Remington 742

[dukefan70]

I recently bought a Remington 742. Long story short, it was an impulse purchase from a friend. I admittedly did very little research on it beforehand, which is unusual for me, and now I'm regretting it. Took it apart (which is a pain) and thoroughly cleaned it. Was meticulous about reassembly. First time to the range, click. No joy. Take it home, disassemble again, disconnector on trigger group breaks in the process of getting it out of the receiver. I've ordered two. Meanwhile disassembled the bolt, all seems fine.

I think the bolt may not be locking forward completely. I also think it may have something to do with the INCREDIBLY STUPID plastic piece that is supposedly supposed to be a cover for the ejection port. Any experiences with this or suggestions? I'm already trying to figure out how to unload this thing once it's fixed without offending my friend.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lobo9er]

Here's what I've heard... They need to kept clean and oiled up or can be problematic. And when the disconnector is worn the action bar may also be making replacing the disconnector somewhat difficult. I have never shot one but I know they have a spotty rep. Some people love them and it seems if kept clean I've also heard make a great hunting rifle... Let us know how it works out.

 

[SwaneeSR]

I own one. I have taken many deer with the jamb-o-matic. My youngest son took his first two deer including a mountable buck. On two ocassions, it failed to cycle the next round in the cold, but I did get both deer.

It is not a Browning BAR. It is a mechanically clanky rifle and not smooth. We have retired the rifle after last deer season. I used it from 1989 to 2009. I do not miss it.

I hate that stupid plastic piece.

Swanee

 

[cat_IT_guy]

I got one from a friend of my dads. I was 18 and don't hunt much so I shot it.... A lot... Like to death at the range. Turns out they may have been great few shots a year type hunting rifles, but not made to be a high round count range gun. Ended up selling the basically unrepairable receiver (I'm sure it could have been repaired for enough money, but not practical or reasonable) for parts and getting a bolt gun. Best of luck with yours.

 

[lobo9er]

I think I remember a previous thread about a 742 with a beatup receiver.

 

[dukefan70]

I think I remember a previous thread about a 742 with a beatup receiver..

I found a few articles on here, including what I'm sure is the one you're thinking of. I don't see any sign of the bolt hanging up on mine, it just won't fire. Has anyone tried just removing the stupid plastic piece and running it that way?

 

[mrgadget]

I have a 742 wood master in .308. That stupid plastic piece was removed from my rifle many years ago (used to hang the bolt and I got mad and popped that sucker out). It runs way better without it. On my rifle if you ride the bolt it won't go all the way into battery. There is no finesse with this rifle.

 

[mrgadget]

The main thing to keep clean are the lugs on the bolt that have to twist to lock the bolt. If it doesn't twist/lock all the way it won't fire

 

[lobo9er]

I just found a thread from another website. If it chambers a round and does not fire its a worn out disconnector. Or at least a problem a guy there had in 2008

 

[Sav .250]

By chance did you happen to look up the tear down/re-assembly of that 742
on U-tube ?

Should be a audio/video of the procedure.

 

[stiab]

They need to kept clean and oiled up or can be problematic.

They will be problematic anyway, no amount of cleaning and lubrication is going to keep it from failing, as told to me by Remington customer service a few years ago. It is just a matter of time and round count, they will all fail he told me.

I have owned two, both failed, were repaired, and failed again. It is a design flaw associated with the multiple small locking lugs. Plenty of info available on Google, called the 'jam-o-matic" for good reason. In addition to my two, I have personally known of several others belonging to friends that failed.

 

[Grumulkin]

I had one in 308 Winchester. I don't think it ever jammed and I once shot a 5 shot 0.55 inch group with it and also won a small time bench rest match in "heavy C" with it. After quite a bit of shooting, it had a problem with the bolt rails. That was back when Remington still made them so it was repaired under warranty; I then sold it and have no desire to buy another.

So, at least mine was a pretty nice rifle when it worked and was more accurate than a National Match M1A I later bought. It's too bad Remington couldn't have put a bit more quality into it.

 

[wow6599]

The receiver / rails are much softer than the bolt, they can get worn out in just a few hundred rds, and as others have said - there ain't a thing you can do about it......unless you convert it in to a pump action.

I had one for years that my grandfather bought new in the late 60's. When he gave it to me, it had less than 20 shots down the barrel.....it was accurate and reliable......but almost impossible to break down to really clean (I think a Remington 742 bolt wrench is required??). I sold it because for a hunting rifle, which they are really only good for, I prefer bolt guns in .270 and .30-'06.

 

[dukefan70]

By chance did you happen to look up the tear down/re-assembly of that 742
on U-tube ?

Yup I broke it all the way down. It looked like that probably hadn't been done since 1977 when it was made. The bore was clean...probably cleaned without taking down the rifle. Rather than buy a proprietary wrench I just used an adjustable and kept my thumb on it to keep it tight and avoid stripping it.

 

[FSJeeper]

I have one, never a jam, scary accurate with 180 Nosler Ballistic Tips and 56 grains of IMR 4350. Never failed to stop a deer in its tracks. Very low round count since new a very long time ago. Probably less than 200 rounds through it.

I have a good one. Probably due to the low round count, but it does its job with no issues.

I have read the bad press about the 742 and believe every word of most of it.

Just saying, there are some good ones.

 

[Slamfire]

Take a look at the long post in the middle of this thread:


742 Woodsmaster - Now what?

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=530602&highlight=742+Woodsmaster+Now+what?


I would advise anyone using these rifles not to use bullets heavier than 150 grains, to keep velocities around WW2 levels (2700 fps) and to use powders no slower than IMR 4895. A slightly faster powder, such as IMR 3031 would be even better as the pressure drop at the gas port will be quicker. Use of slow powders, such as IMR 4350/H4350/AA4350 will increase rail wear and damage and shorten the useful life of this rifle. Once the rail is battered up, the receiver is ruined.

