... and I don't know what to do with it. All I've heard is that it can be a decent 100 yd woods gun for deer hunting. I don't really need that, but I don't feel right about not keeping it and not doing something useful with it. Can it be rebarreled with a derivative cartridge that can make it more suitable for killing coyotes?

I'd shoot it before I gave up on it. I had one once that would shoot into an inch and a quarter at 100 yards more often than not. That definitely takes it out of the 100 yard deer rifle category. The 30/06 is probably my favorite cartridge and very versatile if the appropriate bullet is chosen for the game being hunted.

.243, barrel and magazine, bullets <70.

Jack

It is as good a deer rifle as anything else. I ring steel at three hundred with my dad’s all day long.

What a classic. In the early-to-mid 70's, I could recite the entire Remington catalog from memory. I would have given about anything for a 742 Woodsmaster in '06!

I do plan to shoot it to see what it will do, but I don't expect it to be as accurate as the bolt action rifles that I already own. I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised, but I would like a plan for if it isn't that utilizes it's semi-auto advantages.

Is it as easy as that to feed such short cartridges through a long action? I've never heard of doing that. I was thinking of a .25-06.

Getting it free is the only way I'd have another and unless it had a lot of sentimental value I'd still sell it. If it did have sentimental value it'd be a wall hanger. Some of those are OK at best, some are down right awful. I sure wouldn't throw money at it.

My brother had a 1980s wood master 3006. shot well.

Coming from someone who knows quite a bit about these particular rifles, your best advice is to clean it, oil it down, and hang it on the wall ..

I used my grandads 742 for several years.(ough6) With 165gr Speers it would stay inside an inch. Problem was the first round, cycled by hand, would shoot to a different point than those cycled by firing. To get around that the day before season, I'd load the magazine,cycle a round, fire one shot, reload the magazine, and not unload it 'til season was over.

I would tend to agree with Redneck. My limited experience with tw o 742s is that stellar accuracy is not there, although minute of deer is good. JB says that if you can hit a volleyball, at whatever distance, that is good enough to kill deer. They would do that well past 200 yards. On the other hand, the 760 pumps often shot really tight groups.

YMMV,

Jack

My dad bought one in 30-06 the 60s and shot big game all over the country his whole life with one. His would shoot MOA with pretty much any factory ammo. However, I have seen and shot other ones trying to sight them in for other people that were terrible. I had someone ask me to try and sight in a 7400 carbine one time and it shot 6" groups at 50 yards.It had the old weaver flop over rings so you could use the iron sights instead of the blurry 40 dollar scope mounted on it. The gun may have been fine.
The one you have may be one of the good ones. When I was a kid anybody that could afford one had either a Woodmaster or BAR to deer hunt with here.

I have never owned one, but they did have a problem with some parts wearing thin and letting them slam fire.

A friend had one and Rem replaced it with the new model for him.

They have killed a lot of game. Just be aware......

Just my 2 cents.
Tim

You're taking it easy. I thought it would be bury it in the same hole with any Winchester 100's you have.

This is why I was thinking of the rebarrel to a smaller caliber. Maybe the action won't cycle with anything less than the full .30-06 punch, but if a .22-06, .243 Catbird, or .25-06 will cycle it, then maybe the accuracy can be there. I'm only thinking of a 300 yd. max semi-auto coyote gun.

Inherited things do have intangibles, but looking in from the outside there's no way I'd invest resources in such a project.

The right thing to do with a newly-acquired 742 requires but a single purchase:

If he would have said he got one of those, I would have recommended the same...

Only thing the 100 has for it over the 742s is the magazine..

It does have a little sentimental value, but not enough that I wouldn't consider trying to make it function as a semi-auto something. I don't need a wall hanger, so if I don't make it into something it will just be reinherited by a nephew probably. I doubt it has fired more than 150 rounds. Years ago, I shot a speed goat at 160 yds with it. It was sighted in by a lefty and I shot righty so I hit about 6" to the side, but that was into the shoulder so it was DRT.

