Making a Remington 7400/740/Woodsman rifle more accurate

[peacebutready]

I recently learned a relative started experimenting with hand loads using Barnes bullets for his semi-auto Remington chambered in .30-06. I don't know which rifle it is but it must be the 740, or 7400, or Woodsman.

Can anything other than experimenting with various loads improve the accuracy of that rifle?

I know there are 10 round mags in the aftermarket available to that rifle. With perhaps fitting by a 'smith, can they be made reliable for that rifle? He owned the rifle for almost 40 years and wouldn't want a 'smith to butcher it.

 

[d2wing]

I used to have good luck with 4064, 165 gr Hornady Boat tails loaded a grain and a half under max. Been over 30 years, don't remember more than that. As far as accurizing the rifle, there isn't much you can do. Maybe there's a better trigger out there. Magazine function can be a problem even with factory mags. Those guns are not good range toys as they can't take rapid fire or high round counts. There was a company that worked on them but they seem to be out of business.

 

[entropy]

I had a great load for my 742 Carbine; 46.0 gr. IMR3031 under a 165 Ballistic tip or Partition. As d2wings says, and we're both from the land of the 740/742/7400, Minnesota, they don't stand up to rapid fire, high round counts, or hot loads. the 10 round Ram-Line and Colyer Clips (yes, that's the name) are more a gimmick than useful, but I had both for mine, and they both worked. (I had 3 Ram-lines and 1 Colyer.) If the groove in the top of the reciever is munched, it's basically a parts gun.

 

[ontarget]

The best way to accurize one of those rifles is to use it as a trade in for a M700. LOL. Sorry, someone was going to say it.....
Seriously though load experimentation and or development goes a very long way with these rifles. I have a 740 that happens to like Winchester 150 gn PSPs. Probably could do better with hand loads but it will hold 2.5 inches at 100 yds and that is about as far as I can shoot where I hunt. And as stated they are NOT good range toys. Keep your accuracy expectations realistic for whatever gun you are shooting.

 

[jmr40]

Yea, trade it for an accurate rifle, if you can find someone who will take it. If not they make good tomato stakes. They are not accurate, reliable of durable. And using 10 round mags in one would only make it less reliable and durable.

Hand loads for any semi auto can be problematic. Semi's are designed to function within a fairly narrow pressure range which most factory loads fall into. That is part of the reliability problem. Almost no one uses semi's in big game cartridges and many modern factory loads are loaded nearer the upper end of of the specs. They function fine in bolt guns, but not so well in semi's. Hand loads require very careful case prep and need to fall within the pressure ranges the gun is designed for.

 

[Skylerbone]

Don’t have one but I load for -06 and 60gr of RL 22 has been good to me with 180gr bullets. One thing that can be done is a re-cut of the crown. Whether by a competent smith or a Manson Reamer if you have a few rifles in your collection (think of it as an investment). Plenty of accuracy is left on the table by factory barrels with loose chambers and bad crowns.

 

[jmorris]

What are you getting with it now with premium ammunition vs the cheapest stuff you can find and what is your ultimate goal?

I had one in 30-06 and it was plenty accurate for hunting. It recoiled about the same as my 300WM BAR and wasn’t quite as accurate but it would get the job done.

 

[peacebutready]

What are you getting with it now with premium ammunition vs the cheapest stuff you can find and what is your ultimate goal?

I don't know what he is getting now. I don't think he has a particular goal. He's really attached to that Remington. I don't know why.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I could barely eek out 3” groups with my 7400 in .280 with Federal Premium Nosler Partitions. Got rid of it.

I’m pretty sure the Timney trigger fix works in the 740.

One thing to understand is that 740s basically have a set round count lifespan. It does not matter how much you baby them, if they get shot, they will wear out faster than the average rifle. People talk of loading them to Garand specs and whatnot but it really doesn’t matter.

They are a hunting rifle and need to be treated as such. A few rounds to confirm zero and however many rounds get used on game year after year are the standard they were built to.

742s claim to have solved some reliability and longevity problems but it didn’t. Not sure about 7400s.

