Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 760 Project/Advice

My 18" M760 in 35 Remington is perfect. 35 Rem operates at lower pressures so shorter barrels aren't overly obnoxious. I wouldn't want this particular barrel any shorter. It's my Wisconsin woods gun. Never had any problems with it failing to make rated speeds. I don't believe it's a factory carbine. Whoever worked mine over did a good job. Barrel crown is perfect and accuracy is excellent.

BOOM!

I have long wondered why Remington chose not to d&t the 740/742/74/7400 and 760/76/7600 series for a peep sight? They used to d&t the 700 series for years and I have very seldom seen a receiver sight installed on a 700.

I had a trapdoor buttplate made for my Winchester 100s so that I could install the base and store the working part of a Lyman 66W88 inside the stock just in case the scope failed. With a one-piece Weaver base installed I can pull the scope, more quickly if it is installed with QD rings, and install the peep sight. The "trough" of the Weaver base allows me to easily use the peep sight without having to install a higher front sight. I've never used it in the field, but have swapped back and forth at the range a few time and the return to zero is easily minute-of-deer.

A Williams FP or Lyman on a 20" 760 is perfection.

First question is have you tried Benoit style hunting? You need tracking snow and vast sections of huntable property without many hunters. I'd read everything I could get my hands on Benoit's from the first Sports Afield article with Larry on the cover from the '70's. I even cut down a m141 .35 Remington and put on fiber optic front sight and a peep. I went tracking for a few years and got some nice bucks... for other guys who shot "my" buck. Nope, with 630,000 hunting deer here, there are just too many hunters to successfully "Benoit" one on a regular basis where I hunt.

I might go still hunting a little at mid day, but if you are like most guys you will probably want to be on a stand first thing in the morning and again later in the day. That says scope sight to me. For a compromise walking sitting scope you want a huge exit pupil, lighter weight, lower power, lower mounted scope. My combination deer rifle is a 22" barrel m99F .300 Savage with a Leupold 1.5-5x20 Var-X lll with the heavy duplex reticle. That thing points like my index finger and perfect for that application.

Still a PSG? If so, I doubt you have the time or peace and quiet to hunt Benoit style. BTDT

With that said, I would find which bullets the rifle likes the best. 150, 165, or 180s all will do the job at short, woods distances but you will need to consider bullet construction as any significant barrel shortening will affect muzzle velocities.

Thanks for all the replies! I appreciate all the advice. What my vision was was to make a short handy woods rifle. I mainly hunt in South Carolina and the shots can range from a few feet to 100+ yards. Usually its from a tree-stand. I also hunt in the big woods of the Adirondacks (Tug Hill area to be exact) and there its either still hunting or stands/blinds. I have a friend who did this to a 7600 in 270 (I'm not sure how short he cut the barrel-I'll have to ask) and I always really liked the rifle so decided I'd like a similar rifle but in 30-06 instead.

From all the advice I've received here, I'll get it scoped and try it as is but am leaning towards a 20" barrel

Please keep the suggestions and comments coming!

Dinny,

No longer a PSG, Now a retired 1SG

In their later years the Benoits went to scoped rifles . Low powered Leupold variables.

Pretty small sample size. Take it for what it is worth. For many years I shot 30-06 with 165s of many varieties, but mostly ballistic tips, over 60 gr of H4831. It was a very accurate load in several bolt rifles. My Dad's 22 inch 760 shot 1.5 moa with it.

But in Mom's 18.5 inch 742, I could not keep five rounds on a 9 inch paper plate. A switch to IMR 3031 with the 165 bt was the solution. The rifle was again a 300 yd deer gun. That was the late '70s, so I can not state the powder charge.

Now, whether the issue was the gas port and semi auto action or the carbine length barrel, I do not know. But the faster powder definitely cured the problem.

I retired 2 years ago. Made the new 8 list with a low number a few weeks before I signed out on terminal leave. I have no regrets!

Enjoy your time afield!

