742 Woodsmaster - Now what?

[ZeroJunk]

jji, same with my FIL. He had a 742 in 30-06 and killed a lot of deer with it. I shot it a few times and it was a reliable 2 inch shooter, fine for deer hunting. He said that it had never jammed. These may be a little like a box of chocalate, perhaps more magazine damage or poor cleaning than anything else. I would just advise a man to shoot it and see for himself.

 

[Slamfire]

I am glad you “updated” this thread or I would not have seen Saturon’s interesting essay.

The speed at which the 740 operated was causing the bolt heads to over-rotate when the bolt was at its rear most position. This was causing the locking lugs to hammer that rail to the point that dents were raised enough to cause the bolt to stick momentarily in the rear position. In bad cases, the bolt handle had to be forced forward to get the lugs unstuck. In the field, most shooters simply attributed this phenomenon to a "dirty" gun and would clean and oil it. The problem of course would not be resolved, and thus many shooters began to curse the gun that had been serving hunters so well for several years. In worse-case scenarios, the bolt would become locked solidly in the battered dents and would have to be disassembled to get the bolt out of the rearward position. To resolve the problem, Remington had to create another model.

This section and the rest of the text inform me that using heavy bullets and slow powders is very bad in these rifles. My experience in Garands, M1a’s and my PTR91 has taught me that heavy bullets shift the pressure curve, change port pressure (no gas port in the PTR) with the effect that more gas gets into the gas system, accelerating the recoil of the bolt. Unless of course the powder charge for the heavier bullet is reduced to the level that using a heavier bullet is pointless.


I would advise anyone using these rifles to not go heavier than 150’s, keep velocites around WW2 levels (2700 fps) and to use powders no faster than IMR 4895. I have shot a couple of pounds of IMR 3031 in the M1a, our Club President uses it all the time in 30-06, so it should work just fine and as it is faster, the pressure drop at the gas port should be quicker.

Wisner’s has a very interesting section on this series of rifles.

http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/Remington_7407427400.htm

 

[djoiner]

I got a used 742 in 30-06 about 35 years ago. I shoot left handed and didn't like bolt guns. I put a Leupold scope on it. That same gun and scope is what I still hunt with today. I would not even try to guess how many 150 grain Remington core-lokts went down that tube, or how many deer I have killed with it. It like me is showing its age. The blueing is worn off from many hunts, but the gun is sound and the wood is still good. It has never failed me. On a side note it is the loudest gun in the woods. Shoot your new gift and enjoy it. Hold it tight to your shoulder and wear ear plugs.