I'm trying to find out about the 740's, especially in .308. So it's good to hear what you guys have to say..................

Poohgyrr, I have a Rem. 742 in .308 Win. I bought it new in 1971, from a small gun store in Van Nuys, Ca., that was going out of business, and had dicounted all guns, so got a good price on it.

Mine shoots 1 1/4' to 1 1/2" consistently with both factory 150 gr. and 165 gr. bullets, and with my handloads in same.

It's been so long since I used 180 gr. bullets (factory Remington) I can't remember the accuracy. I've killed several Calif. Muleys with it, and have never had a jam. I DO KEEP IT CLEAN.

Here's a tip/suggestion, should you buy one(742). The forearm screw should NOT be too tight. Just nice and snug (whatever that means). The nut that holds the barrel to receiver should be very tight. Keep the gas port clean, and you should not have any trouble.

If you reload, use the small base resizing dies made for sizing brass for semi-autos. (I use RCBS.)

Have fun. L.W.

The second big game rifle I owned was a 7400 in .270 win. My brother bought it for me so I didn't have to shoot that "commie SMLE" at deer anymore. He said it was a choice between the 7400 and a Browning A-bolt (what the hell was he thinking????). Anyway, it worked fine if I didn't fire anymore than 15 rounds before cleaning it. After that it would start to jam. I suppose it worked for shooting at deer but long sessions at the range were out of the question. That is quite unexeptable!!!

I have used for over 15 years maybe. Jamming isn't the hugest issue. The main issue is with that forearm screw. My POI always changed year to year. I blamed it on the weaver see thrus, I blamed it on the scope, blamed it on everything. Finally one day I did a test and loosen the screw to where it was in but not snug. I shot 4" low, then tightened it very hard, and shot 6" high. That ain't no way to hunt.

I hear people all the time say its the scope. I have proved 2 people wrong by this test.
One thing about it, it doesn't seem to be off with open sights at 50 yards. I am beginning to think that is the way this gun should be used.

The 742's have a bad habit of cracking and chipping the inside reciver rails. After a freind of mine showed me one that was chipped I checked others that I knew about and found that they also had chips in the rails. I would not buy a 742. From what I have seen they don't have the life span that I want from a gum.

I have a 740 in 30/06 that my dad bought in the early 50's, I believe. He was forever fiddling with the forend screw to make it shoot right. He loved the gun and used it a lot. But he called it "Lightnin"...not because it was fast, but because it never struck in the same place twice! I'd never sell it but can't say as I've ever hunted with it either. Jim

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I have a 740 in 30/06 that my dad bought in the early 50's, I believe. But he called it "Lightnin"...not because it was fast, but because it never struck in the same place twice!

Interesting, I have a 740 06 of my dad's also. I dont want to shoot it, he complained of it jamming in the early 90's and purchased a 7600 in 06. I never could convince him to hunt with any of his bolt actions. Maybe it was his Missouri upbringing.......



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Just after retirement I bought a used 7400 in .308 Win as a "beater" gun. Something that I could drag up the hill, use as a walking stick, fall on and not worry about the scatches.

Took it home and found it didn't shoot Core Lokts worth a damn ... 3" groups maybe!

First handload for it (150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips on LC cases with about 52 grains of BLC-2 [from memory ... don't trust as loading data!]) the groups dropped in size to around an inch. I still used it where noise is a potential issue with neighbors. Has not jammed, but I keep it clean.

Kills deer most years ... has been an OK rifle for the eastern woods

Those Remingtons have been very common in the Northeast for a long time.

I heard about two of them that lost their clips in the snow when firing at game! In both instances this really mattered and the game was lost.

I see no reason why one could not be made to take game. Nor am I even going to think why I am not interested.

I've owned several of them, traded up to a Win Model 100, and lived happily ever after!

with these guns, and the 7600s, so common, I have never understood why someone has not offered an after market trigger.

There is little or no discussion of Remington autoloaders due to the attitude of the owners.

Other autoloaders such as the Garand for instance are used in competition and therefore get developed.

I have a 7400 in 270.. i like the name lightning that suits this rifle as well.
It did shoot good when I first got it. 1" to 1 1/4" groups,
now it will pattern 2 rounds at 11 oclock and the next 2 at 5 oclock,4 inches apart. you can load one at a time or feed it from the magazine and the results are the same. Tried a bunch of diffrent loads. tried diffrent scopes and diffrent mounts. pulled the barrel checked the chamber reworked the trigger, I still use it though, like the one guy said ive killed a truck load of deer with it.

