Why so few pump rifles

When I did mining surveys in AK I carried a Remington pump in 30-06...It had the 18" carbine barrel...It was like shooting a Mosin carbine...Ball of fire and a recoil that left no questions...and deafening......But it was light, balanced well, swung great and most of all it was fast with a follow up......Everything I wanted in a carry a lot and shoot a little rifle....

Hmmm,...interesting. Have had a 760 in .308 since the middle 70's. It has never let me down,..carries well,..and is more accurate than me. I am a south paw,..so it works well for me. I have shot it from the prone without issue,..and can usually get an AIMED shot accurately downrange just about as fast as a semi-auto. Have ran some pretty hot ammo through it over the years,...some stuff that has jammed up the semi-auto version a buddy of mine has,...but the pumper shucks them out fine. No spraying or praying option. I have never had much of an issue with the rattle of the pump assembly in the field. Guess I know how to carry it. Like it so much,..I bought a 7165 recently to go along side it. I really don't care for a bolt for woods hunting anyways. Say what ya like,...but I LIKE my trombone shooters. Besides,..the 760's have nothing touching the barrel. That's a plus in my book. Buy whatcha like,..shoot whatcha want I say.

I would guess because they remind people of a shotgun and part of a gun is its aesthetics and feel. When people want a rifle they want it to "feel" like a rifle. I'm not saying its right, that is just how people are.

I love my Remington pump rifles.

Top - Model 760 .300 SAV,

Click to expand...

I've got one like this from my grandfather, made in the early fifties and chambered in 30-06. The low drop on the comb makes it a better candidate for irons as opposed to a scope. Mine has a Williams FoolProof receiver sight mounted and I've used it over the last several decades for killing whitetails. This rig makes for a well-balanced woods/timber rifle that is very fast on the draw. I also installed sling swivels on it similar to the top photo in Abel's post.

Does a pump have any advantages? I would pick the semi-auto for hunting because it doesn't have a slide that might rattle when I pick it up.

Click to expand...

Maybe in Michigan what you say makes sense but in Pennsylania (and maybe some other states) it's a moot point.

I only have one centerfire pump, but I love my Remington model 14 .32 Rem.

VA27 said:

The reason there are so few pumps nowadays is that a lot of 'gun scribes', from the late 30's on, extolled the virtues of the bolt action

Click to expand...

And he gets the cigar for the correct answer!

Believe it or not, the gun buying public buys what the gun scribes tell us to buy.
Somewhere along the line, we were told we needed bolt-action rifles and 1 MOA accuracy to kill a deer at 50-100 yards!

So went the 30-30 lever-guns & .35 Rem pump-action rifles into the history books.
(That probably killed more deer cleanly then all the modern bolt-action rifles combined.)

Right now we are being told we need at least a .300 Mag with 1/2" MOA accuracy, a 16x scope with tactical target knobs, and a two pound bi-pod attached to the 13 pound rifle to kill a deer.

Mercy! Where will it all end?

rc

So went the 30-30 lever-guns & .35 Rem pump-action rifles into the history books.

Click to expand...

Around where I hunt, .30-30 leverguns out number the bolts about 10-1 and the semi's about 20-1, same as the one pump gun (my Father-in-laws). Last November our gun rack outside the cabin had 17 .30-30's leverguns, 2 .444 leverguns, 1 .35 Rem levergun, 1 .30-06 760 Pump (nobody used), 2- Remington 700's (.270&.30-06), and one Rem 7400 in .308....only the leverguns got meat that week.

Part of the sales pitch is that they had the same feel as your pump shotgun.
In some ares they are considered the top deer rifle. Quick followup and no problems jamming. Higher powered than a lever action. Browning made a high power lever action but they are light and kick hard. I still have my dads old Remington .35 pump. It's killed a lot of deer. I've never heard of a Remington pump that rattles, but I suppose one could.

Mercy! Where will it all end?

Click to expand...

I have no idea where it will end, but last months American Rifleman had a couple of articles trying to convince you that you needed an AR platform rifle to hunt deer with.

I for one just dont like one. last one I had was a BB gun.

I've never had a pump center fire rifle; and, I don't want one neither!

I've never had a pump center fire rifle; and, I don't want one neither!

Click to expand...

You're missing out then. I've got a 7600 in .270 that is an excellent rifle. MOA accurate with handloads and doesn't rattle at all. A joy to carry.

