Remington 740 Woodmaster 30.06

marcoff

Hello all,Im looking to get a 30-06 so I want to know whats a good fair price to paid for a used Remington 740 Woodmaster 30.06 ????thanks

hunter280man

If thats the one with the barrel retaining nut, not a hell of a lot, I've known a couple that come loose after several shots and accuracy goes out-the-window fast with that style. The thread-in-barrel is a lot better design. The gun I speak of was my granfathers, and either a woodsmaster or a gamemaster the ## I'm not shure of, it was a earlier model though.[This message has been edited by hunter280man (edited 01-30-2002).]

Ronald J. Snow

The earlier semi-auto rifle by Remington was the model 81 "Woodsmaster" made from 1936-1950. It came in calibers 30, 32, 35 and 300 Savage. All the Remington semi-auto (Woodsmaster) and pump (Gamemaster) rifles since the model 81 (740, 742, 7400, 4, 760, 7600 etc), have had a "barrel nut" or operating tube that retains the barrel to the receiver. It is rare that you will see one with a loose "nut" or barrel; quite the opposite, they are usually tightened excessively. Accuracy with all these rifles, as long as the barrel is seated properly, is quite good and sometimes exceptional. The models 740 and 742 have a curious habit of"chewing" themselves to death. The bolt of these rifles is not solidly attached to the action arms and therefore "slops" about in the receiver upon firing. This causes the bolt to chew into the operating rails and top of the receiver leaving "saw-teeth" like marks just behind and above the bolt when the action is closed. You must watch out for this when buying either the 740 or 742. Remington had an exchange program on these rifles for many years. Your best bet for a Remington semi-auto is the 7400 as the bolt and action arms are now pinned together.

JudgeColt

The M740 is the early version of the current gas-operated Remington semi-automatic centerfire rifle line. It is not in any way related to the recoil-operated M8/M81 mentioned, other than being a semi-automatic centerfire rifle made by Remington. Early M740s are collectable, so, if you find a good one, you will have to pay for the collector value. Very early ones with rust blue and the lever ejector are fairly pricey if the seller knows what he or she has. If you just want a shooter, you can find one for less in a M742 or M7400, etc.. There are so many available that price will depend on your luck and the need of the seller to sell or not.While I was making a simple, short answer, Mr. Snow made a very detailed answer, with some very good information and advice. The M7400 is the way to go for a shooter, but I am not sure if a collector's item M740 is being sought, or just a shooter, so that could make a difference.[This message has been edited by JudgeColt (edited 01-30-2002).]

sig-man

Do yourself a favor and forget about the 742, 74, 7400 series from Remington. Don't get me wrong I am a die hard Remington fan but when they came up with these they screwed up,I have never seen one that hasn't had chronic jam-a-matic syndrome.I have personally had three of them all in 30-06 and each one cost me a nice wallhangar, I have never been able to shoot anything like a group and I can normally have all my holes touching at 100 yds.If you must use an auto-loader consider the Browning. Sorry to pee in your wheaties, but I figured someone needed to let the cat out of the bag...

marcoff

Thanks for your replies,really helpfull.I guess I gonna have to star looking for something diferent.

muley

marcoff.......drop me an email....rgakins@tehama.netThanks

JudgeColt

sig-man's experience is not the same as mine. I have found these rifles to be accurate and reliable, although the magazines can be a source of problems if damaged. I know of a .270 that shoots about .7" groups at 100 yards. Most will shoot 1.5" or better.I have a M742 that I had rebored and rechambered to .35 Brown-Whelen in 1977, and have used it as my only elk rifle since then. Robert Snapp was the only gunsmith with a boring machine that would accept the barrel lug through the headstock. Even with the modified magazine necessary to handle the fatter cartridges, it feeds reliably, and is accurate enough for its range capabilities. I have another M742 that I converted to .300 Winchester Magnum, with the intention of having it rebored to .375, but never have. (I think Robert Snapp is out of business now.) While the conversion is successful and the rifle works fine, the magazine will disgorge its cartridges if dropped. Unless sig-man has scared you off, give the Remingtons a look. I think you will be pleased.

Ronald J. Snow

I have the pleasure of shooting dozens of semi-auto rifles each year. The 7400 Remingtons are no more prone to jamming than the Browning BAR. Usually the jamming comes from a build-up of crud. The vast majority of hunters and shooters do not clean their firearms properly (if at all) from my observations. Both semi-auto and pump action Remington rifles are complicated to disassemble as are the Brownings. As far as accuracy I will put a Remington against a Browning any day. If I wanted an accurate, nearly jam-proof, semi-auto rifle I would lean towards the styling of the M1A, Garand, Mini-14/30, SKS etc.