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March 29, 2010, 02:00 PM | #1 |
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Remingtion 742: need your opinion.
Hi
I have come across a Remington 742 in .308 winchester. I would like to know what are your views on this rifle. Thanks. |
March 29, 2010, 02:28 PM | #2 |
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How much $ ?
My opinion of the rifle is this...clean it good, especially the chamber, shoot middle groung loads in it if you handload. Anything factory will work EXCEPT the Light Magnum/Superperformance/Enhanced velocity offerings. When I handloaded for these (or any gas semi-auto) I wound up halfway between listed starting and listed max loads and never had any problems. Again, keep the rifle clean, especially the chamber. This is not a battle rifle. It was designed as a hunting arm, and fills that purpose well. Last edited by uncyboo; March 29, 2010 at 02:34 PM. |
March 29, 2010, 02:38 PM | #3 |
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While 742s were reliable and very serviceable rifles, some problems that arise are:
* They develop serious headspace issues and receiver wear, which make them unfixable jam-o-matics. * The rifle has not been produced in about 30 years, so just about any 742 you come across is already pretty tired. * While some parts are available, many are not, and Remington Service Centers routinely turn 742s away as unrepairable. This does not mean they cannot be fixed at all, just that you may end up putting a lot of money into a rifle that is not really worth it.
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March 29, 2010, 02:43 PM | #4 |
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Jamomatics. Avoid like the plague.
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March 29, 2010, 02:44 PM | #5 |
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Had a 742 in .243 for awhile. With factory ammo and stock mags it was 100% reliable. With reloads I had trouble getting it to function using RCBS small base dies. With aftermarket 10 round mags it was unreliable. As an after thought I often think I should of tried some other brand of small base dies for my reloads and I might of been alright. I liked the gun, it was decent in the accuracy department with handloads and it handled well but went down the road anyway due to the issues.
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March 29, 2010, 09:52 PM | #6 |
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Junk when new !!!
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March 29, 2010, 10:30 PM | #7 |
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Puffery!
An exaggerated statement based on opinion, not fact. |
March 30, 2010, 05:24 AM | #8 |
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There are a bunch that jam. Do a search on 'Remington jam' on here.
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March 30, 2010, 06:45 AM | #9 |
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Thank you guys. I think I will stay clear of 742. No need to buy a rifle that has so many complaints on jams.
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March 30, 2010, 07:24 AM | #10 |
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Well, for $250 or $300 you can try one and see. Even though they are old I doubt a large percentage ever left the closet other than a once a year deer hunt. I know of several in that category. Seems like some claim they always jam and some say they never jam. It's not like it's big money loser to play with.
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March 31, 2010, 02:11 PM | #11 |
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Unless you get it real cheap<$200, I'd pass. with a good one you need to keep it real clean and be satisfied with 'minute of deer" accuracy. If you have a bad one it's jammomatic forever.
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March 31, 2010, 03:16 PM | #12 |
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I had one along time ago. I did not reload at the time. The rifle always worked for me. But having read what some have advised that I really respect in there knowledge I probably would pass on it. Just being old is one, not that it cant be fixed. A few of them really know there stuff, and I would take there advise, and check it out till your satisifed on what you do. It would be a pass for me, but that is only me.
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March 31, 2010, 08:55 PM | #13 |
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I had one in .243 for a while... good little gun, shot not too bad. The thing I have been told to look for is really quite simple. If you hold the action open look into the reciever and on the side opposite the ejection port. There is a steel rail type thing in there. If it is worn and beat up looking the rifle has been fired a lot and is nearing then end of its useful life and will become the dreaded jam-o-matic.
The one I had was pretty good overall... only jammed a couple of times.
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April 1, 2010, 04:03 AM | #14 |
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I've had a 742 in 308 since
1973, never has given me a problem.I just hold on a deer and if I do my part DRT. I really didn't pay attention to all these negative comments. I"m gonna get rid of it before she starts jamming. My uncle up in washington cty Me has one that he bought before the bolt or thread angle change. goes bang all the time. another 308. |
April 1, 2010, 06:06 AM | #15 |
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I've found a few of these rifles to shoot very well. Toward the end of their production run, Remington made some soft receivers and they wore out quickly, being deformed by the bolt in recoil.