I don't have anything bad about the semi autos from Remington. I have expressed some of my trials with some of my families guns. I have a Sportsman 74 in 30/06. I got it a few years ago from my uncle he got it from a business deal. I picked it from him for 125$. It was my first high powered rifle and I killed my first deer with it and I killed a four point this year. Had to have some work done to it after last year. it started to hang upand was just about pulling the rim off the case. Took it to my gunsmith friend he told me it need to be head spaced and the chamber needed to be cleaned up a bit. So the work was done. I got it back and went to the range. I was shooting factory fodder 150 gr. corelocks. Before the work the gun would shoot anywhere from an inch to 3 inches according to the day . After the work the gun became a tack driver. Well, from what I hear about these guns I have a tack driver i can shoot to a little bit under an inch with all the ammo i can put through it. Anyway I like the gun. I will continue to hunt with this gun for a good long while. LLB

The great majority of Remington autoloader customers believe they have a machine that will mow them down. Once they buy it they believe they are all set. You know how strong beliefs are.



This is from my observations and that of others. On a very expensive trip two hunters brought Remington 7400's both in 30-06. No back up rifles were brought by anyone due to the weight restrictions on the plane.



There was an informal sight in before hunting began. One of the auto shooters missed the target at 50 yds but finally one hit was made. It hit 4" high. He clicked down the amount required to be on and would not fire another shot.



This same hunter had his magazine fall out after hiting a deer at rather long range. The deer escaped even though there was a very active guide right there. Of course a second shot was not fired.



I am not for or against 740 autoloaders for hunting. It just that the owners of them don't really seem to care very much about rifles.

OK, I see what you're talking about. I've run into bozos like that shooting all sorts of rifles, but I can see how these are probably more likely to appeal to "the average joe" than to gun enthusiasts. I ran into a drunk under a tree with a 742 on his lap and at least 12 beer cans around him one morning deer hunting. I got around the curve of the hill out of line-of-sight and of fire ASAP. Presently a deer ran by and I heard several shots fired rapidly from close by, bullets cracking through the tree limbs, and a big crashing commotion. One of my buddies who was a bit behind me saw it all. The drunk was running after the deer, trying to shoot at him as he ran! They do seem to be good serviceable rifles, though. They can't help it if someone mishandles them.

The only way I have had a mag fall out was when I neglected to place it properly in the gun! I don't think that is a fault of the guns but the owners. LLB

Ye of little faith. If you can't hit a deer at 50 yards with a 742, then you probably can't with it a bolt either.

In my experience....if it breaks 3 MOA (with reloads) you're lucky. That does not fall within my accuracy standards...hence trash!

Some years ago a deer hunting buddy of mine had an old Remington semi-auto in 30-06 that had its problems. No matter what we did or how he cleaned it, it would seldom fire more than one shot without jamming.
I found it hard to see how a guy who had a just-new-built house, a new 4x4 F-150, and a Honda Foreman ATV could put up with a 20yr old rifle that wouldn't shoot.
He got fed up with me razzing him; he went out and got a new BAR in 30-06.

I have a 742 carbine in 30-06 that is very accurate, and reliable. I've never needed a second shot with it, but the follow-up round has always been in the chamber and ready to go, and I've never had the clip fall out. I put three in the clip and one in the chamber which allows the clip to seat more easily than if it contains four.

I may be dreaming, but I seem to recall that Timney used to rework the triggers on these guns. Might be worth a phone call.

Hey Bill, is that buck lying where it fell?

I wish I did live where deer like that came into my yard. And the area was "shootable"



steve y is just jealous. He keeps wanting to make knife handles out of my deer's antlers.



And here's a target . the one on the right is my 742 from 100 yards.

Nice groups, Bill! Were the other two shots in each group off the paper?



Reminds me of an old saying about a blind hog with a typewriter and an acorn-eatin' monkey or something like that....



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Seriously, if you were really proud of those antlers you'd let me take a section out of each beam. I'd dowel and glue 'em back where you wouldn't even notice.....

Heavy barrel = 5 shot groups. Hunting barrel = 3 shot groups.

The 742 is a great rifle for 100 or less shots unless you are unfortunate enough to have one that jams. Mine hasn't. Most of my shots at deer have been at less than 40 yards.

One shot, one kill unless they were running. Then you shoot all but one which makes the deer come back and stick out his tongue at you. Then you use that last shot.

And after I'm gone and if you try to make knife handles out of my deer, I'll come back and warn every deer you're affixin to shoot.

100 or less shots? You mean without cleaning? Or did you go and convert that 742 for belt-feeding?



Hey, if you retrofit a powder solvent pump to the gas port you might have something!



(Oh well at least it doesn't have see-through scope mounts--that is, any more.)



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When you gonna admit that's the pet buck that guy down at the river used to hire out for photos. Yep, for $50 he would drug that buck and plop him in the back of your pickup truck or front yard for photo ops. I think he even used to have a Remington 742 loaner rifle for the photos if needed! See? Where's the bloody tongue that should be hanging out? The multiple exit wounds? ....if you look closely at its head you can see where the halter goes....

Opps, I left out the word, "yards"

and here's your pet deer.