Rem 7400 30-06 & Ripped Rim/Base

[roo_ster]

Howdy:

I am resurrecting my dad's old Remington 7400 in .30-06. It was bought new in the early/mid 1980's.

One thing that gives me pause is that, way back when he used to fire it, it would sometimes rip a chunk out of the rim/base of the cartridge upon extraction.

The only thing I can think of is that we had no clue back then about bullet weights & would buy what was on sale at K-Mart. I can recall 200gr & maybe even 220gr being on sale. I suppose that these might cause the problem. I can also recall some range trips were pleasant and others left us with bruises on our shoulders. I never had that problem with my Rem 700ADL in 30-06.

My dad didn't put many rounds through it, and the owner's manual did not specify any particular bullet weight.

So, whaddaya'll think?

 

[asknight]

I've only dealt with this problem once on friend's 7400. It turned out to be a slightly pitted chamber, and he ultimately attributed it to the foaming bore cleaner he was using and leaving in for way too long. I don't recall the brand.

At any rate, he was using expensive Winchester Supreme ammo with nickel cases when this problem arose. After I had him clean his chamber (bronze brush and drill) and gas system spotlessly, the problem disappeared when he switched back to regular brass cased ammo with only the faintest markings of the pitted chamber.

The 7400 action is somewhat picky about it's cleanliness and timing. Your problem is a minor timing issue related to the cleanliness/condition of your chamber, or your gas system.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Most all the gas guns are sensitive to port pressure -

Most all the gas guns are sensitive to port pressure - this has been done to death mostly with respect to Garands and other such.

I can cause problems in a Remington by using heavy bullets and slow powders that do just fine in a bolt action.

Some of the manuals will list loads specifically for gas guns - mostly in the middle range of bullet weights and powder burning rates for the given cartridge. The various target loads for gas guns are good starting point but of course only hunting bullets should ever be used on game.

I like 150/165 grain bullets and powders like 4895 or 760 for the .30-'06 in a Remington and find the rifles easy to carry. Magazines used to need derattling rather badly - don't know if that's true of the newest versions.

 

[HammeredCan]

I have a 7400 chamber 308...

I have a 7400 though my is 308, I had issues with some of the military rounds but most the federal ammo which was all high power, shot great, dispite the warning not to use high power rounds as it may cause issues cycling the next round it. That and the brass goes a ways off.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Clarkemyers is absolutely right about chamber pitting. If the chamber is pitted from rust the case will swell against the chamber forming a tight seal and filling into the pitted holes making it next to impossible to extract when fired