Remington 30-06 not cycling the brass out of the chamber

[loaded303]

Hey Guys. Gotta 742 not kicking out the brass. The bolt is cycling but not the brass in the chamber. Any ideas? Never pulled the bolt out and not sure how to start.

[RickinTN]

Couple of ideas. Most likely the extractor is slipping over the rim of the cases. I'm not familiar with the extractor on a 742 but someone will come along who is and tell you how to adjust or replace it. The other possibility that comes to mind would be a rusted chamber. In this case the rust makes the case stick to the chamber walls and the extractor usually rips a piece of the rim of the brass out. If the cases come out of the chamber easily when you remove them by hand it is probably my first guess.
Good luck,
Rick

[loaded303]

Its slipping off the head Rick. I pop it out of the chamber by hand with a little bit of effort. It definitely doesn't fall out if I shake it.
It has to be coaxed out with a small pry tool or flat head. Thanks Rick

[w5pv]

I shot a jamatic for over 50 years,You have to keep the chamber clean.If it is pulling a peice of brass from the head that is your problem.I take and soak it in kroil and the use a chamber brush,a 45 cal brush also fits the chamber,after you get it to operatng again clean it about every 20 to 30 rounds and your problem will be solved.Good Shooting

[lancem]

If you want to take it down and get the bolt out you have to take the barrel off. Not hard to do and with it being a rotary bolt no head spacing problems with reassembly. There are several you tube videos that will show you how.

[high standard 40]

The Remington 742 is notorius for having rust in the chamber. Very common. This rust will grip the cartridge case when it expands upon firing and won't let the case be withdrawn by the extractor. Often, a portion of the case rim will be torn out as this happens. Use a cleaning rod down the barrel to tap the fired case out. Then polish the chamber and keep a light coat of oil in the chamber from now on.

[loaded303]

Thanks for all the suggestions men. I think I will attempt barrel removal and clean everything I can possibly clean. Much appreciated. This has been a terrific firearm. Never had a deer get away. A one shot wonder. Lol

[loaded303]

And thank goodness for a one shot wonder as of lately. Lol

[Mk42gunner]

It has bee a few years since I had a 742, but as I remember it isn't all that hard to take the barrel off and the bolt out. There are takedown instructions on the internet; and you may or may not have to remove the scope base to have access to the pin that needs to come out for bolt removal.

It sounds to me like your extraction problem may be a weak extractor spring, since it isn't ripping a chunk from the rim.

Robert

[gunshot98]

Most likely its rust in the chamber.I do about 75 of these a year. take the barrel off, soak in kroil like w5pv said , then finish up with medium steel wool wrapped around a brushon a drill. use some cleaning fluid to get the Kroil out.Be sure to do this every year cause it comes back. Do it before hunting season. Good luck.

[MBTcustom]

I bought the dreaded Remington 742 in 30-06 for the specific reason that I wanted to see if I could succeed where so many others have failed and fix it. I thought that if I located the problem, I could come up with a way to fix it and that would make me awesome.
Found out there are three or more basic design flaws with that rifle. All three are not such an issue with lesser recoiling cartridges like 308 or 243 or 7mm-08. Unfortunately, the people who own the rifles in those calibers know how awesome they are and won't turn loose of them (it is an endearing rifle isn't it?).
The problem is with the rifles chambered in 30-06 and 270. They chew themselves to pieces, they stick brass in the chamber, and they just plain self destruct at about the 400-500 round mark.
Certainly one of the worst designs in the history of Remington arms.
The one I bought was 30-06, and I made sure to buy a cheap one so as to be sure to get one that was really jacked up, and I wasn't disappointed. It jammed, it ripped case rims off, and like so many of those who had gone before me, it made me want to wrap the durn thing around a tree.
Look familiar?
100757
Turns out, I was unable to fix said mechanical nightmare. I scrubbed out the chamber with steel wool, scotchbright, and even sand paper, I oiled the cartridges, I even messed with the gas system so I could turn it down, or even shut it off. No dice. Honing out the chamber fixed it for about 5-10 shots, then it was back to ripping the rims off.
I sold it for what I had in it, and I will not work on those janky ***'s any more.

[loaded303]

My cases have no scars. Thanks for the pointers. I'm gonna try ta work on it for my son. He likes it.

[Wolfer]

My dad always liked those guns. They worked fine for a year or two. My experience was like goodsteels. I could get them running for a few shots but it would be short lived. He would trade it off and buy another just like it.

Something I never tried was loading them down to 308 or 300 savage levels when they were new.
Maybe they would hold up better. Dad always shot factory ammo in these guns.

In those days I didn't know how to properly download ammo. It's not a subject that's well understood by the general public.
I wore a 7 mag out trying to load a lighter load of 4831 to 280 level and be accurate. Never did succeed.