Amazing that a rifle that has probably killed more deer east of the Mississippi than anything other than a 30-30 is suddenly not fit for deer hunting. In the 70s’and 80s everyone in my deer camp except for the old guy with arthritis and another older guy carried 742/7400 in 30-06. The guy with arthritis had his 742 in .243 and the other had a 30-30. Bolt actions were seen as being archaic and anachronistic.

The problems I’ve seen with them over the years can usually be traced to a bad magazine.

Was that a .243 Win or some wildcat? I've just never heard of cycling a short cartridge through a long semi-auto action, so I don't know whether it's as simple as adding a .243 Win barrel and magazine.

This ^^

I admit to having a soft spot for the 742 though as it was my first center fire rifle, a 16th b-day gift from my father. A 1967 vintage .308 that I killed my first buck with plus several more. It never jammed or misfired and shot 165 gr Hornadys very well. I do not recall ever missing a deer with it. After I became "smart" by reading all those magazine experts that said it was a POS, I moved on to other rifles. My father traded me his old M70 for it and it accounted for many more deer in his hands. I have it back now that he's gone, and thinking it over, it needs to hunt again.

What are you talking about? They made the 742/7400 in .243, .308, and even 6mm Remington.

If I had one given to me by someone that meant something to me, I'd wipe it down and hang it on the wall. I've seen a couple die at my club's annual sight-in days and fail all resuscitation attempts. Turns out the receivers tend to warp.

Had three 742's in .30-06.
The first was a minty carbine.
First shot was set for 1" high at 100yds.
Cold bbl of course.
The following shots would group about an inch.......7" below the first.
Let it cool down and ..........yup...........1" high again.

Figured out why the gun was like new LOL.
The gun was scoped.........so IMHO the problem was proly "mini 14 itis".

The other two I got cheap, were rough looking and shot 1.5" groups with no cold to hot bbl shift, they were not carbines either (should have been worse).

The problem with 742's..............bolt rail chew of receiver (.30-06 heavy bullet loads reportedly make this worse).
And rust in chambers.

Some bolt rail chew won't affect it. But it's only gonna get worse (and faster if using 180 or heavier loads).

Dunno how other cartridges fared in 742s.............bolt rail chew wise.


Sold one to a fat guy, ran 150's. He said it jammed on him constantly. Met him at range, got rifle and bam bam bam.............no probs.

I aint fat.

He was......so was "limp shouldering it".

Wonder how many other jams were the result of people's puffy coats and or shoulders.

7400 has bigger bolt lugs so is supposed to not have the prob. Dunno if they also have a bolt over rotation stop as well.

I like the damn things.

Keep looking for a 7400 carbine.

If it's screwed up and you want to run it............check Ahlman's. They convert them to pump.

https://www.ahlmans.com/remington-742-tech-info.html

I have one I got from my Uncle last fall. It was my Grandpa's rifle. It's in fantastic shape. I'm going to shoot a deer with it. Then put it away for my son to give to his son.

I have one that I bought for a SMOKIN deal. $150.00 It was missing the magazine.

Dennisinaz had an extra magazine from years ago that he gave me. So I was in business.

It shoots darn good too. I looked it up. Was made in 1967.

What are you talking about? They also made them in .308.

You can also use a magazine from a 760/7600. You'll just have to take the mag out to close the action after the last shot.

I have one in 6mm Rem. Very accurate and has always been reliable

I found a guy in AK that was selling after market 10 round mag's. Bought two of them. They function perfectly.

Did they all use exactly the same parts in the action? There's at least one spring inside that I thought might need to be weaker to cycle successfully with a lower recoil cartridge.

Everything is the same except short actions had a different magazine.

I have replaced the receiver on my 6mm with one from a 30/06 you can change receivers. They are the same but you need to use the bolt that is head spaced to the barrel.

