Pump Rifle

[Elkeater]

I have a rem 760 pump in .30-06. It was my grandpas. Grandma bought it for him on their first wedding anniversary in 1954 I believe. It has a metal butt plate and it isn’t the most comfortable thing to shoot. Grandpa gave it to me (I was the first grandson) when I was 12. I was able to legally use a rifle for deer at 14 and I shot my first buck with that rifle that year. It’s accounted for too many whitetails for me to remember and grandpa sure put a bunch in the freezer. Growing up in the big woods of northern Michigan pumps and levers were popular.

My particular rifle will shoot 1-1.5” groups at 100 yards with factory loaded 180gr Remington corelokts. I haven’t hunted it in years but maybe the next year I’ll have to pull it out of the safe.

 

[Odinsraven]

Strange to say got to hold my first pump centrefire this last week - Excellent a 223 Rem 760 -

Absolutely pointless for Iceland with little or no practical application - but an interesting piece.

In Europe on the whole pumps are not popular either dedicaded semi auto hunting rifles or indeed by law Bolt action only.

However I could be convinced if I still shot a lot of European boar - but again a semi auto 9.3x62 dones the job very efficiently.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have my dad's 760 given to him a few days after I was born in October 1952, the first year they were marketed. I have Dad's diary recording when he received it. He gave it to me I think 1997. It didn't shoot very accurately ... until I discovered the barrel was loose! The early model 760s had sling swivel through the end cap of the slide tube (which is NOT telescoping!) ... which anchors the barrel to receiver. I suspect sling swivel movement loosened the slide tube = loosening the barrel = massively inaccurate. After tightening the tube, target groups improved significantly.

I suspect one reason these rifles sometimes suffer from inaccuracy is they lack free floating barrel. But when the 760 was made free floating barrels for consistent harmonics was virtually unknown technology (or unappreciated) The good news is it certainly appears to me that a few minutes with a Dremel tool could make my gun's barrel free floating. The bridge that "connects" the barrel with the end of the slide tube really doesn't connect anything. The slide tube and its base are very substantial construction and essentially free floating. I would use a Dremel tool grinder to put some daylight between the barrel and disfunctional tube bridge. Might require a bit of trimming in the fore end track. I see mine is just touching one one side at the end. My gun now wears synthetic because Dad cut the wood stock off for my mom.

This would NOT be my choice for a "jungle gun". I just spent a couple hours disassembling and reassembling mine for a through cleaning. Hands down that 760 is the most difficult gun of any sort that I've ever taken down and put back together (including my Browning A5 which requires certification in neurosurgery). And the 760 has COUNTLESS areas that can trap moisture and dirt. Also, properly cleaning the barrel (or any gun barrel) requires cleaning it from the breech. Cleaning from the muzzle just shoves all the crap into the chamber. The only way to clean a 760 from the chamber end (with cleaning rod anyway) requires completely disassembling the rifle. I prefer to use a shotgun brush in a drill for cleaning the chamber so I usually want the barrel removed.

This rifle goes to my daughter and her husband today (Christmas). It wears an old Weaver K4 sitting on a funky Bausch & Lomb detachable base. I've ordered an old Weaver base and new Warne QD rings. They can look for a new scope. The adjustments on this adjustable base have messed up the scope tube. Also scope sits way too high. I have to hunt for crosshairs. To find the irons with the scope off I have to peek under a crossbrace that locks the scope down.

 

[Jim Golden]

I have a Winchester Model 1897 made in 1899 pump 12 gauge. I don't have a pump rifle. I do have a Springfield M1A National Match with a Leupold 3x9-50 on it. I've dropped two deer in two seconds with it. I love my M14! Best of luck to you 760 guys....I have an old 782 autoloader but never had the pump

 

[Flbt]

I have my dad's 760 given to him a few days after I was born in October 1952, the first year they were marketed. I have Dad's diary recording when he received it. He gave it to me I think 1997. It didn't shoot very accurately ... until I discovered the barrel was loose! The early model 760s had sling swivel through the end cap of the slide tube (which is NOT telescoping!) ... which anchors the barrel to receiver. I suspect sling swivel movement loosened the slide tube = loosening the barrel = massively inaccurate. After tightening the tube, target groups improved significantly.