[Kevinakaq]

I have a 742 in 280 and had similar problems. The brass would remain in the chamber but not tight enough to be of concern. It if is just not retracting with the bolt head you may find (as I did) that the rivet holding the extractor is broke/missing or otherwise not holding the extracting in the proper position. There is a rounded portion on one end of the extractor. That rounded portion is suppose to fit directly behind the ejector plunger. The rivet is also secured in the same area. Try pushing down the ejector past the bolt face and then rotate the extractor clockwise. If you are able to rotate then you have a broke rivet.

I ordered a new rivet for mine, punched out the old "pieces" or rivet (one in the extractor and one in the bolt head) and replaced. GTG now. Hope this helps. You can get a new rivet from ebay for about 8 bucks or a new extractor and rivet combo for about 30.

Hope this helps,
Kevin

Kevin

[loaded303]

Gonna tear it down today clean it up and look it over closely. Thanks

[Del-Ray]

There is a ring set in the bolt face. It sounds like yours might be weak, or broken. A gunsmith can replace it easiy. Then it can take a few shots at the range to get it to seat. Once it seats, you're back in business.

However, as stated the bolts are harder then the receivers. After repeated use the bolt chews up the rails in the receiver and it's all over. The receiver is toast.

I've got my grandfathers 742. It shoots. I fixed the extracter ring, cleaned it. And put it in the safe. If you shoot it a few times a year, it will last your lifetime. Shoot it much and it's garbage.

My shop won't buy them. No. Check that. We buy them for 50 bucks if the wood is good. Strip the receiver of the bolt, firing group, and the magazine. And destroy the receiver. Or we sell it on auction arms if the chatter isn't to bad.

We get numerous 742 calls around hunting season. Bad gun. Unless you got it free, it ain't worth it. I'd rather own a Taurus.

[catmandu]

I have one in 243. I sent it to Remington and they sent it back. I would trade it for something usefull if someone was interrested.

Paul in WNY

[gunshot98]

I've got several customers that bring them to me every year before the season and i polish the chamber and they say it works like a charm. Some even make it two yrs. I have found that reloading for them is tough. they are kinda picky about what hey like to shoot. If you want a semi auto that works flawlessly, get you a BAR browning. They are great. They do have problems sometimes but nothing like the 742.

[Moonie]

My son has one in 30-06 and we shoot it on occasion, however we do load it down for everything except hunting. 35gr of H4895 and a 155-170gr boolit runs perfectly and is easy on the receiver.

We have yet to have any issues with it.

[nekshot]

[QUOTE
I sold it for what I had in it, and I will not work on those janky ***'s any more.[/QUOTE]

I always wanted to have a go at one of these myself. The 760's which I thought would be almost the same must be alot differant. I know of alot of 760's that are beat every year and the year and they keep on going. Good thing the price on these went up as I could never justify paying what they now are bringing.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I have a 742 in 30-06 been shooting since the early 70's was used when I got it , keep chamber clean keep lightly oiled , has always ran fine , still shooting it , and so are my brothers with their model 742 and my dad with his model 740.

[Junior1942]

We bought my dad a 742 30-06 for Christmas many years ago. I have it now. I thought about cleaning it and hunting with it, but it's like made of lead it's so heavy.

[Mooseman]

I have a 742 Carbine in 30/06 that has functioned flawlessly since the 80's with good factory ammo. I treat the receiver lugs with synthetic amsoil 2 cycle oil, and boresnake clean the chamber and barrel. It shoots best with the old Round Nose Core-lokt 180 gr ammo , so I hoard that for it whenever i find it at gun shows. This rifle took my first Grizzly right between the eyes, My first Moose, my first Caribou, and my first Black Bear until I graduated to 300 win mag.
Rich

[Cap'n Morgan]

Perhaps the action is starting its cycle while the pressure is still high enough to keep the case tight against the chamber. Heckler & Koch semi automatic rifles, including my 22WRM, has longitudinal fluted chambers to reduce the inside pressure on the front half of the case. Both 30-06 and .270 uses quite slow powders. Maybe using reloaded ammo with a slightly faster powder would alleviate the problem.

[loaded303]

Been playin with reduced 3031 charges. Gonna continue to tweak on it. It's gonna get a complete tear down clean and polish also.

[izzyjoe]

I witnessed a 742 that was in very good condition self distruc one afternoon. A freind bought one from a man that didn't shoot it a lot, well it blew the rim off the first shot,and tried to feed another round into the chamber that still had the shell stuck in it, talk about mangled! Funny thing is the gunsmith removed both rounds, and cleaned the chamber and it's still going strong. So every time I seen one at a bargain price, I recall that exciting afternoon many years ago!

[ricks45]

I once had a very good gunsmith friend of mine from Bryant Ar. who is no longer with us tell me when I asked what gun he recommended when I wanted to buy a .270 semi-auto. His answer was "You only have 2 choices, The Remington or a Browning! He looked me in the eye and said Rick I wouldn't give you fifty cents for a railroad car Full of Remington's. That was when Browning's were starting to be assembled in Japan. I finally found a new Belgium made .270 and bought it. After that EVERY Remington that came in the shop, he would make me work on it!! I probably worked on 100 Remington's for every 2 Browning's. I sure LOVE my Browning BAR .270!

