Remington model 742 reviews?

[Col. Plink]

Hey y'all,

Considering a Remington 742BDL and have been trying to do some research on them as well. Have read some things that makes me think they are a questionable buy if not in very good/excellent condition. At the very least they are very pretty...

I know one must bear in mind that autoloaders are finicky by nature and that the outstanding desings have weathered the test of time and become renowned for their robust performance and reliability.

My question is, is the 742 design one of these?

What I'm trying to determine is how reliable one might be that isn't in near-pristine condition, and how long one might be expected to last that is like-new. I'm considering one in 30'06.

Thanks!

On a related note, are there any well-regarded designs/models out there in a 30'06 lever-action?

 

[thunder173]

I have the 760 pump,..a good friend of mine has the older 742 Semi Auto....both have ran thousands of rounds over the years and have taken many deer,...his and mine are both in .308....they are not military rifles,..but both will serve you well for sporting purposes if in decent condition. Both of these guns get hunted and used every year,.and both are 30 plus years old. Mine is minute of deer at 300 yards plus......can't account for his,..but the jerk has made some incredible long shots with his.....

 

[willymike]

I have owned one since 1973 and it has served me well, but has been retired due to several issues.

First the gun has been out of manufacture since 1980 and you can no longer get parts or servcie for it from Remington. You will be required to find parts through antique gun parts vendors. I've been down that road and it's difficult to run down parts. Also, Remington will not service the gun but refer you to an "approved" 3rd party repair shop to make the repair. Please refer to the Remington web site and it will confirm these facts.

Second, the gun began to fequently jam, mainly due to me not properly cleaning the guns chamber. I'm very good about keeping guns clean, but failed to keep the chamber properly cleaned and this led jams. Just cleaning the barrel will not be sufficient. One jam stuck the bolt in battery so badly that a gunsmith had to disassemble the gun. Remington makes an offset brass brush specifically for cleaning the chamber of this rifle. I'd lost mine when I was in college and actually forgot to clean that part of the rifle thoroughly. Big mistake for me. The 742 is notorious for jamming due to dirty chambers.

Third, the gun was only accurate to around 1.5 MOA at best and would walk hits all over the target when the barrel heated during a sighting in session. The first couple of rounds were ususally pretty close, but as the barrel heated accuracy deminished.

I have replaced this gun mainly due to my lost confidence in the ability of the gun to not jam at an inopportune moment in the field, the inability to obtain critical parts and service, the fact that I'm much older and do not want to carry a heavy rifle such as the 742, and the fact that while 35 years old it was in great condition. I'd received this rifle as a Christmas present from dad (deceased) and I emotionally can't get rid of it so it goes into storage.

Mainly, the inability to get parts and potential unreliable operation told me it was time to move on to something more dependable and lighter for my aging and surgically repaired arms and shoulders to tote.

The 742s were very good auto rifles in their time, but that time has passed and there are better options (even in auto rifles) out there.

 

[rangerruck]

the 742 had a recall at one time I think, I would also rather do the winchester 99 as well, also an autoloader, but it also had a recall.( or was it the 100, that was a semi auto?) Much more fixable than the remmy though, it was a bolt problem. the remmy is a rail problem, which over time, would have the rails grind down, inside the receiver. I would avoid this, and go with a 7400, they corrected the problem with these.