 

[hq]

The later 7400 and 750 have a decent reputation. The bolt doesn't batter the frame rail out of shape like in 740/742 and they seem to be ok for even moderate use. Accuracy seems to be a hit and miss proposition. The handguard is attached to the barrel so bedding can make or break a rifle. Some are decently accurate out of the box, someone tried to give me one in .308 for free, with a consistent, proven 1-1½" accuracy as-is. The only problem was that the rifle kept jamming, it was a 742 and the frame rails were so beaten up that the bolt stuck back frequently. I politely declined. If I want a single shot rifle, I'll buy one that was designed as such intentionally.

On the other hand, I've considered getting a 750 in .30-06 for my wife for moose hunts. Even though it's far from perfect it's a substantial improvement from earlier models, with a revised gas system, more comfortable handguard design and if there are any issues with accuracy, glass bedding the handguard and hand-lapping the barrel should bring it up to par.

Finding a good load combo comes after that.

 

[someguy2800]

They must have given them away with cases of Grain Belt because those things are everywhere here in Minnesota. Many of them are worn out junk but not a bad rifle if taken care of. I’ve shot several. They never were and never will be target rifles. The ones I’ve shot were 2-3” at 100 yards.

A note on the Barnes bullets, they can be very sensitive to seating depth so that has to be experimented with, and some rifles just don’t like them at all. If you don’t make progress within the first box of 50 rounds your wasting your money.

 

[whatnickname]

I’ve got a 7400 in 270 that my cat bought for me on Gunbroker...was going back and forth on making a bid when he jumped up on the desk and stepped on the “Enter” key. Like new condition for $300... not all that bad. First things first. You need to understand what you have. It’s not a varmint rifle or a tactical target rifle. Try to make it either one and you’ll be disappointed. What you have is a pretty decent deer rifle. Mechanically is has more in common with Remington’s 1100 shotgun than anything else. The trick is how to make it shoot. Here are a couple of useful tips that I have discovered:

1) Work up a load for it just as you would for any rifle. Mine likes flat based bullets which probably has more to do with the crown on the muzzle than anything else.

2) Say what you want but I use small base dies when reloading for any semi-auto rifle. Get a round hung up in that 7400 and the barrel will have to come off. Get chucked up in a lathe and reamed to get the round out. Saving a 75 cent piece of brass isn’t worth that aggravation!

3) The key to shooting one of these accurately starts with the tension on the fore end. Just snug enough to keep it from rattling...too loose or too tight and accuracy suffers.

4) Keep the gas system clean...pipe cleaners with powder solvent on them do an excellent job.

5) Sight it in on a cold barrel. As the barrel heats up the groups and point of impact will start to open up and wander. When I take mine to the range I also take other rifles. I shoot no more than 2 shots and then set it the rack to let it cool off before I shoot it again.

My rifle will shoot one half of a minute of angle using my system. IT’S A DANG DEER RIFLE AND NOTHING MORE FOR PETE SAKE! Take it hunting and you’re gonna shoot it cold. I think so much of mine that I upgraded the trigger with the upgrade kit that Timney sells for these. Doesn’t hurt my feelings a bit to sit up over a feeder that’s 300 yards away with that rifle. She’ll get the job done if you understand what makes her tick!

 

[entropy]

Mechanically is has more in common with Remington’s 1100 shotgun than anything else.

I like your post, but the the only thing the 7400 has in common with the 1100 is the fact they have stock interchangability (The LT1100 20 ga. only), some trigger assy. parts interchangeability, (mostly the safety and some small parts) and roughly the same shape. The gas in a 7400 bleeds directly to the carrier, whereas the 1100 has a separate piston and seal, in addition to the o-ring. The locking systems are quite different, the 7400's relying on camming lugs directly on the bolt , whereas the 1100 relies on a linear locking bolt held in place while the carrier rides back until it hits camming surfaces on the underside of the block .
It would be more correct to say the 7400 operates similar to the M1 rifle. (The carrier being the op rod.)

Everything else you said was spot on.

 

[d2wing]

The later 7400 and 750 have a decent reputation. The bolt doesn't batter the frame rail out of shape like in 740/742 and they seem to be ok for even moderate use. Accuracy seems to be a hit and miss proposition. The handguard is attached to the barrel so bedding can make or break a rifle. Some are decently accurate out of the box, someone tried to give me one in .308 for free, with a consistent, proven 1-1½" accuracy as-is. The only problem was that the rifle kept jamming, it was a 742 and the frame rails were so beaten up that the bolt stuck back frequently. I politely declined. If I want a single shot rifle, I'll buy one that was designed as such intentionally.

