Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Any tricks to make a Rem. 7400 more accurate ?

I shoot a Bar and Win. 100, The Bar is great and the 100 so-so in the accuracy dept. I had a lot of 7400's and can't get less than 2" out of them but I never tried any handloads, don't know what powder to use in an auto-loader ! I like the look and feel of the Rem better than the Bar, any suggestions on how to make one shoot better ?

scratch out the "4" on the reciever <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
woofer

what caliber? you might just find a "magic" factory load it likes also. recown and a thorough cleansing had mine 1.5" with remmy yellow and green box cheapos......
woofer

The 7400 uses a totally different gas system than Garands and M1As. You can use any powder that is accurate in the Remington semi-auto rifles.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with the "any accurate powder" comment. The gas system may indeed be different than the Garand and M1A, but it's still a gas system and the powder burning rate must still be matched so that you don't have high pressure at the gas port which will stress or damage the action on firing. Been there, done that. I think that the M1A spec loads would be just fine for a .308 and Garand loads fine for a 30.06.

HW

You may be totally correct, I called Hodgden powder and received the information above. The 7400s have ports in the forearm that vent pressure to atmospere. In my case it is a moot point, my 7400 308 is a jam-a-matic, but accurate as a single shot.

Perfect!

Not to sound like an expert on Remington autoloaders, but
Ive found that it will either shoot well or it just wont. I encounter lots of used ones for sale in my area and most
are priced for less than 300.

ROTFLMAO..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I load for my 7400 (.308 Win) and consistently shoot at or below 1 1/2" from a good rest at 100 yards. I always full-length size every case using a small-base die. The gun shoots 150 gr. Sierra Game Kings well, likes Reloader 15 powder, and CCI primers. I found that seating depth made a significant difference in accuracy, as well. As for jamming, if I rest the gun on the clip when I shoot it, I'll more than likely get a jam. If I don't do that, it cycles flawlessly.

Combo

I tried working up 180gr. loads for my 30.06 742 with IMR 4350 which works great in my Win Mod. 70 but after a few rounds the gun started jamming. After I did some more research, I realized that the 4350 was way too slow for a gas gun, particularly with the heavier bullets. Switched to a 150gr. Garand load with 4895 and the gun cycles flawlessly even with brass sized with regular (as opposed to small base) dies. I note that factory ammo is sized smaller than regular dies will size, similar to the result from small base dies. For hunting reliability, I would use either factory ammo or a small base die set. My my rifle will shoot factory Rem green box and my reloads into 1.5" consistently.

I did have the trigger cleaned up a little. They can't be made real crisp, but they can be made a lot better than they come from the factory.

HW

I started out full length sizing with a regular sizing die for my .308 7400 but kept getting first-shot fliers. Every "first shot" would print wild but the remaining three or four would group together pretty well. A friend suggested I try a small base sizing die; I did and problem solved. Haven't had a flier since switching.

Combo

Get a copy of Mic McPherson's book, "Accurizing the Factory Rifle." I think you'll find some info there that you may apply. One of the things I like about McPherson is that he's a fan of leverguns and pumps, and his writings are one of the rare sources of accuracy info on these type guns. One fellow commented, who knows McPherson, that "he's probably forgotten more than a lot of gunsmiths will ever know" is a statement that I may not take quite literally, but I sure wouldn't argue with it, either.

It's probably the best book anyone can get for getting ideas for the non-bolt action rifles. I've glassed a few, but only one that I can remember showed a real significant improvement in accuracy. That came from bedding the buttstock. McPherson points out that probably the greatest thing one can do for any rifle with a 2-pc. stock is to solidify the butt to receiver joint by glass bedding. It sure worked on that one rifle, and I can't recall if I ever got any real feedback from the other 2 or 3 I've done for friends.

I think you'll find some of his writing pretty informative, and a little fascinating. Darn good book.