As a gunsmith this is the deer rifle ( I would add the model 7400 as well) that shows up more than any other. They are great rifles if they are well maintained BUT they often come in for repairs due to poor maintenance. When they are taken care of most will average 1 1/2'' - 2'' groups at 100 yards with ammo that that particular gun like to shoot. Some will shoot well under an inch with their favorite load and some cant be make to shoot less than 2'' groups regardless of what you feed them. When problems reliability and accuracy issues occur it is often from guns that have been put in a case after a hunt that have gotten wet. Rust forms in the chamber and barrels of the guns reducing accuracy and often causing reliability issue. I often see the gas metering ball frozen in place due to rust. When rust occurs in the chamber and the locking lugs several reliability issues occur. When those gun are fired many times the fit has become so tight that the bolt and carrier flex and the whole system chatters down the inside of the top of the receiving further decreasing reliability. The items I've removed from the magazines is an impressive list from gum & candy wrappers, twigs, raisins, and a ton of other debris. The mags are often dented from dropping them. Many have the feed lips bent bad enough that the gun no longer functions. For some reason many people neglect to ever check the screw that attaches the forearm and often when a sling is mounted the wrong type of screw is used to secure it to the forearm. This can change the accuracy of the rifle as well. As harmonics change so will the accuracy. I have to say again that when these rifles are properly maintained they are very good rifles that do not have any glaring problems
MY bad experience with one (35 Whelen), was that the barrel was loose after 6 1/2 boxes of factory rounds were put thru it. Cheap design or poorly manufactured..... I sent it to Remington and they likely "lock tited" the barrel "stud" to the reciever, which kept the barrel from wobbling around in the reciever.... scope sighted, too. After they tightened that barrel in the reciever, it would then shoot 1.5" groups at 50 yards. (Before you could only hit a pie plate consistently. So, it definitely was improved) I had a Remington pump design M760 (a similar barrel attachment design as the M7400) that with factory loads will shoot one hole groups at 50 yards.
I cleaned my dad’s old 742 up properly, got a new magazine, and mounted a scope on it. When I sighted it in just to get it on paper at 25 years I think the groups was a little over an inch with some Winchester Super X 150 grain ammo. I know what the gun is designed for so I’m happy with that I seen from it. I was happy that it finally cycles and didn’t jam. The last time it was shot was 10 years ago and it constantly jammed and I saw that it was from the magazine not seating properly.
My grandpa bought dad a 740 30-06 for his 16th birthday in 1961. He used it for over 40 years until it got too heavy for him. He never put a scope on it and used only open sights. I have no way to know for sure but I’d wager it’s killed over 100 deer. He always told me about amazing shots he made with it. I was there to personally witness 3. One was a buck came trotting up and stopped about 40 yards away but had dad spotted. The deer froze with a pine tree about 10” in diameter covering its vitals and was watching dad. He took aim right in the middle of the pine and squeezed one off. The deer ran about 30 yards and piled up. When I inspected the tree the bullet (corelokt) went right through the tree and blew out a chunk and still passed completely through the deer. The second incident was we were hunting in the rain and we’re soaked. We decided to leave and headed off the hill. All at once a small grouse flew by and landed in a tree approximately 50 yards away. He took a rest and aim with his iron sights and shot the grouse out of the tree. The last shot I witnesses was similar circumstances but was a rabbit. He aimed at it a few times but didn’t shoot because he said he didn’t want to tear the rabbit up. Then he turned the rifle sideways and said I’m just going to shoot it nose off. And he did. At 50 yards and iron sights he shot about 1” of the rabbits nose off. Dad passed in march of 2022. His rifle sits in my safe now. The fall that he passed I brought it to deer camp and set it by the window with a cup of coffee and a loaded mag. Sure do miss him.
Check the rifling at the muzzle, I was given 2 742s and a 760 that had all been damaged by energetic cleaning from the front without using a rod guide. I fixed one 742 by cutting 1+ inch off and recrowning. Also worked over the fire control unit and other repairs. About 2 inch groups now with a 3x9 scope. Much better than I expected! I shoot reduced power 150g handloads. A small base resizing die is required.
I have shot a 30:06 7400 Semi-auto a lot over quite a few years. My experience with this rifle is that it is a 4" rifle at 100 yards. I started handloading and the Core Lokt 150 grain groups are 2" and using Match King 168 grain bullets around 2500 fps I was able to shoot 1". The rifle was designed by someone who really wanted to create an inaccurate rifle and he succeeded. I believe a large part of the accuracy issues are the incredibly long jump of 1/4"+ and next for some unkonown reason Remington told me that they farm their barrel making out to some company in Arizona which true to Remington wanting inaccurate rifles has rifling that will not shoot any weight bullet accurately from 125 grain and up. Americans loved the idea of a quick handling semi-auto that didn't weigh 14 lbs. before adding the sling, scope, loaded mag and etc. which was able to handle 30:06 and larger calibers. i never had scopes coming loose or ejection problems with any weight or different manufacturers shells except I thought I was going elk hunting several years ago and decided to use some spendy Fiocchi Scirocco 165 grain shells which I thought would surely be accuate. How's 12" and 10" groups sound for accuracy? I called the company and although sympthetic were unable to explain why or how that happened. So, if you have any rifle that Remington made and have bad accuracy try lighter bullets and see if that helps. Remington is gone and except for their reputation of long ago I personally don't miss them.
When the bolt latch broke on my father's 742 I completely rebuilt it. I took it completely apart down to the smallest spring and pin. I refinished the wood (not as well as you did) and started basic reloading for it. Mind you it was just reloading for cheap ammo with no tuning. I'm not a great shot but I get by. I only shot 3 shot groups with it. It never shot group larger than 2.5 inches. Occasionally it would shoot 1.5 inch groups. Mind you that's with a 3 power Weaver post crosshair scope. I killed a moose at over 300 yards with it. I think it would be a little more fair to the rifle to shoot 3 shot groups. My 30-06 warms up pretty fast. One of my uncles made some amazing shots with his even at running deer. His son too come to think about it. It's not my first choice for western hunting but here in Atlantic Canada it was very popular even though they were poorly maintained. It was one of those rifles with a low mounted scope that actually fit me great for quick off-hand shooting. It actually feels like the 870 when you shoulder it. Three uncles and my father swore by them. I use a Sako bolt action in 7mm-08 now but kept the 742 for nostalgia.
