To ready the test gun for the range, I mounted a Swarovski 1.5-6x42 scope in a Talley mount. It should be noted here that even with a scope mounted, the 750 has a nice balance and one-hand grasping quality that is unlike that of a bolt-action rifle. Thanks to the rounded contours of the magazine and the slim receiver, one-hand carrying of the 750 at one's side approaches the feel and balance of a Winchester 94 or Marlin 336, and that's saying something.

On the new Model 750 the gas bleed orifice has been moved closer to the chamber for cleaner operation and more consistent bolt velocity.

Only Remington loads ammo for the .35 Whelen, and only two are offered: a 200-grain PSP at 2,675 fps and a 250-grain PSP at 2,400. Muzzle energies are 3,177 and 3,197 ft-lbs, respectively; that's about 250 ft-lbs more in both cases than a 180-grain .30-06. All I had on hand was the 200-grain loading, and to wait the additional seven to 10 days it would have taken to get some 250-grain loads delivered wasn't in the cards, so I went ahead with just the 200s.

Though it's generally thought that anything other than a bolt action has no chance of even approaching MOA accuracy, I've tested a few other action types that refuted that notion, among them some predecessors of this new Model 750 and its sister model, the slide-action Model 7600. The latter is basically the same rifle, but instead of a gas piston doing the work, the action bars are connected to a movable fore-end for manual operation.

Over the course of firing 60 rounds at the range, the gun functioned without any problems. Accuracy was quite good, averaging 15?8 inches for the best of seven three-shot groups (out of 10 fired) from a cold barrel. That's from a self-loader that can spit four rounds in the bat of an eye. The trigger was kind of mushy and had noticeable creep, and it broke at just under five pounds, but then that's the nature of the internal hammer employed in the gun's modular trigger unit. It really wasn't all that bad by anything but bolt-action standards.

The unique bolt release is incorporated into the detachable magazine itself. Pushing forward on the button lowers the follower, allowing the bolt to close.

I've never been a big fan of autoloaders, but a lot of you out there are, and they just don't come any better than this Remington 750. Its only real competition is the Benelli R-1 and Browning's BAR, so with there being only two other guns one might consider, comparing the feel, balance and features among the three guns is relatively easy compared to shopping for a bolt action, of which there are so many. It's a tough choice because they're all very good guns.

The fluted fore-end on the 750 is reminiscent of the beavertail style, which gives the gun a distinctive look. It also feels good, says the author.

When introduced last year, the 750 was offered only with a walnut stock as per the Woodsmaster test gun, but for '07 the 750 Synthetic joins the line, displacing the previous Model 7400, which is no more. Both the wood- and synthetic-stocked 750s are offered in a carbine version with 181?2-inch barrels but are available only in .308 and .30-06. As for the .35 Whelen, it continues to be available only in the Woodsmaster, but I for one would like to see it offered in the Synthetic as well.