Wiesner's used to have this advice on their web page:


One of the most common problems with the Remington 740 & 742 is that after much use the receiver rails will get worn. These rails guide the bolt lugs on the movement both rearward & forward. The receiver is made of a soft metal since the bolt lugs engage the rear of the barrel for a positive lockup. The receiver simply holds the parts together.

This movement is under gas pressure on the rearward movement & spring pressure on the forward movement. At the rearward stop position the inertia of this bolt lug exerts extra pressure caming it against the receiver rails, pounding them enough that they get worn. There is a bolt latch on the 742 (this latch was not on the 740), this latch is supposed to lock the bolt head into the bolt carrier to help keep the front from over-rotating at the most rearward inertia's movement, but after wear on all parts, things seem to get sloppy & do not function as intended.

When this happens the bolt lugs, now slightly out of time, having been moving back & forth, may also chew up the front of the rails. Then the bolt carrier & lugs can get bound up & in extreme circumstances actually stop the bolt unit from cycling when the gun is fired, or binding it on the return stroke enough to stop it before it completely closes.

Under some circumstances the operating handle may drag, usually on the bottom of the receiver slot that the handle operates in. If this happens it is usually related to the above rail problem.

Since there are no new receivers available & the only used ones could be questionable in that may possibly be worn also, A GOOD gunsmith/welder/machinist familiar with firearms can usually salvage the receiver by welding the worn rails with a special long nozzled wire feed or heliarc welder. This receiver can then be re-machined to factory or tighter dimensions on a vertical mill using special long cutters. This is not a job for the average "gunsmith" however.


Also this:


The first thing I would look at if a feeding problem seems to be the culprit, is the magazine. Feeding problems on these series of models can many times be traced to the magazine as with any semi-auto. Here the average hunter is more likely to leave the magazine loaded even when the gun is put away. Also the magazines will have been carried in a pocket where lint, twigs, dirt etc. can accumulate. With this debris internally the live round can be restricted as it tries to feed up into the chamber, possibly causing a malfunction. Also they can have became sat on & squashed so as to not allow the follower to come all the way up. You notice I do not use the word “Jam”, as it is so broad a term that it is essentially useless.

The followers from these semi-auto magazines will tax your imagination & patience to remove & then reconnect them back onto the trip latch. I would suggest that to clean the internal parts of one of these, that either you soak it in solvent & blow it out with compressed air at the same time depressing the follower. Or if you do disassemble one to get it clean, pay close attention to how it came apart.

The next to look at would be are reloads being used? Reloads are not bad, BUT the reloader needs to be WELL aware of proper sizing for semi-autos. This is completely different than for bolt action guns. A small base die needs to be used that sizes the WHOLE body back to original factory specs. Also if a crimp is used on the case, it will have to be trimmed accordingly so there is no bulge at the neck. This reloaded case MUST fall into the chamber. Also it is advisable to only reload them to be used for hunting 2 or maybe 3 times. As with this small base resizing will work the base & can create a case head separation of the brass after a few loadings. You can reload them more, but use these multi loaded ones for target practice. Believe me it is rather helpless seeing an animal you just hit, but did not go down & then run off with you holding a useless firearm. You have a case head separation in your gun & about all you can do is to just can stand there with your finger in your nose.

Another thing to look at if you reload is that the pressure level has to be near the factory otherwise the bolt will not cycle enough to eject. Read the reloading manual & try to pick a load at least in the mid range.

You guys that say I have reloaded for 30 years, therefore I know what I am doing does not mean a thing if it has NOT been for semi-autos that the reloader is in turn using themselves. Hell, I have been eating for 70 years but that does not make me a cook.

Another problem with these guns is that the chambers tend to get rusty. These extractors are a light metal "C" type clip with a small hole on one end that is used with a rivet to anchor it into the bolt head, & on the other side of this extractor there is a slight protrusion that has a sharp rear edge that acts as the extraction point.

At first the rusty chamber situation may just cause extraction problems. Then since things do not improve by themselves, the extractor may get bent & not be as efficient as it should be.

As things worsen, the gun can malfunction by not pulling the case from the chamber because of the internal rust in the chamber gripping the fired case & or the faulty extractor. If the rust job gets bad enough & the case is really stuck, the bolt will come back with enough force that it can rip the lips of the bolt face off. This then leaves no metal to hold the extractor into the bolt head. You now can have a really stuck fired case & a broken bolt head.

 

[EIB0879]

I have a 742 that I inherited from my father when he died in 1996. It was 30-06 and I had one oike it that I finally traded away in the late 80s. I killed a lot of deer with both but finally retired my father's to the safe a couple of years ago.

The primary reason was because I had more accurate rifles in bolt and lever action and there wasn't a real quiet way to chamber a round once you climbed up a tree with it. I tried to ease the bolt to lock but by pushing the charging handle forward with my thumb it was just as noisy.

 

[jmorris]

I kept one for a loaner for a number of years. It was never shot much but always ran fine, in 30-06 it had more felt recoil than my BAR in 300 win mag. Never had it in pieces though.

 

[SwampWolf]

QUOTE: "...It is a design flaw associated with the multiple small locking lugs..."

Aren't the locking lugs the same size as those on the Remington Models 760/7600 ? If so (and I don't have a Model 742 to compare it with my Model 760), I have to wonder if the size of the lugs is really the problem as the Models 760/7600 have a reputation of being pretty reliable.

 

[smokey262]

$249 and it becomes a pump

http://www.ahlmans.com/rifle-work.html