wally
Member
My guess is that pump rifles went the way of bolt action shotguns when the idea that your rifle and shotgun should share the same action type went out of style.
So what happened to the pump rifle?
- Thread starter DeepSouth
- Start date
9x56MS
Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2021
- Messages
- 887
I have a model 14 A in 30 Remington I use for deer and hogs. I use it still hunting in fairly thick cover so long range is of no consequence to me. It came equipped with a Redfield peep sight. The hogs and deer don't seem to know it is not as accurate or the 30-30 is too old and ineffective for big game. If I could find a model 760 in 35 rem I would snatch it up in a heart beat.
Random 8
Member
Don't overlook a 760 in .300 Savage. I think it is about perfect for shorter range hunting with 150 soft points. The round fits the action a little better than .308, and recoil is mild. I love mine! .35 Rem is no slouch in this rifle either, but a bit harder and $$$ to find.
9x56MS
Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2021
- Messages
- 887
I would take either caliber. Both great classic deer, bear, and hog calibers
When I was in high school, I lacked a shotgun for ducks one year, so borrowed my buddies Mossberg 16 gauge Bolt-Action Mossberg(?) with 2-shot magazine. One day, I went to a beaver-bog, off Cross Hill, in Vassalboro and spotted a few wood-ducks near the shore. I sneaked around to get a better angle and kept low. When I popped-up to look around, they were a little too far to shoot, so I crawled closer, behind a rotted stub of a tree near the shore. When I looked up again, there were three teals swimming around, about 15 yards away. I jumped-up and shot one duck on the water, then worked the bolt and got another in the air, but missed the third one. The one shot in the water needed another shot to finish it, which I did. My buddies were in a canoe way out of sight on the other side of the pond and when they called to me, I yelled that there were two ducks in the pond, so they came over and retrieved them for me. When I got home and checked the shotgun, the magazine was missing, so went back to see if I could find it and couldn't, so had to order another one. Those ducks were pretty small, and didn't compensate for having to get a new magazine for my buddies gun. I never borrowed another gun in my life, so it was a good, and relatively cheap lesson to learn.
Random 8
Member
The only bolt shotgun I ever liked was a Marlin Goose gun. Felt like swinging an anti-materiël rifle! My uncle had one, I think to say it was tight choked was a massive understatement. That darn thing would crumple a honker past 60 yards if you lead them right, or more often than not swatted them on the water or roost. We MAY have not been using USFWS approved ammunition in the back forty either
. The recoil wasn't really that bad even in my early teens, as the gun weighed so darn much. Shoveled a lot of cow **** to earn my shells though. They weren't giving away those 10Ga roman candles! I once snuck down to the creek after a flock of geese with the cows. If you walked between them, the geese ignored you. At the water's edge, I enfiliaded a whole line of them roosting on the shoreline at 40-75 yards. 5 geese lay dead, 1 was fluttering a bit on the water, and my cousin finished it off with his 20ga. Paced the farthest at 75 yards.
My cousin also had a Mossberg or stevens? bolt 20 gauge. It had the nasty habit of dropping the magazine when you fired it. We spent a lot of cold arms time feeling around the slough bottom for that darn magazine! I was quite happy when his father got him a proper pump shotgun one Christmas.
As for pump rifles in common usage in my part of the country, I think their demise generally coincided with the demise of the family deer drive. Most of our party owned A .22, A shotgun, and A deer rifle. Nothing else. More often than not, the deer rifle and shotgun were pump 870s, 760s or 7600s. A couple 94s, a Marlin 336 a lone 99 and one city dude with a BAR rounded out the mix. As the ownerships split up and got smaller, more rough pasture turned to corn or soybeans or houses, and most of our hunters got too old for busting brush, the pump or lever fell out of favor and bolt actions and deer stands/blinds came in. A lot of the old family and friends fell for the gun rag myths about pump actions being inaccurate and traded off their fine old pumps and levers for cheap bolt actions. I'd like to have my uncles .244 marked 760 today! In general they probably can't equal a fine bolt on paper, but I have yet to see one in good condition that won't fire at least 200 yard deer groups, and I think they do as well as a 1980s Rem ADL or other K-mart bolt action.