So there was a long magazine designed to hold short cartridges fitted into a long action receiver? So this project could involve just finding and installing a barrel and a magazine? That wouldn't be too bad.

Are you going for one of these?

Owned one for a short time before I knew much of anything about rifles or big game hunting. After a couple range trips it promptly went down the road. I farted around with my Grandpa's 740 in 30-06 trying to get it to shoot and never had any luck. It's shoot 1 good group inside an inch and the next day it'd be the size of a basketball or to a different POI. Grandpa sure killed a lot of deer with that gun, but either the accuracy went to [bleep] after I got it or he slung a lot of lead. My other grandpa and 2 uncles have 742s/7400s. Of the three of them I think they shoot minute of deer for the Michigan deer woods ranges but I then again none of them have killed a deer with a rifle in a decade.

Long and short of it is I wouldn't spend a dime on a 740/742/7400. Do as was suggested above and hang it on the wall.

That might end up being what happens, but I'm not really interested in how it will perform as a .30-06 deer rifle. I'm interested in how it might perform as something else and how to get it there. Does anyone have experience with a conversion to a smaller caliber?

Yep, 70's & 80's around here you had a 742,760, Marlin 336 or rarely a BAR.
Very few bolt guns. One uncle used a Sako 22-250, guess he was a stunt shooter.

I don’t think it’s accuracy issues are related to the barrel design so I wouldn’t expect any improvement just by putting a new tube on it. Obviously any -06 based cartridge should function without issue. The triggers on the are atrocious and there isn’t a whole lot to do to improve them. If you’re ok with a gun thats minute of deer to maybe 200 yards then it should be ok but you might as well leave it as a 30-06

Minute of coyote to 300 is why I'm trying to reduce the recoil and flatten the trajectory. If the trigger is that rough, I probably just won't bother.

You cannot simply "rebarrel" a 742. There is a gas block on the barrel that would be very difficult to duplicate on a new tube. Leave it as is. If you want a different caliber, trade it for another gun in the chambering you want.

Other option would be to rebore to .338-06 or .35 Whelen.

You could rebarrel it if you use a barrel from another 742.

When I was a kid, my dad had one of those suckers on his 742, 30-06. He loved it.

No, I don't have any experience with it. But, it sounds like it would be unique anyway! What caliber are you thinking?

THAT... But then, ya still got a 742...


Look - those performed "OK" for many years, but realize these rifles are now some 60 years old.. Even Remington acknowledged the life of that rifle is something like 600 rounds.. Using those old rifles now is fine as long as the owner understands he might very well have ONE shot. Anything after that is a crapshoot (pun intended)..

If one is desirous of a centerfire semi-auto deer rifle the only one produced today worth a hill of beans is the Browning BAR... Keep in mind this is coming from a gun owner who does not own, nor never WILL own, a Browning.. And as a rather experienced gunsmith who's worked on/serviced these items for more than 18 years, the one semi-auto rifle I get in with the LEAST issues is the BAR.. Once in a while the timing latch pin breaks and it jams it up.. About 45 minutes of repair, the rifle's back into service and should keep right on a-truckin'...

FWIW. YMMV.

The smaller the better down to .223 if it would still cycle the action. I think the smallest that Remington made is .243 Win and 6mm Rem. But it would have to be a barrel made for the 742, either by Remington or some aftermarket barrel maker.

And again, the purpose of this conversion would be to have a flat-shooting lower-recoiling semi-auto 300 yd coyote shooter, not a deer rifle. I can save the .30-06 barrel and hang it on the wall some time in the future when multiple shots at coyotes becomes undoable for me. I realize that I can just buy an AR-15 variant for that purpose, but if this is possible for a reasonable price, that's the purpose. The way I see it, I have a semi-auto action that has a scope mounted on it that I can try to make useful. It might have less than 100 rounds through it, but it might be trashed. I don't have it in my possession yet, so I'm just contemplating a possibility.

