Remington Model 7400 trouble's

[smokepole2]

I was wondering if anyone could help me here. I have a remington model 7400 in 270 cal. It is very accurate but if you do not pull the extractor all the way back and let it come down hard it will not fire and when it fires and loads the next cartridge it will not fire to you pull the extractor back and release it. then it will fire. I dont understand if it just needs a good cleaning( I did buy it used) or if it sounds like it may need repair. Any kind of idea of what I could try to get this old remington back to being dependible would be appreciated!! Smoke

[gunplumber]

I think you mean the charging handle, not extractor. The extractor is located inside the boltface and has nothing to do with firing. It sounds like the bolt may not be going to the rear far enough to let the hammer set so the hammer follows the bolt back down. This is not a common problem that I have seen with these guns. When the gun does fire after you charge it manually, does it eject the empty? When it doesn't fire, is there any kind of mark on the primer? Also check that the bolt is closed all the way before you fire. Load the gun with one round in the mag, pull the hndl all the way to the rear and let it go and be sure the bolt goes all the way closed, also be sure the safety is in the "on" position. Put a wide pc of masking tape across the open channel where the chrg hndl runs back and forth, starting just behind the handle and going all the way past the rear of the slot. Remove the mag so it will not lock the bolt back after it fires. Fire the gun and you will then see by the ripped tape how far the bolt is moving to the rear when it fires and also be able to see if the bolt goes all the way forward and in the closed position. The gun should now be empty, hammer set and ready to fire again; see if it will dry fire. If it doesn't, but then you can move the handle all the way back manually then all the way forward to the closed position and it will dry fire, there is a problem. Are you shooting factory loads?

[smokepole2]

gunplumber,
your right it is the charging handle..LOL Yes when the gun fires it does extract the shell. I have not noticed any type mark on the primer when it doesn't fire.As a matter of fact it wont even try to strike it till I pull the charging handle almost all the way back to ejecting the hull then release. yes i am shooting factory loads.

[larsf]

First thing to do is give the rifle a good cleaning. Remove the fore-end assembly to check for crud and rust. Clean the action spring and make sure the action tube isn't fouled. Fouling in here will reduce the travel of the action. Often the simplest is the most effective.

[kennygss]

Also, those rifles are prone to fouling. Make sure the the inside of the reciever is clean, including the are where the bolt locks up. It sounds as though it is short cycling, or not locking up. Pay close attention to the boalt when cleaning. As stated, the gas system is very simple to disassemble and clean. Heres a schematic http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/sid=1...sdetail/7400_4 also, they need to be lubed properly to function.

[gunplumber]

I would not completely disassemble the gas system unless I were familiar with it. Getting it back together properly is a bit of a pain unless you've done it before. To really clean this rifle properly, the bbl has to be removed and the bolt and action arm taken out. Some folks have tried to remove the bbl nut will all types of tools that end up bending the action aarm bars which will retard the action operation afterwards. A proper tool is sold by brownellls and will fit both sizes of bbl nut. I would remove the forearm leaving everything else alone and clean the tube, spring and arms as best I could. Pull the chrg hndl to the rear and clean the action with a toothbrush or other means as best you can. If you have forced air, blow out all the cleaner you can then apply oil (I use RemOil), give it a good shot then blow out all of that you can so it does not pool. Reassemble and test. If you feel you have to completely take the rifle apart, and remove the bbl, I will give you detailed instructions but that is seldom needed in all but the worst circumstances.

[smokepole2]

I carried it out last night and put one in the chanber with the masking tape on the side of the slide.It cam all the way back and all the way forward then i dry fired it.( This is after I took the forarm off and sprayed wipeout all in the chamber and down the barrel and on the action tube and spring) I then put 2 cartridges in the magize and pulled back the charging handle and cycled one in the pipe I fired it and it did fine and then fired it again.I only carried 3 bullets with me but it seemed to have been acting better or fixed last night. I didnt mention this earlier and I will now.. the rifle had the camo plastic chaps on the forarm and stock... and there was alot of dark powder or grease were I guess it couldnot escape under the chaps on the barrel..Could that have cause it to have this problem? Also after last night i noticed it had a little chip in the dust cover on the side that slides back..I think it chipped it out last night,havent noticed it till now