. The recoil wasn't really that bad even in my early teens, as the gun weighed so darn much. Shoveled a lot of cow **** to earn my shells though. They weren't giving away those 10Ga roman candles! I once snuck down to the creek after a flock of geese with the cows. If you walked between them, the geese ignored you. At the water's edge, I enfiliaded a whole line of them roosting on the shoreline at 40-75 yards. 5 geese lay dead, 1 was fluttering a bit on the water, and my cousin finished it off with his 20ga. Paced the farthest at 75 yards.My cousin also had a Mossberg or stevens? bolt 20 gauge. It had the nasty habit of dropping the magazine when you fired it. We spent a lot of cold arms time feeling around the slough bottom for that darn magazine! I was quite happy when his father got him a proper pump shotgun one Christmas.
As for pump rifles in common usage in my part of the country, I think their demise generally coincided with the demise of the family deer drive. Most of our party owned A .22, A shotgun, and A deer rifle. Nothing else. More often than not, the deer rifle and shotgun were pump 870s, 760s or 7600s. A couple 94s, a Marlin 336 a lone 99 and one city dude with a BAR rounded out the mix. As the ownerships split up and got smaller, more rough pasture turned to corn or soybeans or houses, and most of our hunters got too old for busting brush, the pump or lever fell out of favor and bolt actions and deer stands/blinds came in. A lot of the old family and friends fell for the gun rag myths about pump actions being inaccurate and traded off their fine old pumps and levers for cheap bolt actions. I'd like to have my uncles .244 marked 760 today! In general they probably can't equal a fine bolt on paper, but I have yet to see one in good condition that won't fire at least 200 yard deer groups, and I think they do as well as a 1980s Rem ADL or other K-mart bolt action.
Last edited:
BreechFace
Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2020
- Messages
- 3,513
Never understood the need, nor desire for pump action centerfire rifle firearms.
Now rimfire or even some handgun centerfire makes sense.
Not anywhere in my mind do I see the need to pump multiple rounds of 270, 308, 30-06, etc. at a target needing that kind of energy. Not to mention with practice the difference in time it takes to chamber a cartridge between the two types is negligible, and extraction is better with a bolt action with the leverage it affords.
To me pump action centerfire rifles desirability won't survive at any rate close to that of lever action rifles, in my opinion their desirability will fade with the generation that grew up using them. But I could be all wet with that statement.
Now rimfire or even some handgun centerfire makes sense.
Not anywhere in my mind do I see the need to pump multiple rounds of 270, 308, 30-06, etc. at a target needing that kind of energy. Not to mention with practice the difference in time it takes to chamber a cartridge between the two types is negligible, and extraction is better with a bolt action with the leverage it affords.
To me pump action centerfire rifles desirability won't survive at any rate close to that of lever action rifles, in my opinion their desirability will fade with the generation that grew up using them. But I could be all wet with that statement.
Charlie Martinez
Member
When I bought my first center fire rifle I had a choice between a Remington 742 and it's Remington counterpart in pump action version (don't recall the model number). Both were 30-06 and on sale. They looked a lot alike and I was undecided as to which I would go with but I was advised by the sales guy to get the 742 because it "kicked less". I took his advice and to this day regret not buying the pump action instead. I sold the 742 but I believe that if I had bought the pump I would still have it.
Obviously you have never hunted in heavy cover with fast moving driven deer! Fast repeatability and adequate power are a real plus under such conditions........buckshot?......mayhaps, but it is a poor stopper in my experience...it'll kill, but you may never recover your game. Any decently powered deer level cartridge is but to your advantage......lever/semi auto or pump. Under those hunting circumstances one is snap shooting and precision in terms of sight picture is fleeting, at best.
BreechFace
Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2020
- Messages
- 3,513
Thick cover...yes
Driven Hunting...no and not really my cup of tea unless we are talking about feral hogs
Glad they work for you, I'm just not a fan.
I know European-style driven hunts are rare in the US but see my earlier post about its advantages in them. And mine is a .35Whelen carbine that packs more wallop than any of the calibers you mentioned; I've thought about rebarreling it to an even more powerful 9.3x62 for the next trip to Africa. I've shot a 18pt moose with it too, one shot sufficed nicely then but had it not, I had already racked a second round in chamber before it even had a chance to move.
