Remington model 740’s were made from 1955 to 1958.
Remington model 742’s were made from 1960 to 1980. Improvements over the 740 was less jamming; 740’s tended to jam more often. The reason had something to do with the bolt returning too quick and catching on the spent shell before it could eject or something along those lines. Remington discovered this through high speed photography.
Remington model 7400’s went into production in 1981 and are still made today. Improvements over the 742 included a new locking system for the bolt and an improved gas operating system to name a few.
Remington model Four’s were made from 1981 to 1988 and were really just a high grade (more expensive) version of the model 7400.
Accuracy? Depends on who you talk to I guess. Bolt action guys will always say they suck but most people don’t by an auto (or a pump or lever action for that matter) to drive tacks; they buy them to harvest game.
In Maine where we hunt its pretty much “Remington Country” and the majority are autos:
My Dad shoots a 742 Woodsmaster in .30-06. Both of my brothers shoot 7400 synthetics in .30-06. My cousin Kris uses a 742 in .30-06 and his brother-in-law Jean uses a 742 in .280. Our friend Randy uses a 7400 in .30-06 and one of his son’s uses a 7400 Carbine in .30-06. Another friend Dick uses either: a 7400 in .280, or 742 in .30-06.
Dependability? I have no experience with 740’s or Fours. I will say that my Dad, Cousin Kris and our friend Dick have all had issues with the 742’s. All of them have fallen victim to the trap of not letting the bolt slam when they bring a cartridge into the chamber from the magazine. When hunting, the idea is usually to be quiet; holding the bolt back so it doesn’t slam is a recipe for failure. Not always, but if you don’t let that bolt slam and lock up, I guarantee that one of those times (usually when there’s a nice buck in your sights) the gun won’t fire. This has happened ONCE to each of them; it’s a lesson that’s quickly learned and easily avoidable.
Dick had an issue once with the gas port on his; something to do with too much oil and crud in there. A similar thing (crud build-up) happened to my Dad and Kris’s rifle when his father had it, but it was from the clip. The cure for that is spelled out in another thread here:
http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,99612.0.htmlI don’t recall any issues with the 7400’s except Dick had a problem using some hand loads someone made for him. Are the 7400’s that more reliable than the 742’s? Who knows, you have to realize that the 742’s have been in use each year since the early 60’s when these guys bought them; I think you can’t fault a hunting rifle that’s not cleaned and maintained by professional armorers to have some issues after 40 years or so. The 7400’s are 20 years or so younger so it’s hard to tell…
