Remington 742?

[JamisJockey]

I'm starting to look for an all purpose .30 caliber rifle, to hunt, plink, and misc with. I'm interested in the 742, would prefer .308 but might look for one in .30-06. I'm looking for opinions on this rifle:
reliablity
Accuracy
reliability of aftermarket 10 round mags
Availability of other aftermarket items
Thanks!

 

[tc300mag1]

I havea 742 mine has been great but i know of other that havnt been (my dads for example).

I would look at a 7400 unless you jsut have to have the wood stcok.

Most of the 10 round Mags ive used just didnt work right would feed 50/50 in my 742 and 1 out of 10 the hand cycled one in buddies 7400 and 50/50 in my dads 742.

Both of our 742's will not hold zero with any scope ive tried 5 different ones with flat mounts.. With iron sight mounts that raise scope high never have a problem.

Contaced remington about this and they say its a know problem on early 742's and theres no fix. Other than the scope mounting and crappy 10 round mags mine works fine the high mount of scope doesnt bother me.

 

[BusMaster007]

If you can do it, get the 7400 Synthetic Carbine in .30-06.
Don't worry about the 'J'-lock at the moment; it might be no big deal or be replacable.
The rifle I have has been an excellent example of this gun, and I, too, wanted a general purpose unit. It was and is a good choice.
Sure did raise some eyebrows at the range!
The guys would 'whip out' various .223 & .308's; then I'd pull out this little guy with the Harris bipod attachment and bipod on it; too big of a scope, etc.
(I didn't mess with the 10-rd. mags there. I later found out they'd make better targets than magazines...use the factory Remington mags...)
All of a sudden there was a "Little Big Rifle" sitting there! Fun? YES!
One of my favorites.

"This is the 7400 & 870 setup for "Y2K".
The 7400 is a Carbine/Synthetic stock .30-06 w/18.5" bbl.
The buttstock is a Choate for the 870...filed down a little to slip into 7400 action.
The factory Remington 4-rd. mags fit & function the best.
The scope at the time: Leupold 4.5-14x40 w/Redfield JR base and low rings. The rear sight was moved forward up the ramp for clearance.
This rifle has been totally reliable and accurate with both 180 & 220 gr. ammo from Remington.
The rifle has since been returned to standard configuration with a smaller, lower powered scope."

 

[JamisJockey]

Thanks for the info. I'll look harder at the 7400. .30-06 or .308 are going to be my only requirements, a syn stock would be great but not necessary.
gun show in just a couple weeks, I'll see what they've got

 

[artherd]

BusMaster007: How accurate was it?

Mine is shooting anywhere from 3" to 5" groups, and strings vertically now when it gets warm. (POI moves down with heat it seems.)

It was shooting a few 3-shot 1.5" groups earlier this month, wondering what I did wrong?

The rifle is a great shooter with the ASI compensator, and after some feeding problems when brand new (caused by packing grease) it's been 100%. Still using the factory 4 round mags, would love to find some reliable 10-rounders (or make some.)

Did I mention it's a great shooter? The .30-06 recoil is very tame in this gun. Back on target in no time.

All of this said, if I could get one, I'd have an AR-10 or even AR-15 in a heartbeat over this gun, extra $ included. But I can't get one (PRK has a series ban that pretty much screws it.)

 

[Art Eatman]

I have a 742K in '06. I mounted a Weaver K4 on it. With my usual handloads, three-shot groups run about 1.5 to 2 MOA. Plenty good enough for hunting.

I've only run a couple of boxes of ammo through it, so I dunno about "reliability". However, nothing's caught my attention insofar as some potential problem...

I've heard the after-market 10-round mags can be unreliable, but that's just hearsay.

Art

 

[JamisJockey]

Synthetic stocks

Are the sythentic stocks available on the aftermarket for the 742 or 7400? I'm going to start checking the used gun racks locally for one, probably the 7400.

 

[BusMaster007]

AARRRrrrrgghhhhhhh~!
I just typed in and I've used the image already, so my post got wiped out.
I HATE this feature on the board.

In short:
Use only the 4-rd. mags and you'll be happy.
The factory synthetic stock is fine, but, I replaced mine with the Bell & Carlson unit.

As for accuracy:
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=75326

It really liked the Remington 220's.

 

[JamisJockey]

Thanks. I think my next gun purchase will either be a used 7400 in the appropriate caliber, or a bolt gun in .308

 

[Russ]

I have a742 in .308. It has always been very reliable and accurate. The 10 round mags do have some problems but all in all not too bad. For plinking I have been able to get my hands on lots of old military ammo for very reasonable prices.