If you're worried about heat space the shots. If you do any group testing at all you'll find three shot groups do not give accurate results. 5 or 10 shot groups are much more accurate in terms of what the gun can actually do. If you shoot 10 shot groups you very rapidly realize that very very few factory guns are capable of MOA accuracy. My 742 shoots about 3.5 MOA. Which is fine for what it's for.
@@danhoff4401 I know 3 shot groups aren't enough but considering it's a hunting gun for short medium range on deer or moose like under 300 yards this is enough to do the job. 3 shot groups often tell my what doesn't shoot well in the rifle. I once had to buy ammo for a moose hunt and the first mag was 4 inches with a failure to extract a round. Bought another brand and the first mag was about inch and a half with no stoppages. That load bagged a 900 lb moose.
I’ve yet to meet anyone who didn’t think that his rifle was excessively accurate. The bigger pos it is, the more violently he defends it. Same goes for marksmanship. Every man is Alvin York until its time to prove it.
The fish was THIS big. The buck was THAT far away. My car does the quarter mile in four seconds flat. Etc etc. People seem to think I'm upset the rifle doesn't shoot as well as a custom built competition rifle that cost 6x the price. Not at all. I think this rifle did really well with essentially every ammunition type we put through it. It's all about perspective. It cycles great, groups similarly with different softpoints and FMJs, and looks good doing it. I'll be taking it hunting next season.
I watched this video for few reasons. But mainly because last summer, I was doing identical accuracy testing with the Winchester 100 as you were doing with the Remington. I used 4 different Winchester 100's in my testing. I even used some of the same ammunition that you used in your testing. Depending on the individual rifle and ammunition overall the Winchester 100's shot 2.5 - 4 MOA. Every now and then, I would achieve a random lucky group, but those lucky groups were not repeatable. My reason for shooting well over 250 rounds over a period of 3 months from 4 different 100's was because one of the rifles randomly throws the first shot up to 7 inches off POA. I swapped parts, checked bedding, swapped stocks, checked headspace, and made calls to experts. That particular rifle has now become a safe queen.
That's one rifle I've actually been interested in. The bolt is surprisingly modern. I would expect that sort of accuracy out of them. Did you record your efforts anywhere? I'd love to see it. Sadly, model 100's are still fairly expensive due to the Winchester Tax.
Great video and good to know some people understand that just because you can't take a dime out at 100 yards doesnt mean you or the rifle are bad or inaccurate
I'm actually nostalgic about these rifles, as I used them while hunting with my grandfather. And for knocking down 100 pound white-tail at 80 yards, they worked great. I think people need to just understand and appreciate them for what they are, instead of claiming they are better than purpose-built competition rifles.
I have an old Pennsylvania automatic that throws a shot pretty far occasionally. I think it may be caused by fore end torque that causes contact with the barrel, but I haven’t been able to isolate the issue.
It could be. Any clamping pressures on the barrel could affect accuracy in that regard. For the time these were built, I don't think the accuracy of them is bad at all. Just most people have it in their head that "1 MOA = acceptable".
I think they are a poor design. Remington press fits the barrel into the reciever with a pin. Mine, its barrel loosened up after 6 1/2 boxes of ammo.... and wobbled around in the reciever. I sent it back to Remington and it appeared that they just "locktited" the the barrel's reciever stud to the reciever. After that, the rifled started to then shoot 1.5" groups at 50 yards. Before that "repair", you couldn't hit a pie plate at 50 yards consistently. My model M760 pump rifle (the same barrel attachment design as a M7400) is still tight, and typically can shoot one hole groups at 50 yards with factory loads (30-06). So if your m7400 or m760, starts to shoot terribly.... check the barrel tightness to its reciever.
You know I seen the first REM 740/42 vid you did. Liked it but didn’t know if I like the channel and the personality. As soon as you said “ this is the definition of putting race gas in a Pinto” you had me. Yep you are my kind of people. Keep up the great work
Please do a follow up, I would leave to see you pursue the absolute peak accuracy out of this, I’m talking no holds barred, any modification to bring this thing into 1 MOA. Say 1.5 at worst. No because of any reason other than it would be fun lol. Great video!
I'm currently working on plans with a spare rifle I have. These plans include a custom turned barrel and a new barrel nut. Potentially a reworked gas system too.
I have a 721 (1951) and a 742, both in 30.06. Both have ammo they like and ammo they don’t. On a good day, with the right ammo, they can both shoot 1 1/2” or so. Actually about to bed my 721, and try to give it new life!
Was the barrel given time to cool down? 2 to 3 moa is standard. I’ve seen one with a shit scope and rings shoot a clover, but probably a one of a kind anomaly.
We had one ofe these when i was younger out at my grandparent's place. Some dirtbag stole it (one of my esteemed cousins, no doubt) but left the magazine ? It was more accurate than me. I hate that its gone. It had very few rounds through it when i knew it. Several people took deer with it.
Fair at best video you test two brands of Ammo on a windy day don't say much I have a 742 and it shoots around 2 moa with Winchester 150 grain spire points .I didn't find Remington ammo all that accurate in mine about what you were shooting
It can’t possibly do that. No matter what the paper shows at the range. No matter who or how many see it happen. It just simply can not do that….because it doesn’t cost enough.
This guy is another one of those types that I consider to be a gun snob if it's not a bolt action it's not accurate and the rem 7400 and 7600 pump is actually accurate enough rifle they'll shoot inch inch and half groups at a hundred fifty yards All day with a good scope and ammo
It depends, I've had 1 that won a bench shoot,then have a couple that are good for hogs. But the problem with Remington auto loaders extractors are not not long lasting, and the 740s are the worst. Judging by the target I had a 740 that would out shoot that bolt gun,but Remington ammo is best for the Remington auto loaders because it was loaded with the intent for the Remington auto's. If only Remington would produce the bronze point again.