Ive got a 243, 270, and 30-06 in the 742/7400.
I hunted for years with the 270 7400 with only having 100 yard shots in the thick woods.
Dad has used the 30-06 742 Woodmaster since the 70s? has taken quite a few deer but again only under 150 yards.
My GF Grandpa gave her a 243 7400 and we went to check zero before deer season. It was all over the place at 200 yards with 100 grain soft points.
Scrubbed the barrel and got a ton of junk out of it. Put around 250 rounds thru it with everything from 55gr to 95gr with no luck.
The best i could do was 85gr Sierra Game Kings and never could keep 5 rounds on a 8" gong at 200 yards.
I remember having fits with my 270 in high school and trying to zero it.
Went thru a few scopes before i figured out they just dont shoot worth a flip.
Still got all of them in the safe cleaned up and oiled.
Moved on to better shooting stuff. The places we hunt now its hard to find a shot under 200 yards with large farm fields.
Got GF a Stevens 200 .25-06 and she shows us up all the time shooting paint can tops at 300 yards with 100gr SMKs. Deer hunts with 110gr Accubonds.

The only practical way to accomplish what you seek to do would be to take a .243 barrel off a junker 742 and have it fitted to your .30/06. You would end up with a .243 that cost twice as much as a new one originally made in that caliber.

You would have a devil of a time trying to convert it to .223, because 742's were never made in that caliber, so there are no existing bolts or barrels. There were 760's made in .223, so I suppose you could use a 760 magazine and possibly a modified 760 bolt. But the barrel would have to be fabricated and it would be very expensive to make and install a gas block.You would also have to cannibalize a .223 760, which is a collector's item.

In any case, you would be spending much more than the rifle is worth on the conversion, with no guarantee it would function properly, and you would end up with a gun that would probably be worth less than the original.

Personally I would just load the .30/06 with 110 grain ammo and go out to bust a few coyotes.

That might be just the solution that I'm looking for. Dead is dead, it doesn't really matter how the coyote gets there. I remember something about plastic saboted bullets that shot well from .30-06s. I don't know if they are still available, though.

Are you looking to save the pelts or something? Is there a reason that a standard 150 grain load won’t kill a coyote?

I want flat shooting and lower recoil. Accurate out to 300 yds would be a plus. I don't care about the pelts. If I could shoot them with a guided RPG that would be quite satisfying.

150s shoot plenty flat and the recoil is not objectionable.

I just found sabots for 30 caliber rifles that allow you to put .224 bullets in them. $15 per 100. Plus $15 for a sabot seater die. Supposedly can achieve 4500fps from a .30-06. Seems like it would foul the barrel with plastic, but I guess that can be dealt with.

It's all relative, I guess. I think I would shoot better with lighter and preferably narrower bullets.

I would look for a good 742 6mm. And keep the 30/06. The receivers wear out because the action cycles to fast and the bolt over rotates and the lugs bite into the frame rail which is alloy. You can hone the chatter marks out about one time. I have shot thousands of rounds through my 6mm. It is very accurate for many years it was the only rifle I had. Used it for P-dogs to Elk. I have replaced the receiver with one from a 30/06. If you pull out the trigger group you can see the condition of the rails.

The trigger............proly uses same adj sear you can buy for 870/1100 (Timney ?)

If not

http://www.remington7400.com/Gunsmith.php#trigger-job

They do rebarrel 7400's.

http://www.remington7400.com/index.php

Might make enough improvement just changing sear spring (or clip original).

The rails get chewed on the -30-06 models because the bolt over rotates (design flaw) . Reportedly an issue when running 180 gr and heavier loads.
The bolt lugs are small.....even with more of them (742), the load enough to damage.. The 7400 series uses bigger lugs (less number too) so the force is over a larger area. May be other differences as well.

Instead of turning the ones with chewed up rails into pumps, I always thought that somebody ought to turn them into straight pull bolt actions with a spring assisted return. They would be really fast and and a lot like that Browning that is sold in Europe.

