Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Tell me about the Remington 7600

I'm interested in one of these as a practical, fast shooting woods rifle that can still reach out there a ways but have zero experience with one.
Major concerns would be reasonable accuracy, durability, and reliability as far as feeding/ejection goes.
Long and short action or one action length?
Fans and haters opinions welcome. Thinking along the lines of a 308 or 270.

Have two:

30.06 and 35 Whelen. Both are excellent in terms of accuracy, reliability and feeding. Both sport 1.5x5 Leupolds. And, I know this'll really stick in some knickers, but I put a tip-off mount on the Whelen and it's the perfect heavy timber sort of thing having never lost its zero.

Big supporter of the 7600 here - and I'm a bolt action guy.

I'd agree with SKane. No real complaints with mine. I've owned them in 308, 270, and 30-06 (carbine). Just have the 308 now. One action length for all. Up until this year I have used open sights only. If you are used to a pump shotgun the transition is easy. Reliable, durable, and accurate.

It doesn't replace my bolt but it is a nice substitute at times.

I have the older version, a Mdl. 760, in .308 and it's a great gun. Accurate and reliable. They are very popular here in PA. We're known as the pump gun capital of the US. Probably, because semi-auto rifles are not legal for hunting in this state.

As previously mentioned, they are all one action length.

The best damn gun made in my opinion. I have had probably 7-8 over the years. Accurate as hell, handy as hell, and can withstand inclimate elements well.

I'd put 7600 up against any factory bolt gun. I've said that before on here. They are a great gun.

They are all one action lenght so a .308 or .243 won't change the bolt throw if thats what you're asking. For some reason the .308 I have kicks harder than any of the others I've shot. I'm sure the Whelen has a little more snap to it.

Never had a problem with ejcetion on any of them. Feeding too. In my experience with them, they seem to like many different types of bullets too. I have only average luck with the Nosler Partitions though. OTOH my father in law has great accuracy with 180gr NP's in his 7600.

One in a .270 would be great. This is the only rifle in our camp in WI. Everyone uses a 7600 or 760 of some flavor or another.

My only beef with them are the magazines which can cause issues from time to time and replacing one's a spendy proposition...



As long as you keep the chamber clean, they should not give you any grief..

WHAT? NO 742s??? You CAN'T be a true TAXHELLWISCONSINITE.....

Not sounding too bad. Action length being a non issue I would most likely go with a 270.
Redneck. What kind of issues can the magazine cause?
Are the triggers livable or able to be tweaked?

haaa. You got me. I'm not. If it's any consolation though, I am the only one in camp without see through scope mounts.

742's I thought that was a MN thing. Funny say that I almost bought a 6mm 742 eariler this summer.

If you like pumps go for it.

My Dad has owned a 760 in 270 Win. since the 60's and never had a problem with it. I have done a bunch of load work with it, and I am impressed with the accuracy. He purchased it because he shoots left handed (left eye dominant).

I took a 7600 and had it rebored/chambered to 338-06 and have zero complaints with. Same statement as above applies to this rifle in the accuracy dept.

I shoot bolt actions almost exclusively, but when I pick up the pump, it is second nature since I grew up using pump shotguns.

As far as SA/LA, I would go with the LA. Even though most people think of these pumps as short distance "woods" guns, I have seen my dad consistently make 250-400 yards shots. He currently has 4x12 Leupold on it. But we hunt in western SD where the distances can stretch.

But handle both and go with what feels best best to you and personal preference.

I've been around and hunted with guys that use them for about 40 plus years. They have a well deserved rep for being reliable, more so than the 740 series when neglected or in bad weather. They are plenty accurate enough. That's 1.5-2.5 inches at 100 yds. with factory ammo.
The only "durability issue" has been with the magazines. Like all such designs, if you beat them up around the feed lips, they can malfunction.
They do have a few draw backs. I don't like their cross bolt safety as I prefer a safety that locks/disconnects the firing pin. I've never seen one with a "breaking glass rod" trigger. All of them have some creep.
You can live with all of this. A great trigger is very helpful for long, or tricky close shots, but many, including me, have learned you can get by with a 760 quality trigger.
If you hand load, you can't use really hot ammo, and you may need small base dies. To me, this is less of an issue than the above.
The only other point I might make is that, with a scope, they are a little heavy for my taste.
For the guy that has to take running shots, I'd say their fast second shot is a real asset. Many times, in spite of high quality scopes and trying to make only shots that are in the clear, I've had my bullets hit twigs and other cover. If that happens, the bullet flys off course, starts to expand and loose some of it's energy, or, worst of all, it starts tumbling. If any of this happens, you may well have a wounded buck. Therefore, the rule is keep shooting as long as you can until he's down. I can't make a bolt gun shoot nearly as fast as one of these.
I recently looked at a new 750. Really liked the stock finish. Might have to look at the latest 760/7600's.