@Deanosaurous it was an nra shoot in south Texas when I was a kid, many years ago. Nomatter what it is some will shoot some won't, I have a 340 savage in 222 it shoots, and another that won't. It's killed hundreds of deer in south Texas back in the day when I hunted way to much.
... the 7400 has fewer but more robust locking lugs (4 vs 9 I think) than the 740/742 and a better designed more robust receiver ... I've owned both and they weren't tack drivers .... more in the "spray & pray" category ... if you have one that produces less than 2" 3-shot groups @ 100 yds you have a good one ... the Winchester model 100 is a better gun ... I sold the Remingtons but still have my pre 64 Win 100 in 308 Win that was made in 1961 ... will produce ~ 1.5" 3-shot groups @ 100 yds
THX for informing the ignorant! Even ,the much ,ballyhooed ,STAR GUAGE 03;couldnt do better than3 MOA;under IDEAL conditions!!{ammo specialised} Good on ya chum!
You have absolutely no right to be rating firearms if you take one rifle and can't make it group to say all others can't shoot moa. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
I had one in 1978 or 1979 it was a 1968 model i loved it never had an issue with it i used it for hunting never let me down remember its a hunting rife not a sniper rifle i see alot of these channels shooting a group at 100 hundred yards why are you not hitting the bullseye why is they can't hit center target if you're scope is set you should hit the bullseye don't you think just saying
Mine shoots 1& 1/2 “ groups with an occasional 2” group when I don’t do my part. I can’t argue with what your gun shot because we alll saw it, but that one gun is not enough of a sample size to condemn all of these model guns. But I clean and maintain my rifle well. Also no I will not make a video, because I don’t have any desire to go to the trouble. But I will invite you to come shoot at my range with me and witness it yourself. Now for shooting 10 round groups or even 5, I only shoot 3 shot groups because it’s a hunting rifle, in 40 years of deer hunting I’ve never shot more than once at a deer, because I only take sure shots at whatever range the deer is, if the deer is not positioned correctly I don’t shoot. So you could be right about 5 or 10 shot groups. But if your rifle constantly shoots 3 shot 1&1/2” groups, to me , well that’s what it shoots, maybe before it heats up. But not all of these rifles are 4” group rifles. Good job on your video, I enjoyed watching it, but before condemning these rifles you should test many more of them, just like a lot of commentators here claim to get much better groups, they can’t all be fibbing. The first shot is the only one that matters for the hunter, and these are hunting rifles. Now I will agree that there is an old saying about these rifles, that you either get a good one or you don’t. Some of them had problems, some. Some wouldn’t even empty the magazine without jamming, but some of that was due to maintenance or the magazine. Anyway thanks for making your video, I’ll enjoy showing people that they are. Capable of smaller groups, even if just 3 shot groups, which is a plenty for a hunter.
@@sinistersilverado965 and a rifle from the 20s is going to do sub moa. when most bolt actions or rifles would do 2-3 moa at best at that time. please, ill love to see a video on this. so one your lying. two you are a moron. and three at least tell a entertaining lie because im bored with your old wives tale.
In the winds you were shooting in im surprised you got what you did, in my deer grounds im dropping groups near-enough to an inch at 150-200. It's a deer rifle not a comp 1000+ rifle...
I'd love to see those 200 yard groups! That's pretty impressive. 0.5 MOA is crazy good! And as I stated in the video, being able to group even 4 MOA is perfectly adequate for the engagement distances most commonly found while deer hunting.
@Deanosaurous didn't mean for that to sound like you were calling these rifles crap, sorry if it came out that way. I'm impressed you got what you did with the winds. 30-06 is a round that is heavily influenced by it in my experience is all.
Whatever it is, it isn't near the rifle a Browning BAR is. Guess which one is still being made. There is a reason for that. In NC, a lot of dealers will not even take a 742 in on trade. The 760 series is much better .
Most DEER hunters, seldom shoot whatever beyond 100Yds. So Boiler room accuracy is what maters. You don't shoot from a bench rest while hunting, most of the time it's offhand. If you can hit a paper plate Offhand(Remember Deer Move) at 100 Yds. It's ACCURATE. Ok, I handloaded my old 1917 US Enfield to 1". But Most of my hunter friends got their Deer with open sighted 30-30 levers. The whole 1" or under 1" hoopla is for paper punchers or those that shoot game 500 yds and beyond. The last deer I shot was a nice 10 pointer with 30-30 insert(I had made in the 1970's) in my Browning Superposed at about 100 Yds. Over Barrel with Buckshot, for whatever snorts 10-15 yds away up to 40 yds
Thanks for posting that observation. Those are garbage mounts. Along with the way the stock is made, I shoot mine a lot better with a Lyman 48 peep sight. I have had the gun for 60 years now; my uncle gifted it to me. You keep them clean and they work well enough for the New England deer woods.
So a precision barrel. A complete aftermarket trigger. Glass bedding with pillar bedding. A lapped bolt face and lugs. With a muzzle device. Don’t mean anything. Over a minor part.
No im saying on that old rifle I wouldn’t waste the money doing all that stuff. Throw in a trigger spring kit and it will get that trigger pull down to 2 lbs and you will see the best return on investment in real world accuracy. At least that has been the case for my dad’s 7400 Remington that shot 3 inch groups before and now shoots under 1.5 moa with federal Berger 168 3006 and hornady superformance. Those are the only two we have shot so far. So know the gun and then know what you are trying to get from it. Yes I would glass bed a bolt action but this old semi auto is completely different… I don’t understand what you are saying, are you saying you should glass bed and do everything you mentioned to this semi auto Remington?