A versatile piece of kit. No wonder they're still reasonably popular.
Dave DeLaurant
Member
There have been a couple of kits for this type of DIY conversion:
https://www.ctlegalars.com/pump-action-rifle
https://sofrep.com/gear/pump-action-ar-kit-bentwood-simple-effective/
When Troy reworked the AR into a pump, they also added manual bolt/slide lock, which is released by the hammer falling. One reason they did this was to eliminate the buffer spring entirely and have an easy folding stock option. If there is play between the carrier and the buffer on an AR, you might get an out-of-battery misfire (probably not an actual discharge, since the firing pin can't reach) without a safeguard like a positive slide lock.
On some other semi-to-pump adaptations, recoil spring pressure is probably enough to hold the bolt closed. Here's how SIG did something like this:
Unrelated comment: On Saturday I bought a Wichester 1890 mixmaster that my LGS offered a reasonable price. Much of the original finish was worn off and barrel and buttstock were later replacements, so a shooter rather than a collector's piece. Action seems to work just fine -- I hope to get it to the range in another week or two.
Last edited:
Bcwitt
Member
They are pretty popular here in PA. Most hunting in this area is less then 100yd. A 3006 hits much harder then a 30-30. Accuracy isnt a very big issue @ that distance. Pump slug guns w sabots have largely displaced them. If you can put 3 shots in a pie plate @ 50yd, you will have no difficulty hunting deer here.
Steve Milbocker
Member
I had a friend that owned a 760 in .308 that was a 1 moa rifle. My dads 760 in 30-06 has accounted for many whitetails and several moose. I had one for awhile in 300 Savage that I killed several deer with as well. They are a very nice rifle to carry and with all the time I’ve spent with an 870 the manual of arms is quite familiar to me as well
While they're great for any fast hunting situations, which typically occur at short range in moderate to heavy cover, my 7600 genuinely surprised me when I started experimenting with what it's capable of in open terrain. I've even taken it to 660yd range, which was pretty fruitless because of the extreme bullet drop at that distance, but at 300 it proved to be capable of consistent palm-sized 5-shot groups. With off the shelf Remington 200gr Core-Lokt ammo, no less.
Not bad for what's referred as rattle trap and not known for a particularly great accuracy. It does have a floated barrel and when everything is nice and tight, it doesn't even rattle when handled. Initially I thought about putting a red point on it but now it has a Nikon Monarch scope, just in case I need to reach out and touch something at a distance.[/QUOTE]
Ironicaintit
Member
I have 2 slide action rifles that I got from my dad...
An ancient Remington mdl 12 (22LR) that was his first firearm when he was a kid, and a Remington Mdl 760 in 30-06 that he took several deer with.
that poor Mdl 12 only has the ghosts of rifling left and collects lead something fierce...and the finish is less than fantastic, but it's real smooth and shoots just fine.
The 760 does indeed kick like a mule hopped up on Mountain Dew, and it's probably 2 moa or so.
But if your shoulder can take it, quick shots in succession without ever losing the sights is pretty easy.
I treat them nice and don't put many miles on them
An ancient Remington mdl 12 (22LR) that was his first firearm when he was a kid, and a Remington Mdl 760 in 30-06 that he took several deer with.
that poor Mdl 12 only has the ghosts of rifling left and collects lead something fierce...and the finish is less than fantastic, but it's real smooth and shoots just fine.
The 760 does indeed kick like a mule hopped up on Mountain Dew, and it's probably 2 moa or so.
But if your shoulder can take it, quick shots in succession without ever losing the sights is pretty easy.
I treat them nice and don't put many miles on them
Bcwitt
Member
I know several guys use them for the over lap Buck/doe season. Fill 2 tags in a few seconds.
