Remington 742...

jrothWA · June 6, 2019, 09:01 PM

what to know about it?

cleaning and lubing?

How is gas system treated? dry like the M14 / M1A?

Thanks.

Doyle · June 6, 2019, 09:36 PM

Not known as the "jamamatic" for nothing. If you do get one that still works good, make sure you keep the chamber absolutely spotless and lightly lubed. They have notoriously week ejectors and any extra resistance pulling the spent casing out of the chamber will cause issues.

**44 AMP** · June 7, 2019, 11:25 AM

As long as you go into it with eyes open, they're ok, usually. Eyes open means knowing up front what the rifle is, and isn't.

the 742 is a semiautomatic DEER RIFLE, developed from the previous model 740, which appeared in the 50s. It's a sporting rifle, mainly intended for deer hunting. It's not a match gun, target gun, varmint gun, or in ANY way a military or service rifle, even when chambered in service cartridges.

It needs to be kept clean, and correctly lubed, it's not weatherproof, and it's not reloader friendly. Stick with factory ammo. Don't try and turn it into anything..."tactical", you will be disappointed.

Accuracy is usually a bit better than minute of deer, but not lots, and while you sometimes find one that shoots a bit better than that, you will also find ones that don't shoot for spit.

A lot of them have given decades of decent service, shot a couple boxes a year (or less) during deer season and living in the closet the rest of the time.

That being said, someone will come along and tell us how they've put 1,000 rnds a year through their gun for decades and its still doing just fine. It is the Internet, after all...

dgludwig · June 8, 2019, 02:26 PM

Didn't take a year for me. I just poured a thousand bullets through my Model 742 last weekend, with no problems whatsoever! Then I woke up...

But seriously, everything 44 AMP said about the Remington Models 740/742 is right on the mark. The same could almost be said about the Winchester Model 100 semi-auto rifle, except mine was much more tolerant about cleaning regime exactness and extracting brass from reloads.

Art Eatman · June 8, 2019, 05:23 PM

Years back I bought a 742K (carbine) in '06. It was in nearly-new condition.

With hunting-ammo handloads, 1.5 MOA was not difficult.

Basically, they are good hunting guns. But, given the relatively short life before internal wear within the action occurs, they are definitely not range toys.

jrothWA · June 9, 2019, 07:04 PM

Finicky!

The m100 were accurate and when bedded allow me to used handloads to

clover -leaf three shots @ 200 yards prone.

I did not baby them, but cleaned and lubed as needed.

Never dealt with a 742.

Nanuk · June 9, 2019, 07:31 PM

Hmm....

I had a 742 for years.... Mine was chambered in 30-06. I used it hunting and shooting primarily in western North Dakota where the average shot was 300 yards. Never missed a deer, must have harvested 30 with that rifle.

All I ever did was reload for it, never factory ammo and it shot MOA until I wore out the locking lugs from shooting it too much. You must FL size your brass, no just sizing the neck. Mine never failed to eject or extract.

I loved that rifle, always wanted to get another but now I just hunt with a 44 magnum.

Nanuk · June 9, 2019, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Basically, they are good hunting guns. But, given the relatively short life before internal wear within the action occurs, they are definitely not range toys.

I found that out the hard way.

tango1niner · June 9, 2019, 07:42 PM

Good friend of my Dads had one in .30-06. Liked it so much he bought a second. Now this guy is the absolute worst when it comes to rifle cleaning and care. For some unknown reason these two rifles never messed up. They received next to no care and functioned flawlessly. I've known this guy for 50 years and he still owns and shoots these rifles. He is also a handloader and shoots nothing but 165 gr. Sierra Gamekings and uses 4895 powder.

Sorry, but I have no explanation for this except it has to be an anomaly...

105kw · June 9, 2019, 08:09 PM

I've got hours of horror stories about a 742 carbine in .280.
They only thing it didn't do was jam. Accuracy wasn't even a dream, it flat wouldn't shoot period.
Eventually I sold it to a Remington collector.
I've always had good luck with 760s.

dgludwig · June 9, 2019, 10:37 PM

Quote:

I wore out the locking lugs from shooting it too much.

That never happens to too many other rifles in my experience.