Then the accuracy will get much better, I wouldn’t rebarrel the semi auto personally. If you have the same rifle or the 7400 that m Carbo spring lowers trigger pull so darn well you can squeeze one off without changing the point of aim compared to the 7 lb stock trigger pull or whatever it is
I’m seriously doubt swapping a trigger spring will bring a gun. With already known accuracy issues under 1.5” group size. What range are you shooting these groups at. And is it 3 shot groups or 5shot groups.
... a 4-12X "culvert pipe" scope on a semi-auto brush gun ... are you kidding? ... get a "red dot" or Skinner aperture sight for that gun ... the Rem 74X series of rifles were MOM (Minute of Moose) ~ 3" 3-shot groups @ 100 yds accuracy
Why do people put those crappy see through rings , I understand the idea they just are made of crap and probably responsible for accuracy issue ( not keeping cheek on stock, poor form)
See-Through rings were used extensively throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s by competitive shooters like Jerry Miculek. As long as the material is hardened and everything is torqued, there's no issue. These were period-appropriate rings and we saw no issues in shifting zeros or strange grouping patterns. A high optic mount is not as detrimental as once thought.
Well there’s a page run by derkie White Castle cook called the sniper from West Virginia & he claims he can circumcise a bat @ 1000 yards with a 7400 CARBINE which he also claims is one of only 32 made EVER! & he is known for his truthfulness 🤣 so I’m gonna disagree with anybody knocking these fine weapons !!!
That's certainly a claim! Especially since the 18" 7400 was made from 1988 to 2004. Remington gets a lot of flack, but I believe they could produce more than 32 of those rifles in that time period. I'll have to check this guy out, he sounds entertaining.
Every Remington Auto I've seen shoot minute of deer. That being said never seen one shoot well with see through Mounts. Even my rem seven goes from 3/4 inch gun to a 2 inch gun with see through Mounts. Lock the scope down tight and see what happens then.
I'm quite certain those rifles were designed to shoot nothing heavier than 150 grain pills because of the angle of the gas port and the way the bolt lug is designed . It will beat the hell out of and destroy the lug rails with heavier than 150 gr. pills
Not wrong! Check out my previous video, I go into the gas system a bit. In short, 30-06 got way hotter after the rifle was designed. It's a great shooting rifle with M2 spec ammunition. The really hot stuff will eventually wear the rifle out.
That particular gun/ammo combo with you shooting it may not be that accurate. You cannot base all those guns off your test. Some guns of the exact same make, model definitely shoot better than others... I gurantee there's some of these old remington auto's with the right ammo that are legit shooters and print tiny groups all day...
No handloads worked up in that rifle? You'll never find the rifles true potential, if you are not handloading for it. I'm not a 742 lover, but your test was pointless, in terms of accuracy testing and accuracy potential. If your goal was to show us how crappy factory ammo shoots in your rifle, you succeeded. But please don't tell us that all 740/742's shoot that bad.. Also don't try to tell us old guns don't shoot well. You really need an education.
You'd be in luck, because I actually handload! However, in all my experience, I have never seen any rifle with a particular load become 9x more accurate (the jump from 3 moa to 1 moa) over traditionally loaded match grade offerings from either Federal or Hornady.
As a gunsmith this is the deer rifle ( I would add the model 7400 as well) that shows up more than any other. They are great rifles if they are well maintained BUT they often come in for repairs due to poor maintenance. When they are taken care of most will average 1 1/2'' - 2'' groups at 100 yards with ammo that that particular gun like to shoot. Some will shoot well under an inch with their favorite load and some cant be make to shoot less than 2'' groups regardless of what you feed them. When problems reliability and accuracy issues occur it is often from guns that have been put in a case after a hunt that have gotten wet. Rust forms in the chamber and barrels of the guns reducing accuracy and often causing reliability issue. I often see the gas metering ball frozen in place due to rust. When rust occurs in the chamber and the locking lugs several reliability issues occur. When those gun are fired many times the fit has become so tight that the bolt and carrier flex and the whole system chatters down the inside of the top of the receiving further decreasing reliability. The items I've removed from the magazines is an impressive list from gum & candy wrappers, twigs, raisins, and a ton of other debris. The mags are often dented from dropping them. Many have the feed lips bent bad enough that the gun no longer functions. For some reason many people neglect to ever check the screw that attaches the forearm and often when a sling is mounted the wrong type of screw is used to secure it to the forearm. This can change the accuracy of the rifle as well. As harmonics change so will the accuracy. I have to say again that when these rifles are properly maintained they are very good rifles that do not have any glaring problems
MY bad experience with one (35 Whelen), was that the barrel was loose after 6 1/2 boxes of factory rounds were put thru it.
Cheap design or poorly manufactured..... I sent it to Remington and they likely "lock tited" the barrel "stud" to the reciever, which kept the barrel from wobbling around in the reciever.... scope sighted, too.
After they tightened that barrel in the reciever, it would then shoot 1.5" groups at 50 yards.
(Before you could only hit a pie plate consistently. So, it definitely was improved)
I had a Remington pump design M760 (a similar barrel attachment design as the M7400) that with factory loads will shoot one hole groups at 50 yards.
This is rare but yes, I've heard of this happening too.
Mine shoots 1 hole, 1 shot groups all day, if I do my part. The most impressive thing about it is it only jams when it’s dirty or clean.
What distance? If you say small groups I'll believe. But 1 hole every time I cannot believe.
@ read a little closer. Mine will shoot 1 hole,1 SHOT, groups at any range🤣😂
@@saltymofo5870 gota ya
I think he means that ya might not make a 1 shot hole every time. Unless your shooting at a barn lol 😅
How can you make more than 1 hole per shot without using a shotgun? It is/was a joke guys, sorry for the confusion
I cleaned my dad’s old 742 up properly, got a new magazine, and mounted a scope on it. When I sighted it in just to get it on paper at 25 years I think the groups was a little over an inch with some Winchester Super X 150 grain ammo. I know what the gun is designed for so I’m happy with that I seen from it. I was happy that it finally cycles and didn’t jam. The last time it was shot was 10 years ago and it constantly jammed and I saw that it was from the magazine not seating properly.