DustyGmt
Member
Funny, I was just looking at Remington 7615 pump action 5.56 and the 7600 hunting rifles and was kind of wondering the same thing. In my state there is an entire FB page of Remington 7600 collectors and pump rifle enthusiasts. All kinds of pictures posted and it's a pretty active page iirc. Seemed kind of odd to me, I couldn't find a page for 870's or any other single gun, it was all about Remington 7600's basically. Not exactly what I would call a "popular" rifle around here.
mljdeckard
Member
I have my dad's 760 in .257 Roberts. I traded another gun to my sister to get it back. I love it, and it's fun. And the action matches my 870. It was my dad's brush gun, and has the abominable peep-through rings. I watched him hit a deer using the irons once. He said it makes him look like a really good shot.
But if I didn't have the nostalgic attachment to it, it wouldn't be on the list. Now I run an AR-10 in .243 and a VR80 shotgun for the action 'match'. I don't sell guns, and these are all staying in my family, but it is really mostly for fun now.
Edit: My dad's buddy had a 7600 in 30-06, and it was great too, the only problem he ever had with it was when he bought an aftermarket 10-rd magazine for it, and it failed to feed on him. This was like, mid 1980s.
But if I didn't have the nostalgic attachment to it, it wouldn't be on the list. Now I run an AR-10 in .243 and a VR80 shotgun for the action 'match'. I don't sell guns, and these are all staying in my family, but it is really mostly for fun now.
Edit: My dad's buddy had a 7600 in 30-06, and it was great too, the only problem he ever had with it was when he bought an aftermarket 10-rd magazine for it, and it failed to feed on him. This was like, mid 1980s.
The Happy Kaboomer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2012
- Messages
- 392
They were designed by Winchester's Tommy Johnson.
Another time, when 16, I borrowed a J.C. Higgins (High Standard?) pump shotgun from a camp neighbor and shot a grouse with it. I laid the gun carefully in the grass and cleaned the bird, then put it in the trunk. I then got in the car and promptly backed right over the shotgun! It clunked against the bottom of the car after rolling over it!!! OOPS! There were rubber tread markings over the fat part of the stock and rubber marks over the barrel, but the ground was a bit soft so it didn't make any other marks or bend the barrel. WHEW!!! When I got home, I carefully cleaned the rubber tread marks on the stock, cleaned it and oiled, and returned it with my thanks. I gave the man my grouse. Whew!!!
Last edited:
I'll go back and read most if these posts another time but I've shot more deer with my 760 (.06) than any other rifle.
As mentioned earlier, in Pa, the 760 7600 and 30-30s were and still are popular.
The longest shot I ever made on a deer ( 50 plus) has been 95 paces and that with an Ithaca 12 ga slug gun).
I have strayed from the slide action to include a 1903A3, Tikka t3x, Savage 111, rem700 in .06, .300wm and 7mm.
but the 760 still comes out to.play.
I would not hesitate to shoot it well over 200 but have never had that opportunity. I hunt many times in thick 40 yard max areas ( redhawk range).
https://flic.kr/p/2jrsDGr
As mentioned earlier, in Pa, the 760 7600 and 30-30s were and still are popular.
The longest shot I ever made on a deer ( 50 plus) has been 95 paces and that with an Ithaca 12 ga slug gun).
I have strayed from the slide action to include a 1903A3, Tikka t3x, Savage 111, rem700 in .06, .300wm and 7mm.
but the 760 still comes out to.play.
I would not hesitate to shoot it well over 200 but have never had that opportunity. I hunt many times in thick 40 yard max areas ( redhawk range).
https://flic.kr/p/2jrsDGr
CoalTrain49
Member
The first rifle I hunted with was a .22 pump. I can't remember the model, probably a model 62. I didn't own it but used it for awhile hunting rabbits in the desert around El Paso. That was back in the 60's. Haven't had one since but I still think it was a very cool rifle. Every .22 since has been a bolt rifle mostly for the simplicity of design and accuracy. I would by another one of those 62's or even an 1890, but where are you going to find parts if something breaks? Something to think about.
MacAR
Member
I've never owned a pump center fire rifle, but have had a couple pump 22s. The first was a Remington 572 Field master, and it wasn't really my thing. Not very accurate and sorta bulky. I currently have a Winchester model 61, and I quite enjoy it. It's light and trim, and much more accurate than the Field master was. As far as center fires go, I'd like to add a Savage pump 30-30 to my collection one day. Or maybe a 742 in 300 Savage or 243.
Mac
Mac
