Rifle questions
 

Well I usually don't have any problems giving my 2 cents (ends up being about a $1.50 by the time I am done, I like to type;)) but now I think I would like a few donations:D.

I am considering selling a few toys and getting a centerfire, a .243 to be more precise. I went to the gun store today and was looking around. The last time I was in there I thought I saw Remington auto loader in wood for around 400 bucks. I didn't see it today, either they sold it or I was mistaken (been known to happen). I did find a Remington 7400 in synthetic for $489 new in .243. However I know nothing about them.

Are they alright guns, or would I be better off getting a Mossberg or Stevens bolt action in the same caliber for $289. They are all equally ugly to me with synthetic stocks. Saw a Howa for around that as well, I forget the exact amount, but it was less than the Remington 7400. Had some Remingtons with Dale Jr's signature on them as well. Not that big of fan though to be honest.

And on a side note, I see they quit making the 7400 and replaced it with the 750. What are the differences and how much better is it, if any than the 7400 for almost half the money?

I want the gun mainly for woodchucks and other small stuff. Possibly some coyotes and a slight chance I might go to upper Michigan and use it on a deer. Can't deer hunt with it where I live though. I would probably never shoot more than 200 yards.

I don't "need" a semi auto by any means, just thought it would be cool to have one is all. Might come in handy on the coyote from what I understand. I mostly have bolt action or single shot guns though. I currently don't any centerfire rifles. I have in the past, but not for a while.

I'm thinking of selling or trading my A-5 Stalker Light to finance it.

Any opinions or experience would be greatly appreciated.

I saw a really nice used Browning A-bolt with synthetic stock, stainless barrel and the Boss system. It was 5 something. 7mm mag though, I don't really need that much gun for woodchucks:D.

Paul

RE: Rifle questions
 

If I were in your shoes the last gun of those listed I would buy would be the 7400. Not exactly the most reliable auto loader out there. And if you want it for shooting wood chucks and the such they aren't exactly the most accurate rifles to be had either.

I would definetly look at a bolt gun and of those you listed the Howa would definetly be my first choice.

RE: Rifle questions
 

Hey Paul,
I have a beautiful deluxe wood Remington 742 w/Weaver K-8 scope and mounts all in 95%+ condition forsale if interested in 308. There are many different loads availible to hunt groundhogs to Elk with a 308. e-mail me if you have interest at [email protected]
$400 shipped and would consider your A-5 in trade?

RE: Rifle questions
 

I would never buy a 7400,or any remington semi auto for that matter.I have fired several,and have been asked to help out a few people when thier guns started jamming.My experience with the 7400,740,and 742 has been that accuracy is on average far below what I have seen from bolt actions,and reliability has been very questionable.

RE: Rifle questions
 

Wow, that helps my decision a little. For what the remignton would cost I could probably get a little nicer looking savage as well.

Keep the opinions coming, even if they are bad.

Paul

RE: Rifle questions
 

The 7400 is a POS. Stay away.

As for my feelings on remington. Not all that great. Unfortunetly I do have experience with the 7400 and it is to be avoided.

Tom

RE: Rifle questions
 

95% of the Remington 742/7400 rifles would have better use as a tomato stake. Of course everytime I make a statement like this someone tells me how great their Remington 742/7400 is.A year ago at a Friends house and he trots out a 742 that he purchased 20 years ago when he graduated high school..this was chambered in 30-06 and he never had a problem with it . Looking over this gun that appeared factory new(fired maybe 100x as per him)I made the comment " that if ever a gun was designed to jam while sitting in a gunsafe that the remington autoloader would be that gun".I have owned 3 (2 30-06 and 1 270) and I wish I knew then what I know now about them.

RE: Rifle questions
 

Don't buy a 7400!
You would be much better of with a savage, like this one:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=85613593

Same money you're talking about, but twice the weapon!

