camp_13

I have several rifles and bought the 7600 cause it was different and very accurate with the free-floating barrel. Mine shoots 1.25" all day long. It's not the kind of gun I would shoot at the bench for hours on end, I prefer bolt for that, but for hunting it's hard to beat. Mine is in 7mm-08 with a laminated stock, and I think I am going to get another this winter, maybe in 30-06.

TerryM

Have you ever heard of Larry Benoit and his family ? They are likely the most dedicated and deadly deer hunters in North America and they all carry remington pump rifles mostly in .30-06. I own all kinds of top end bolts like Sakos and Remington custom shop specials but when I go into the thick woods after deer I carry a customized 760 chambered in .358 win that has a synthetic stock, 19" barrel and a leupold 1.5x5 VarixIII. And by the way that rifle shoots under an inch with both Nosler partitions and sierra game kings ! Matter of fact every 7600 I have reloaded for could shoot under 1 1/2 ". As for wether or not I am a serious season long hunter, last year I took 2 pronghorn, a bull moose a deer and the season prior a couple caribou, a deer..................

Sharp Shooter

I dont think there is any need for an auto. How much recoil do they reduce? Also, how about the browning lever action to?

TomFromTheShade

The semi auto is nice if you need the quick second shot. Sometimes, you can hit an animal once, and make a great shot, but he will still run 100 yards with a hole in his lung (a good shot) where as you could maybe hit him with a second shot real quick and drop him where he stands? I would rather collect where he drops than chase him all over the country side. It can also be nice if you are hunting something that might want a piece of you. It would allow you to make an insurance shot in record time.

Portage

I have never owned a semi auto but the ones I have shot, in 30-06, have had significantly reduced felt recoil when compared to a standard bolt or pump action.

bigcountry

If you are truely a bowhunter, you of all people should know it ain't about need. All we need is a bow.

But, you have somewhat of a point. I have shot semis for 2 decades. And often it got me into trouble more than not. On one hand, if you hunt areas where boundries is an issue, I need to get the animal down. But on the other, I have hit the hinds, I have hit the backstraps, guts on the second or third shot. Sometimes it works out, but sometimes its not a blessing.

TerryM

A semi can have some value in a situation where multiple deer are driven past you and you want to take more than one. Its not so much the speed of the action but in alot of cases its the movement of a hunter cycling a bolt, lever or whatever that spooks the deer. The auto does help with that. The only auto I would buy is the BAR. I have owned the remington and its not worth the money contrary to the pump which is very under rated.

RedAllison

Terry I certainly have heard of the Benoit's, read many of their stories since I began deer hunting in the mid 80s. They are legendary and are single handedly responsible for more 7600 sales in Maine than ANYTHING else!!!

BUT, (and I know this is purely a matter of opinion) I would MUCH rather have a Browning BLR in 450Marlin or some similar caliber if I were going to get on a bucks trail in the snow and follow it for days through the moutains and bogs of the northeast. I suspect the Benoit's are so engrained in tradition set by Larry that for them to change would be like converting the Pope to Hebrew. If he had had the resources for BLRs umpteen bajillion years ago when he began hunting and learning the sacred art of tracking, I bet Remington would've dropped the 7600 eons ago.

But that's this ol'rednecks opinion for all .01/2c it's worth!
RA

Portage

Red- I'd bet Pennsylvania keeps the 7600 market going. 7400s are more popular here in Maine.

I grew up in a family of dyed-in-the-wool lever users. My grandparents, great uncles, and uncles used nothing but lever action rifles. My father was a bolt man through and through and that is what we used.I'll bet that over 80% of my time spent hunting will find me with a bolt action in my hands. I also own 7600s and levers. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am not married to any one action type.

One advantage that I see to the pump over a lever is the working of the action. If you have to take a quick second shot, the working of the pump drives the rifle back into your shoulder and I find that I can stay on target better. That's just me. Also my 7600s weight about the same as my Marlin levers, something that can't be said for semis.

Would I buy a BLR? Most likely not as I tend to prefer bolts and pumps to levers for my style of hunting. Your milage may vary.

TerryM

I consider the BLR to be every bit as good as a remington pump for close cover deer hunting. I have owned 3 and feel they are actually better made than a 7600 but the reality is those pumps bring home the venison for tens of thousands of eastern deer hunters every year.