I have owned a Model 7 260 Rem for almost 10 years. I love everything about the gun except, it will not usually shoot three shots into less than 1 inch. My gun is the same as the one you are looking at, stainless, synthetic, with a 20 inch very thin barrel. I think the barrel heats up too fast for a target gun. It is a great gun to carry, because it is short and light. If fact it seems as compact as the Winchester Model 94 30-30 I once owned.
If you are looking for a great shooter my 260 Rem is not the gun. If you want a great hunting gun, easy to carry up the mts. with enough accuracy to take game out to 250 yards my gun will do it.
I am aware that there are Model 7's out there that are more accurate that mine. I have thought about having a Hart barrel put on my gun. I like the 260 Rem caliber but I am always looking for more accuracy.
the M-7 is a great little gun and the 260 is a great caliber , the 20" barrel will limit you a little bit in the sepped range but you will still have enough speed with the heavier bullets to shoot deer out pretty far.
Shortmagman , have you done anything to your gun to try to improve the accuracy like bedding maybe having the barrel cryoed , I've seen a couple factroy guns that would string bad after a couple shots and the cryo treatment helped alot as did the bedding. on a 7-08 that I bedded the barrel was treated , trigger worked muzzel crowned and that gun would shot just about all factroy ammo under 1 moa out to 400yds and a few hand loads down close to .5 moa
Yes, I have done somethings trying to get my Model 7 to shoot. I have free floated the barrel.This made it worse. Then I put it in a wooden stock with a full bedding block built into the stock. This also did not help. I added tip pressure to the synthetic stock. It shoots best with the tip pressure. I have tried many different bullets and combinations to try to find something that it liked. The closest thing I have found is a load using Barnes TSX bullets and RL-19 powder. It will shot three shots into an inch with this load. My best other load is 129 Hornady bullets and H4350 powder. It will sometimes shoot this load into one inch.
I have not tried the cyro treatment. May be this is something I should try before putting another barrel on the gun, because it is so easy to carry and I know that the 260 Rem will take deer at some distance. I have so many other guns that my 260 sits in my gun safe most of the time. I was mule deer hunting in Wyoming last year and while hiking above 9,000 ft I kept thinking how much I would have liked to have my Model 7 with me instead of the heavier rifle that I was carrying. I didn't because I did not trust it enough to take a long shot.
I took a doe at 944 this year with a 260 and a 140gr Berger , my gun is probably twice the weight of your though.
some guns just won't shoot , did you try bedding the new stock , even though its got the bedding block most of the time these guns will benifit from the aditional glass bedding.
you could probably rebarrel it with a slightly heavier barrel and few inches longer and that would realy strech the range.
Ditto on shortmagman. We have had them and could never get them to group as well as the slightly heavier 700's. They are nice looking and lite, but I never thought they shot nearly as well especially for longer ranges. James may just have the ticket for getting them squared away though. But, do you want to buy something to put more money and/or time into , or are you looking for something you would be happy with now?
Ive got one of the new model 7 in 270wsm with the 22" barrel. I have spent the last year trying to find something it would shoot, never did. It averaged about a 3" group at 100 yards with just about everything I put though it. It is currently back at the Remington factory. Maybe it will come back in better shape.
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