Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters helping a friend with his Rem. 742

The Remington 740/742 series rifles were very popular in New England when I was a kid. They were, along with Marlin 336s and Winchester 94s, the most common rifles in the deer camps that I visited as a kid. Most of the 740/742 shooters weren't handloaders and I would doubt that most of those rifles had less than 400 rounds down the tube. Even with a low round count, many of those rifles had damaged guide rails from shooting nothing but factory ammo. In the middle to late 1980s, a lot of gun shops wouldn't take a 740/742 series rifle in trade without having the opportunity to shoot it.

Friends don't let friends shoot Remington 742's...

I have zero experience with 742's. In PA they are wise enough to protect us from such things as they know we don't really need a faster follow up shot than a 760 can deliver.

A gunsmith I know in northern West Virginia has done only custom work for a while now, but worked for 20-some years as a general 'smith, starting the late 1960's. He says he saw a pile of 740's and 742's with pitted chambers, because their owners never bothered to clean or oil the chambers, which not only resulted in broken extractors but damaged guide rods. He said with proper maintenance they worked just fine, but not many were properly maintained.

Along with the advice others have given regarding the Fed Blue box, Rem Core-loct, etc, one might try Privi-Partisan or Sellier and Bellot if you get to a gun show or some such that is carrying it. While not a 742, my bolt '06 really likes the Privi 150sp. Really, like why bother handloading Really.

I usually find them a few bucks cheaper than Rem, Fed, etc.

Good luck to your friend on his hunt.

Geno

I would suggest you help him pick out a load and then take him to the range and make sure he gets it sighted in correctly, involving him as much as possible. It will be good for him and keep him from blaming you if thing don't work out so well.

Try to talk him into ponying up for at least two boxes of whatever load he selects because sometimes little problems pop up at the range.

Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. good luck.

So, with Op-rod preservation/maint in mind and 4064/4895 being mentioned as the proper burn rate. Would R-15 fall into that category as well for a 742 in 308? I know they're very close in burn rate but if there's some reason that '15 isn't a good choice I'd like to know BEFORE I put the time/effort into it.

I got 2 boxes of federal blue box 180 grain .300 win mag when I put together a new rifle, it was on closeout at the gun store and I wanted to geton paper before I started shooting quality stuff. Both boxes shot less than a 1" by a pretty good margin. I went and bought a few more boxes on closeout. I think I paid $12/box.

I gave a friend 50 rds of my 30-06 load for his 742 carbine, Rem brass, 57gr H4350, CCI 200, 3.30" OAL, 165 gr Sierra SBT. He didn't know they were cup and core and would bounce off moose and shot a nice one anyway with them.

My 742 liked 57 grains of IMR 4350 with a 165 grain BT just fine. It is my standard accuracy load in a 30/06 that I try before anything else. TJAY's load with 4064 would probably be even better since its faster burning powder in the semi auto...I'd give that a try as well. Good luck!

I shot my first buck in 1960 with the then new Remington 740. I killed one other with it a couple of years later.
If you want to help your friend, buy a couple of chamber brushes for the M1 from somebody like MidwayUSA. Get the military style that allows one to rotate the brush in the chamber for a good cleaning. If you oil the chamber, wipe as much of the oil out before shooting the rifle. Like MD said, keep the chamber clean and the rifle lubricated properly.
The other "trick" to making them work well is to use ammo that isn't loaded hot. Factory ammo is excellent. If I had one today, I'd only use relatively mild handloads for practice. I'd hunt with factory ammo. If your friend doesn't want to spend much money, just buy the above mentioned factory ammo. I'd make sure they had the same lot numbers, BTW. The rifle I used would need to be rezeroed sometimes with different lots of the same factory ammo.
The rifle I used would put as many as five rounds in the same zero. But, if the barrel wasn't allowed to cool, the zero would change on the order of 5-7 inches higher, with much larger groups at 100 yds. E

my 1976 Remington 742, with equally old Redfield Widefield 3x9 scope is quite accurate with Remington CoreLokt 165 grain.

Better known as the HangMaster. Most of the feeding problems I saw weren't feed rail related, but weak magazine springs.

People down here had a tendency to leave the clip loaded full. This weakened the spring over time and eventually would cause jams.

Get new mag spring. Unload after hunt and only stuff the box with 2-3 depending on caliber and the problem would go away on most of them.

If you can get 2 1/2 groups @ 100 your good to go.

+1. I'm right there with ya BSA.

My Father in Law always referred to his as the "Jamomatic"

I had a 742 Carbine in 30-06 that I bought in the early 80's.
With hand loads using a 150 gr PT and a max load of IMR4350, it would shoot sub MOA.

Based on what you are trying to accomplish, I would use factory loads and call it done.

JD338

I have one of these things in 7mm Express that I haven't shot in years. If I remember correctly it used to shoot groups about 1.5 inches @ 100 yards. Never had any trouble with it jamming. I might have to get that one out and give it a try to see if it will still shoot.

Buy him a box of Federal Fusions in 150 or 165 and tell him to shoot them from 200 yds. You'll both be money ahead it sounds like.

Biggest problem with these rifles are the owners who don't keep the chamber cleaned and oiled as has been mentioned.
My father in law and his son each had one. 3 moa on a good day.

I run 180 rn over 3031 at 2600 in my first year 740.
Absolutely flattens deer.