Use grandpa’s old 30-06, or buy something new?

Ben Long said:
I would take your grandad's gun to the range with a box of modern ammunition and to the gunsmith. If it keeps within 1.5 MOA and is mechanically sound, I would save your money for optics and boots.
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My brother has an 06 with an old push forward Enfield action probably rebarrelled that he was given by our grandfather.

I never would.have given it time of day. He shot it and it was accurate. Had a gunsmith install a timney and a recoil pad.

Now it's a good rifle and who would have guessed. Now he.says it doesn't shoot well when he tightens the action bolt down. I think he just wants to buy a new toy:)
 
Three generations in my family have killed a truckload of muleys and whitetail with my dad's 742, 30-06. He bought it around 1963 or so. Still going strong. Not a long range gun but out to 200 or so yards it'll easily get it done.
 
If your grandfather's rifle is accurate enough to hunt with, I'd use that. Just a couple days ago, I took my grandfather's Winchester Model 54 .270 (probably built in the '30s ?) to the range for some trigger time. Fun stuff !!
 
Trial153 said:
Old rifle, new scope
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My thought exactly. I've seen some old rifles that were darn good shooters, but most had a scope on them that were pretty awful when compared to anything on the shelf in modern times. If you don't want to spend a huge pile of $ on one just pick up a low end vortex or a Leupold rifleman (and rings and mounts). Something along those lines would probably bring grandpa's -06 into the 21st century very nicely.
 
Make sure you keep the action clean and in good condition. 742s can become unreliable if the action starts to degrade.

It was a popular rifle and many had problems.... I've had two in my possession, one was well taken care of, one not so much, one operated ok, the other didn't.

Keep the action clean and lubricated.
 
I still hunt with my dad’s 742 in .30-06. It’s in great shape. I echo what has been said above about keeping them clean and well-oiled, and add that I use 150 or 165 grain bullets. Anything heavier seems to cause problems.
 
We talk about hunting heritage - that 742 is about as much heritage as it gets.

Just be sure to practice with that trigger.

Also - are you familiar with the phrase "minute of elk"?

Whatever you decide, good luck.
 
We still have an heirloom 7600 in the family arsenal. My son currently has possession. Rescoped with a glossy Lupe variable a couple years ago it prints one inch consistently. Never noticed the trigger being an impediment to accuracy. My late brother's son has the 7400...hasn't been fired in over a decade. Both purchased together 50 plus years ago by my father...so third generation shooters.
 
There is nothing wrong with what you have and would serve you very well. My Father uses one and it works perfect. Just find a clip that works, and learn how to maintain it, as reliability lies with who maintains and services it. I would also just stick to factory ammo and find what works.
There is a Old Remington video on YouTube showing a Remington 742, and 760 and 700 on the range and being a auto or pump or bolt they all were shooters.
 
I would definitely try to use your old gun. I had my dad's old Ruger M77 in 7MM Rem Mag and it had a lot of recoil and the accuracy wasnt great.

I installed a new shock pack ($40) which reduced the recoil. I ordered a glass bedding kit online which wasnt that difficult to do. I also had a handloader work up a load just for that rifle and now I feel confident bringing it in the field. If doing those steps doesn't excite you, then buy a new gun.
 
Did you ever see how it shoots? I agree with making that the determining factor. Those Rem semi-autos were such a mixed bag; one would be a tack driver and the next would have feed and accuracy issues. It seems like they all had a 7# trigger. :) I was in the same situation with the Rem 7400 in 30-06 my dad and I bought together 25 years ago. I value the history and tried to make it my deer gun last year, but despite my best efforts of barrel and action cleaning and trying different ammo I just couldn't get it to group better than 3-4" at 100yds. Imo, missing, wounding, or making a bad kill can make the family connection feel a lot less important. But if you have one that shoots, it would be a great bear gun.
 
Clean the 742 and take it to the range with some good ammunition and see what it can do, chances are that its will pleasantly surprise you. If it doesn't look for an axis2 if you can because those come with the accutrigger if not there's a spring kit for the trigger that'll take it down to like 4lbs or you can get a timney trigger for it for around $90
 
Brian in Montana said:
My thought exactly. I've seen some old rifles that were darn good shooters, but most had a scope on them that were pretty awful when compared to anything on the shelf in modern times. If you don't want to spend a huge pile of $ on one just pick up a low end vortex or a Leupold rifleman (and rings and mounts). Something along those lines would probably bring grandpa's -06 into the 21st century very nicely.
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My 30-06 is a 1903 Springfield by Paul Jaeger in 1945. On it is a 2 3/4x Redfield widefield I got new about 1970. Fit's pretty good in this century! :)
 
It will serve you well, if you clean it and use synthetic lube on it, so that cold weather does not mess you up. Put decent optics on it, as that will be the first thing that will fail about the time that you need it. Make sure that whatever ammo you pick, functions flawlessly through it and practice enough to know what your range limits are. I would not personally pick that rifle for longer ranges, but it depends on the trigger and how good that particular rifle shoots your ammo.

Stay away from package rifles! The rifles are fine, but the scopes are usually pure junk. If you go that route, due to price, then spend more and get a decent scope. Cheap rifles are pretty good these days, but optics not so much.
 
Trial153 said:
Old rifle, new scope
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I second Trail153, save the money for a new scope and/or good ammo. I've used the 742 in 308 for whitetail and pigs in the east and it's a good rifle and a 30-06 gives you a ton of ammo choices.
 
I'm in the process of rehabbing an inherited 742 in '06 myself. I put a weaver rail on it with warne quick-detach rings, and a newer scope. Thought being, it can always ride along as a backup in the truck, with the ability to pop the scope off (using the iron sights) for very inclement weather or very close in tracking. Haven't shot it yet, looking forward to seeing what it will do with a thorough barrel/action/gas system cleaning. Good luck with your 742! Parts are getting harder to come by unfortunately.
 
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If your rifle means anything like my grandfathers 1955 Remington 740 means to me it would be a mute point. I'm lucky that he gave me his rifle while he was still alive and I know it would mean the world to him if I carried on a hunt that he was never able to go on. When he passes which I hope is a long long time from know I know whenever I will take that rifle out I know that he will be there with me hunting by my side.
 
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