I have a 30 year old M760 (yeah I know, not a 7600) that feeds like a hungry hippo and shoots very well. I've shot plenty of sub inch groups (3 shots at 100 yards) with handloads. I love hunting with that gun!

I don't have a 760 or a 7600, but I still hunt with the earlier Remington 141 pump in .35 Remington. In general, pumps will give you the same or better accuracy that you would get with the semi-auto rifles. If you use a pump shotgun, transitioning between the two is simple. Like the other poster said, they are big in PA. Amish Machineguns is what a few of my relatives back there call them. And if you look around on gunbroker, you will probably be able to track down some of the more unusual variations through some of the dealers back there. Limited runs of things like .300 Savage, .35 Remington, .35 Whelen with blonde wood, that kind of stuff. But pretty much everybody I know back there that uses one has a .30-06. Something as common as .270 should be fairly easy for you to find.

-Mb

I had a 760 30-06 and now have a 7600 7mm-08. Both are great rifles. There's no difference in receiver length between cartridges. The magazine determines the OAL of the cartridge. The .243/.308 magazines a spacer in the front and rear of the mag..

I've owned a 760 pump in 30-06 for the last 32 years and have probably killed upwards of 50 deer with it.Never had any issues and it has never let me down.I currently own 34 other guns in the safe and tell myself every yeaqr i'll take something else the first day.But when that Monday rolls around,the old 760 with a 3x9 redfield lo-pro somehow end up in the tree with me.Killed a dandy 8 point this past year with it.As far as i'm concerned,you can't go wrong with one for the money you need to put out.
P.S. two of my three sons hunt with a 7600 and the .280 caliber is a killin machine.

Currently I own a 760 Carbine in .308 and a 7600 in 30/06.

In the past I've owned ......

.223
35Rem
358Win (35Rem rechambered)
270Win
.308 (2)
35Whelen (3)

They are fast, dependable, great handling, practical, & accurate. Sometimes the mag will give you feeding problems when worn, but it is an easy fix.

I like it, but here in Canada we have Mennonites, so I guess "Mennonite Machinegun" would be in order.

I am down to one 7600 now. It is a 308 Win that has been cut down to 18.5 " bbl its topped with a Leupold 2-7x33. I also had the trigger done by Accuracy Systems Inc.

These guns are fast, accurate, and just plain fun. I hunt in the swamps and very thick cover and the 7600's absolutely shine in that environment. They will also carry the mail for the long shots too.

I love the 760/7600. It is truly a classic. you will not regret getting one. Good shooting and hunting!

Colin

Hey Paul,

I would love to have a 7600 in 35 Whelen. If you ever hear of anyone around Saint John that wants to sell one let me know. We will be Quispamsis'ers as of Sept. 5.

Colin

What's the deal on the trigger job? Here in Canada?


I'll keep my ears open, but there aren't that many FS these days. Gimme a shout when you get settled. We'll hit Tims for a brew.

I have two, a 7600 in .280 that I've had since a little before 1990, and an older 760 in .30-06 that I recently acquired that used to belong to my brother. The barrels tend to be free-floating and my .280 is boringly accurate with Hornady 139 BTSP. The detachable box magazines are very convenient. The actions cycle smoothly and quickly. I shoot lefty, so I had to get a left-handed safety put in them. Since there is just one action length, you might as well get a .270 or .30-06 and make the most of it. My .280 wears a Leupold Vari-X II in 3x9. Accurate, quick-shooting if need be, good reach, available in substantial calibers...what's not to like?