Remington 742 carbine

rchall · #1 07-19-2011, 07:07 PM

Would like to know if anyone on this forum has ever owned/used a Remington 742 carbine? I located one in a little pawn shop and the tag said $395. I would say it was made between 1968-72 based on the checkering pattern and sights that were on it. It is in very nice condition and does not look like it was used much at all. Just wanting to know if they were a reliable gun or if they had any problems with them?? It was
marked .308 Win. on the barrel, too. Thank you!

Lubbock Louie · #2 07-19-2011, 07:22 PM

In the condition you describe it sounds like a lot of gun for the money. An excellent caliber also. They are good guns.

Cary /Lubbock Louie

truckemup97 · #3 07-19-2011, 07:28 PM

I have one, but it came with a ****** scope that I haven't replaced yet, so I can't tell you much about it. It looks like it's been through the woods a time or two, but it's nice and tight. .308 versions are scarce around here. I looked for one for a couple of years before I finally bought this one in .270. $300 would be a better price unless it had a really nice scope on it.

msinc · #4 07-19-2011, 08:13 PM

I have owned and hunted with two. I have had several others come into the shop for the same repairs. I will say that they are more accurate than what most "experts" {there are alot of them around} will tell you. The gun seems to have a few problems that I have seen repeatedly...the barrel nut comes loose, the stock cracks on the sides of the pistol grip and the extractor wears out and one day just flips away. Not too serious as none cost much to fix and based on what I have seen these are all repairs that could be avoided. The stock is usually cracked because somebody dropped the gun. The extractor wear is a simple maintenance issue and the barrel nut coming loose is really simple...just check it every now and then. {yearly} Stay away from the aftermarket magazines, the real Remingtons work the best.

rchall · #5 07-19-2011, 08:16 PM

No scope, but had a Weaver 1-piece mount typical of the Remington pumps and autos of the day. Really a nice piece with minimal use from what I could see. I really haven't seen many of them in .308 around here, either. Maybe he'll haggle some on price, I'll have to vist them again and see what develops.

3daman! · #6 07-20-2011, 03:48 PM

Look over the bolt rails real good. The one problem with the alloy receivers was wear and tear on the rails. If they are slick and not beat up or pounded go for it at that price, or less. But if the rails are bad, run away.

cjw3 · #7 07-20-2011, 04:45 PM

The 742's in general don't have a very good reputation around here. Malfunctions of one sort or another (which have cost some folks a second shot at a deer) are not uncommon.

Of course, a lot of these problems may be related to the basic maintenance, or lack thereof, that would normally be expected. I have seen a few that were filthy, so I would not be surprised if they didn't work well.

I can't answer for the accuracy, but their slide action counterpart is an absolute tack driver when you find the right load....far above and beyond what you would expect. The rifle version I had was anyway; also a pretty vigorous kicker in .30-06.

Jst1mr · #8 07-20-2011, 05:02 PM

Check chamber area very carefully - many get rust due to sloppy cleaning/lack of lube because of cleaning from the muzzle ends. Dirty, rusty chambers lead to all sorts of issues with these guns (including extractors ripping case rims off). They have a reputation of requiring very frequent cleaning to operate properly.

Klondike Mike · #9 07-20-2011, 07:55 PM

I had one in 30-06. I bought it on impulse but didn't really get attached to it. It shot much better than I can. Off a bench at 100 yards it would reliably print 2"-3" groups. But it went down the road when I "needed" something else. Mike

Superflywimpy · #10 07-21-2011, 12:08 AM

in the 29 years I have owned it. It's a early version with the rolled imprint engraving . One side has a bear and the other has a deer. It will get 2-3 inch groups on paper at 200 yrds with a old redfield scope. You have to take it apart to clean it and lube anything where the bolt slides back and fourth on. But other than that its a good rifle. In a hunting situation where you need quick follow up shots on a running target,it's the rifle to have.. I don't use it so much anymore as I have a 1903a3 sporter that I like using more.

K-22 · #11 07-21-2011, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rchall

Would like to know if anyone on this forum has ever owned/used a Remington 742 carbine? I located one in a little pawn shop and the tag said $395. I would say it was made between 1968-72 based on the checkering pattern and sights that were on it. It is in very nice condition and does not look like it was used much at all. Just wanting to know if they were a reliable gun or if they had any problems with them?? It was
marked .308 Win. on the barrel, too. Thank you!

I had one back in the 60s. If you reload, some of them had very tight chambers. No problem, but I did require some special dies to accomodate the tight chamber.
Other than that small quirk, great gun. $350-$400 seems to be about par fro the course in this part of the woods.
Best,
Gary

Snapping Twig · #12 07-21-2011, 03:40 AM

I've got a first year 740 (1955) that was a safe queen, in 30-06.

Once I learned to reload for it, it shoots great! Can't shoot the slow burning powders a bolt gun likes, that's for sure.

I like it, it doesn't look like and EBR, shoots 30-06 accurately in a semi auto platform - what's not to like?

Keep the rails lubed and clean, once they go, that's the end of the line with these.

rchall · #13 07-25-2011, 04:38 PM

The owner said he could sell it for $345.00. Knocking off $50. The only thing I saw that wasn't right was that it had a 6mm clip in it instead of the .308. It was a factory Remington clip and the guy said it would work in that gun. Is he correct on that? Just checking to make sure.

Matt C. · #14 07-25-2011, 04:52 PM

Had one (carbine) in 3006 that I gave to my nephew. Had a Williams aperture sight and was scary accurate.

john4970 · #15 07-26-2011, 10:09 AM

Please see the other post in the lounge today about the 742. Make sure you inspect inside the receiver for wear. Open the bolt and inspect the bolt slide rails of the closed side of the receiver. They should be straight and parallel. Any scalloping or wavyness is wear and is not good. This is the main weakness of this rifle/carbine. There is no fix, as the slide rails are machined into the receiver and the receiver has the serial number.