I have a 742... it's neither accurate nor reliable... unless you use Remington Core-Lokt 180Gr ammo. But I love it. It's heavy kicks like a mule but it's mine and yeah..
Not yet, but they look like better designs. I especially like the bolt geometry. It's actually really modern. If I can find one that's not crazy overpriced I may pick one up.
@@Deanosaurous Cool...I think Winchester may have even submitted one for testing as a possible military rifle. I always wanted one of these as I thought they were the sleekest and best looking of the classic semi auto hunting rifles. I wish somebody would come up with a folding stock, like the A-Team mini 14, or even the Paratrooper M1 Carbine. That would be one slick little rifle. They even came in 284 Winchester, which is a hell of a cartridge.
You haven’t mentioned that the trigger group can be removed by drifting out the two retaining pins and then you can flush out the receiver. Can also lube from there. Also not all of them were drilled and tapped. Got one.
1955 and "Woodsmaster" says everything you need to know. This replaced the highly regarded Model 81 in the catalog after a couple of years, and that was too good an act to follow.
Feel like this happens a lot with Remington, maybe not exactly the same stuff you described, but the 1100 for example is either looked at as still one of the best semi auto shotguns ever made. Or completely eclipsed by basically anything on the market today lol
We live in wisconsin and my version of the 740 is the 760 or 7600s. Our hunting group had 9 guys in it... 8 of which had the 760, one guy with a 740. All in 3006. Right now between me and my dad we have 5 or 6. plus one broken parts gun. The rem 760 brings back so much nostalgia and even today in the northern wisconsin deer woods in november i see more remington 7600s than anything else. EVERYONE i see always has several in their group. Maybe check out that gun next. They are accurate guns, but they warm up quick, and you pretty much cant take them apart unless youve got the wrench. Loved this videoso much. Please check out the 7600 in 3006 sometime. They are the pump action version of the 740. I have a soft spot in my heart for them.
I'm a Wisconsinite and a 760 guy, too! Remington autoloaders and pumps are still going strong in my deer camp. Every malfunction I've ever seen in one of those old autoloaders was due to neglect. They don't deserve their jam-o- matic reputation.
My grandpa had 7400- several 742- and 2 model 4s there all totally shit for reliable function the vs my fathers Browning BAR and m1A were far far far far far far far far better - my grandfather only fooled with them because he liked the safety and mag system better than the BAR - but for reliability the BAR eats the remington alive fact! Coming from a family that reloads ammo!!!!!
Funny I just got this video after cleaning a 740. Second time it’s been apart in 45 years. No rust. Never had a malfunction shooting. Accurate as any other “off the shelf gun” Again I’ve always lubed it wet. It is a giant PITA to disassemble.
ive got 2 of the remington 742s in 308 win one that my wife uses deer hunting her gun loves the federal 150 grain bullets and puts them in at just under a inch at 100 yards and in my 308 i run the remington 165 gr bullets at 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards and yes they are a pain in the butt to tear down and give a good cleaning but i do enjoy doing that kind of stuff in the winter months when the deer hunting season is over some times you just have to try different brands and bullet weights to find what your gun really likes and when you find the stuff your gun likes go out and buy as much of that stuff you can afford and a quick shot of rem lube after its cleaned doesent hurt a thing but we keep our shots at deer to 250 yards or less if im going to be hunting fields that could give me longer shots i take my 7mm rem mag mod 700 with hand loads or my winchester mod 70 30-06with hand loads
Thank you for this. Bike specific bags are expensive, there are chinese options that are good but the zippers and stitching are not eliable in the long term. Thank you for this option.
I have a model 7400 in .30-06. My wife bought it for me in the early 90s. At first, it had trouble ejecting the shells. It would literally tear chunks out of the case head. I was using Remington ammunition. I discovered, though that it would fire military ball ammunition just fine. So I reasoned it had to be the ammunition and not the rifle. I discovered that it likes Winchester super X and cycles those just fine. I think the gun was designed to be used as a hunting rifle, where a Hunter would take it out of the safe, sight the rifle in and take it hunting. Then it would go back into the safe. It was not designed for shooting a lot of ammunition like a military style rifle. The accuracy is OK. At 100 yards I get about a 2 inch group which is fine for me. I keep the rifle, clean and lubed and it’s been a fine rifle. Excellent video.
I've always wanted one, but never ran across one in good enough shape at a good enough price. Oh yeah, i could do without my part of all the left handed sarcasm and insults regarding "boomers." It seems like it's gotten really popular here lately to take a gratuitous dump on this generation You would do well to remember that you wouldn't be here without them.
I have shot the semi auto version and it was a tack driver with magazine issues. If i found another one cheap enough, i would go for it. They are asically shotguns made into rifles.
My dad, a Marine bought a 742 for me as my first deer rifle in the mid 70's, he was the one to take care of it though and I never had an issue with it of any kind, zeroed it at 100 yards and never missed a target, I remember it shot well but don't remember ever measuring anything, if it would have shot bad we'd have bought something else that's for damned sure.
