Traditional Remington semi-automatic centerfire rifles

[Mr. T]

Does anyone know when Remington discontinued their Traditional semi-automatic centerfire rifles? In particular the model 750?

 

[jmr40]

Must have been very recently. I no longer see them on their website, but they could still be in limited production. There are several rifles they have made that were never cataloged.

But if they have dropped it, it is something they should have done 40 years ago.

 

[LeonCarr]

When I lived in Beaumont, Texas, the LGS I frequented hated the Remington Semiautos.

They would not have one in stock, they would not special order one for a customer, would not stock parts or magazines for one, and would not take one in on trade. Per the manager the owner gave them specific instructions to have nothing to do with them.

Not as durable as a military style semiauto, difficult to disassemble and clean which contributes to its reputation for unreliability. As mentioned they should have dropped them 40 years ago.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Goosey]

Hm, this thread gave me a hunch, I checked Browning's site and turns out they've discontinued most of their BAR line as well. No more synthetic stocks either, apparently, all 3 regular production models are now sporting walnut and engravings, but it seems they have some limited models that might go to full production soon.

 

[Bull Nutria]

the BARs were in a class well above the Rem 742 and 750s!!they are rifles of a different stripe and much better made.

Bull

 

[MikeInOr]

The Browning BAR's have been militarized into FN-AR's. Pretty nice looking guns if black plastic is your thing.

 

[foresthawk]

Never saw or heard of the 750s being continued, just stopped seeing it shown on their website around 2014 sometime, don't recall exactly when.
And then you wonder why it was discontinued, if it in fact has been. You might say "sales," but in the present day, it could be other things, possibly.
Has anyone more knowledge on this?

 

[DM~]

Remington semi auto HUNTING rifles, aren't all that bad... AS LONG as you use them for hunting, and that means a box of ammo or so a year.

We have had a few of them here over the years, and they have held up just fine, I still have a 742 Deluxe 30-06 that shoots plenty good for hunting and is reliable. My dad put quite a few deer in the freezer with it, including his last buck when he was in his 90's,

He shot a doe or two with it after that...

We also have had several Browning BAR's here, and they have to be kept cleaner than the Rem's to stay reliable, so for HUNTING rifles I don't see them deserving all the hate that most folks just keep repeating what they "heard"...

One thing that IS true, once you shoot a 742 out, it does become an un-reparable single shot! OR it can be converted to pump action...

I'd rather have a shot out "single shot" 742 than a single shot Handi! lol

DM

 

[Casefull]

My experience with the pump and semi auto. 06 and auto was 308 was they are not a well made firearm. Built way to light in the bolt area for those two cartridges. Worst remington ever made in my opinion.

 

[Grumulkin]

I had a Remington 742 in 308 Winchester. I won "heavy C" in a small time bench rest match with it and once shot a 0.555 inch 5 shot 100 yard group with it. After shooting it a lot (i.e., hundreds of rounds), the rails failed (it wasn't even a single shot). Remington was still making it so it was repaired under warranty and I sold it. It was more accurate than a Springfield Armory M1A National Match I later had.

So I would say, if you only put a 20 round box of shells through a 742 on a yearly basis, the gun could work for your lifetime. If it breaks, it's probably not fixable except at exhorbitant cost at this time.

 

[tark]

As far as I am concerned, THIS was the last reliable semi-auto hunting rifle Remington ever made. Not the most accurate, heavy, didn't balance well in the hand when carrying, and it launches empties into the stratosphere... but they worked. They were also complicated, expensive to make and a whore's nightmare to disassemble and put back together. But like I said....they worked.

 

[stiab]

I agree tark, if you find one around my area in .35 in nice condition they will be asking at least 3x what you can buy a 742 for. I've owned two 742's, one .30-06 and the other .243. I bought the 06 new, it failed twice and was repaired to working order twice, then failed a third time. Bought the .243 used and it failed after about a box of ammo. Talked to Remington Customer Service and the gentleman told me they would all fail with use, there was no amount of maintenance that could prevent it, the problem was an original design flaw, and Remington no longer would repair them because they would just fail again. This was his exact message to me, and I believed him.

 

[tark]

I agree Stiab. Mine is a 99% gun. I was offered a thousand for it by a guy who desperately wanted a good Model 8 or 81 but I turned him down because he wanted to re-finish the wood. Age had taken its toll on the 70 year old varnish on the stock. There is no actual wear, but varnish that old will will develop tiny cracks. The collector in me would not let me sell the gun to anyone who would alter its originality. I have fired it sparingly, It's a safe queen now, and I can enjoy it just by looking at it, almost as much as by shooting it.

 

[CraigC]

Had a 7400 .270 back in the `90's and traded it away. Don't know why, it was a nice rifle and never gave me any trouble. Kinda miss it, maybe enough to buy another.

 

[Big7]

The only one I have is a 7400 in .243 Win. No problems.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

I agree Stiab. Mine is a 99% gun. I was offered a thousand for it by a guy who desperately wanted a good Model 8 or 81 but I turned him down because he wanted to re-finish the wood. Age had taken its toll on the 70 year old varnish on the stock. There is no actual wear, but varnish that old will will develop tiny cracks. The collector in me would not let me sell the gun to anyone who would alter its originality. I have fired it sparingly, It's a safe queen now, and I can enjoy it just by looking at it, almost as much as by shooting it.