I bought my first 760 in the late 50s. I have no idea how many rounds I have shot through it. I have had custom made rifles and exotic rifles and the best group I ever fired was with that 760 in .308. All shots touching at 100 yards with hand loads. Excellent choice for those of us that shoot lefthanded. I also had a rem pump in .35 Whelon (spelling?). Loved shooting it but got too old and tired to hunt so I sold both. The .308 had a Fajin stock. When I put it on consienment at a gun shop the shop owner told me it was a piece of junk. It was obvious he had never hunted with one! They are extemely quick on follow up shots since you do not have to take the rifle from you shoulder or your eye form the sights!
I have been shooting pistols a lot but my hands started shaking so much due to a medication I am now taking (I hope!) that I am giving it up. Just bought a Pedersoli Lighting (pump) in .357 and feel I can shoot it from a bench rest. Got lots of brass, bullets, and primers so I should be in good shape. Wish me luck!
Jim

CZguy said:

I have no idea where it will end, but last months American Rifleman had a couple of articles trying to convince you that you needed an AR platform rifle to hunt deer with.

Click to expand...

I read that-- and agree with the intent. I looked at a Remington R25 last week in 7mm-08 ( I think), and it felt natural-- and I would have no issues about putting meat on the ground with one. But than again, my '94 works better in N Texas, S. OK for taking deer in the brush for me..

I've got a 7600 in .270 that is an excellent rifle. MOA accurate with handloads and doesn't rattle at all.

Click to expand...

I had an old 760 in .308. It took 3 species of deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and black bear before I found out that it was neither accurate nor powerful enough to do that. I found that it didn't have enough Ft Lbs of energy to take a bear larger than 147.5 lbs, nor was it accurate enough to hit a pronghorn at 150 yards. All of this information was gleaned from this very website. I tossed it in the scrap pile before some other potential hunter wasted 35 years doing the impossible.

Ok I don't have a desire to own a pump action centerfire nor have I ever handled one (evidenced by the coming question). Are the magazine of them tube feed like a lever gun? Reason I ask is I know they are chambered in calibers that are loaded with pointy bullet types (30-06, .270) and not all rounded like the common 30-30 factory ammunition.

I've seriously considered one several times. My brother had one for a couple of years so I got a chance to actually use one a bit. If I were going to Alaska and wanted something for bear defense a carbine in 35 Whelen would be my first choice. Faster shooting than the big bore leverguns and in a more effective caliber in my opinion.

I have never been able to justify one for general purpose hunting however. They can be accurate enough, and are the fastest for repeat shots, but have a couple of flaws I just cannot get over. The triggers are mediocre at best, and they are not easily fixed like most bolt rifles.

They are just plain too heavy. There are plenty of bolt rifles that will weigh less with a scope than the Remington 7600 series weigh without a scope. They cost less to boot. While they are really fast for repeat shots that is just not a high priority for me in a hunting rifle. I can get a lighter, better balanced bolt rifle on target faster for the 1st shot. And with practice work the bolt plenty fast.

I think they are great guns and have their place and someday I may get one. But for now there are better choices for where and how I hunt.

Are the magazine of them tube feed like a lever gun?

Click to expand...

Some are tubes. The Remington 14 & 141, and I think the Savage Model 170. The Remington 760/7600 is magazine fed and can use pointed bullets of any flavor. The Hornady Lever Evolution can be used in the tube feds though.

Love my Remy 760 30'06. First full year of manufacture ('52), a real beauty. Like not having to reposition my hands when shooting or lose the sight picture (any more than 30'06 recoil blows it around!).

Seems like an underappreciated configuration: better accuracy than semis, better handling than bolties. 10 round box mags make it look pretty boss, too!

So if you have a tube magazine fed pump action rifle are you looking at load capacity of 1 in the chamber and 1 in the mag or are most of them (say a 30-06 pump rifle) capable of holding 3 or 4 in the mag?

Like I said I never took an interest in pump action rifles therefore don't know much about them.

capable of holding 3 or 4 in the mag?

Click to expand...

760 in .308 is 4 in the mag.

So if you have a tube magazine fed pump action rifle are you looking at load capacity of 1 in the chamber and 1 in the mag or are most of them (say a 30-06 pump rifle) capable of holding 3 or 4 in the mag?

Click to expand...

The tube fed pumps are typically chambered in low-pressure cartridges with the 35 Remington being the biggest. The Remington 14 & 141 had a twisted tube magazine that allowed for pointy bullets. The twisted steel tube forces the cartridges to set up in a way that is not tip-to-primer. But the Savage 170 magazine is set up like a typical tube mag. Detachable box magazines came out with the 760. The 760's bolt lockup & box magazine allowed for high pressure cartridges like the 300 Savage. Regardless of configuration, I think most of these rifles hold four in the mag & one in the chamber

Twisted magazine on the Remington 141:

If Remington's shotgun triggers were not so crummy the 760/7600 would be great rifle! Free-floated barrel, smooth action, nice walnut furniture, accurate. What's not to like? Terrible triggers!!!

BTW, would LOVE to get a Remy 760 in .308!! Have seen 'em on GBroker for too much or course, and have not seen one here or had any response on a WTB ad for one here either. Methinks the good ones don't get circulated much!