I suspect one reason these rifles sometimes suffer from inaccuracy is they lack free floating barrel. But when the 760 was made free floating barrels for consistent harmonics was virtually unknown technology (or unappreciated) The good news is it certainly appears to me that a few minutes with a Dremel tool could make my gun's barrel free floating. The bridge that "connects" the barrel with the end of the slide tube really doesn't connect anything. The slide tube and its base are very substantial construction and essentially free floating. I would use a Dremel tool grinder to put some daylight between the barrel and disfunctional tube bridge. Might require a bit of trimming in the fore end track. I see mine is just touching one one side at the end. My gun now wears synthetic because Dad cut the wood stock off for my mom.
View attachment 734987
View attachment 734988
This would NOT be my choice for a "jungle gun". I just spent a couple hours disassembling and reassembling mine for a through cleaning. Hands down that 760 is the most difficult gun of any sort that I've ever taken down and put back together (including my Browning A5 which requires certification in neurosurgery). And the 760 has COUNTLESS areas that can trap moisture and dirt. Also, properly cleaning the barrel (or any gun barrel) requires cleaning it from the breech. Cleaning from the muzzle just shoves all the crap into the chamber. The only way to clean a 760 from the chamber end (with cleaning rod anyway) requires completely disassembling the rifle. I prefer to use a shotgun brush in a drill for cleaning the chamber so I usually want the barrel removed.

This rifle goes to my daughter and her husband today (Christmas). It wears an old Weaver K4 sitting on a funky Bausch & Lomb detachable base. I've ordered an old Weaver base and new Warne QD rings. They can look for a new scope. The adjustments on this adjustable base have messed up the scope tube. Also scope sits way too high. I have to hunt for crosshairs. To find the irons with the scope off I have to peek under a crossbrace that locks the scope down.

I do not recommend this.
But for here your over thinking the cleaning.
Can brake cleaner spray through the action and the rem spray rem oil after.
Seriously have seen all kinds of leaver action and pumps clean that way.

 

[Scott CWO]

Thoughts on a synthetic short barrel .30-06 pump action as a dedicated 'Jungle Gun'? View attachment 728168

Back to the original question. Yes, I think it would work well in the jungle for bongo, forest sitatunga, GFH and YBD if you could keep it clean. The jungle is a wet, dirty environment. Shots on bongo can be very close - five to twenty-five yards.

 

[MS 9x56]

Thoughts on a synthetic short barrel .30-06 pump action as a dedicated 'Jungle Gun'? View attachment 728168

Works pretty well in mountain laurel thickets. Should be good in the jungle.

 

[MS 9x56]

I’ve always been interested in them as a lefty but have the conception that they wouldn’t be as accurate as a bolt action. Is there such thing as a sub-MOA pump?

Not that I have ever seen.

 

[mgstucson]

I have 2 Rem 7600's in 30-06. They are both destined to be barreled in 375 Whelen and 400 Whelen. The good folks at Accuracy Systems (www.remington7600.com) Will re-barrel, tune triggers, and re-stock if needed. They GUARANTEE under MOA accuracy.

So much for pump rifles not being accurate enough for long range hunting.

I had a Rem 742 semi-auto in 30-06 which was basically the semi-auto version of the 760. Reliablity with the small lug design could become an issue. Both 740 series semi-auto rifles and the 760 pump rifles shared the same bolt design with more and smaller locking lugs. The same strength is there as the 7600, but the smaller lugs were more susceptible to being jammed with grime and debris in the field. I like the larger bolt locking lugs on the 7600, but I also like the smoother pump action on the earlier 760 models. I intent to try to fabricate a similar "through tube" pump mechanism on my re-barreled 7600's.

Pumps really are the best of both worlds: accurate enough for long range work and fast enough for REALLY FAST close work if you take time to learn to shoot them well, as previous posters here have attested. For a client hunter, who will probably never have the training or experience to become REALLY proficient with REAL stopping calibers, a pump action with 2450fps in 300gr 375 bullets or 2150fps in 400gr 411 bullets with moderate recoil, that can be accurately put on target about twice as fast as ANY bolt action (i.e. 2 bullets on target in a charge from bolt action = 4 bullets on target in a charge from pump), will make the perfect "jungle gun", desert gun, or gun for DG anywhere in the world. (I have 458 Lott, and assorted other bolt guns in calibers above and including 375 H&H, and 9.3 and 375 double rifles, and if I get the pump guns built to my specifications, they are likely to be the guns I take to Africa.) The moderate recoil in the pump guns is much more conducive to accurate shooting than the stopping calibers, especially for client shooters.