Mobuck · June 10, 2019, 05:32 AM

I've owned/used/traded several (10-12)Rem 742 rifles over the years and have not seen any with the notorious "worn locking lug" syndrome. I have seen a few that were on the road to failure somewhere down the road.
Those rifles had one thing in common: they were hauled yearound in the back window of a pickup driven on gravel roads by a tobacco chewing Bubba type--window always down unless it was raining hard. Often the rifles where hauled with the magazine removed hanging with the open magwell up. All that gritty gravel dust just settled into the open receiver. When Bubba actually used the rifle his goal was to put as many bullets in the air as quickly as possible. The grinding action of the accumulated grit coupled with no lube and rapid fire caused all sorts of wear in those little locking lucs and their recesses plus the areas where the bolt cycled.

thallub · June 10, 2019, 08:11 AM

What Mobuck said.

i've owned numerous Remington model 742 rifles. The vast majority of ammunition fired in those rifles were my handloads. Never had a problem with properly prepared handloads in those rifles.

In the process of selling off my gun collection, four Remington model 742 rifles, all chambered for .30-06, went away. All were capable of consistent three shot 1.5" groups at 100 yards.

IMO: The Remington model 742 is a good serviceable rifle when properly cared for. Yep, the model 742 will become a jam-o-matic when the chamber gets rusty.

Mobuck · June 10, 2019, 09:28 PM

I have an "As New" 742 in 280 Rem caliber sitting in the rack. May not have been fired but no proof either way. Try finding one of those at the corner gun shop.

wayne in boca · June 11, 2019, 05:02 AM

I had one in .30-06.It was my hog rifle.It was accurate as heck.I loved it.But it failed to feed about one round in 50.Tried all kinds of things to fix it,and finally gave up and traded it to a deer hunter.Deer don't bite.

Fishbed77 · June 11, 2019, 08:21 AM

Quote:

the 742 is a semiautomatic DEER RIFLE, developed from the previous model 740, which appeared in the 50s. It's a sporting rifle, mainly intended for deer hunting. It's not a match gun, target gun, varmint gun, or in ANY way a military or service rifle, even when chambered in service cartridges.

It needs to be kept clean, and correctly lubed, it's not weatherproof, and it's not reloader friendly. Stick with factory ammo. Don't try and turn it into anything..."tactical", you will be disappointed...

A lot of them have given decades of decent service, shot a couple boxes a year (or less) during deer season and living in the closet the rest of the time.

THIS.^

The 742 is a fine enough rifle for what it was designed for. My father owned one in 30-06, and it fed our family for almost two decades (until it was stolen and replaced with a Browning A-Bolt).

A few shots a year to sight in, and a few more every season to reach the whitetail limit. It is not a military rifle, nor was it intended to be one. My father's was not a jammomatic, but he kept it very clean and cared for it well, since our family's well-being depended on it.

June 6, 2019, 09:01 PM	#1
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Remington 742... what to know about it? cleaning and lubing? How is gas system treated? dry like the M14 / M1A? Thanks.

June 7, 2019, 11:25 AM	#3
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,817	As long as you go into it with eyes open, they're ok, usually. Eyes open means knowing up front what the rifle is, and isn't. the 742 is a semiautomatic DEER RIFLE, developed from the previous model 740, which appeared in the 50s. It's a sporting rifle, mainly intended for deer hunting. It's not a match gun, target gun, varmint gun, or in ANY way a military or service rifle, even when chambered in service cartridges. It needs to be kept clean, and correctly lubed, it's not weatherproof, and it's not reloader friendly. Stick with factory ammo. Don't try and turn it into anything..."tactical", you will be disappointed. Accuracy is usually a bit better than minute of deer, but not lots, and while you sometimes find one that shoots a bit better than that, you will also find ones that don't shoot for spit. A lot of them have given decades of decent service, shot a couple boxes a year (or less) during deer season and living in the closet the rest of the time. That being said, someone will come along and tell us how they've put 1,000 rnds a year through their gun for decades and its still doing just fine. It is the Internet, after all... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

June 8, 2019, 02:26 PM	#4
dgludwig Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2005 Location: North central Ohio Posts: 7,486	Didn't take a year for me. I just poured a thousand bullets through my Model 742 last weekend, with no problems whatsoever! Then I woke up... But seriously, everything 44 AMP said about the Remington Models 740/742 is right on the mark. The same could almost be said about the Winchester Model 100 semi-auto rifle, except mine was much more tolerant about cleaning regime exactness and extracting brass from reloads. __________________ ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED ...Aristotle NRA Benefactor Life Member

June 9, 2019, 07:04 PM	#6
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Having owbed M199's, I'll take excception to them being ... Finicky! The m100 were accurate and when bedded allow me to used handloads to clover -leaf three shots @ 200 yards prone. I did not baby them, but cleaned and lubed as needed. Never dealt with a 742.