RE: Rifle questions
 

Well I went back and looked and the Howa was from what could tell a basic 1500 with the green stock. I know nothing about them, but the action looked like it was very well machined and the stock was sort of soft. Felt kind of weird, but I could get used to it.

It wasn't a .243 though, it was a .22-250. I could live with that, I was originally considering that caliber to begin with.

The local shop wanted $490 for it new.

So is it that much better of a gun that it is worth almost twice as much as a Stevens or one of the new mossberg bolt actions?

Paul

RE: Rifle questions
 

paul..go with a bolt and use the change toward good optics

RE: Rifle questions
 

I already have a scope to put on it. I will for sure go with a bolt after seeing these comments and doing a little research. Just not sure with which one.

Paul

RE: Rifle questions
 

Paul, I need you to buy the Rem 798 and let me know how it is!!!:D:D:D:D

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Bit out of my price range, pretty guns though.:D

Paul

RE: Rifle questions
 

If you are still considering a semiauto,be sure and check out browning bar rifles-the only sporter centerfire semiauto that I have NEVER got in shop for reliability issues.

RE: Rifle questions
 

The Howa 1500 and Weatherby Vanguard are clones. I have a Vanguard in .300 Wby Mag and it's a wonderful shooter. I'd expect the Howa in .22-250 or .243 to be just as good.

RE: Rifle questions
 

The BAR is waay out of my price range. I'm trying to justify spending $500 over $289 for the Stevens. I have NO spare income, I have to sell something in order to get something. If I sold every weapon I had I don't think I would enough to buy a BAR. I would probably get a A bolt anyway;).

Paul

RE: Rifle questions
 

If you scroll down this page, you'll see a Howa Lightningin .243, packaged with ascope,for $393 DELIVERED.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=.243

I've had outstanding experiences with this retailer. So good, in fact, that I once drove 2+ hours down there to fondle the wares in their showroom. They had far more rifles than I've ever found in 1 place here in OH.

I personally didn't care for the "feel" of the Howas I held, but I've never heard of anyone who actually owns one who didn't just LOVE it.

Justshowing youa few more options...

FC

RE: Rifle questions
 

My problem with autoloaders is the trigger...I just love a good crisp trigger that breaks at 2 1/2 pounds...If we could design an auto that would have a nice trigger it would sell...Where is Jonathan Browning when you need him????

:D

RE: Rifle questions
 

I am also a big fan of the Browning BAR although it isn't the cheapest gun out there they seem to be pretty good.

RE: Rifle questions
 

I have had a lot of experience with the 7400 Remington. They are a very decent rifle and most will shoot 2 inch groups with the right load. If well kept, they are pretty reliable. However IMO they are strictly a factory ammo gun and don't handle reloads well. They will never perform along side a bolt gun but are fine for what they were built for, fast follow up shots in woods hunting situations. I used one for 20 years without a malfunction in the field.

RE: Rifle questions
 

If you would consider a used gun you could probably keep your purchase under $400.00 and maybe even end up with a real keeper. It may have slight "character" from normal use, but that kind of wear rarely affects shootabilty. (is that a word?)
Looking over the offerings on Gunbroker.com and GunsAmerica I see the prices are higher than the "under $400.00" I mentioned, but if you scour the classifieds and gun outlets and look over the used racks and the consignment racks you may find something that will please you.

RE: Rifle questions
 

I agree with NCHawkeye about the trigger. I owned a 742 for a few years, and sold it because of the crappy trigger. That and its weight.Like carrying around a wooden fence post. It did jam on me once in a game situation.

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Paul, if you want accuracy and reliability, (and, since you are getting a .243, I assume you do!) forget those Remington semi-autos and buy a good bolt action. All U.S. made bolt rifles are better, except for that 710 abortion Remington makes/made.

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Ill 2nd that one!!! The good triggers are the reason I went to bolts. I love the feel of the Rem pumps and autoloaders but the trigger was always a turn off.

