-06 Spr. or a 35 Whelen (rifle or carbine). Obviously the 35 Whelen is only available in the Remington.

Which of these rifles is "most likely" to be the most accurate? What type of groups are these rifles capable of shooting when you find ammo that they like?

I'll take all the information I can get. I'm not going to buy one right away. I'll use this rifle for deer, black bear and wild boar. Thanks.

Steel receiver BAR's will be the most accurate of the 3 (on average) i.e., Safari model.

+1

Britt

BAR all the way as long as it is not the new "ShortTrac or LongTrac" These two aluminium BARs are junk.

Since the BAR bolt locks up in the barrel, the receiver (steel or aluminum) has nothing to do with accuracy. It's just a place for the bolt to ride in and out.

I have seen these silly comments regarding BLRs before too.

Do you people rally think these rifles have aluminum locking lug abutments?????

The BAR and SXR are identical except for superficial changes, and come off the same assembly line.

The BAR is known for reliability and accuracy (so the SXR should be too).

Reliability has not historically been term associated with any Remington semi-auto, and no real changes have been made to the design of the 750.

As much as I would like a 35 Whelen 750, history with these rifles has kept me away.


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First choice (mine) would be the BAR.....always know as reliable, accurate and....it's a Browning and is just a little more "classy".

As far as the Remington, be aware that the 740-742-7400 (or whatever they are calling the current rifle) has always been "iffy" as far as reliability with the longer rounds (.270,.280,.30-06). The shorter rounds tend to work much better so if Remington is your choice....I'd definitely go with the .308.

The Winchester?? Some say it's the same rifle as the Browning, so why go with a copy. If Winchester wanted a semi-auto rifle they should have developed their own....or reissued the Model 100. Aslo....can you really trust a company that dropped the Model 94 and 70....and stole the design of another company for their "new" semi-auto??

Can we agree that the most accurate centerfire semi-auto rifle available is an AR15 ?

Is that aluminum receiver hurting the AR15 accuracy?

Is it durable?

Get a grip (and learn how these actions work as well).


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BAR all the way! I currently have two, a steel frame 06' and a alloy frame .243 Lwt. Synthetic. Both are shooters, MOA, plus or minus with loads they like. I know of several guys who have .243's like mine and they are all shooters. Not only are they shooters, they're dead nuts reliable. I cannot comment of the new Winchester. The Remington is a new name wrapped around all the old problems. If I wanted a Remington fast shucker, it'd be a pump 7600. The 7600 is so dang good I honestly do not know why Remington bothers with the semi-auto. Here is a target with my alloy .243 carbine and factory ammo...

+1 on everything you said.

Wish my .308 shot as good as your .243 but it isn't that far off.

Of course, the 1-4 scope probably isn't helping, and it could be the shooter as well.


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I own 3 BARs. A BAR Safari II/BOSS in 300WSM, a BAR Safari in 30-06 and a Browning ShortTrac in 300WSM. With handloads both of my Safari's will shoot MOA or better and have never jambed.
My ShortTrac in 300WSM shoots patterns instead of groups and jambs on occasion. I have tried just about every bullet/powder combo you can think of from 150gr up to 220gn. Two different sets of mounts and 2 two different scopes. The best this rifle will do is 3" at 100 yards.
I think I was correct when I said "Junk"

The last I new Browning and Winchester were owned by the same company. Making similar products should be expected. Isn't the model 70 available again?

Yet, I have a Longtrac in 300 win mag that is one of the most accurate and consistent rifles that I have ever owned. Had a steel reciever BAR Stalker in 270 a few years ago that was a real turd, but had one in 270 with the wood stock that was great. After getting the Kimber that I now use mostly, the BAR just sits there in my safe, but is so accurate I can't bring myself to sell it. I used a 760 in 270 for about 20 years, and it was a shooter, too. Seen a lot of 740-742 rifles over the years. If you kept them clean, they would shoot.

NY Hunter2,

Let me know what you do. I am giving serious consideration to a BAR due to too many shoulder surgeries. I am looking for recoil reduction after reliability. I do own a Belgian BAR .338 WM that's about forty or more years old. Damned gun is a work of art. And it is made to precision. Every single tiny piece of it looks as though great care went in to making it. I have thought about putting a 7MM Rem Mag barrel on it and making it an elk rifle, but I can't fathom any rifle replacing my Sako Classic 7MM Rem Mag for that chore. So I guess I'll just take my .338 WM BAR out every once in a while and admire it. But I still have the notion of keeping it company with a .308 Win BAR if recoil is noticeable reduced.

+2... And they'll be the most trouble-free..

Hi Steve4102,

What evidence do you have that aluminum frame BAR's are junk? Please site your discovery here other than (your one personal rifle) for all to read!

I've got a BAR in .270 that I have never shot. My father in law gave it to me. He picked it up second hand from a guy that he works with for next to nothing due to a broken stock on it. I have thought about getting it fixed, but it just doesn't interst me enough to do it at this point. It is a belgian made one with nice wood, so that has been part of the hold up. I don't want to slap just any old piece of wood on it.

....Other than wear and marring factors, I fail to see how the Aircraft Aluminum recievers on some BAR models would render them 'junk'. Many feel the BAR is overly heavy in hand and the Aluminum reciever can only help allay that complaint a bit..Same deal with the BLR models..

If I do get a BAR, I'd go with a ShortTrac Stalker, LongTrac Stalker or Lightweight Stalker.

I guess all I have to offer is my personal experience. Maybe I should re-phrase and say MY ShortTrac is a POS. It will not shoot better than 3 inches at 100 yards and is the only BAR I have ever had jamb.

Yes the action bolt locks up in the steel barrel, but the optics are mounted on the aluminium receiver which in my opinion is a weak point of this design. Let me see if I can explain.
I place my bore sighter in the barrel of my BAR Safari and look through the scope,I put up and down pressure on the forend while looking through the scope, the crosshairs will move off target ever so slightly. The same with my bolt guns. In my ShortTrac, putting up or down pressure on the forend will move the crosshairs off target a lot, a whole lot. The same is true when I set up on my rest. The position of the forend on the rest can move the POI more than what I would consider normal or acceptable.
I believe that there is to much flexibility between the steel barrel and the aluminium receiver (optics) to maintain consistant accuracy. JMHO