My grandpa bought dad a 740 30-06 for his 16th birthday in 1961. He used it for over 40 years until it got too heavy for him. He never put a scope on it and used only open sights. I have no way to know for sure but I’d wager it’s killed over 100 deer. He always told me about amazing shots he made with it. I was there to personally witness 3. One was a buck came trotting up and stopped about 40 yards away but had dad spotted. The deer froze with a pine tree about 10” in diameter covering its vitals and was watching dad. He took aim right in the middle of the pine and squeezed one off. The deer ran about 30 yards and piled up. When I inspected the tree the bullet (corelokt) went right through the tree and blew out a chunk and still passed completely through the deer. The second incident was we were hunting in the rain and we’re soaked. We decided to leave and headed off the hill. All at once a small grouse flew by and landed in a tree approximately 50 yards away. He took a rest and aim with his iron sights and shot the grouse out of the tree. The last shot I witnesses was similar circumstances but was a rabbit. He aimed at it a few times but didn’t shoot because he said he didn’t want to tear the rabbit up. Then he turned the rifle sideways and said I’m just going to shoot it nose off. And he did. At 50 yards and iron sights he shot about 1” of the rabbits nose off. Dad passed in march of 2022. His rifle sits in my safe now. The fall that he passed I brought it to deer camp and set it by the window with a cup of coffee and a loaded mag. Sure do miss him.
Check the rifling at the muzzle, I was given 2 742s and a 760 that had all been damaged by energetic cleaning from the front without using a rod guide.
I fixed one 742 by cutting 1+ inch off and recrowning. Also worked over the fire control unit and other repairs. About 2 inch groups now with a 3x9 scope. Much better than I expected!
I shoot reduced power 150g handloads. A small base resizing die is required.
I honestly have an early Remington 760 that is pretty darn close.
I have shot a 30:06 7400 Semi-auto a lot over quite a few years. My experience with this rifle is that it is a 4" rifle at 100 yards. I started handloading and the Core Lokt 150 grain groups are 2" and using Match King 168 grain bullets around 2500 fps I was able to shoot 1". The rifle was designed by someone who really wanted to create an inaccurate rifle and he succeeded. I believe a large part of the accuracy issues are the incredibly long jump of 1/4"+ and next for some unkonown reason Remington told me that they farm their barrel making out to some company in Arizona which true to Remington wanting inaccurate rifles has rifling that will not shoot any weight bullet accurately from 125 grain and up. Americans loved the idea of a quick handling semi-auto that didn't weigh 14 lbs. before adding the sling, scope, loaded mag and etc. which was able to handle 30:06 and larger calibers. i never had scopes coming loose or ejection problems with any weight or different manufacturers shells except I thought I was going elk hunting several years ago and decided to use some spendy Fiocchi Scirocco 165 grain shells which I thought would surely be accuate. How's 12" and 10" groups sound for accuracy? I called the company and although sympthetic were unable to explain why or how that happened. So, if you have any rifle that Remington made and have bad accuracy try lighter bullets and see if that helps. Remington is gone and except for their reputation of long ago I personally don't miss them.
When the bolt latch broke on my father's 742 I completely rebuilt it. I took it completely apart down to the smallest spring and pin. I refinished the wood (not as well as you did) and started basic reloading for it. Mind you it was just reloading for cheap ammo with no tuning. I'm not a great shot but I get by. I only shot 3 shot groups with it. It never shot group larger than 2.5 inches. Occasionally it would shoot 1.5 inch groups. Mind you that's with a 3 power Weaver post crosshair scope. I killed a moose at over 300 yards with it. I think it would be a little more fair to the rifle to shoot 3 shot groups. My 30-06 warms up pretty fast. One of my uncles made some amazing shots with his even at running deer. His son too come to think about it. It's not my first choice for western hunting but here in Atlantic Canada it was very popular even though they were poorly maintained. It was one of those rifles with a low mounted scope that actually fit me great for quick off-hand shooting. It actually feels like the 870 when you shoulder it. Three uncles and my father swore by them. I use a Sako bolt action in 7mm-08 now but kept the 742 for nostalgia.
If you're worried about heat space the shots. If you do any group testing at all you'll find three shot groups do not give accurate results. 5 or 10 shot groups are much more accurate in terms of what the gun can actually do. If you shoot 10 shot groups you very rapidly realize that very very few factory guns are capable of MOA accuracy. My 742 shoots about 3.5 MOA. Which is fine for what it's for.
@@danhoff4401 I know 3 shot groups aren't enough but considering it's a hunting gun for short medium range on deer or moose like under 300 yards this is enough to do the job. 3 shot groups often tell my what doesn't shoot well in the rifle. I once had to buy ammo for a moose hunt and the first mag was 4 inches with a failure to extract a round. Bought another brand and the first mag was about inch and a half with no stoppages. That load bagged a 900 lb moose.
I’ve yet to meet anyone who didn’t think that his rifle was excessively accurate. The bigger pos it is, the more violently he defends it. Same goes for marksmanship. Every man is Alvin York until its time to prove it.
The fish was THIS big. The buck was THAT far away. My car does the quarter mile in four seconds flat. Etc etc.
People seem to think I'm upset the rifle doesn't shoot as well as a custom built competition rifle that cost 6x the price. Not at all. I think this rifle did really well with essentially every ammunition type we put through it. It's all about perspective. It cycles great, groups similarly with different softpoints and FMJs, and looks good doing it.
I'll be taking it hunting next season.
One of the best investments for those old Remington auto loaders is the m Carbo trigger spring kit! 3lb or less spring is what I recommend
Stumbled on your channel this morning whilst drinking my coffee before going deer hunting. Awesome video!
I watched this video for few reasons. But mainly because last summer, I was doing identical accuracy testing with the Winchester 100 as you were doing with the Remington. I used 4 different Winchester 100's in my testing. I even used some of the same ammunition that you used in your testing. Depending on the individual rifle and ammunition overall the Winchester 100's shot 2.5 - 4 MOA. Every now and then, I would achieve a random lucky group, but those lucky groups were not repeatable.
