Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Remington 742 308 Win

I just bought a Remington 742 in 308 and it’s becoming my favorite rifle. It has a Weaver K4 on it but it’s seen better days. Probably replace it but would like to refurbish it. This rifle is a 1967 Canada comenertive and has hardly been shot. The rifle shots good and cycles very good. I decided to stay 150 grain bullets after reading problems the heavier bullets put on the action.

150’s should take care of anything you will encounter. Congrats on new rifle!

What problems did 180s generate?

Probably high port pressure.

Most likely a slower powder and more dwell time causing more violent cycling with the heavier bullets.

I always thought 150s were good enough anyway but there are all kinds of opinions in the internet. Vic that was my thoughts on pressure from 180s but I still don’t think it would make a lot of difference.

Give the chamber a good cleaning from the breach, with a 20 gauge bronze bore brush and powder solvent. ( and flexible cable cleaner). Owners seldom clean them from the breach-only from the muzzle, & never touch the chamber. The left over powder residue causes failure to eject or failure to feed>>> jamming.

I used to have a Rem 742 carbine in 308 Win. The previous owner sold it to me because it kept jamming. Got it for a very good price. Cleaned the chamber well, and it never jammed. Fun gun to shoot. Sold it years ago, for "a little more" than I paid for it. I shot 165 grain bullets through it. Worked fine. Accuracy was in the 2 moa area.

Keep the chamber squeaky clean.

I bought a 742 BDL Deluxe in 1966/67, set it up with a peep/reciever sight while I was in Taiwan and shot with the Chinese army out to 600 meters. I ran a batch of military ball ammo through it and then brought it back to the US and my dad hunted with it for 20 yrs before he wanted a lighter rifle and I sold it to a neighbor. As far as I know he's still killing deer up on his farm in MN. I moved away shortly after the sale. He ended up buying my 56 Willy's and my 40 also

Thanks Buttstock, that’s the best advice I’ve been given on this rifle. I got a good deal on the rifle and it’s starting to grow on me. I guess I like old guns.

That’s a heck of story erich. Thanks for sharing.

I bought one new in 1971 in Fairbanks Alaska. Killed moose up there and after moving back to N.D. I killed many deer. At that time we had deer drives and people wanted meat. Had three deer come out wide open and dropped all. No jamming problems at all. Edk

I picked up a used 7400 in .270 I have to say as a life long 1100 shooter it feels quite natural in my hands.

As others stated keep it clean. I’d suggest that you use a light oil on the action.

I have a 1100 and it does remind of it. I agree on the lite oil. I notice it run slower with heavier oil. I need something that doesn’t get thick with age.

Try Corrosion X. Love the stuff. Outstanding do-it-all light lubricant.

In its category, I find it as useful as vinegar, coathangers, seafoam, and duct tape are in other categories: IOW great for all round purposes.

Thanks Blu Cs. I’ve been looking for a new oil.

A friend brought a new to him 06 that kept jamming. I did a similar cleaning and good lubing. I noticed his spent brass was scratched up and found the inside of the feed lips were rough.. I took a few passes at it with a honing stone then gently bent them slightly more open. Works like a dream ever since - He thinks I am a gunsmith now.

I've used corrosion-x on my old shotguns to protect from salt spray and same with the eclectic starter and trolling motor plugs on my boat, but I wouldn't use it on the inside of a firearm, it turns to a gummy mess, while protective on the outside I can't imagine it on precision moving parts.

Couple months ago I just decided I wanted a 742 in 308. Walked into local pawnshop a couple weeks later and there was one on the rack, so I bought it. Then I went home and started reading up on them. After reading all the horror stories, I wondered how smart I really was.
So I found some 125 gr hp bullets and loaded them with 48 gr 748 powder and after getting the scope adjusted I put 4 on paper all touching at 50 yds.
Think I'll keep it and ignore the horror stories.
It came with a 2 3/4 power herters scope so it's just right for a short range shooter..

My advice? Don't.

Do this now: Close the bolt. Use a small flashlight and shine it on the LH side of the receiver directly behind the rear end of the bolt... Check the guide rail there... IF it shows no-to-little evidence of damage, congrats... But IF you see indented, square-shaped chatter marks about an inch long along that rail, get ready for that rifle to be a single-shot rifle instead of a semi-auto...

Good luck.

You know growing up with an 1100 Remington was probably the reason that a 742 .308 just felt more natural than the m100 Winchester .308 carbine that it replaced. When my friend needed $150.00 more than he needed his early Tootsie Roll forearm 742 carbine, I jumped at it. Remington sold a dogleg chamber brass brush that solved any carbon build up chamber problems. That was back in the early days when lots of us thought that we needed to shoot like a video game to get deer. It was a different way of hunting with a bunch of guys back then than it is today.

The whole 740/742/7400 series of Remingtons generally work well until they don't and once the guide rails in the bolt carrier receiver are damaged they will never be reliable again. Once they start to jam, they will almost certainly continue to jam more often than not.

As a rule, you seldom see a rifle in that series with undamaged guide rails unless it is new, nearly new, or has been shot very little. There may be exceptions to that rule, but not many that I've seen. For many years Ahlman's in Morristown, MN, would convert 740/742/7400 series rifles with damaged guide rails into faux-760 pump guns. I have been told that their part source dried up and they no longer offer that service, so if your 740/742/7400 starts jamming your repair options are limited to prayer or replacement.

EDIT: Most of the WW2 USMC vets that made up my Father's deer hunting crew shot Remington 740s and 742s, all in 30-06, when I started getting invited to go to their deer camp in Oxford County, Maine, in the late 1960s. I learned a lot of swear words from them that were related to their rifles jamming and over the years at least half of the group moved away from their Remingtons and purchased Ruger 44 Carbines or Winchester 100s in 308. Most of the 740s and 742s were cycled through Dick Riley's gun shop in Hooksett, NH, for service, but I don't remember the results. Two of the most successful hunters in that group were wives who shot 243s, a Remington 600 and a Winchester 88 Carbine. The ladies didn't get buck fever and their ability to move through the woods like an Indian, slowly and quiet, presented them with shots at deer that were unaware, or unconcerned, with them. In contrast, the men weren't as slow, weren't as quiet, and most of the deer that they saw already had their danger close flags up and were, as they said, in the process of unassing the AO.