Bolts on older rifles often created burrs on the barrel breech end from the relatively small contact area slamming into the barrel. Those may have been repeatedly slammed shut without ammo. The biggest problem I have with the model is that the bolt hold-open feature is in the magazine, so it can't be removed without closing the bolt. On the other hand, the 760 and 7600 pumps are fine rifles that last a long time. The barrels are free-floating, resulting in great accuracy. |
April 1, 2010, 08:22 AM | #16 |
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My grandmother passed me her Remington Woodsmaster 740 recently, circa 1955. It runs quite well on factory ammunition, I don't reload 30-06 so I can't speak to that facet. I get 2 MOA out of it with Winchester CT ammo. I've yet to have it jam on me, but after detail stripping it, I can see how the gas system could be problematic as parts wear. However, my reference 740 has 50 years of hunting under its belt and is not badly worn.
Remington has sold over a million of the 740/742/7400/750 line of rifles, all essentially the same. Amazingly you hear little about them, either there are a lot of them sitting in closets or they aren't all bad. It's worth mentioning that these are hunting rifles, not long range precision sniper rifles, or high volume battle rifles. The capability for rapid fire is there, but the rifle/barrel is not designed to handle it. Just my somewhat objective view based on first hand experience. |
April 1, 2010, 12:17 PM | #17 |
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I have shot the dickens out of my 1976 Bi Centennial 742 chambered in .30-06. Several deer, and a number of hogs have gone from woods to table, thanks to my Remington.
Very good accuracy, totally reliable, and easy to carry and shoot.
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April 1, 2010, 03:26 PM | #18 |
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Ya know I find it interesting that the shooters here that favor the 742 even slightly all list examples, loads, show pics, list accuracy results, etc. The people that don't favor the 742 ONLY post short, 1 sentence responses against the gun. Makes me think that the ones that are calling them jamomatics, junk, etc. are just regurgitating internet BS and have zero personal experience with the gun. You want to call em junk back it up with fact and info, otherwise your opinion is useless.
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April 1, 2010, 04:02 PM | #19 |
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My post will be short again but I've had 2 in 30-06, bought one that looked like hell for $75.00 and it worked pretty good. bought another that looked very good for $150.00 and wouldn't function with any consistency with any ammo. i'd buy another for cheap but wouldn't pay much on that gamble.
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April 1, 2010, 04:25 PM | #20 | |
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Quote:
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April 1, 2010, 08:44 PM | #21 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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April 1, 2010, 10:37 PM | #22 | |
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Quote:
I inherited a 742 from my grandfather that had LESS THAN A BOX of 30-06 shot through it. It jammed every 2 or 3 shots until it totally failed and the bolt would not close. I took it apart and replace some tiny springs in the action. It lasted about 3 shots and hung open again. I took it to a gunsmith and he "fixed it" for me. He told me that if you get a good one, you are lucky and you have a good gun, but most of them are jamomatics. He told me to buy a BAR if I wanted an automatic. I took it home, fired 2 shots and it jammed again. 1 shot later the bolt locked open AGAIN. I took it back and he "fixed it" again. I got it home and it jammed every couple shots. The next time I took it out, the bolt locked open again. I put it in the gun safe at the camp and that is where it will stay. I would not sell that POS to my worst enemy. Back in the day, everybody just about shot 742s because they were cheap. Not many used bolt actions then. My uncle had one that jammed all the time. My dad had one that jammed all the time. A friend of mine at work has one that actually works well. That is 25%. I don't like those odds. Is that enough info for you? If not, next time I'm at the farm, I'll take a picture of that POS with the bolt hung open. |
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April 1, 2010, 10:46 PM | #23 |
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I think that there is no denying that these guns have been hit & miss. To say otherwise would be a silly joke at best.
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April 2, 2010, 02:11 AM | #24 |
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I bought my 742 30-06 Carbine, 18 1/2" barrel for 175 dollars, very lightly used, back around 1978. I have always used handloaded ammo for it. When I first started loading it I used IMR 4350 and it did not like that powder. I put the gun away and started using my bolt actions, bringing it out of the safe once in awhile. Over the years I've tinkered with it off and on and have found that a small base sizing die, middle of the road loading with 180 grain Remington Core Lokt Spitzers, and IMR 4064 gives very acceptable accuracy and functions at about 99%. It is a great handling rifle and I would be very comfortable with it out to 250 yards or so. As others have said, you must keep them clean and I don't shoot more than ten rounds without cleaning it. When the spent cases start looking dirty, time to stop shooting and give it a good cleaning.
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April 2, 2010, 02:47 AM | #25 |
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The centerfire semi autos seem to be a regional thing... You don't see many autos out in my part of the world... That said, I still have heard more bad than good about the 742... With the 30-06 if you need five shots to kill a deer, then.... You need more practice...
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.308 , remington 742 |
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