My reason for shooting well over 250 rounds over a period of 3 months from 4 different 100's was because one of the rifles randomly throws the first shot up to 7 inches off POA. I swapped parts, checked bedding, swapped stocks, checked headspace, and made calls to experts. That particular rifle has now become a safe queen.
That's one rifle I've actually been interested in. The bolt is surprisingly modern. I would expect that sort of accuracy out of them. Did you record your efforts anywhere? I'd love to see it. Sadly, model 100's are still fairly expensive due to the Winchester Tax.
@Deanosaurous If you could contact me directly, I'll gather all my information/targets ect and send you the information.
Great video and good to know some people understand that just because you can't take a dime out at 100 yards doesnt mean you or the rifle are bad or inaccurate
Love the fudd lore busting! Well done!
Its typically a 2 moa shooter that was built to shoot whitetails etc.. at short to moderate ranges, does its job well
Agreed! Hence the video. Every rifle doesn't have to shoot cloverleafs. That's a silly notion.
Great video! Great to hear actual facts and not nostalgic spin.
I'm actually nostalgic about these rifles, as I used them while hunting with my grandfather. And for knocking down 100 pound white-tail at 80 yards, they worked great. I think people need to just understand and appreciate them for what they are, instead of claiming they are better than purpose-built competition rifles.
Gesh my 721 will do under 1 inch all day long, or I should say a quarter. But trigger and barrel pressure and the trigger puller makes a difference.
You should record and submit to Bloke On the Range's 1 moa all day challenge with it if it's doing that.
I have one that LOVES remington corelokt 220gr round nose. Not 1moa but its a solid 2-2.5moa.
Gun was made to be fast in the woods to get a deer quick .
I have an old Pennsylvania automatic that throws a shot pretty far occasionally. I think it may be caused by fore end torque that causes contact with the barrel, but I haven’t been able to isolate the issue.
It could be. Any clamping pressures on the barrel could affect accuracy in that regard. For the time these were built, I don't think the accuracy of them is bad at all. Just most people have it in their head that "1 MOA = acceptable".
If the 742 is so good where is the 743?
@@Azer220 Booyah!
I have a 7400 should it do better than 3.5. Never reall have done any real load testing
You're the most honest person in the comment section thusfar.
For those of you that shoot 1 MOA. Please take the Polamar Tactical 1 MOA all day challenge and post your results.
I think they are a poor design. Remington press fits the barrel into the reciever with a pin.
Mine, its barrel loosened up after 6 1/2 boxes of ammo.... and wobbled around in the reciever.
I sent it back to Remington and it appeared that they just "locktited"
the the barrel's reciever stud to the reciever.
After that, the rifled started to then shoot 1.5" groups at 50 yards.
Before that "repair", you couldn't hit a pie plate at 50 yards consistently.
My model M760 pump rifle (the same barrel attachment design as a M7400) is still tight, and typically can shoot one hole groups at 50 yards with factory loads (30-06).
So if your m7400 or m760, starts to shoot terribly.... check the barrel tightness to its reciever.
You know I seen the first REM 740/42 vid you did. Liked it but didn’t know if I like the channel and the personality.
As soon as you said “ this is the definition of putting race gas in a Pinto” you had me.
Yep you are my kind of people.
Keep up the great work
You should see the plans I have for this extra 742 I have laying around. Going to fire up the lathe and really make something stupid.
Please do a follow up, I would leave to see you pursue the absolute peak accuracy out of this, I’m talking no holds barred, any modification to bring this thing into 1 MOA. Say 1.5 at worst. No because of any reason other than it would be fun lol. Great video!
I'm currently working on plans with a spare rifle I have. These plans include a custom turned barrel and a new barrel nut. Potentially a reworked gas system too.
Great video and I agree with you that the Remington semi auto rifles are great guns. There been a lot of deer taken with these rifles.
Excellent video. Quite the investigation in terms of time AND esp. ammunition costs!
I have a 721 (1951) and a 742, both in 30.06. Both have ammo they like and ammo they don’t. On a good day, with the right ammo, they can both shoot 1 1/2” or so. Actually about to bed my 721, and try to give it new life!
The 721 is a classic!
Was the barrel given time to cool down? 2 to 3 moa is standard. I’ve seen one with a shit scope and rings shoot a clover, but probably a one of a kind anomaly.
@@spapi3880 it was given ample time to cool down.
I have an older one that does but only with Remington 180gr Round Nose.
We had one ofe these when i was younger out at my grandparent's place. Some dirtbag stole it (one of my esteemed cousins, no doubt) but left the magazine ? It was more accurate than me. I hate that its gone.
It had very few rounds through it when i knew it. Several people took deer with it.
Yes the few I have one in 3006 is great shooter I have one chamer in 280 they all shoot just great
Fair at best video you test two brands of Ammo on a windy day don't say much I have a 742 and it shoots around 2 moa with Winchester 150 grain spire points .I didn't find Remington ammo all that accurate in mine about what you were shooting
Interesting. I wouldn't say that someone can shoot just because they have a small group, off the bench.
There are a ton of shooters that spend way too much time on a bench. Benches are for testing, not practice.
Should wait until the wind is under 25 mph
It can’t possibly do that. No matter what the paper shows at the range. No matter who or how many see it happen. It just simply can not do that….because it doesn’t cost enough.
There are plenty of budget options these days that shoot very nicely. The Ruger American I showed is one example. Modern manufacturing is awesome.
This guy is another one of those types that I consider to be a gun snob if it's not a bolt action it's not accurate and the rem 7400 and 7600 pump is actually accurate enough rifle they'll shoot inch inch and half groups at a hundred fifty yards All day with a good scope and ammo
I have a 7400,270 cal and shoot a 130 gr federal power shock and can tie holes together at 100 yrds
You can technically tie my groups together with enough string.
It depends, I've had 1 that won a bench shoot,then have a couple that are good for hogs. But the problem with Remington auto loaders extractors are not not long lasting, and the 740s are the worst. Judging by the target I had a 740 that would out shoot that bolt gun,but Remington ammo is best for the Remington auto loaders because it was loaded with the intent for the Remington auto's. If only Remington would produce the bronze point again.
