Grandfather gave me his 760 Gamemaster...a few questions

[jtd85]

My grandfather handed down his 760 Gamemaster in .35 Remington to me and I have a few questions I was hoping to get some help with.

First, this is my only rifle and I'm not entirely sure what the standard cleaning procedure is (how often, what should be cleaned, how much disassembly, lubrication points). I want to shoot the gun, but I want to make sure I know how to clean it first so that I can properly take care of it. I've been cleaning handguns for years, but as I said, this is my first rifle and the manual that came with it isn't very helpful.

Second, I was trying to date the rifle using the guide on this website but I can't make out one of the letters on my gun. I've added a picture and the P and B are very clear but I can't figure out the middle letter. If the P and B are the date codes it doesn't seem to follow the convention in the guide posted.

Finally, I had a bit of trouble finding 35 Remington ammo for the gun. Will the ammo situation improve or is it always going to be hard to find?

Thanks for the help and I'm looking forward to learning more about the firearm and taking care of it.

[jtd85]

Forgot to add the picture in the first post.

[600RemGuy]

Wow. You have a limited production Rifle/Carbine(?) in 35 Rem. Awesome caliber in a cool gun. Nice. More overall or general pictures might be nice to see.

As for cleaning. Because you can't get in the barrel easily from the chamber, its best to buy a good cleaning rod with a tapered bore guide. Kleen Bore use to make a good one. Or you can get a plastic coated cable type that sometimes come in small portable cleaning kits such as the Kit' N' Caboodle and pull thru from the chamber. Its always best to clean a rifle from the chamber end. Use a wet patch with your favorite cleaner and let it sit a short time then use snug fitting dry patches until they come out clean. Repeat if fowled rather badly. LIGHTLY oil the bore with a patch to protect it and run a dry patch thru before you shoot it again.
You can drift out the trigger group pins with a brass rod and wiggle the assembly out the bottom. You have to hold your tongue just right to both remove and replace the trigger mechanism. Do this with the action closed. Gives more room for a thorough cleaning-not necessary for every clean. A good blast of air or gun scrubber in the receiver and trigger group will help get into tight areas, but again not necessary every time. A Teflon lube is best for those areas. Avoid oils in the trigger. 760s aren't the easiest to disassemble any further than I just stated, but there are websites that can help you with that. I have a 760 in 300 Savage that was a mess when I got it. I removed the butt stock just to help preserve the wood while I attacked the receiver with brake cleaner. Can't remember if I took off the fore-stock. Apparently, I'll have to do the same with the 760 in 222 Rem. that I just scored yesterday.
Cleaning after shooting and before long storage, as with your handguns, is best. Daily while hunting is not needed unless adverse conditions were encountered.
Ammo will be loaded by the factorys for a longtime to come; its finding it that is the tough part. The 200 grain is best. The 150s are hairy in the accuracy department. Factory ammo is anemic; loaded down for older, weaker rifles and lever guns. Your 760 can almost preform like a 358 Win if hand loaded. I have a bolt action Rem. M600 in 35 that I stoke up with handloads for hunting.

Drop me a line if you want to chat

Brad

[600RemGuy]

Forgot to state that June, 1979 is your build date! Is a one year only run, except for the original early models, 1952 to 1967.

I really really want to see more pics!!

Brad

[Wulfman]

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A date code of "P B" would translate to June 1955. The 760s were made from 1952 to 1981. So, that's within that date range.


Den

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From the Remington website:

Overview:
Description: Slide action, high-power hunting rifle which replaced the Remington Model 141 and was later replaced by the Remington Model 7600.

Introduction Year: 1952

Year Discontinued: 1981

Total Production: Approximately 1.03 million

Designer/Inventor: L.R. Crittendon & William Gail Jr.

Action Type: Slide action

Caliber/Gauge:
.30-06 Sprg. – 1952
.300 Savage – 1952-1960
.35 Rem. – 1952-1967
.270 Win. – 1953
.257 Roberts – 1954-1961
.244 Rem. – 1957-1960
.308 Win. – 1957
.222 Rem. – 1958-1960
.280 Rem. – 1958-1967
.223 Rem. – 1964-1968
.243 Win. – 1968
.6mm Rem. – 1968
.35 Rem. – 1980 only

Serial Number Blocks: 1951-1967 1,000-541,000
1968-1975 6,900,000-7,499,999
1975-1978 A6,900,000-A7,499,999
1978-1981 B6,900,000-B7,499,999

Various Models: 760A Standard – 1952
760B Special – 1952
760D Peerless – 1952
760F Premier – 1952
760ADL – 1954
760BDL – 1966
150th Anniversary Edition – 1966
760BDL Left-hand - 1966
American Bicentennial Edition 1976
760C – 1960 (carbine)
760CDL – 1960 – 1964 (carbine)

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[600RemGuy]

Great respect for you Den as I've learned a lot from you, but I believe the B is the assembler. The V is the same font as the P. The '79 35s are not well known. A pic of the different parts of the rifle (hint hint jtd85!!) will show a lot. I believe I saw a carbine years ago when in my teens.