[gunplumber]

It is normal operation here to have to repair (detail clean, most times) several 742s or 7400s before deer season. I am sometimes amazed how long some of these guns will run until they get so fouled they fail to work properly. The 742s are in here more because the 7400 did away with a lot of the 742s failings. Be that as it may, most of these guns never get the cleaning attention they need because you have to take out the bbl to remove the bolt and give it a detail clean. I tell folks that unless you use it all the time during the year, a detail clean will only be needed about every 3 or 4 yrs. It's kinda like maintaining your car; it is normally considered bad form to wait till your car locks up before you change oil.....ha. (no offense intended). The gas system aint bad except when you take out the tube and recoil spring then have to put them back. For folks that have never done it, you can't imagine how many different directions that stinkin thing can swarm on you trying to put it back in place and install the tube at the same time.If anyone reading this has a sure fire simple method to do this operation, I sure would be oblidged to hear it.

PS: you also have to take the bbl and action arm to replace the dust cover.

[Jim K]

It sounds like the hammer is following down, so the rifle won't fire the second shot. That is a pretty common result of someone trying to do a "trigger job" and messing up. The hammer will follow down in firing, but will hold with the slower manual operation of first loading the gun.

Try this. FIRST, MAKE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED! Then cock it as if loading it. Then bounce the gun butt on a solid surface, like the floor and see if the hammer falls. If it does, see above. You will likely need a new sear and/or hammer. Replacing the parts is not hard, but if you are not comfortable with DIY, take the gun to a gunsmith.

Jim

[smokepole2]

Ok ..I carried the rifle to one of the best gunsmiths around and he said he had fixed over 100 rifles like this with the same problem. He asked for three shells.He pulled back the charging handle and did it three times till all three fell to the ground.he said the bolt goes all the way down with no shells and dont with a shell in it. Something about some small springs in the bolt. That is all i found out and he willl have it ready in a week or so..

[Jim K]

I am not sure what he is talking about, but if he fixes the gun it is not important.

Jim

[johnlives4christ]

could be the ejector spring is bound up and causing the ejector to not retract as far as it should. this would keep the head of the cartridge from seating against the bolt face and cause the bolt to not close far enough to lock properly

[gunplumber]

Hmmmmm...........I think you will find that there are not any "bolt springs" to be found in the 7400 save the firing pin spring. That is one of the major changes made between the 7400 and the 742. The 742 had 2 very small springs and plungers that operated the bolt lock which is thankfully missing from the 7400s. The firing pin sp and ejector spring is all that is in the 7400 bolt system. I will have to check on that to be sure but unless my brain hit a slick spot, I think that's correct. Jim K has better manners than me cause I think he was thinking you might get charged for a repair to a system that isn't there; where I got the kind of manners that don't keep me from saying so. It could have also been a mistake made honestly since both guns look the same from the outside. If I missed something here, someone correct me please.

[smokepole2]

Thanks guys for the info..I talked to him yesterday and and he said he had worked on it for 2 days and it had a some sort of defect with it..He said he even honed the chanber and still it may shoot 5 to 8 times then it wont shut all the way down..He said someone has had the bolt out b4 but I havent ever tried to mess with it...but I did buy it used. I am really dissapointed because out of 10-7400 rifles I have owned ,this one was the most accurate one i have owned.. He said something about it might evn need a bolt and not sure that would fix it. He also made the comment he always hate to see someone put more in a gun than they could get out of it.. I have a freind that just bought a 7400 the other day for $400.00 and said he sell me it..I guess I will just sell mine(not treally knowing how much money i will end up in it) and buy his... Also I asked the gunsmith was the browning bar a better built gun than the 7400 and he said yes.. Please give me yall's opinions on this if it were you. I am suppose to go get it this afternoon! Thanks!