Which bench-rest competition did you win?
@Deanosaurous it was an nra shoot in south Texas when I was a kid, many years ago. Nomatter what it is some will shoot some won't, I have a 340 savage in 222 it shoots, and another that won't. It's killed hundreds of deer in south Texas back in the day when I hunted way to much.
... the 7400 has fewer but more robust locking lugs (4 vs 9 I think) than the 740/742 and a better designed more robust receiver ... I've owned both and they weren't tack drivers .... more in the "spray & pray" category ... if you have one that produces less than 2" 3-shot groups @ 100 yds you have a good one ... the Winchester model 100 is a better gun ... I sold the Remingtons but still have my pre 64 Win 100 in 308 Win that was made in 1961 ... will produce ~ 1.5" 3-shot groups @ 100 yds
THX for informing the ignorant! Even ,the much ,ballyhooed ,STAR GUAGE 03;couldnt do better than3 MOA;under IDEAL conditions!!{ammo specialised} Good on ya chum!
You have absolutely no right to be rating firearms if you take one rifle and can't make it group to say all others can't shoot moa. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
I had one in 1978 or 1979 it was a 1968 model i loved it never had an issue with it i used it for hunting never let me down remember its a hunting rife not a sniper rifle i see alot of these channels shooting a group at 100 hundred yards why are you not hitting the bullseye why is they can't hit center target if you're scope is set you should hit the bullseye don't you think just saying
Great video! 👍🏻
Mine shoots 1& 1/2 “ groups with an occasional 2” group when I don’t do my part. I can’t argue with what your gun shot because we alll saw it, but that one gun is not enough of a sample size to condemn all of these model guns. But I clean and maintain my rifle well. Also no I will not make a video, because I don’t have any desire to go to the trouble. But I will invite you to come shoot at my range with me and witness it yourself. Now for shooting 10 round groups or even 5, I only shoot 3 shot groups because it’s a hunting rifle, in 40 years of deer hunting I’ve never shot more than once at a deer, because I only take sure shots at whatever range the deer is, if the deer is not positioned correctly I don’t shoot. So you could be right about 5 or 10 shot groups. But if your rifle constantly shoots 3 shot 1&1/2” groups, to me , well that’s what it shoots, maybe before it heats up. But not all of these rifles are 4” group rifles. Good job on your video, I enjoyed watching it, but before condemning these rifles you should test many more of them, just like a lot of commentators here claim to get much better groups, they can’t all be fibbing. The first shot is the only one that matters for the hunter, and these are hunting rifles. Now I will agree that there is an old saying about these rifles, that you either get a good one or you don’t. Some of them had problems, some. Some wouldn’t even empty the magazine without jamming, but some of that was due to maintenance or the magazine. Anyway thanks for making your video, I’ll enjoy showing people that they are. Capable of smaller groups, even if just 3 shot groups, which is a plenty for a hunter.
Mine shoots 3/4 inch with eldx ammo, and nosler ballastic tips. Idk wtf your talking about. More like you can't shoot yours into moa groups
Care to post a video proving otherwise. Considering 2-3 moa was decent back then. And no your gun can’t do it.
@oldtruckoperator2106 I absolutely will.
@@oldtruckoperator2106 how am I to make sure you see the video.? I want you to see it. I'm internet retarded seriously
@REDNECKROOTS Guess we lucked out and got good ones. Mine groups way better than what the video says.
I'd love to see it!
I had a 742 in 280 Rem that with a max load of H-4831 and a 139 gr Hornady was .75 moa, sold it 30 years ago for twice what I paid for it
I'd love to see that! Because that's better accuracy than nearly every US designated marksman rifle or sniper system up until very recently.
@@Deanosaurous US military has very low performance expectations
@@sinistersilverado965 and a rifle from the 20s is going to do sub moa. when most bolt actions or rifles would do 2-3 moa at best at that time. please, ill love to see a video on this. so one your lying. two you are a moron. and three at least tell a entertaining lie because im bored with your old wives tale.
In the winds you were shooting in im surprised you got what you did, in my deer grounds im dropping groups near-enough to an inch at 150-200. It's a deer rifle not a comp 1000+ rifle...
I'd love to see those 200 yard groups! That's pretty impressive. 0.5 MOA is crazy good! And as I stated in the video, being able to group even 4 MOA is perfectly adequate for the engagement distances most commonly found while deer hunting.
@Deanosaurous didn't mean for that to sound like you were calling these rifles crap, sorry if it came out that way. I'm impressed you got what you did with the winds. 30-06 is a round that is heavily influenced by it in my experience is all.
Whatever it is, it isn't near the rifle a Browning BAR is. Guess which one is still being made. There is a reason for that. In NC, a lot of dealers will not even take a 742 in on trade. The 760 series is much better .
Most DEER hunters, seldom shoot whatever beyond 100Yds. So Boiler room accuracy is what maters. You don't shoot from a bench rest while hunting, most of the time it's offhand. If you can hit a paper plate Offhand(Remember Deer Move) at 100 Yds. It's ACCURATE. Ok, I handloaded my old 1917 US Enfield to 1". But Most of my hunter friends got their Deer with open sighted 30-30 levers. The whole 1" or under 1" hoopla is for paper punchers or those that shoot game 500 yds and beyond. The last deer I shot was a nice 10 pointer with 30-30 insert(I had made in the 1970's) in my Browning Superposed at about 100 Yds. Over Barrel with Buckshot, for whatever snorts 10-15 yds away up to 40 yds
I absolutely agree. Which is why the accuracy of the 740 series is perfectly acceptable.
I’d be willing to bet I could get that gun sub moa.
What would you do to the rifle to improve its accuracy? I'm sketching up a plan for my spare rifle.
I had to use 165 gr.
Bs had 243 and 308 one in 740 one in 742 both sub moa
I'd love to see it!
Change those see thru mounts out and it will cut your groups in half!!
