Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Recommendation for someone to restore old 742

Can you recommend someone who can reblue an old 742? My dad tried to have it restored before he died and a local guy jacked it up with some kind of spray on finish. I would like it reblued. The local guy also lost at least one spring out of the forearm and the sights. I would like those replaced so it would be functional. The only good smith I know personally no longer does blueing. I contacted Turnbull but they did not want the job. Have tried contacting Midwest but can't get through to them. Is there anyone else out there that is reputable? Appreciate your wisdom.

Smart man right there.. MGW won't do it, IIRC.. There's only one place that I know of in the US that might still work on those - Nuline Guns...

http://www.nulineguns.com/

Bring big bux...

Replacing the part(s) and sights ought to be a simple DIY job, Outback Gun Parts should have what you need. As for bluing the best in the business is Glenrock.

There's no spring in the actual fore-arm, just the action spring between barrel lug and receiver.. But that and the sights are, yes, a DIY project.. But he also wants it to be 'functional'.. That's where Nuline comes in......IF it can be done at all.. Nobody I know will touch these rifles any longer other than Nuline.. FWIW.

Ive worked on a few Remington 742s in the past. Eventually the receiver wears and gets burred and the bolt hangs up. Also no one cleans the chambet and this causes jamming. For an in depth explanation, Google Leeroy Wisners ramblings regarding the Rem 742. For most owners who hunt once a yesr and shoot s box or two of ammo, the gun should last a long time. Here in Hawaii with a subsistence lifestyle, many owners go hunting every week or more. I have seen many burred receivers. I used to remove what burrs i could and tell the owner to keep the chamber clean. Brownells sells a chamber brush. Remington used to have a dog leg chamber brush with a loop on one end for a patch. Im too old for gunsmithing now amd retired. Good luck on restoring your dads gun. Mel

There are a number of reasons why few if any gunsmiths will touch these rifles. Rem 742 was an abortion from it's inception. Between being hard to clean properly and the parts hardenening missteps, I don't recommend anyone relying on a 742 to do anything other than self destruct.

I recently helped an older friend clear a jam from his 742. I believe the gun is close to 40 years old and fired less than 200 times. I cleaned the bore from the chamber end while the barrel was off the gun. It was heavily pitted and looked much like a sewer pipe. The chamber was tarnished so I polished it too. The worse part of this gun is the receiver. It was galled and gouged in the rear where the bolt carrier stopped upon firing and the bolt rotates when it stops. Same thing on the front end when the bolt closes on the chamber.

I understand your desire to refinish this rifle, but ask you to consider keeping it as a decoration or conversation piece and not shooting it. Maybe you could glue an empty piece of brass into the chamber to keep others from firing it. Trust me, it's just a matter of time and rounds fired before headspace issues arise and it becomes unsafe to fire.

Thanks, Dinny