Basically pump action rifles with modern powders and bullets can duplicate the ballistics that the 375 H&H bolt guns and the 450/400 double rifles built their excellent reputations on for over 100 years. With the pump, if an animal charges at short distance where you only have time for 1 shot with a bolt gun, you will likely have 2 shots from the pump. This is double rifle speed with a 5 round (or even 10 round where legal) magazine.

Reliability. Power. Speed. Capacity. What is not to like?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I might take my 760 to the Eastern Cape for plains game but not to a jungle or desert situation. Too easily gummed up with environmental debris and an absolute bitch to disassemble/reassemble for cleaning. And quite frankly I have never found mine to have a light recoil, not in comparison to my other 30-06, a sporterized 03A3 Springfield. Fast followup is an overrated asset in my opinion. Too often leads to a tendency to spray and pray.

As a dangerous game option I would be concerned about the numerous working parts in a 760/7600 compared to Mauser style CRF or Remington style push feed. A lot of mechanism that can go haywire, especially in dirty situations. Guts full of cheap stamped stuff with numerous springs waiting to break. Complexity = more opportunity for failure.

 

[Choupique]

Pumps really are the best of both worlds

Remington capitalized well on the popularity of the 870. Thats why my dad bought one. He duck hunted with an 870 and deer hunted with a 7600 till he was an old man. Safety in the same place, bolt lock in the same place, generally the same geometry, same reliability.

7600's are fantastic hunting rifles

 

[mgstucson]

I might take my 760 to the Eastern Cape for plains game but not to a jungle or desert situation. Too easily gummed up with environmental debris and an absolute bitch to disassemble/reassemble for cleaning. And quite frankly I have never found mine to have a light recoil, not in comparison to my other 30-06, a sporterized 03A3 Springfield. Fast followup is an overrated asset in my opinion. Too often leads to a tendency to spray and pray.

As a dangerous game option I would be concerned about the numerous working parts in a 760/7600 compared to Mauser style CRF or Remington style push feed. A lot of mechanism that can go haywire, especially in dirty situations. Guts full of cheap stamped stuff with numerous springs waiting to break. Complexity = more opportunity for failure.

I see we agree about reliability of the earlier models (760). I found the same to be true of my 742 semi-auto hunting in frequently wet and thickly forested environments. I have hunted the desert southwest with my 7600 without issue. I believe that is the primary reason Remington redesigned the 760 and came out with the 7600. While I only characterized the recoil as moderate compared to stopping rifles, recoil for the Whelens is positively light compared to the 458 Lott and other stopping calibers.

My current Whelen's are bolt actions mostly 03A3's (and an odd 98 Mauser). Since the Whelen's originated in those actions, I desire to have 30-06, 35 Whelen, 375 Whelen, and 400 Whelen on 03 actions.

Recoil is always a function of rifle weight. Pumps are inherently lighter than bolt actions in similar barrel configurations which can be really handy when building mountain rifles. When building my pump rifles in DG calibers, I will be using heavy barrel configurations and probably added stock weight to bring rifles up to similar weight and balance as comparable bolt actions. Still, even the 375 H&H and the 450/400 are known for their RELATIVELY mild recoil for DG rifles. The 375 Whelen and 400 Whelen achieve very similar ballistics to classic loadings at even less recoil, due to smaller powder quantities to achieve similar ballistics.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I see we agree about reliability of the earlier models (760). I found the same to be true of my 742 semi-auto hunting in frequently wet and thickly forested environments. I have hunted the desert southwest with my 7600 without issue. I believe that is the primary reason Remington redesigned the 760 and came out with the 7600. While I only characterized the recoil as moderate compared to stopping rifles, recoil for the Whelens is positively light compared to the 458 Lott and other stopping calibers.

My current Whelen's are bolt actions mostly 03A3's (and an odd 98 Mauser). Since the Whelen's originated in those actions, I desire to have 30-06, 35 Whelen, 375 Whelen, and 400 Whelen on 03 actions.

Recoil is always a function of rifle weight. Pumps are inherently lighter than bolt actions in similar barrel configurations which can be really handy when building mountain rifles. When building my pump rifles in DG calibers, I will be using heavy barrel configurations and probably added stock weight to bring rifles up to similar weight and balance as comparable bolt actions. Still, even the 375 H&H and the 450/400 are known for their RELATIVELY mild recoil for DG rifles. The 375 Whelen and 400 Whelen achieve very similar ballistics to classic loadings at even less recoil, due to smaller powder quantities to achieve similar ballistics.

I always thought my 30-06 760 was a lightweight rifle. Actually it's surprisingly heavy. When dressed in wood it weighed about the same as my 03A3 30-06.