Had one in the mid 80's. I didn't know shit and even I figured out it was a POS. After a rained out hunting trip it was a rust bucket. 3 MOA? you got a really good one.
I researched these rifles quite a bit when looking for a semiautomatic deer rifle. Couldn’t find one at an attractive price, but found a deal on a BAR. Now folks are saying that the Benelli rifle is the best semi. Lots of opinions.
I recently got a 1997 Remington 7400 (the updated version of your rifle) and went through the same thing you did. I bought a service manual and completely disassembled the gun, for cleaning and replaced the action spring. Yes the gun was very dirty and it took me hours to clean it. But after reassembling the gun it shot great with no issues. In my opinion this is a good gun and look forward to using it for years to come.
Had 2 of them. Parts are not being made for these rifles.A worn magazine will cause a good rifle to jam. Good magazines are almost impossible to find. Both mine were very accurate with 150 grain bullets...but ..semiauto rifles will evidently break parts that you can't find...sold both and bought a nice bolt action
Remember shooting Dad's 30-06 BAR at 6. So my dumb self ask for a lightweight youth model savage for my adolescent hunting rifle. Bruised the hell out of my shoulder for years.
In 1972 or 73 a NYC candy store (an old no longer existing NYC thing) owner in the Bronx offered me his (registered because it was NYC) 742 .30-06 carbine for sale for $100. Such a good sale price I declined and instead went up to the GW Bridge area and bought a Marlin 336 (which turned out to be not all that) at a gun shop near the bridge. Someone else I knew bought the candy store owner's carbine. In a few days he was complaining the inside was all rusty and cleaning it was a pain. He had to put into a gun smith for repair and I don't think he was happy about that. In the early 80s there were a few sources in 'Shotgun News' for extended magazines for the 742 and 760s. In that era a 742 or a 760 was still cheaper than an M1A and everyone was into what gun to use after the A bomb mushroom clouds settled and the Soviet paratroopers started dropping all around. Those extended magazines were very popular with the folks who thought a Red Dawn was arriving soon. It didn't happen but the guy making those magazines probably got pretty rich. Now if the candy store owner had been offering a 760 instead, I probably would have bought it. I would probably still have it. Years later I acquired a different much better Remington Model 81 Woodsmaster made before WW2 (serial #185XX) in .35 Remington. I don't know what Corporate silliness led to discontinuing the Model 81 to bring out the 740 instead. As a consumer I would have much preferred a carbine version of a Model 81. Sigh, Remington never listened to it's customers. I don't know the MOA of my 81, but can attest the 3 stacked 3" wooden log ends (center left screen) I obliterate shoulder firing at 6:40 to about 6:55 in my own video at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7VQbGpi2hq8.html are about 60 yards away. That's more than good enough in these woods.
I had a first year 740 in 30-06, as a novice gun owner at the time I had a lot of issues with the magazine so I sold it. It was really ahead of it's time in 1955, fist gas operated semi auto designed for civilan use. Now I wish I had just gotten a new mag for it. I currently have two 742's, I keep them clean and lubed, they run well and both shoot around 2 moa. Good enough for what they were designed for.
Remington may have took it for granted that the people in the 1950's knew to lubricate mechanical devices. Unlike today, back then the suspension components on cars required regular lubrication. Electric motors, etc. had ports to oil the bearings before sealed bearings came in to common usage. Great video.
I bought a 7400 in 30-06 from my neighbor a few years back. I guess I'll be taking it apart and checking it. This video has brought this into the forefront of my firearm project list. Thanks!
The 3 rings of steel... Between this model and the pump version. Extremely popular in its day. Carry the 1100 and it, bird hunt and deer hunt in the same day. Not bad to disassemble just need to know the tricks of it. Problem, the bolt would develop a spur.. very fast cycle rate. Fix it once, fix it twice. It's done. Can't repair it anymore. Problem is it was not designed to be shot a lot... but people would. So it shot itself to death. Currently, parts are very difficult to come by. Buy the pump version and own it happily for life. Want to learn more about this rifle. Attend Colorado School of Trades Gunsmith course.
Im not familiar with this rifle at all just judging the way people are talking its either really great or the worst p.o.s. evermade the fact that peoples opinions of them vary so much is telling me the rifle design isnt that great and everyone seems to agree theyre difficult to clean and or lube puts me firmly in the camp of nope hard pass
It certainly has been divisive. That's part of the charm for me. I shot it this weekend again, and I think I'll be making a follow-up video about the accuracy soon.
I ve got an old one. Long barrel. And i ve had every trype after that all the way up to the synthetic mat finish 7400 stock angled for a scope. Had 06 with the engraving and checkered stock. They are ALL hit n miss on accuracy and reliability .you re right they are their OWN catergory. Almost like a fogotten branch... I love them!!! Some of them handle and shoot like a 22 rifle with the down range power of kill everything The 10 round mags never work. I wish they would come with them again but SLIM VERSION not bulky w pic rails all over it. Light weight!!
I’ve had all the Remington semi autos the 8,81,742,4 which was a fancy 7400. They were all good if cleaned and oiled. The biggest problem with the 742 was the extractor breaking and Remington stopped making parts in the late 90s.