Find a nice BAR at a gunshop and convert the remington into trading fodder.

Holy crap. I've never seen anybody that wanted to use a 742 so bad in my life. Remington used to make a 55gr in a sabot for a 30-06. You could see if you want to find some of those. Or go buy a Ruger American in .223 for $350, which will be a lot cheaper than monkeying around with the 742. You'll be able to blast crap at 300 all day long.

I also have one that I inherited from my father. He had a Stevens bolt action 340 in .30-30 that he used for years and killed a bunch of deer with. He bought a used 742 in .30-06 and was apparently very proud of his new rifle. After he passed away I got it. I used it a couple years and shot my first buck with it. Was never super impressed with it, it seemed somewhat clubby. Once when hunting with it in very cold weather the action froze shut on a live round and I had to transport it home in that condition, which soured me on it. Still have it, and actually took it out and shot it this year just because. Still shot to point of aim at 100 yards after 30 years or so.

In your case if wanting to use it for coyotes I think I would buy some of the 110 grain ammo available for .30-06 and see how it shoots them. Hopefully it will surprise you, and you won't be investing too much time or money into what may be a futile effort.

I'm not aware of any Ruger Americans that are semi-auto. It's not that I want to use the 742, What I want is a flat-shooting, low-recoiling, semi-auto, 300 yd coyote gun. If two coyotes come in to the call and I shoot one, then a few quick shots might also get the one that's running away. The sabots are available for reloading a .224 bullet in a .30-06 and if that doesn't cycle the action, then I'm only out about $40 and I can use them in a bolt action Ruger American .308.

They make lighter bullets for the 30-06.

What's great about the 30-06 is that it's so flexible.

I had good results with the Speer 130 HP bullet, and they are more accurate than I expected them to be. They shoot like a stubby match bullet. They work great on deer too, and with very light recoil. That's a very light recoiling 300 yard coyote load right there.

A box of Nosler 125 BT would be fine and a lot better choice than messing around with sabots or switching barrels.

My 30-06 when loaded with 155 Scenars does well on coyotes at nearly 4x the range you are looking at.

But anyway, if what you want is a flat-shooting, low-recoiling, semi-auto, 300 yd coyote gun, personally, I'd just grab an AR before I put money into the 742.

I can just grab one? I don't have to buy it? Who knew?

Rem 742 at $0.00 vs. AR-15 at $???.?? Not a tough choice.

Long-for-caliber lighter bullet vs. short for caliber heavier bullet. Not a tough choice.

A gunsmith near me always referred to them as the "Jam-a-matic". He would hate to see one come in the door.

I think his main problem wasn't with the rifle, but the owners. Most people don't clean their guns. As time goes by it get's rusty inside and guess what it won't work.

You realize that 300 yards is spitting distance for just about any 30-06 load don’t you?

It's not the distance that concerns me. It's the minutes of coyote at that distance. I know that I can't expect bolt-action accuracy or bolt-action velocity consistency.

Well, I was speaking personally when I said that "I" would just grab an AR...I already own a few.

But the point was that the 742 in 30 cal will be fine at 300 yards and a lot farther out than that with a good bullet choice.

I think the key to these rifles is ammo selection. They tend to do better with midrange loads, and I recommend using loads that would be appropriate for a Garand or M1-A. Also, be careful of powder selection so as to not create excessive gas port pressure. Fed GMM or equivalent would work well.

But it's your money and your project so do whatever you think works best for you.

With Remington going bankrupt maybe some replacement barrels will shake out.

my brother in law gave me a 1976 edition. It has been a great shooter ever since. I love mine.

Is this the point where we start “Hearing the President Crying” from being held so tight your knuckles turn white? I think your words? 🤣

I'm all for saving a dollar, .........

But I don't hunt yotes out my back door.
So there's not going to work (lost OT) and burning gas........

Not gonna half arse it.

Varmint hunt...........w varmint cartridges.
In rigs that shoot decent.