 

[roklok]

The Remington trigger group is the only complex part of a 760/7600, the rest is simple and easy to maintain. The trigger group is a bit complex, but drops out of the receiver with two pins, same as an 870. The trigger group should rarely need dissasembled further, just cleaned with solvent and maybe compressed air. Millions of 870s have seen hard use in marshes and fields for the past 75 years, it is a proven trigger design.

I cant agree about the Remington pumps being lighter though, generally they are heavier than a comparable bolt action due to the large steel receiver. The weight is the biggest downside in my opinion to the 760/7600.

 

[30-06Ken]

Thoughts on a synthetic short barrel .30-06 pump action as a dedicated 'Jungle Gun'? View attachment 728168

Otherwise known in Pennsylvania as the Amish AK or the Mennonite machine gun.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

The Remington trigger group is the only complex part of a 760/7600, the rest is simple and easy to maintain. The trigger group is a bit complex, but drops out of the receiver with two pins, same as an 870. The trigger group should rarely need dissasembled further, just cleaned with solvent and maybe compressed air. Millions of 870s have seen hard use in marshes and fields for the past 75 years, it is a proven trigger design.

I cant agree about the Remington pumps being lighter though, generally they are heavier than a comparable bolt action due to the large steel receiver. The weight is the biggest downside in my opinion to the 760/7600.

It's the rotating locking bolt that's the problem to keep clean. Be careful. The pins that guide the rotation are free floating. Easy to fall out and get lost during disassembly. Also, the magazine locking lever and its tiny spring easily detach when trigger group is removed ... with spring departing to parts unknown. Ask me how I know! Then the gun becomes a single shot until it's found (needle in haystack!) or replaced.

Disassembling a Mauser rifle is by comparison childsplay.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have only had one issue with reliability with a 7600.

Once, after months of storage, the action was difficult to open.

Sprayed everything down with Rem Oil and it has been perfect ever since.

But it doesn’t hurt to keep a very light coat of Rem Oil on the locking lugs.

Otherwise it’s just a 870 pump and those are some of the most reliable firearms ever made.

Reminds me of what they say about an AR: It will run dirty but it won’t run dry.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have only had one issue with reliability with a 7600.

Once, after months of storage, the action was difficult to open.

Sprayed everything down with Rem Oil and it has been perfect ever since.

But it doesn’t hurt to keep a very light coat of Rem Oil on the locking lugs.

Otherwise it’s just a 870 pump and those are some of the most reliable firearms ever made.

Reminds me of what they say about an AR: It will run dirty but it won’t run dry.

More important than the locking lugs are the channels inside the bolt that rotate it to lock. Those get gummed up easily and difficult to clean. More oil = attracts more dirt and powder residue = more difficult to pump the bolt closed = less reliable. Less reliable than a bolt action anyway. For a bolt action my hand directly locks and unlocks the bolt. For a pump 760 my hand indirectly locks and unlocks the bolt. Horizontal energy from sliding pump is transferred to lateral energy inside the bolt to rotate it = energy lost due to friction during the transition. Gunk in the rotation grooves in the bolt will add to that friction substantially.

 

[mgstucson]

Springfield 1903's average about 8.5-9lbs
CZ 550 Safari around 9lbs
Rem 7600 around 7.5lbs

So the weight difference isn't anything that can't be compensated for.

The rotating bolts are similar to semi-autos (Garand's, AK's and AR's) except I find it a little more reliable (and cleaner) to depend on muscle power to actuate as opposed to gas operation. Ontario Hunter brings up a good point about all these type mechanically rotated bolts being "gummed up" if you are not careful. Even the relatively "dirty" gas operated semi-auto's have proven battlefield reliability with proper maintenance, especially the Garand's and AK's (larger locking lugs) while the AR's require more maintenance (smaller more numerous locking lugs). I often use powdered graphite to lubricate these actions, but you do have to stay on top of lubrication no matter what you use. All parts must be clean and dry before graphite is applied. Graphite works great on the bolt itself and the raceways in which it rides. Graphite should be used judiciously, and excess graphite should be wiped off and not allowed to get on the sear/firing pin. I keep a small tube of graphite powder lubricant with my gun case in the field.

 

[MS 9x56]

I’ve always been interested in them as a lefty but have the conception that they wouldn’t be as accurate as a bolt action. Is there such thing as a sub-MOA pump?

I have met many who claim such, but have never seen the target to prove such.