I bought a rem 742 BDL in 308 win the wood is awesome .I hope it shoots as good as it looks .I am probalky going to buy a set of plastic stocks to lighten this thing up and the wood is too pretty to hunt with .I use to hunt with a 742 in 3006 and wore it totally out. I used 180 grain core locks in the 3006 it worked pretty good. The 165 grain boattail was terrible up close. I wonder what bullet 150 to 180 grain works best in the 308 which is just a little slower than the 3006.I have a 243 win in a rem 742 it's crazy accurate and has never jammed .I figured this 308 would work pretty good too alot less strain on the action .I have wanted a less kicking rifle to play with hooe this one shoots as good as it looks 6.Its a shame they don't use this kind of wood any more .

quote:

.I use to hunt with a 742 in 3006 and wore it totally out.

I was told by a Remington factory rep that the 742s were designed as a 200 to 400 round rifle.

There thinking was most people shoot less then a box a year. So at that rate it would last the average guy decades.

If you shoot 150s for deer you will not notice any difference from your 06. tj3006

yep.
I run my 0-6 at 2800 fps and my 308 at 2700 with 150's.
the trajectory and deer whackability are pretty much identical.

I use the hornady's in the 308 and the sierra's in the 0-6.
I could just as easily swap them around.

My 243 win model 742 has lasted way over 1000 rounds and is the most accurate semiautomatic I have ever seen .i figured the 308 should be less punishing to a 742 than the 3006 was.Its usually a total cleaning that brings them back to life. My BAR Browning 300 win mag quit shooting. I ran a bore snake through it cleaned it everywhere and it went from zero function to perfict function again .I will see how good it shoots the next day or so .It looked almost new I couldn't refuse it as cheap it was and I wanted an easy kicking gun .
It should last a lot longer than the 3006 rifles did .I hunted with my 3006 20 years .The wood on this one is totally awesome too .It makes a ruger American look like a milk jug gun which it is .Its going to be fun to shoot !

I would like a 742 that was accurate, but Ive had terrible luck with them..the 760s that Ive owned all shot great, as good as a bolt gun, but they rattle like a bb in a box car, so I offed them also..

I have looked for another 243 win in 742 or 7400 forever they didn't make that many .It used the same diameter barrel as the 3006 so the 243 bore made for a heavier barrel and way more accurate .It hardly heats up either and the recoil is like a 223 to me .I just totally cleaned up the 308 hope it does well .If it's good I might splurge on a trigger job the springs are old and a nice trigger would help big time .I grew up on these guns just wish they had been made way better they look awesome !

Congrats! I have a BIL in East Tx that has been using his 742/308 since the early 70's! He likes the Sierra 150 SBT on those small deer and hogs. I knew another guy who had another one and it too shot great. The ones in 6mm Remington were dandy also. The only ones I used and saw others used that were jammomatics were in 30-06. Seems the shorter cases are just better for semis. Anyhow, I hope this one shoots well for you!

I want to add though, that the 7400 ( I had a Model Four in .270 I sold to my aunt) has been a great shooter and reliable rifle. I also had a Mod 750 in the Whelen that was nifty. Seems the newer ones have had some bugs worked out? I don't like the "wiggle" in the Model 7600 forearm at all! I just can't get used to it.

I am getting a trigger job done on this one and my 243 from Williams triggers . That 243 shot way better than my ruger 77 in 243 win . The stocks on the bdl are awesome.I am buying a set of the plastic stocks for hunting and shooting .I will put a bigger scope on it also it came with a Redfield widefield 1 3/4 x5 power scope and a flip over mount .I am putting a weaver base and the new type weaver see through mounts on it .I will try the cheap Simmons 3.5x10 but will be looking for a Nikon for it with the circles in it for shooting running game .I wish someone made better receivers for these .I might toy with my old 3006 742 but I think it's done .I will shoot this 308 the next day or so .

I used the 150 gr Remington sp. If for larger than whitetail I would go to the current Barnes TTSX. If for bear protection the 165 to 168 Gr TTSX would be my choice. I never hunted anything but Whitetail in the state of Misery. Good luck. Packy

I finally got to shoot this awesome rifle.It had no kick at all .I am going to change the scope and stock to a fiberglass one and put the easy magazine release on it .
I had a hard time killing deer with my 3006 at 200 yards they usually ran .Today we have better scopes and better bulkets . This is going to be a fun gun !

Ive used a lot of 150 gr, Hornadty SP FB interlocks on both Mule deer and tiny whitetail (Coues and Texas Hill country) with great results. Nosler Bal tips too destructive..and surprisingly enough Ive had exceptional luck in my 30-06 with 200 gr Accubonds on elk and Texas Hill country deer!! which came about by accident and as quite a surprise..

I have the cheap version of the later 7400, the "Sportsman 74", mine is in 30-06 and it has always liked 165g Nosler ballistic tips, but I just bought several boxes of Accubonds. I load them all in front of 49.0 grains of IMR4064.

I can put a magazine of them into a 4" (the size of a clay target) circle as fast as I can get a sight picture and pull the trigger again at any range out to 250yards.

Mine wears a non-descript hardwood stock that the original varnished finish turned to gum and peeled off the stock like snot, I scraped the rest of it off with a nickel and re-fininshed with a dark minwax stain and Tung Oil

DGR- May I just "suggest" that you forego the see through mounts and just use a simple, stout base & rings. Two reasons (1) your cheek can't get a good 'stock weld" with the high mounts; "chin weld", yeah, but you have two jawbone "hinges" above that chin! and (2) a scope with a lower end, even the "4x" of a 4x12 is faster to get on target than searching for the iron sights through the rings. Just "try it" set up the way I suggested, and if you don't like it, you can always put the see throughs on. Now, you most likely will never be able to keep it zeroed with them, but that would be a #3....