If one has an auto that does such, run it

I guess I just don’t get it. If the size of the holes does not matter, I don’t see anything that any of the varmint rounds do that a 30-06 won’t within the range of 300 yards. At that limited range, a 150 at 2700 to 2900 FPS May as well be a laser beam and the recoil is light. Obviously, a 30-06 wouldn’t be my first choice for coyotes, but if I wanted to use a particular rifle in that caliber it wouldn’t be a handicap either.

I do know this, that unless one can do all the work himself, any attempt to rebarrel the 742 will cost more and get worse results than just going out and buying a cheap AR.

They are still real popular in the Midwest, but Remington designed them for the once a year deer hunter like my dad who sighted in on a cardboard box leaning over the hood of the car. Good enough. We had a BAR, 100 and an early 60's 742 carbine and I liked the 742 the best. A buddy sold a nice condition 742 for $500. though the scope was worth more than the rifle imo. I'd find an uninformed once a year deer hunter and sell it or trade it to buy a Ruger Mini-14 maybe in that 7.62x39 to double as a deer rifle that hits about like a .30-30. I sold off all the junk in the gun safe years ago and that old 742 made the list.

if its dad's or grandpa's and the history is good let it be, years down the road you dodn't want to say to a son or daughter, I had my dad's rifle so I got rid of it or do you want to say wait a minute and give them some history with an old rifle and some ammo and see there face glow!!!!!!!!!!!!

FatOldMIhunter,

IF the 742 is in good shape, it may well surprise you. = My 1st cousin shoots a circa 1957 Model 742 in .30-06 that will routinely make ONE ragged hole in a target to ranges well beyond 200M.
(My cousin Randy is a FAR better "shot" than I ever was or ever will be.)

Fwiw, I'm a "model 760 addict" & my pump-rifles (in several calibers) are just as "hunting accurate" as any of my friends bolt-action rifles.

Fwiw, the only paper targets that I shoot at are for sighting-in a new rifle or "checking the zero" on my current rifles/scopes. = I'm a hunter, rather than a target shooter, & all of my pump-guns are FINE for hunting, IF I do my part.

yours, tex

mooshoo,

EXACTLY SO.

yours, tex

JoeBob,

EXACTLY.

yours, tex

FatOldMIHunter,

For coyotes, it's hard to beat the CHEAP "white box" 150 grain Winchester ammo that is sold all over the USA. = I've shot LOTS of it in my SA circa 1943 M1 Garand, as it's JSP "near clone" of M2 Ball.

You might also buy some boxes of FMJ M2 Ball & take coyotes with that ammo. = Works FINE on coyotes/bobcats/similar quarry, passes through both sides of the body leaving 2 small holes & doesn't mess up the pelt.. M2 Ball (or one of the numerous "foreign clones") is often VERY cheap if bought by the hundreds.

Otoh, you could pass the 742 along to someone in the family who will appreciate it & who HUNTS.
(The 742 was never intended to be a "target rifle", any more than a Jeep was ever intended to win at the Indy 500.)

At 71YY, all six of my Model 76o pumps shoot better than I can at my age.
(On the other hand, do NOT stand out at ranges to 250-300M & invite my lovely/33YO/60" tall/92# Darla to shoot at you, as you'll soon look like a piece of Swiss cheese. = She is "downright deadly with" her Model 7615P pump-carbine and/or with any of my numerous rifles, including my 9.3x62mm.)

ADDENDA: To anyone who says that any "halfway competent" gunsmith cannot improve the trigger 100% on ANY of the Remington SA rifles or pumps, I say that what you stated is: BRAVO SIERRA.
(I had the trigger-squeeze "worked on" upon my .244REM Model 760. = It took Rob Peters about 20 minutes to improve the trigger a LOT & he charged me 35 bucks. Rob can easily do the same "magic" on any 742/7400/760/7600. = It's all in "knowing your craft".).

yours, tex

FWIW, my dad has a 742 in 308 WIN that he bought when he was a young man that has been great for him and killed MANY Deer. My Uncle on the other hand went for the 30-06 and had tons of issues over the years to the point that in the 80's Remington took his 742 back and gave him a brand new 7400 Carbine in 30-06 which he also had issue with. I just heard from my Dad that he broke the stock on a Hog hunt in Texas.