On the other hand, I've considered getting a 750 in .30-06 for my wife for moose hunts. Even though it's far from perfect it's a substantial improvement from earlier models, with a revised gas system, more comfortable handguard design and if there are any issues with accuracy, glass bedding the handguard and hand-lapping the barrel should bring it up to par.

Finding a good load combo comes after that.

Sorry. You can't bed the forearm. The action bars need to slide.

 

[whatnickname]

I like your post, but the the only thing the 7400 has in common with the 1100 is the fact they have stock interchangability (The LT1100 20 ga. only), some trigger assy. parts interchangeability, (mostly the safety and some small parts) and roughly the same shape. The gas in a 7400 bleeds directly to the carrier, whereas the 1100 has a separate piston and seal, in addition to the o-ring. The locking systems are quite different, the 7400's relying on camming lugs directly on the bolt , whereas the 1100 relies on a linear locking bolt held in place while the carrier rides back until it hits camming surfaces on the underside of the block .
It would be more correct to say the 7400 operates similar to the M1 rifle. (The carrier being the op rod.)

Everything else you said was spot on.

Point taken. Most of the people that read this post will have come closer to seeing the inside of a Remington 1100 than an M1. Pull the fore arm and drop the trigger group and their first impression would likely be: Shotgun.

 

[hq]

Sorry. You can't bed the forearm. The action bars need to slide.

To the barrel, no, but the rear seam between the frame. Much like the principle used in the Accuracy Systems' floating metal forearm, except utilizing a tight fit to the frame and carefully torqued (late-model) dual pitch thread attachment screw. Maybe "bedding" was a bad choice of word from my part even though wood-metal -fit is a factor here.

 

[jdh]

3) The key to shooting one of these accurately starts with the tension on the fore end. Just snug enough to keep it from rattling...too loose or too tight and accuracy suffers.

Before you tension the fore end, torque the barrel take down nut to spec. Too loose the barrel assembly moves around, too tight causes the receiver to distort. However too tight is better than too loose. I once had one that would not hold a group while suffering a “wandering” zero. Tightening the nut half a turn cured it.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I picked up a 740 for not much more than the price of the scope that was on it.
It has a low round count and is fairly well kept, so it works pretty well.
It gets fed the same stuff that goes into my M-1.
Other than that it's not remarkable in any way.
If it starts wearing out then it'll become a wall hanger.

 

[whatnickname]

Before you tension the fore end, torque the barrel take down nut to spec. Too loose the barrel assembly moves around, too tight causes the receiver to distort. However too tight is better than too loose. I once had one that would not hold a group while suffering a “wandering” zero. Tightening the nut half a turn cured it.

Good point although I’ve never seen one with a loose barrel. The ones I’ve messed with seem to have the barrel nut torqued to 2X gorilla power.

 

[LoonWulf]

In my 7400, I used to run a book max load of imr4350 behind a 165 nosler balistic tip. If I remember correctly I had the forend tight on the receiver but not in contact with the barrel besides at the gas block/screw.
I also replaced the trigger spring with a lighter one and smoothed out the trigger surfaces, hammer curve, and all moving parts not in the trigger group. I can't remember if I did anything with the barrel besides centering and retorquing the retention nut, I may have epoxied it into the action, I did that one a couple .22s I had, might have thought it was worth trying on the 7400.

That rifle was a solid 1.5" gun for a magazine. it would pretty consistently shoot under 1" if you were very careful of how it was rested, and let it cool completely. Not something I usually had patience for in highschool unless I was plinking doves while I waited.

really my only issue was forgetting to clean the chamber often enough. It would rip off rims if it was at all rusty.

I'd like to get another 7400, I really liked mine, but for what they go for out here I can't really justify one..... especially since I just got a BAR in 7mag.

 

[hq]

I'd like to get another 7400, I really liked mine, but for what they go for out here I can't really justify one.....

Out of curiosity, what would that be? Around here the going price is between €250 ($270) for a decent one and €400-450 for a mint 750 or a nice higher grade 7400 with a scope. Not that I'd need yet another spare deer rifle but at these prices some of them are awfully tempting...

 

[LoonWulf]

used they got for 6-700 in good shape. They arnt real common out here, so used ones are rare.