June 9, 2019, 07:31 PM	#7
Nanuk Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2005 Location: Where the deer and the antelope roam. Posts: 3,082	Hmm.... I had a 742 for years.... Mine was chambered in 30-06. I used it hunting and shooting primarily in western North Dakota where the average shot was 300 yards. Never missed a deer, must have harvested 30 with that rifle. All I ever did was reload for it, never factory ammo and it shot MOA until I wore out the locking lugs from shooting it too much. You must FL size your brass, no just sizing the neck. Mine never failed to eject or extract. I loved that rifle, always wanted to get another but now I just hunt with a 44 magnum. __________________ Retired Law Enforcement U. S. Army Veteran Armorer My rifle and pistol are tools, I am the weapon.

June 6, 2019, 09:36 PM	#2
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Not known as the "jamamatic" for nothing. If you do get one that still works good, make sure you keep the chamber absolutely spotless and lightly lubed. They have notoriously week ejectors and any extra resistance pulling the spent casing out of the chamber will cause issues.

June 8, 2019, 05:23 PM	#5
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Years back I bought a 742K (carbine) in '06. It was in nearly-new condition. With hunting-ammo handloads, 1.5 MOA was not difficult. Basically, they are good hunting guns. But, given the relatively short life before internal wear within the action occurs, they are definitely not range toys.

June 9, 2019, 07:42 PM	#9
tango1niner Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2009 Location: NY Posts: 317	Good friend of my Dads had one in .30-06. Liked it so much he bought a second. Now this guy is the absolute worst when it comes to rifle cleaning and care. For some unknown reason these two rifles never messed up. They received next to no care and functioned flawlessly. I've known this guy for 50 years and he still owns and shoots these rifles. He is also a handloader and shoots nothing but 165 gr. Sierra Gamekings and uses 4895 powder. Sorry, but I have no explanation for this except it has to be an anomaly...

June 9, 2019, 08:09 PM	#10
105kw Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2017 Location: Columbia Basin Washington Posts: 413	I've got hours of horror stories about a 742 carbine in .280. They only thing it didn't do was jam. Accuracy wasn't even a dream, it flat wouldn't shoot period. Eventually I sold it to a Remington collector. I've always had good luck with 760s.

June 10, 2019, 05:32 AM	#12
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	I've owned/used/traded several (10-12)Rem 742 rifles over the years and have not seen any with the notorious "worn locking lug" syndrome. I have seen a few that were on the road to failure somewhere down the road. Those rifles had one thing in common: they were hauled yearound in the back window of a pickup driven on gravel roads by a tobacco chewing Bubba type--window always down unless it was raining hard. Often the rifles where hauled with the magazine removed hanging with the open magwell up. All that gritty gravel dust just settled into the open receiver. When Bubba actually used the rifle his goal was to put as many bullets in the air as quickly as possible. The grinding action of the accumulated grit coupled with no lube and rapid fire caused all sorts of wear in those little locking lucs and their recesses plus the areas where the bolt cycled.

June 10, 2019, 08:11 AM	#13
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	What Mobuck said. i've owned numerous Remington model 742 rifles. The vast majority of ammunition fired in those rifles were my handloads. Never had a problem with properly prepared handloads in those rifles. In the process of selling off my gun collection, four Remington model 742 rifles, all chambered for .30-06, went away. All were capable of consistent three shot 1.5" groups at 100 yards. IMO: The Remington model 742 is a good serviceable rifle when properly cared for. Yep, the model 742 will become a jam-o-matic when the chamber gets rusty. Last edited by thallub; June 10, 2019 at 08:16 AM.

June 10, 2019, 09:28 PM	#14
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	I have an "As New" 742 in 280 Rem caliber sitting in the rack. May not have been fired but no proof either way. Try finding one of those at the corner gun shop.

June 11, 2019, 05:02 AM	#15
wayne in boca Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2005 Posts: 345	I had one in .30-06.It was my hog rifle.It was accurate as heck.I loved it.But it failed to feed about one round in 50.Tried all kinds of things to fix it,and finally gave up and traded it to a deer hunter.Deer don't bite.