That could happen to any rifle sure, but he has been plagued with issues his entire adult life with that gun. I would have thought he would just give up on it, but alas no.

When I inherit my Dad's, I will cherish it for the memories but will probably never take it out in the the Deer woods. YMMV.

I have a 740 30/06 that my dad bought in the 50s. He loved that rifle, and tinkered with it constantly, but could never make it shoot small groups. He called it "Lightin"...not because it was fast, but because it never struck the same place twice! I cherish the rifle and take it hunting occasionally, just because.

The 125 Nos BT out of a 30-06 has an MPBR of 297 yards or so. That seems to fit your criteria pretty well.

Don't even try the 224 sabots..they're basically shotgun patterns.

Shoot flatter and with less recoil.

Not an issue.

From what I've heard, pump actions are typically more accurate than semi-autos, all else being equal.

Flatter? The max point blank range of a 30-06 with a 150 grain bullet is 287 yards when it is sighted 2.5 inches high at 100 yards.

What causes that? I've heard they don't stabilize well in longer twist rates, but they supposedly do fine in 1:10 twist barrels.

That's probably the MPBR for deer (+/-3" from zero). The MPBR for coyotes is smaller.

FatOldMIHunter,

No nieces/nephews either, that would love to own a "family rifle"??
(Fwiw, at 71YY, I've started my "distribution" of firearms to my niece/nephew. - My adult daughter has already "adopted" the firearms that she wants.= A .223 BA sporter & my old Makerov.)

A chuckle for you: IF you have a daughter (or a favorite niece) in your life, you'll understand their "taking ways", when it comes to "Daddy's stuff". = One afternoon my daughter came to the house, picked up my 9x18mm Makerov/holster that was lying on the table next to my lounge-chair. She said, "This is a way too girly a gun for you to carry. - I'm going to borrow it."
As a result of that one-sided conversation, I bought myself another Sig-Sauer 9mm for EDC.
(The only time that I've seen it in the last 2 years, the MAK was peeking out of the right back pocket of a pair of size 6 CHIC jeans.)

yours, tex

Nobody else wanted this rifle. Maybe that will change by the time I croak, but it seems unlikely.

OldFatMIHunter,

In that sad case, I'd convert it to "dead presidents" forthwith & get something that you DO like. = I've converted to ALL pump shotguns & rifles, other than my antique single shot military rifles & a very few handguns.

yours, tex

My brother brought me his old 742 carbine in .308 the other day...broken extractor. It has always been a good one MOA gun with 150's and he had let his boys use it a time or two . The magazine he sent with it would not function so I dug through a pile and put one together that would feed. Told him to just get the old girl sighted in and use it to hunt with no plinking and she should have some life left in her. If I recall I once made up some 110 gr. handloads for that gun and it was used to take fur as a call rifle. Worked just fine. As Redneck stated these old guns have a limited life...

That might happen, but the only type of rifle that I'm really wanting is a cheap, flat-shooting, low-recoil, semi-auto, 300 yd coyote gun. By cheap, I would mean under $500 with mounts and rings. That's if the 742 sells for $250.

OldFatMIHunter,

Check your mail please.

yours, tex

JoeBob,

All else being equal, I cannot tell ANY difference in any style (SA, pump, SS or BA) of rifle for HUNTING, with the exception of my NM-grade & treasured M1 Garand that shoots MUCH better than I do now with these 71YO eyes.
(I don't see peep sights all that well these days. = Everything but the Garand is scoped.)

Note: Several younger shooters (who see BETTER) have done very well with my M1 in the local rifle matches.

yours, tex