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Well, I might as well throw my 2 cents in the pot. If you want the best bang for your buck, buy a Savage bolt action rifle in which ever Caliber you that you like. I am personally a Remington Bolt action fan, but the Savage rifles are just as accurate. However, they do have a sloppy bolt. I have owned a couple of Savage rifles and they shoot great and are very dependable. The Howa is nothing more than a Weatherby made in Japan. Weatherby has always been over-rated. As far as Browning is concerned any rifle that needs a BOSS system to make it shoot accurate, just really needs a good barrel. I do own a browning and it doesn't have a BOSS system and shoot's fine. Overall the Savage would be the gun I would consider as opposed to the others. You would get a good quality rifle for a cheaper price.

RE: Rifle questions
 

I have several browning a-bolts,some with boss,most without,and they all shoot better than I can hold them. They do in fact have good barrels. I'm wondering exactly how much 1sthand experience you have with boss.
I was scheptical myself till I tried the boss equipped rifles.

RE: Rifle questions
 

I am surprised no one recommended the Remington pump rifle. I agree with all the other posts about the problem's with the semi-I also would avoid the semi's.

I would on the other hand recommend the pump rifle they make. More than accurate enough for the shooting you wanted to do. IMO it is every bit as fast or faster than the semi. I have found that while pumping the action you tend to bring the rifle back onto target. The trigger's on the pump are a little to be desired.

It sounds like you are wanting a little faster action. The pump is a good way to go.

I would also recommend the AR platform, but that might be a little too pricey. I would stay away from the BAR's, but that is just my opinion. I have had bad luck with a few of them over the years. The worse one was a Belgium 243. Tom.

RE: Rifle questions
 

I was optimistic when I bought my BOSS equipped rifle,but it didn't last long.It took as many shots to fine tune the BOSS as it normally takes me to develop a handload for a rifle,the boss equipped rifle was no more accurate than my other rifles,the BOSS kept coming loose and changing the point of impact,the noise with the standard BOSS is so loud that you must wear ear plugs while hunting,and the BOSS equipped rifles produce less velocity than non BOSS equipped rifles due to a shorter barrel.

RE: Rifle questions
 

My experience with the BOSS didn't achieve any better bullet groups than a factory Remington did out of the box with factory ammo. I am just not a fan of the BOSS.I also prefer the fine lines and walnut stock of the Remington; however, that's only my opinion. I also don't care much for the AR platform, but then again I carry one here everyday. They are very dependable, but when I am hunting and enjoying life back home I surely don't want to carry anything that reminds me of my everyday work. So, You have probably figure out by now I am in Iraq. I hope ya'll have happy holidays and great hunting.

RE: Rifle questions
 

I bought a remington pump for my step father years ago and wasn't that impressed with it. I had a savage 110E in 30-06 at the time, and got him the remington in 30-06 as well. My Savage was more accurate and had less recoil. That pump was HORRIBLE on recoil! I know that wouldn't be an issue with the calibers I am looking at. It was a pretty gun though.

I am pretty much settled on getting a bolt gun now, I just am not sure which one I want. I went to cabela's today and looked around and they had some really nice savages on clearance. I saw some remingtons that were not bad either. They had a TON of those nasty 710's[:'(].

I think I need to liquidate some assets first, then I will go to my local gunstore and see what they can do for me. I am resisting the urge to go to gander mountain or the other large chain that gets edited out every time I type it. I'm looking pretty hard at the Howa right now, but some of those savages I saw at cabela's were pretty darn nice for the money. Nothing like the 110E I owned 20 some years ago.

All depends on what I can get for what I have. If anyone in the southern MI or the Ohio area is interested I am thinking of selling my A-5 stalker, my H&R slug gun and a savage 17HMR with a bull barrel. I might take pictures and post them in the classifieds section this weekend. I'm looking for people fairly local though because I don't want to go through the hassle of selling over the internet and shipping to someone. I would rather have someone come look at them, give me the cash and go home happy.

Feel free to keep the comments coming.

I would love to have an AR based set up but not sure if I could swing the money for a decent one.

Paul