Remington Model 742

[Parker650]

...semi auto carbine in .308.

What do you fellas think of this gun?

I'm looking for a semi-auto....was thinking the 7400, but this seemed interesting too.

P650

 

[tmoniz]

A friend of mine has hunted with a 742 in 30/06 for many years. He's never had a problem with it. I've known him for 40 years. In fact when we have hunted together I don't recall him using anything else.

 

[HpRifleWI]

we still have a 742 carbine in 30/06 and it has taken many deer the only thing wrong is that it seens to break the dust cover on the in cold weather.

 

[Speckmisser]

I've got my dad's old 742 in 30-06.

It's a clunky rifle with a fairly sensitive action. Inconsistent loads, sand, dust, or salt will lock it up.

When it's not jammed, it shoots OK, but nothing to write home about. Then again, I don't eat targets and 3" groups at 100yards will kill most critters... unless you're shooting 250+.

But then, I'm no fan of semi-autos anyway.

 

[doghouse95]

I've had several 742's over the years. None were great shooters, but none were dogs either. Like speck said, they will kill a deer and that's what most of us are worried about.
Just as long as you stay away from the #1's......
Did I find the right string to pull??????

 

[ridgerunner835]

i had a 742 that i deer hunted with for 17 years,mine was 30/06.their pretty good guns,but like someone said,their sensitive to dirt and not being cleaned,i killed a few deer with it in the 17 years that i had it,but it got to where it wouldnt eject the emptys(not every shot,but enough to be aggravating),the bolt would go back and try to to feed another shell with the empty still in the chamber and after having to dig a few hulls out with my pocket knife(not easy),i traded it.

 

[Goodranger]

As far as reliability in the model/caliber arena, the .308 for some reason has the highest failure rate in the 742/7400 platform. Nobody knows why.

This info I gleaned from several gunsmiths and 1 major ammo manufacturer.

-Goodranger

 

[dingleberry]

I bought a 3006 bdl 742 in 1990. The gun is unpredictable. Sometimes it will shoot as tight as a bolt action and other times it is a POS. the main thing about the 742 is the bolt that tightens the forearm. It has got to be adjusted just right or your groups will spread and the forearm will slide away from the receiver. The clip will also cause the gun to not eject spent shells if worn. Do yourself a favor and buy a spare now while you can still buy them. The gun will blow the dust covers off the bolt but you can buy a lot of six for about $6 at numerich (spelling). In short, I can't say it is my favorite rifle in the rack. I would like to unload it but I don't hate anyone that much.

 

[Goodranger]

I have a 742 in 30.06 that I have taken 17 deer with. It was my primary rifle for 20 some years, but now it has been relegated to my "walking gun" when I go on a walkabout durring season, otherwise I use my Model 700 in .270 when on stand.

The 742 has never failed on me, as long as I do my part, and I have to admit I was guilty on occasion of relying on the firepower instead of shot placement.

It shoots 1.5" groups at 100yds with 165gr Remington loads, and the key to shot consistency is keeping the forearm screw tight. I did have a trigger job performed to lighten the trigger and take up the slack.

You do need to keep it maintained. I usually give it the full treatment after each box of shells fired through it, which is about 1 box per year.

My brother has a 7400 in .308, and he is just plain deadly with it! I watched him take a deer through the sweet spot at 175yds, offhand!

I definitley like the feel of the 7400 over the 742 in the forearm, it just fits my hand better, and the cut checkering is loads better than the old stamped checkering on the 742.

-Goodranger

 

[larrysogla]

Just like any firearm that is mass produced, there are lemons & there are diamonds. I have had 3 742's & 1 7400. One of the 742 & the 7400 are both reasonably accurate(1 to 2 MOA) right out of the box. The other 2 742's are cantankerous, like the folks in here have said, the forearm screw has to be tight & in the right position(had to experiment with shims) in order for the rifle to shoot reasonably accurate. However, I have not had any jams whatsoever, but then again I have shot not that many rounds(less than 500 rds. thru all 4 rifles). The 7400 is an improvement (to fix the jamming problem of old 742's) over the 742 as I have learned only recently last month from looking at the gunsmithing forums in the other 'sites. From a Remington authorized repair center in Hawaii, the gunsmith said that the artillery style interrupted thread locking lugs of the bolt in the 742 cause deep indentations in the guide channel on the inside of the roof of the receiver after a thousand rounds have been fired. These cause the jamming problems in the 742. His solution is to peen back carefully these indentations & file it smooth so the bolt will glide smooth on this guide channel, and voila!!!! the jamming is fixed. According to him, the only other alternative is to replace the receiver which Remington will NOT do. You will see these deep indentations on the guide channel when you remove the trigger group & look inside the receiver at the guide channel with a flashlight. So now I know how to fix my 742 in case I put a lot of rounds thru it & it starts jamming. God Bless. larrysogla.