[nhfish]

I'll give you fourty dollars for the front sight ramp, screws and sight. I've got a 7400 and love it with the exception of not able to find a front sight with the proper height. Had a couple 742's, 7600, 700. I also have a browning bar in 270, shoots like a top, but it's tough to go from the rem to browning the comb feel is different and I hate the magazine system. I hunt wild boar here in N.H and its not uncommon to need that 11th shot fast so feel and ease of clip removal is important. No not a bad shot, but if you have ever hunted them you know when there's 9-19 in a group there like trying to shoot a bat. Stick with the Rem if you're use to the feel.

[smokepole2]

nhfish,
I think i got an ramp and sight for a 7400 I had in 30-06... I never put it back on there when i sold it! I wilook and see if i can find it. Forty dollars buy me a box of cartridges!!LOL

[smokepole2]

Does anyone know what the price of a new bolt for a 7400 wouldbe??

[gunplumber]

I think you will find you can't get a bolt from Rem, or triggers and sears or any other part that could be installed improperly and constitute a liability issue. they will tell you to send them the gun. Ruger wouldn't even sell me a wood set for a Red Lable OU because it has to be inletted for the tang safety; I had to send them the gun. The customer was so upset he swears that he will never buy their products again.

[smokepole2]

gunplumber,
I called a remington authorized dealer and was gonna get a price on a bolt and he said he couldnt even get the bolt threw remington!!I liked to have freaked out!! I was like dang... Said it would have to be sent back to remington and then they might even charge me.. I bet I have bought over 100K worth of remingtons in the past but It really got me stirred up bout this deal.I also talked to the gunsmith..he fixed a rem 1100 light 20 for my son and i asked him what about the 7400(I was gonna pay him for all the time he already had in it) He said you dont owe me a thang..Unless I fix it there will be no charge!! I was amazed of how honest this guy was..I like remingtons but i just found a used browning 270 .I think I gonna jump on it!! ) and ride let the gunsmith see what he can get done on that 7400..Shot a nice 8 point with my colt light 7mm this morning.He was looking for love and i gave him peace!! ROFL

[smokepole2]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ok..I got a used browning bar safari II in a 270 cal. It sighted in great and has been working great till today. Now when I fire it ,it throws out the hull then the bolt stays all the way back and I have to push the lever on the side to send the bold forward with new cartidege from clip. I took and oiled it up a few minutes ago.I hope that was all it needed..Any sugestions would be greatly appreciated!!

[gunplumber]

Sorry to hear this....most times the Browning is a good bet. your rifle is probably suffering from a bit of neglect in the cleaning department. as with the 7400, they are a bit of a pain until you are familiar with the disassembly process. The little bolt catch can sometimes be a trouble maker. You might try dropping the trigger group and going at all you can see with Gun Scrubber, blow it out and apply rem Oil then blow that out. Hopefully, no one has taken it apart and bent the action rods; which I doubt. Be sure that you dont get the scrubber on the wood; most times it is safe but I did have it try to lift the finish on one gun. Also check to see that it is not tryng to catch on the mag when coming forward.

[smokepole2]

gunplumber,
I drove 40 miles to the gunsmith to fix it. It was the auto shutter spring!! It had just gotton so weak it wasn't doing its job.With a 5minute adjustment I am back in business.. LOL

[smokepole2]

Man!! so far I really like the browning bar over the remington 7400's and I have had several 7400's and own a safe full of remingtons!! LOL

[gunplumber]

smokepole2

Auto shutter? Do you mean bolt cover?

Glad to hear it was a simple fix. A friend just bought an older BAR at the local "Buyer Beware Show" for 500.00; got it home aand found the average group size for 2 ammos tried running close to 5in at 100. I called Browning yesterday to see if they would rebbl it and was quoted a price of 6-900.00 dep on model. I told him I could have sold him a boat paddle a lot cheaper than that if I'd known he was looking for one. Sounds like you made a better deal.

[Jim K]

Re: that BAR with a 5" group. Unless that gun has been shot out, it could be just badly fouled. I suggest checking the barrel and maybe using one of those electric cleaners (some gunsmiths have them or they can be made at home), then see if the gun shoots any better. I will say that 4" is considered within specs for most sporting rifles. (Most will shoot better, but if it does 4" the factory considers it OK.)

Jim