Sell it! They are nothing but trouble.

 

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Welcome to the forum !


FWIW, Autoloaders can be problematic, in the way a round is chambered.

If you're dropping the loaded round into the chamber, then lowering/closing the bolt manually, the locking lugs will not fully rotate into the "cocked & locked" position.

They shouldn't be babied.

Whether the round is chambered manually or fed from the magazine, the best practice is to withdraw the bolt fully to the rear, then let it loose, so it can slam forward, fully seating the locking lugs.


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Sounds like it is not going into full forward lockup. Check to see if the chamber is clean. Nothing in it to block the cartridge. A common problem.

 

I would tend to agree with others' answers, except that the rifle is also not even "dry firing" with an empty chamber. The proper way to load the newer Remington semi-autos is to (with safety on) insert an empty magazine, lock the bolt back, insert a cartridge into the chamber and then hit the bolt release, allowing the bolt to move forward smartly. Loading is then completed by removing the empty magazine, loading it and re-inserting into the rifle.

I would try this method at the range to see if it works, but I don't see the problem as being that the bolt has not moved forward enough to lock into battery. Something stuck in the rear end of the chamber, perhaps? Torn case, rim piece? (as alluded to above)

 

These rifles need to be kept CLEAN to function properly. The chamber and locking lugs especially. New rifles were sold with a special brush just for this purpose. You can fashion your own. Google "cleaning Remington 742" and you'll get the proper way to do it. These guns can be finicky but there a lot of them out there that have served well for a lot of people. I have a Mod 750 (last generation of Remington auto loaders) in 30-06 that has treated me very well.

 

Does this happen with re-loaded ammo, factory ammo? or both?

 

Is this a new gun or been shot a lot? Per my contacts at Remington they were only good for about 500 rounds, the bolt rotates around too far and won't lock in.

Look in ejection port. On far side there is a thin rail. It it is beat up the bolt has probably rotated and it is not in battery.

 

...and take it off safety it doesn't fire as if it is still on safety or like the trigger did not reset ...

~ Check that the bolt is fully closing.
~ Check that the hammer is cocked.
~ Check the Safety Switch for correct movement.

 

#1: make sure that the chamber and bore is clean

 

Pull the trigger group out of the receiver and inspect it carefully. Then, function test the trigger group (being careful to ease the hammer foreward with your thumb), I'm thinking that there is something behind the hammer, preventing it from reaching it's full, rearward travel.

 

If parts are needed they are hard to find unfortuately, as I know from experience.

 

If this is a used gun I'd pull the trigger group and make sure it was put back together right if it was ever taken apart.

 

That was exactly my thought, Airdrop, I guess great minds just think alike! Also, I don't know why the parts would be hard to find on a current production (the trigger group) item.

 

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The 742 is not a current production. Many parts are hard to find. Trust me, I know from experience.

 

Thanks for the input everyone ,had a gunsmith fix it ,he had to file something down ,and I seams someone cleaned it and reassembled the bolt wrong so it would not lock up fully and didn't reset the firing pin .

 

I'm sorry, but that does not sound right to me. On a 742, you don't disassemble the bolt to clean it. And the firing pin is not 'reset'. Check that rifle out before firing it.

 

Probably cleaned the chamber and made up some cock and bull about a repair.
The chamber in those things have to be kept clean, get that special brush they make to clean it with if you don't have one. Clean it good and clean it regularly. Make sure there the walls are free of any kind of deposits.

 

Best I can recollect it was 1985/86 time frame when one of my buddies at Remington told me to dump mine (it shot very well and beautiful grained buttstock and I hated to) as there were no more receivers to trade out for the ones that had excessive rail wear from the locking lugs pounding the thin rail on the left side of the receiver. This allows the bolt to rotate too far as it comes out of battery and the design is for the rail to stop the bolt rotation.

The 760 has the same set up but does not experience this problem because the bolt opening sequence is much slower/less violent than the gas operated one. I have seen 760s shot so much that there was no rifling 3" in front of the chamber ! ! ! ! !

He said that was the reason for the 7400 and evidently it was successful as I have not heard of a single problem with them.

Has anyone else heard of similar from a 7400?

 

The 742 is the most beautiful piece of junk ever made. I have 2 one in 308 that I can not keep together and a 3006 that has only had about 50 rounds through it. I will be selling the 3006 next year, so I do not exceed the limited round count of this beautiful piece of crap.

 

Not any more

Super, I'm thinking that Remington actually went one better with the new Remington R-51 auto pistol. They said the switch out would happen in late Nov. to Dec., but now in January, 2015, they claim that they didn't say which year. Fortunately, I've kept mine, handy, until I know they are ready to do this Q.C. switch for a new and improved R-51. Talk about a collectable in the making!