Dating a Remington 740 - any history?

[cabezaverde]

For whatever reason, absolutely fell in love with this Remington 740 at a show today. It's almost like the thing jumped out at me, and I wasn't even looking for a gun. After doing some research, there is a very good possibility that it was made the same year I was.

The serial number is 265xx. Does anyone have a resource for checking the year of manufacture?

Also, any experience with these. I don't think this will be a cast gun.

Thanks for any help offered.

[carpetman]

Cabazeaverde or however it's spelled----Not all Remingtons are coded this way,but many models will have a date code on the left side of the barrel at the frame. This code will start with one of the following letters BLACKPOWDERX those 12 letters represent the month. For example L is the 2nd letter and would be February. Following this letter will be either one more or two more letters. This/these will represent the year. You have to then go to the chart to ascertain what year it was---there is no rhyme or reason to be able to remember the year--have to look it up. The 740 was only made 1955-1960 so it is pretty easy--1955 was a B and it goes up a letter each year thus ending with G for 1960.

[versifier]

Definite advantages to dating a Remington. They're beautiful forever as long as they're well oiled, nothing sags a few years down the line, when you have a good day or a bad day they have it with you, they don't sleep around, and they're real easy to live with. :drinks:

[madcaster]

And you really don't worry so much if they do have a dating "history"!

[versifier]

Yeah, the only drip you have to worry about is from the bottom pour. :mrgreen:

[stephen perry]

Placing a date on when a rifle was made has not much to do of when they are sold. I saw a 740 back in 1963, .280 Rem. The 742 came out about that time. The 740's still not sold probably got salted away by the wholesalers and doled out by the jobbers as a bonus to their better shops. So if the 740 stopped production in 1960 there were a few still being sold as new 10 years later. I have seen new in the box pre-64 Winchesters sold in the 1980's sold as new, I worked in a real gun full service gun shop for 25 years, 1975-2000.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR