Semi auto or pump?

One of my left handed sons has a 7600 in -06. Its pretty accurate and a good hunting rifle. Remington pump guns are very popular in this part of the world.

Its a matter of personal preference IMO.

If you're talking about a quality semi-auto, they CAN be a viable option. But the 7400, 742, 740, 750 series of semi-auto's from Remington are more problematic than they are worth.

The 7600 series of pumps are more reliable, and can be pretty accurate, but I can't think of a thing that a bolt gun doesn't to better. A bolt gun will always be more accurate, more reliable, have a better trigger, cost less, function with a wider range of ammo, and weigh less. A pump, or semi auto's only claimed advantage is faster repeat shots. And in the real world the difference just isn't that great. When in the standing position you can empty the magazine faster on a pump or semi in a general direction. But add the requirement that all shots must hit a target the size of a deer's vitals and there just isn't much difference in any of the actions.

Most shooters today are taught to use some type of improvised rest and to shoot free hand only as a last resort. With any type of rest a pump is the slowest to operate. Both pumps and semi's are much more limited as to the ammo they will function with too.

jmr40 said:

Both pumps and semi's are much more limited as to the ammo they will function with too.

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Went to an auction in PA last week, they had Remington pumps in .222, 223, 243, 6mm, .270, 280, .308,.30-06, .35 Remington, and .35 Whelen. Pricey, but they are very popular up there!

Edited to add: Oops! Left out .257 Roberts and .300 Savage.

Had a full-length 760 .30-06 pump. It was nice, excellent fit and finish, good accuracy.

But, it did seem to have a very tight chamber. Some brands of ammo would lock it up so solid, I had to smack the butt on the ground to cycle it! Magazines, despite what Remington advertises, were NOT interchangeable with the later 7600. It was quite long and heavy- would not want to try stalking through brush with it. The carbines might be a bit better in that regard.

But the most annoying feature was the tiny, stiff magazine release- very tough to operate. I quickly moved on to a wonderful Savage 99 in .243 for a deer and hog gun and never looked back....

I would hardly take a semi Remington for free. They basically self destruct with use.

I have a mint 760 BDL in. 30-06. It is a fairly accurate rifle. I hunted with it a season or two before replacing it with a 700 BDL.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

But, it did seem to have a very tight chamber. Some brands of ammo would lock it up so solid, I had to smack the butt on the ground to cycle it! Magazines, despite what Remington advertises, were NOT interchangeable with the later 7600. It was quite long and heavy- would not want to try stalking through brush with it. The carbines might be a bit better in that regard.

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Yep, my dad has one that is a jam-o-matic. Also kicks like a mule, and I’m not a recoil sensitive guy (might just be the way it fits me).

x2 on unpleasant recoil from a 760. Mine is no fun to shoot

A bolt action is not a handicap for follow up shots. An experienced shooter can get the bolt cycled in the amount of time it takes to recover from recoil and reacquire your sights. So the difference between the action types comes down to personal preferences.

ontarget said:

A bolt action is not a handicap for follow up shots. An experienced shooter can get the bolt cycled in the amount of time it takes to recover from recoil and reacquire your sights. So the difference between the action types comes down to personal preferences.

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What slows most shooters down on the Bolt action and reduces accuracy on follow up shots is the need to break the firing grip to work the bolt. Pump/slide actions allow you to keep your grip consistent from shot to shot.

Choice of weapon is more of a personal choice. Opinions show that.

Personally, I would have to have a really good reason to use a semi-auto or pump. Practically, I don't see any advantages of a pump over a modern semi-auto. So to me it comes down to semi-auto or bolt. Now, I can work a bolt action pretty fast when I need to. Usually about 1.5 seconds between shots. Takes me longer to aim than it does to work the bolt. So the only situation where I feel I need a semi auto is when I'm hunting groups of pigs. The semi-auto allows me to continue aiming as the action cycles, which really helps get lead downrange as the animals are scattering.

Having said that, I've taken 4, 5 and even 6 or 7 pigs out of the same group with a bolt action before. Just really depends on the cover they have.

I think everyone needs a good bolt action hunting rifle. If they find a specific need for a semi-auto (or pump) then so be it. But there are very few occasions where those provide a significant advantage over a bolt action rifle that you are very familiar with.

I've had my 7600 in 30-06 for 15 or so years now, and being a woods hunter, it is as fast as my 742 carbine in .308 auto for follow up shots in the brush. Having an extra mag in my pocket is a plus too. hdbiker

I had a 760 in .30/06. It was a good accurate rifle but follow up shots off a rest were a pain. I replaced it with a 742 in .30/06. It was a good shooter and totally reliable. It was used a lot in the 30+ years I owned it and it always performed well. My 760 was slightly more accurate than the 742 but not by much. Both were carbines. I sold the 742 a few years ago after I found a deal on a Browning BAR in .30/06. The Browning was a better rifle than both Remingtons so far as workmanship and accuracy.

Most of my hunting and rifle shooting is done with bolt actions these days.

Dr.Rob said:

760 is a great rifle...and they can show amazing accuracy....

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I agree, and that is mainly due to the free floating barrel. I'm surprised when people question the accuracy of the 760, especially since it was chosen by the FBI in .308 (over many bolt actions) as their first sniper rifles.

I’d own a Remington pump but not a semi.

I've never had either, but I have never heard anything good about Remington autos. I understand the pumps have a cult following some places. As for me, I hunt with bolt action or my AR.

Nothing wrong with the pump 30-06.. some will boo it as inferior but you might have noticed that noone here who actually has experience with one has anything bad to say. I have the carbine model and have shot several deer with it. I like it for fast handling, ambidexterity, and it has some compatibility with the 870 (folding stock from an 870 on an 06 carbine makes for an extremely compact big game gun). I've shot the semi auto before and it seemed finicky.

That said, if you're looking g for an all-purpose gun a bolt m8ght be better.

cdb1 said:

I’d own a Remington pump but not a semi.

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Me too. Having owned a 742 in .30-06, another in .243, and a 750 carbine in .308, I am done with Remington semi-autos. My gunsmith ended up with all of them. Don't have anything bad to say about the two Remington pumps I have owned, including the current .30-06 carbine.

Remington pump rifles are generally trouble-free and very accurate, but they tend to rattle a bit more than I like. A few 760s shoot very accuratly, but they're heavy and magazines are not good, IMHO.

Semi-autos, in the hands of a calm and competent shooter, can sometimes result in a kill when other actions are either too slow, or give away your position when you function them. I still don't own either a semi or pump because bolt actions are more reliable and I rarely need a second shot. Shooting at running deer in the woods isn't often successful and can result in bad hits/long tracking/lost, wounded animals. I've been with folks who have done it and it's rarely fun.

I love my Seven Sixty, thirty aught six. Warts and all.
I have my Grandfathers nineteen sixty four model and an identical one, that is no longer new in box , and is eleven hundred numbers and one year older. I have one in two seventy and a field master twenty two as well.

Having said that, Savage. Bolt and MSR.

Remington. You know what you did. Stop calling me.

I once had a friend with one of the Remington autos and that thing was junk!! It would work but only when kept spotless in the cleanliness department. However, in order to clean it, you had to take it apart and if you ever tried to get that barrel nut off before you can get the bolt out, you know what a pain it is to get things taken apart. The barrel nut is on TIGHT and using an open end wench is inviting a rounded nut. You pretty much need the barrel nut wrench from Brownells in order to get the thing apart just to clean it. No, if I want a .30-06 semi auto, it's going to be my M1 Garand!!

Cleaning my 760 from the muzzle end is not the best way. A bore snake may cause less wear on the muzzle crown and avoid cleaning from the muzzle end all together.

The newer 7600's i have test fired are just as accurate as a 700 , as they came from the factory.

Grunt said:

I once had a friend with one of the Remington autos and that thing was junk!! It would work but only when kept spotless in the cleanliness department. However, in order to clean it, you had to take it apart and if you ever tried to get that barrel nut off before you can get the bolt out, you know what a pain it is to get things taken apart. The barrel nut is on TIGHT and using an open end wench is inviting a rounded nut. You pretty much need the barrel nut wrench from Brownells in order to get the thing apart just to clean it. No, if I want a .30-06 semi auto, it's going to be my M1 Garand!!

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I ground one of my open-end wrenches to fit the barrel nut perfectly. I've used it many times and never had it slip off. The grinding is limited,so it doesn't go too far and interfere with the action bars.