I’ve seen it time and time again!! They are junk
Thanks for posting that observation. Those are garbage mounts. Along with the way the stock is made, I shoot mine a lot better with a Lyman 48 peep sight. I have had the gun for 60 years now; my uncle gifted it to me. You keep them clean and they work well enough for the New England deer woods.
I have a 742 243 whole puncher I don't know what you talking about
Mine punched holes too!
Bs my was sub MOA all day with walmart ammo
JaredAF is sponsored by Walmart, everyone! He's a SHILL!
LOL
Either crappy recording equipment or too windy to shoot this type video
First no lead sled
And yes you guys need the dead cat wind screens on the mics. But that’s pointing out the obvious
@@kcstottyeah it got a bit windy. But you take what you can get sometimes with the weather.
This is true
All you need is the after market trigger spring
So a precision barrel. A complete aftermarket trigger. Glass bedding with pillar bedding. A lapped bolt face and lugs. With a muzzle device. Don’t mean anything. Over a minor part.
No im saying on that old rifle I wouldn’t waste the money doing all that stuff. Throw in a trigger spring kit and it will get that trigger pull down to 2 lbs and you will see the best return on investment in real world accuracy. At least that has been the case for my dad’s 7400 Remington that shot 3 inch groups before and now shoots under 1.5 moa with federal Berger 168 3006 and hornady superformance. Those are the only two we have shot so far.
So know the gun and then know what you are trying to get from it.
Yes I would glass bed a bolt action but this old semi auto is completely different… I don’t understand what you are saying, are you saying you should glass bed and do everything you mentioned to this semi auto Remington?
Then the accuracy will get much better, I wouldn’t rebarrel the semi auto personally. If you have the same rifle or the 7400 that m Carbo spring lowers trigger pull so darn well you can squeeze one off without changing the point of aim compared to the 7 lb stock trigger pull or whatever it is
Why waste all that money doing all that on an old auto loader 😂 lol do that on a nice bolt action
I’m seriously doubt swapping a trigger spring will bring a gun. With already known accuracy issues under 1.5” group size. What range are you shooting these groups at. And is it 3 shot groups or 5shot groups.
... a 4-12X "culvert pipe" scope on a semi-auto brush gun ... are you kidding? ... get a "red dot" or Skinner aperture sight for that gun ... the Rem 74X series of rifles were MOM (Minute of Moose) ~ 3" 3-shot groups @ 100 yds accuracy
Never heard of the "culvert pipe" scope term before. That's a good one. But your accuracy estimate is pretty close to what I've seen.
Why do people put those crappy see through rings , I understand the idea they just are made of crap and probably responsible for accuracy issue ( not keeping cheek on stock, poor form)
See-Through rings were used extensively throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s by competitive shooters like Jerry Miculek. As long as the material is hardened and everything is torqued, there's no issue. These were period-appropriate rings and we saw no issues in shifting zeros or strange grouping patterns.
A high optic mount is not as detrimental as once thought.
See through mounts 🤦🏻♂️
Well there’s a page run by derkie White Castle cook called the sniper from West Virginia & he claims he can circumcise a bat @ 1000 yards with a 7400 CARBINE which he also claims is one of only 32 made EVER! & he is known for his truthfulness 🤣 so I’m gonna disagree with anybody knocking these fine weapons !!!
That's certainly a claim! Especially since the 18" 7400 was made from 1988 to 2004. Remington gets a lot of flack, but I believe they could produce more than 32 of those rifles in that time period.
I'll have to check this guy out, he sounds entertaining.
@ he is an absolute trainwreck 🤣
@ ruclips.net/user/shortsXBk6HPNGtRI?si=mxgW9IZWwVJzmdwe
@ he shot a hole in his moms trailer house monkeying with that century Ak on live stream 🤣🤣
ruclips.net/video/bV1ToIQ55Hs/видео.htmlsi=3e1ahXOnabZFfr74
I have a Remington 7400 in 270 Win that shoots 1/2 moa.. I understand this is not the standard, but the exception.
I'd love to see it!
Need better audio!
Deer moa 😮😅😂
I've never met a deer I couldn't miss.
Every Remington Auto I've seen shoot minute of deer. That being said never seen one shoot well with see through Mounts. Even my rem seven goes from 3/4 inch gun to a 2 inch gun with see through Mounts. Lock the scope down tight and see what happens then.
I'm quite certain those rifles were designed to shoot nothing heavier than 150 grain pills because of the angle of the gas port and the way the bolt lug is designed . It will beat the hell out of and destroy the lug rails with heavier than 150 gr. pills
Not wrong! Check out my previous video, I go into the gas system a bit. In short, 30-06 got way hotter after the rifle was designed. It's a great shooting rifle with M2 spec ammunition. The really hot stuff will eventually wear the rifle out.
Not true at all everyone used either a 180 or 220 back then almost never seen 150's
Most folks that own these rifles use those “beer can” scope mounts on them and therein lies part of the problem
bs
That particular gun/ammo combo with you shooting it may not be that accurate.
You cannot base all those guns off your test.
Some guns of the exact same make, model definitely shoot better than others...
I gurantee there's some of these old remington auto's with the right ammo that are legit shooters and print tiny groups all day...
No handloads worked up in that rifle? You'll never find the rifles true potential, if you are not handloading for it. I'm not a 742 lover, but your test was pointless, in terms of accuracy testing and accuracy potential. If your goal was to show us how crappy factory ammo shoots in your rifle, you succeeded. But please don't tell us that all 740/742's shoot that bad.. Also don't try to tell us old guns don't shoot well. You really need an education.
You'd be in luck, because I actually handload! However, in all my experience, I have never seen any rifle with a particular load become 9x more accurate (the jump from 3 moa to 1 moa) over traditionally loaded match grade offerings from either Federal or Hornady.
Your math is wrong, 4 moa is 16” at 400 not 12”.
Good catch! I misspoke. The average width of a human torso is over 17" as well, and IPSC torso targets are 17.7" across.
@ that makes sense!