Looked and found this from a few years back

http://www.gun-data.com/remington_mod_model760.htm

Brad

[Wulfman]

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Brad,

I'm confused. All I see is ONE picture of the close-up of the barrel codes. Yet, you have stated that "You have a limited production Rifle/Carbine(?) in 35 Rem.". I've read and reread the original post and can't find any information as to those characteristics. I haven't seen a serial number or a complete photo of the gun. So, without seeing more, it makes it harder to actually date the gun.

But, yes, if the date code is "P V", then it would be June of 1979.

Den

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[jtd85]

I got the hint for the extra pics . I'm out of town until Monday but I'll be sure to post some more pictures of the entire rifle when I get back. I wasn't even aware they made the 35 Remington in 1979, thought 1967 was the last year of manufacture for that caliber.

[The Gamemaster]

I'm sorry, but I would have to disagree with the other posters on the subject of cleaning and the best ammo for the .35 Remington.

Because the .35 Remington Gamemaster is not a tubular feed rifle, the 150 gr round is a much better choice of ammo.
You can buy ammo online any day of the week, just don't think you can walk into a Walmart and buy a box when you please like a .270 Winchester or 30-30 or 30-06 Springfield..

Walmart can order it for you if you ask.

An aluminum cleaning rod is not going to damage the crown of the barrel.
Don't worry about cleaning the rifle unless you shoot it.
Keep the rifle on a gun rack, never keep it in a gun case - else it will rust and corrode. Even inside of a well ventilated closet is better than nothing. Never keep it under your bed or out in the garage or in a basement that is damp.

Lets just say there is a lot of moron gun owners - and their wives that does not allow guns in the house or in the open.

If you keep the gun warm and dry, you can wipe it down twice a year with a piece of cloth with some gun oil on the cloth.

Never take the trigger apart!

If you take the gun hunting in the woods for a couple of weeks, and you were walking through brush with the clip missing, you might get some dirt inside of the action / trigger mech. Other then that, you don't need to clean the trigger itself more then once every 10 or 15 years!

There isn't any blow by from the action that would cause the trigger mech to foul... It's not a muzzleloader..

[jtd85]

Here are some more pictures of the gun. If there is anything in particular anyone wants to see let me know and I'll get a pic of it. Hope these help determine exactly what I have and what year it was made.

[Wulfman]

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You definitely have the 1980 edition. The stock style gives it away. Probably the serial number prefix of "B", too.
It appears to be a "rifle" and probably has a 22" barrel. (I believe "carbines" had 18 1/2" barrels)

As far as cleaning, I'd use a brass or aluminum cleaning rod and clean it from the muzzle rather than trying to take it apart and go in from the receiver end of the barrel. You won't hurt the barrel with either of those types of cleaning rods.


Den

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[jtd85]

Good info on cleaning from everyone. I feel much more comfortable about what needs to be cleaned and how to do it now. Any thoughts on using a bore snake rather than a rod? I've heard that they are easier to use but I have no idea if they are as effective or even appropriate for the rifle I have.

[Wulfman]

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Good info on cleaning from everyone. I feel much more comfortable about what needs to be cleaned and how to do it now. Any thoughts on using a bore snake rather than a rod? I've heard that they are easier to use but I have no idea if they are as effective or even appropriate for the rifle I have.

I've never used one, but I would think it would be fine to use. You've got a fair size bore diameter to feed it through.

I've always used a rod that's of a "softer" material than the steel barrel.
But, it's not like you're probably going to be cleaning it alot. Especially with the ammo situation these days.

Nice gun! Hand it down to your grandchildren.

Den

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[The Gamemaster]

If you look at the Remington Web site - there is a list of production dates and serial numbers.

Being one of the last RKW stocks made - those guns are very nice compared to the ones made in the 1950's and early 60's..

The first Gamemaster I bought was a 1958 35 Remington model 760 - not a carbine. I sold it because it wouldn't shoot as far as a 270 or 06 and it didn't have as much knock down power as a 270 or 06!

When I sold the .35, I had 10 boxes of reloaded ammo and another 2 boxed of factory ammo. The die's, the powder, the bullets, the primers - all thrown in on an even swap for a 1980 .270 Model 760 BDL Deluxe.

I still have that rifle to this day!

[The Gamemaster]

From the pictures that you posted, you need to shove a cotton rag inside of the action, take the screw out of the end of the forearm, slide the forearm forward. Clean the metal tube that the forearm is mounted to.
Then reassemble and adjust the forearm so that it does not rub the barrel.
It appears that there is a slight rub mark on the barrel in the pictures that you posted.