Everyone should have an 18 1/2" .30-06 peep sighted 760. Cut it! What an awesome weapon. Next time you're in the Adirondacks find a track and go. There is really nothing like this kind of hunting. Everyone here is right - if the stock has enough drop to put your eye right behind the peep sight, you'll be recanting within 3 shots from the bench. It will hurt you. Also, an 18 1/2' .30-06 is deafening! But, offhand at a 50yd buck, you'll never know it went off. Tracking is a young man's game though, with a steep learning curve. I've had a little success but, I'm no Larry Benoit. If nothing else it will give you an appreciation for what Larry, Lanny & Co. do/did. As I get older I find I really appreciate a scope. 2-7 is ok but, for a dedicated tracking gun I'd want a true 2x (2x7's are more like 2.5x) and maybe scout mounted. Some folks do fine with higher power maybe you're one of them. Practice offhand at 50 yds. Stand 90degrees from the target, port arms, sing your favorite song until you forget what you're doing then spin raise the rifle and shoot. Try it on a moving target. All of a sudden 50yds is a long way off! When the Benoits switched to scopes Lanny went 3-9 Trijicon but Larry went 1-4 Trijicon which would be my choice between the two. I've always used 180gr round nose corelokts because that's what Larry used and they work well but, Lanny used various 150gr .270's through a 19" barrel if I remember correctly but I know he's not afraid to switch things up either.

Whatever you do get a copy of Larry's "How to Bag the Biggest Buck of Your Life" if you haven't already.

As my eyesight started to go, I went from a peep to a 2-7 on my 30-06 carbine. I think it is just about perfect for what I do

The carbine certainly does kill ‘em and grill ‘em at the same time. I’d gladly get rid of it if I could find a decent affordable 35 REM.

Peep sight seems appropriate.
I wouldn't cut the barrel until I got a scope and I wouldn't go straight to 18"

I've killed quite a few deer with a 760 Carbine in .30-06, using a Burris FFII 2-7x.

760 +30-06 = Mule kicker worst kicking rifle ever, up to and including 50 cal. and loud - have fun brace urslef,

Recoil on mine has never been an issue, even with 165-180gr bullets.

Kick Eez, Limb Saver, or Pachmeyer! Those original Remington steel butt plates are killers.



And here is that 35 Remington someone was asking about! Two days left to bid.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1010668507

You have so vastly oversimplified and misstated the most difficult method of deer hunting extant to a point where I doubt you understand it at all. First, the Benoit family of the NE Kingdom of VT and the Bernier family of Maine along with a number from of other well known practitioners of the same dark arts from Maine back to the Adirondack Mountains area including the famous NY tracker Jim Massi tracked because deer in these wilderness regions are largely migratory deer rather than small lot deer who are often able to be patterned.

Second they often had to cover ground at speed but that was only to catch up on a good buck when tracks were several hours old. As they got closer by reading the sign of the animal they slowed to a speed necessary to move with the animal while still covering ground until they got to a point where a shot was possible. Did you know they also did this on bare ground? So it was much much more than running down deer in deep snow.

Moreover northern Maine for example is a hatch cross of old and new logging roads and trails so with a map and compass they could get themselves to a road at some point to get out. As to rifle choice I think they picked something portable and fast since the majority of shot distances were less than 50 yards in mixed growth woods. I am not convinced a barrel shorter than 22” offers any advantage to the hunter under such conditions but I do think a red dot sight would be handy as heck. A well known tracker in Maine I know has over 40 Biggest Bucks in Maine patches and mounts those bucks with their heads turned in the attitude they were in when he shot them. Most are turned looking back or behind them. He favors a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and says he puts up a wall of lead until the buck is down. Note, he said there is no need to spray and pray but rather shoot and hit until the buck is down.

It is the pinnacle of hunting deer but there is so much more to it than what you wrote John.

Having been a practitioner of tracking and still hunting in northern WI and MN, with a nice collection of racks to show for it. FOV on a rifle that fits to the point when the butt hits your shoulder your looking through the scope. I liked short rifles, still do for coyote hunting. 16.25" Sav 99 in 308, sporterised 1917 in 30-06 16.5" both tossing heavy RN's, 180's in the 308 and 220's in the 06. Scopes over the years Weaver V-4.5, K-1.5, V-3, and Leupold 1-4'sin their various forms.