Good for you. All the money in the world can't replace that original finish.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Model 750 was part of a progression of the Remington Woodsmaster semi-automatic centerfire sporting rifle. From Wikipedia:
Model 740 (1955-1960 total 251,398 built,
Model 742 (1960-1980) total 1,433,269 built,
Model Four (1981-1988),
Model 7400 (1981-2004),
Model 750 (2006-2015).
Hmmm. Wonder why production figures for the later versions weren't available?
JB Woods "Troubleshooting Your Rifle and Shotgun" the 740 Woodsmaster was introduced 1955 three years after the Remington 760 Gamemaster pump-action rifle of 1952 and the two share several parts in common. Woods lists one chronic problem: the plastic ejection port cover introduced in later production of the 742. However he points out that on disassembly the magazine catch and spring may get detached and the disconnector can be bent but should only be straightened by a gunsmith.
My stepdad owned one and disassembly for routine maintenance was intimidating. It was good looking, handled well and shot well. I got the impression it was the kind of gun some people had to take to a gunsmith for a thorough annual cleaning. Makes the M1 Garand, M1 carbine, AR and AK look very very user friendly.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

i got a buddy that had several of them, he always packed them up and brung them down here to sight them in. i finally told him to sell them and dont bring them around me anymore. he could not shoot them well and niether could i. im not sure if it was his cheap scopes but gawd we cud not get those rifles to shoot well at all.

they did function well but yu wud be lucky to hit a paper plate at 150 yrds. with several diff loads

 

[ontarget]

I shot my buck this year with my 740 in 30-06. Love that rifle.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

When I attended gunsmith school they had a discussion on the Remington semi auto rifles and why they aren't widely accepted. They were designed with a rotating bolt and as luck would have it the bolt would slam into the receiver rail at the rearward most travel. Over time it would begin to dig a channel from barrel lug contact. Eventually they would just lock up. It was a design flaw that could not be fixed once it started happening. Down the road Browning incorporated a brake in their bolt system that prevented this from happening. The pump versions were fine and the school I attended offered to do a semi-auto to pump conversion.

 

[JackSprat]

I think they have a stigma about them ,but I would bet that most that you find used are probably alright,because as others have mentioned most have only been used for hunting.I have had two,one 7400 in 270,and one742 in 30-06 ,I bought both used,and cheap,but they both cycled fine,and were both decently accurate..I killed a couple deer with the 7400,but didn't need it so I made a few bucks on it..I think they would make a good truck gun too,because they are cheap,have good iron sights,and they have a removable clip that you can keep loaded in the glovebox.I guess they would be a good gun to cut the barrel down on too,because of their low price used.

 

[DM~]

They were made in carbine models too. (short bbl.)

SR

 

[stiab]

I was offered a thousand for it by a guy who desperately wanted a good Model 8...

For some interesting reading, look into the Model 8's used in the killing of Bonnie and Clyde.

 

[Hookeye]

The 742 doesn't have a good stop for the bolt over rotating when going back and the lugs will chew up the rail.
This most notable on the .30-06 versions, where folks think 180-220 gr bullets make things better on little ol Bambi.
Chambers rusting due to hunting cold weather environs doesn't help reliability.
Another issue............puffy coats/fat people......in effect "limp shouldering" the gun. MIne ran fine, shot decent with 150's.......and the guy that bought it off me, with same ammo...............jammed. He brought it to the range to prove it to me and I banged the mag dry no prob. He was quite a bit overweight at the time.

Also......with the gas port deal, they can experience bbl warp like a Mini 14. When iron sighted the sights will track with the bbl movement, but scoped your aiming system is afixed to the receiver and bbl warp will shift impact. Had a minty 742carbine that put the first shot cold bbl 1" high at 100. The next couple were 7 or 8" lower, nice group......those, but not even close to the first cold bore shot. No wonder the rifle was minty.

Two later beater 742's of minor bolt rail chew, shot fine scoped, and never jammed on me.

The 7400 has bigger lugs to avoid that problem. I'd buy a 7400 carbine if I can score one at a good price, and hope the bbl heat up doesn't cause unacceptable drift. If so, ditch it and get a 7600 pump.

 

[Grunt]

I knew a guy that had one and honestly, you couldn't give one of those things to me! Well, maybe you could give me one for free that I could promptly use as barter stock for something better but that's about it. Unless kept VERY clean, they were VERY unreliable and taking them apart for cleaning was NOT something that you just pop out a couple of pins and that's it. No, the barrel is retained by a barrel nut that required a special wrench (unless you wanted rounded nuts after trying to use a regular wrench) to remove it. Oh, and Mongo from Blazing Saddles...ever wonder "where are they now?" Yeah, he took a job at Remington putting that damn nut on!!! One more reason why you find a lot of rounded barrel retaining nuts, especially when not using the correct wrench.
Accuracy wasn't all that impressive either. The guy I knew that had one was happy with minute of pie plate accuracy and maybe I'm just a lot more stringent than I need to be but I don't call what that thing put out a group so much as I would think of it as a freakin' pattern!
Nope, IMHO, the Remington auto rifles really didn't have much going for it. Unreliable, horrible take down design and mediocre accuracy leaves me with zero interest in owning one.