742 semi's

[milboltnut]

I was reading that these models were made from 52-81, and the word is they malfunctioned quite a bit... if anyone here has information that is credible feel free to chime in. It strikes me odd that 31 later they finally fix flaws in the 742.. hence 7400, but continued to manufactured and sell junk until then. Doesn't sound right... does it?

[600RemGuy]

There are 10 000s out there that run just fine. My 308 742 is from the mid to late 70s. It eats everything I throw in it from cheap factory to milsurp. The thing is/was to keep them clean. Yes, they do wear more than some semis due to design. Where action rails run in the receiver is the worst area, but, again, keep them clean and you'll get good service out of them. My Dad's 1966 is still going strong. Junk? Far from it in my mind. They filled a nitch in what hunters wanted.