As many know, the Remington 7400 is the latest ( and unless i'm mistaken, the last of its kind in the Remington line up) iteration of their venerable semi auto woodmaster model which dates back to the 50's.
I owned a 7400 one as did my two sons and each one presented feeding problems. A careful examination of this rifle exposes the poor quality of the stamped parts the sloppy interconnection of the integral components and the difficulty of chambering and ejecting cartridges by hand. Certainly not one of Remington's finest efforts. Each of many qualified gun smiths and gun shop owners I spoke with all had the same negative comments regarding this model. We finely traded them for other guns.
One by one, each of the famous and revered firearms manufacturers have been acquired by multinational corporations, whose focus is on the bottom line, and not pride in the final product. Gone are the past guiding principles by which these famous gun companies operated.
Gone are the practices such as the use of only the highest quality metals and materials used in the precisely machined parts; gone is the expert manner in which the firearms were assembled, and gone are the high standards of quality control which were the hallmarks of these respected and venerable gun manufacturers.
I collect Savage 99's and i'm still awed by the beauty of these rifles, their strength, precise fit of all parts, smoothness of actions, and of course the flawless way in which they operate, shot after shot. Similarly, other firearms such as the pre "64" Winchesters , Sakos, Carl Gustovs, Marlins, Smith and Wessons and Colts, to name a few, were also manufactured using the same high standards which resulted in high quality firearm that were pleasing to the eye, reliable, durable operated flawlessly and were possessions to treasure for years to come.
High quality firearms are still being manufactured, but at premium prices which are usually beyond the reach of the average shooter and hunter.
I recently purchased a Browning stainless lever action in .358 cal and was very impressed with this rifle. Each of the parts fit precisely. The wood and metal are beautifully finished, the action is silky smooth and it shoots consistent minute of angle accuracy. I believe these excellent rifles are manufactured in Japan, and as with most of their high quality products, these rifles are well worth their cost.
Fortunately, American handgunners can still purchase high quality hand guns, albeit mostly semi autos. The era of wheel guns from the 50's and 60's such as the magnificent Colt Python and the plethora of models offered by Smith, each one almost perfect in every way, and made to stay that way for years of trouble free shooting, and durability, has passed. The products they offer today are incomparable to those manufactured fifty years ago. You may disagree, but that's the way I see it....
I owned a 7400 one as did my two sons and each one presented feeding problems. A careful examination of this rifle exposes the poor quality of the stamped parts the sloppy interconnection of the integral components and the difficulty of chambering and ejecting cartridges by hand. Certainly not one of Remington's finest efforts. Each of many qualified gun smiths and gun shop owners I spoke with all had the same negative comments regarding this model. We finely traded them for other guns.
One by one, each of the famous and revered firearms manufacturers have been acquired by multinational corporations, whose focus is on the bottom line, and not pride in the final product. Gone are the past guiding principles by which these famous gun companies operated.
Gone are the practices such as the use of only the highest quality metals and materials used in the precisely machined parts; gone is the expert manner in which the firearms were assembled, and gone are the high standards of quality control which were the hallmarks of these respected and venerable gun manufacturers.
I collect Savage 99's and i'm still awed by the beauty of these rifles, their strength, precise fit of all parts, smoothness of actions, and of course the flawless way in which they operate, shot after shot. Similarly, other firearms such as the pre "64" Winchesters , Sakos, Carl Gustovs, Marlins, Smith and Wessons and Colts, to name a few, were also manufactured using the same high standards which resulted in high quality firearm that were pleasing to the eye, reliable, durable operated flawlessly and were possessions to treasure for years to come.
High quality firearms are still being manufactured, but at premium prices which are usually beyond the reach of the average shooter and hunter.
I recently purchased a Browning stainless lever action in .358 cal and was very impressed with this rifle. Each of the parts fit precisely. The wood and metal are beautifully finished, the action is silky smooth and it shoots consistent minute of angle accuracy. I believe these excellent rifles are manufactured in Japan, and as with most of their high quality products, these rifles are well worth their cost.
Fortunately, American handgunners can still purchase high quality hand guns, albeit mostly semi autos. The era of wheel guns from the 50's and 60's such as the magnificent Colt Python and the plethora of models offered by Smith, each one almost perfect in every way, and made to stay that way for years of trouble free shooting, and durability, has passed. The products they offer today are incomparable to those manufactured fifty years ago. You may disagree, but that's the way I see it....
