Rem 740 any truth to this ?

[Phantom]

The Remington 740 autoloader rifle is likely one of the best hard-hitting, fast-shooting short- to mid-range deer guns ever made within its price range. However, I have noticed people criticizing them for various reasons. I personally know at least four people who own them and they have never mentioned any issues. Nonetheless, I have come across YouTube videos where individuals claim that these rifles jam, are difficult to repair due to issues with the rail, and have problems with headspace. I am uncertain whether these claims are simply clickbait or if there is truth to them what do you think?

[Spaceman Spiff]

There are basically two reasons why these rifles jam. 

1) magazine issues. Bent feed lips will cause jams in these rifles. These dont do well being dropped and abused. 
2) Folks think these are like an AR15. No you cant shoot three bricks of ammo with no cleaning. 
    The 740 can be and is a reliable woods gun. Take care of the gun and it will take care of you. 

[dbHunterNY]

Most don't take the forend off and keep everything lubed up to work easy and prevent corrosion as well as cleaning out the gas block to get enough gas for operation to begin with.

[Fab]

35 years ago I wanted an 11/87.  Pops told me no. He said Ur to lazy to take it apart n clean it to make sure it works smooth.  
 

he was right   I use a double or a pump.  I am lazy.   Lol 

[ChevyZr297]

My friends father used one every year in the 80's during deer season. In 30-06I believe without issue Like all firearms, keep them clean and don't abuse them and they will perform. Those with expensive AR platform rave about the reliability of them while spending more time cleaning, lubricating and wiping them down than actually running it or treating them as they would an old deer rifle. lol

[The Back 40]

I have a 742 woodsmaster in 30-06 and it works great. I here people call it the jam master but like others have said, keep it clean use the correct lubricant and they'll be good.

[Larry]

I have a 11-87 that I bought in 87 or 88. The said don't oil the rod so I didn't and the first time I cleaned it after a week long duck hunt I had to use steel wool to clean the carbon off the rod after that cleaning I put a light coating of rem-oil on it and have not had a problem with it in all this time.

[SportsmanNH]

I own a Rem 742  30-06 carbine and shot lots of deer with it . A great gun if you take care of it . It has some built in faults . But they can mostly be remedied by , as mentioned already , CLEANING ! After it has been used for years , it needs to get a deep cleaning of the bolt. There are small hidden springs that need to be removed to get the built up fouling out from firing and lubricants . Besides the bolt cleaning, there were 2 other main spots that need attention. One is the chamber itself . The 740's and 742's do not have a chrome lining in the chamber. So they are prone to rusting and pitting . Quite a few years ago , gunsmith showed me one that was very lightly used that the barrel was no good because of the chamber. He showed me a cartridge that was fired and jammed in the chamber. It looked like it had acme. He said the guy hunted with the gun in the rain and snow on the last weekend of the season in Maine and never bothered to wipe it down and lubricate the gun and chamber. The second spot is the rail in the receiver that the bolt slides on . This must be kept lubricated , or it will get chatter marks that will make the bolt drag . There is a third spot but not as significant . Its the slots where the bolt head slides into inside the receiver close to the chamber. It is made of softer metal than the bolt so they may wear out after years of firing thousands of rounds. My 742 is in perfect working order and has never jammed .I haven't taken it out in a few years now since I bought my Browning Bar Carbines. I do want to shoot one more deer with it though in memory of my Grandfather who gave it to me when I was in my 20's. That would be considered Ancient Times ago now LOL

This is a great article for anyone to read that has a 740 or 742

https://www.leeroysramblings.com/remington_740-742-7400.html

Edited February 6, 2024 by SportsmanNH

[lucky118]

Had a 750 woodmaster in 30/06  with a carbine barrel for about 5 minutes. Was Remingtons answer to all the semi auto problems of the rifles before it. Cleaned and oiled it up good before shooting it. First round crimped casing. Second round being fed jammed. Cleared it , and it fired good for a few rounds then repeat of the first two shots. On and on for 2 boxes. Sold it and bought a bolt. Lol

[Phantom]

1 minute ago, lucky118 said:

Had a 750 woodmaster in 30/06  with a carbine barrel for about 5 minutes. Was Remingtons answer to all the semi auto problems of the rifles before it. Cleaned and oiled it up good before shooting it. First round crimped casing. Second round being fed jammed. Cleared it , and it fired good for a few rounds then repeat of the first two shots. On and on for 2 boxes. Sold it and bought a bolt. Lol

I believe the answer to that is the Benelli R1 or the Browning BAR but costs $$$$

[lucky118]

1 minute ago, Phantom said:

I believe the answer to that is the Benelli R1 or the Browning BAR but costs $$$$

I agree 😆 

[dbHunterNY]

5 hours ago, Phantom said:

I believe the answer to that is the Benelli R1 or the Browning BAR but costs $$$$

5 hours ago, lucky118 said:

I agree 😆 

Still the same applies. I know a person that has a BAR that only cycles 220gr round nose 30-06 ammo allegedly. I just let it go. Nothing is low to no maintenance. over half my safe is semi-auto stuff. only exception is overseas shit like a Sarsilmaz that seems like it only reliably cycles high brass no matter what you do. 

[Phantom]

5 hours ago, dbHunterNY said:

Still the same applies. I know a person that has a BAR that only cycles 220gr round nose 30-06 ammo allegedly. I just let it go. Nothing is low to no maintenance. over half my safe is semi-auto stuff. only exception is overseas shit like a Sarsilmaz that seems like it only reliably cycles high brass no matter what you 

In my opinion , Benelli r1 pro is  the best in that  category of gun . Not cheap  for the price rem 740 was good deal at the time that was  good at what its made for a few shots a year at deer .  Its not made to be shot like a ar .

Edited February 6, 2024 by Phantom

[Buckmaster7600]

59 minutes ago, Phantom said:

Benelli r1 its the best in that  category of gun . Not cheap 

I own all three with all generations of the Remingtons 742,740,7400 and 750’s and I like the Bennelli the least! I’ve never found a Remington that wasn’t more accurate than it should be and both my briefings are good but required some action work to make them as reliable as most Remingtons. 
 

the benelli I have has had 2 barrel and 2 bolts both had some ejection issue and neither would shoot better than 2.5 moa.

 

The only reasons I carry the browning is because it’s nearly 1lb lighter and a little more narrow where it balances.

Edited February 6, 2024 by Buckmaster7600

[Phantom]

47 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

I own all three with all generations of the Remingtons 742,740,7400 and 750’s and I like the Bennelli the least! I’ve never found a Remington that wasn’t more accurate than it should be and both my briefings are good but required some action work to make them as reliable as most Remingtons. 
 

the benelli I have has had 2 barrel and 2 bolts both had some ejection issue and neither would shoot better than 2.5 moa.

 

The only reasons I carry the browning is because it’s nearly 1lb lighter and a little more narrow where it balances.

Are you buying used or new, may I ask? I think it was you I saw that buys a lot of used guns, and that's like a different ball game. Never had a problem with the Remington 740, by the way. The newest version, the R1 Pro, solved all those issues with accuracy I believe