Gun forums aka Fudd forums. 😂 My better half's father has one of these. It's definitely quite the chore cleaning one of these. The key is keeping the things clean. The 740/742 does have the potential to be reliable and reasonably accurate. If you run across and purchase Hornady 168gr M1 Garand vintage match the 740/742 likes that ammo. It was designed for the Garand. You definitely told the truth about the 740/742
3-4 moa? lol My dad's old one was moa no problem and i had a 7400 in 270 some yrs ago that would always cut the same bullet hole at 100 with the ammo i used.
My family actually has one! It was my grandfather's and they also never took care of it. They shoot it once and it jams. My father took it to a gunsmith after every hunting attempt just to "fix it". Very strange behavior.
U-C....back in those days in America that no longer exists, these firearms were marketed to veterans of WW2 and Korea. They knew that guns needed lube. They didn't need to be told. Today owners manuals tell not to stick your tongue in the action.
I challenge you to find me a firearms manual that says that (yes, I understand your underlying point but it's condescending and ridiculous). In a country where there are 4 guns per citizen, but only 1 in 30 even consider joining the military...explicit instructions create a better informed and safer user. I guess I have to apologize on behalf of the younger generations we weren't all drafted into a large-scale conflict or grew up on pappy's ranch shooting squirrels with a .22? That's nuts.
If you hunted the Adirondack's back in the 70's you carried a Remington 742 or 760. You got your deer every year and if you were lucky maybe a black bear. If you pulled into student parking in your pickup and had a 742 in the rear window gunrack you were considered cool.
My Dad used a Model 70 sporter with a "semi heavy" barrel. His best buddy used a Remington 740. Dad shot 180gr Remington Core-loc - his buddy used whatever junk came along.. Every season he had to take his to the gunsmith for a cleaning after deer season whether he shot at any deer or not. The Smith was a buddy of my Dad's and he griped to Dad that Remingtonade a great rifle - but your friend is going to beat the damn thing to death with that garbage he is running through it.. Eventually he traded it for a 7600 pump - still in .30-06.. Dad stuck with the bolt gun till he died..
If memory serves me correctly, you should insure the bolt to barrel fit . The guns have a history of bolt lug problems. Insure that all lugs are engaging properly.
I have shot this one at the range (borrowed rifle) and the accuracy was so-so at 100 yards. The owner of the rifle did not get better groups either. It's definitely a close range woods rifle. A better choice and more popular in the North East is the Remington 760-7600 pump action rifle. It is a bit more accurate once you get used to the trigger, which is similar to the 870 pump shotgun. They also feed more reliably. Thanks for the video.
I bought mine some 30 years ago, the guy said his brother said it didn't shoot. I stripped it down, cleaned, lubed, It then sat for years, A few years ago, I got scope rings, a 3x9, Burris, sighted at 100 yds, and got 3-4 inch groups, acceptable to me for a hundred yard gun.
I had a 742 in 30/06. Tried to sight it in when I got it and it was all over the place and then discovered that the barrel nut was loose. I tightened it and it settled down, but I never really shot it enough to see what it could really do. I eventually sold it and bought a 760. That one I do really like.
I had the exact same issue with mine, after I applied lock tight and tightening the nut it shoots 1.75" groups at 100 yards with factory loads from Walmart, I haven't tried any premium ammo. Good enough for deer. I also have a 760, I like both.
I had 2 of these at the same time…..a plain Jane version like you have there and the super fancy basket weave designed stock version. Both were pieces of shit. Lol. Perhaps if I knew more of how to properly clean them or how to spot the damage in the action, I could’ve had a better appreciation for them. Regardless….i bought them at the same time and I ended up selling them at the same time. I would never want a woman that required that much maintenance, so I definitely have no need for that kind of maintenance in a gun. Lol. But, I know people that swear by them…..and that’s valid. I’m a Gen X’r at 49 years old, and I have to say, you sure do shit on “Baby Boomers” a lot. I’m sorry, but I just find it disrespectful. I was raised better than that. Baby boomers didn’t care about shooting a steel target at 1000 yds or trying to connect dots on a piece of paper for bragging rights. Nor do I. In fact, I never shoot anything but factory ammo, mostly “core lokt” in fact, and I value my money and time too much to do otherwise. Accuracy varies from rifle to rifle obviously, but usually anywhere from 1-1/2” down to sub moa, depending on rifle and bullet weight. I’m absolutely fine with that…..for me. I can’t run out there and draw a tiny circle on the deer before shooting, so I can post a pic of where my bullet hit, for bragging rights. Ethically accurate is what I’m after. Nor will I dump stupid amounts of money and time into developing rounds, swapping out rifle parts, or machining rifle parts, all in the name of chasing a dragon that doesn’t need to be chased. However…..those things bring some people joy and peace, so what I find ridiculous about it, doesn’t matter. So in short, maybe don’t be so dismissive of Baby boomers and things that came before you…..they did far more with far less, than my generation or yours. Sorry, I had to say it. Lmao. Other than that, it’s a very informative video.
