o2bafnp

Having wonderful accuracy with my grandfather's old M-19, I really grew to like the 30-06 caliber, but didn't care for the weight of the M-19. Now, several years later, and without review before purchase, a neighbor of mine in ill health is selling off his sixty year collection of rifles. The one that caught my eye was his 742 Rem. Woodsmaster. Needless to say, $300 later, I am excited about the purchase and eager to put a scope on it and see if it does as well for me hunting whitetail as my Marlin 30-30. However, I am a little concerned over the "jamming factor" as posted here. Other than keeping it clean and not too heavy on the oil, any suggestions? Or did I make a really bad purchase?

Another question, is will most 7400 scope mounts fit the 742?...most gun shops around here have teenagers who don't a clue!

Thanks.

bigbulls

The 7400 bases will not fit the 742. The holes are drilled differently.

Criggster

I found that my 742 liked the see-thru mounts much better than the regular mounts. I tried it both ways, and for some reason it grouped better with the see-thru mounts. Go figure.

jmfa1957

I bought my 742 .30-06 back in the very early 1980s. For years I had inexpensive aluminum see through mounts; they were awkward and unattractive. The screws wouldn't stay tight even with Loctite.

Last year I ordered some steel Leupold mounts for the 742 from Midway. They are far superior to what I had, and look better (to me anyway.) The Leupold 742 steel mounts are NOT interchangeable with the 7400.

Having said that I am not a 742 fan. The gun groups poorly (~3") unless I let the barrel cool all the way down to COLD between shots. The best ammo I have found for it is Remington 180 grain Core Lokts; my handloads didn't really do any better, and I seldom use this rifle anymore after buying a few bolt actions to hunt with. With much patience between shots and the 180 grain Remmies I did get some four shot groups just over an inch, so if I make my first shot count I've got a reasonable chance of hitting where I want. Still, unless I need a quick follow up shot (such as hunting hogs in brush) I prefer my bolt rifles.

I have never had a jam with my rifle, but I tend to keep it clean. One thing to be careful of - - parts for the 742 can be hard to come by, and if the gun is too worn it may be beyond economical repair. You might want a gunsmith to look at it.

All in all, if you are looking for exceptional accuracy, you're probably going to be disappointed. You'd be better off with a bolt action rifle. If you are looking for a reasonably serviceable hunting rifle for <150 yard shots then you'll be ok as long as the gun has been well cared for and not worn out. The gas operated semiauto action does reduce felt recoil a bit. My guess is that you will like it a bit better than your Marlin .30-30; that was what I had before I got the 742!

Good luck - - post a range report when you get a chance to take it out!

jjo

i had 742 3006 carbine. it grouped well. i had the see thru mounts, no problems. but in the end it started to jam.cleaning was not the problem. thats another story. my brother in law had the same gun in 308, never had a jam. may- be it was the short action. if you want a good auto loader step up to a browning bar.



jjo

nmaineron

I have the opposite opinion of jmfa.My 742 was a tack driver.My local gunsmith would shake his head when he would see my groups.I "chopped" my rifle by taking all the sights off and putting low scope mounts on it.It never jammed but I never tried five shots in the clip either.Four in the clip,keep her clean,especially the gas ports.I use to shoot everything cept for the 220s.Federal use to make a 165 in their premium ammo which I liked quite well.
I sold it in a weak moment and have regretted it ever since.[X(]

3DBuckHunter

my dad has a 742 Woodsmaster and it is fairly accurate (not like my Tikka T3, but still pretty good). It used to jam but we figured out that it was the clip causing it, so we cleaned it out and no more jams.

mossy33oak

another thumbs up here for the 742, dad's had one since the late 70's, it is fairly accurate (good enough for hunting) shooting around 1.1-1.2 at 100 yrds he has never had it jam, of course he has never taken multiple shots with it, however when he does shoot it, it cyles fine.

Highpower

Here Too! 742 in 30-06, Leupold scope and mounts. Shoots good (1" @ 100 yds) and never jams. Not a target rifle, but tough on deer.

The Gilmour Gunner

Some years ago, my father had a 742 Woodsmaster in .308 semi-auto. It would jam up on him with almost every round, regardless of how well he cleaned it. He asked me to take a look at it and clean it up for him. Tore it apart on the kitchen table at the hunting camp, had it completely disassembled. Wiped each piece off, cleaned everything. If it seemed oily it was cleaned. All moving parts were the coated with a combination of dri-lube and or powdered graphite. This gun was so slick and smooth, you could cock it with your baby finger. We filled the mag and did some cycling, what we found was that as action was forced back the recoil was strong enough to dislodge the mag from the rifle, but only at the nose. Upon inspecting that I found that over there is a small little lip on the nose of the mag that is designed to sit in a certain position and hold the mag in place. Short story long, a big flat screwdrivewr and a bigger pair of pliers, the problem was solved, or so we hoped. My dad had lost faith in the gun and made me take it to the bush the next morning. I bagged 2 Spikes, and a big Doe, all together. Had to work a bit for the second Spike as the first 2 went down on the hillside. I put the gun across my back to climb the hill to go after the 3rd. With the gun on my back, almost to the top of the hill, their goes another deer across my intended trail. I stayed on the blood trail and found the 3rd one about 75yds from the top of the hill, VSA. So there was a 4th deer. Dad gifted me the gun that day, he was as happy as I was. That was 25 years ago, and the gun has never jammed on me once. Only addition is fibre optic sights, cause I like the close shots in the dirty spots.