[John 242]

However, as stated the bolts are harder then the receivers. After repeated use the bolt chews up the rails in the receiver and it's all over. The receiver is toast.

This has been my experience, too.
I've seen this on several guns. I can't remember the calibers, but I believe they were .30-06 and .270 Win.

I peen the burs in the rails down with a punch and then carefully dress them with a stone. This helps a lot, but it's a temporary fix. Over time the bolt will chew up the receiver again.

I've replaced the extractors before and polished rusty chambers. This cured the failures to extract that the OP has described. Someone mentioned that these guns are notorious for rusty chambers. That seems to be my experience as well. Maybe because it's harder to reach the chamber when compared to a bolt gun?

I don't know what you guys are using to remove the nut that holds the barrel on. I ground down a open end wrench to fit between the action bars. It works, but if there is a better tool/way, I am all ears.

(Edit: Lots of magazine related feeding problems, too.)

[John 242]

I always wanted to have a go at one of these myself. The 760's which I thought would be almost the same must be alot differant. I know of alot of 760's that are beat every year and the year and they keep on going.

The bolt over-rotation problem that damages the receiver on the 742 doesn't seem to happen on the 760. I suppose it's because the gas operated gun cycles harder/faster than you can achieve with a pump.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

My cases have no scars. Thanks for the pointers. I'm gonna try ta work on it for my son. He likes it.


Yes, although rust in the chamber is a very valid point (and may still bear some responsibility, so it is worth checking out), I thought you would have mentioned brass damage.

All I know of the extraction system of the 742 is from the Numrich Gunparts schematic. It has a rather spidery-looking extractor, an extractor spring, and an ejector. Any of these might be defective, but I think quite slight wear or deformation of the extractor is the most likely. Slightly undercutting the edge with one of the cutting discs which come with the Dremel tool might do the trick.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Remington-33454/Rifles-37895/742-39567.htm?page=1

[bdicki]

I don't know what you guys are using to remove the nut that holds the barrel on. I ground down a open end wrench to fit between the action bars. It works, but if there is a better tool/way, I am all ears.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t182/bdicki/IMG_0725_zpsjgk0r5as.jpg
I don't know if these are still available but it works. Another thing with these guns is the gas port, the little tube gets beat up and slowly closes. I guess they still are available.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/barrel-tools/rebarreling-tools/barrel-nut-tools/remington-742-4-7400-wrench-prod8872.aspx

[John 242]

I don't know if these are still available but it works. Another thing with these guns is the gas port, the little tube gets beat up and slowly closes. I guess they still are available.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/barrel-tools/rebarreling-tools/barrel-nut-tools/remington-742-4-7400-wrench-prod8872.aspx
I'll have to look into that, thanks.

[DRSLYR]

WOW! My advice would be to get rid of it. I paid $300 for mine & sold it for $200. They don't call them "Jam-O-Matics" for nothing!

DRSLYR

[gunwonk]

... if is just not retracting with the bolt head you may find (as I did) that the rivet holding the extractor is broke/missing or otherwise not holding the extracting in the proper position.

So a 742 has the Remington inside-the-bolt-face ring type extractor? I once had a similar failure with a Remington 700 bolt gun. Bolt came back, cartridge case stayed in, no marks on the rim, but no extraction.

Turned out, when the ring type extractor retracted into the recess around the bolt face -- which it has to do as it slips over the case rim -- it got stuck in that "open" position, glued to the outside of the bolt face recess by old sticky oil. My bad.

I forget how I got it clean. Maybe spray carburetor cleaner? Anyhow, that fixed the problem, and I'm more careful with cleaning & oiling Remington bolts now. 8-)

[Mk42gunner]

I don't know what you guys are using to remove the nut that holds the barrel on. I ground down a open end wrench to fit between the action bars. It works, but if there is a better tool/way, I am all ears.

I don't remember just what wrench I used to take the barrel off the 742 I had for about two weeks. I think it was one from a set of Walmart Popular Mechanics wenches that had, that or an eight inch Crescent wrench; either way, I know I didn't modify anything.

Robert

[Geezer in NH]

I don't remember just what wrench I used to take the barrel off the 742 I had for about two weeks. I think it was one from a set of Walmart Popular Mechanics wenches that had, that or an eight inch Crescent wrench; either way, I know I didn't modify anything.

RobertThen you would have bent stuff, just saying.

That rifle has a life of 500-700 rounds at best. However the normal hunter/shooter will die before getting there as 40 rounds a year would be way above average. I made 60-70 bucks every year on each brought into the shop to be cleaned and tested, they were sweet money makers.

Here in NH they are popular with hunters but when sold to a shop $100 bucks only as most won't work and that is why they get traded. For a sporting rifle in Semi-Auto I have to recommended the Browning only. Winchesters semi's are even worse IMHO.

20 years with a shop but that's MHO. Yes I sold new ones, when the customer wants something he gets it. I like to feed my family.