Used old scopes are generally cheap. You find them at gun shows all the time. Especially off brand ones. Probably good enough for an old gun that just sleeps in a safe or closet for years on end. I don't think its reason to spend in the thousands to be replaced. At some shows, you can find a brand name scope for well under $100.

I wouldn’t waste good money on an expensive scope for a 742. 742’s are not that accurate. A Redfield 3-9x40 would be the best I’d put on it.

Just my 2 cents. I have one and haven’t shot it in over a decade...for a reason. It was also my father’s.

Tony.

A low power, Japanese Made Weaver would fit the bill as a replacement option too.

I hate to tell you. It's probably not the scope.

Some information in this thread

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...970031364#7970031364

If you search 742 accuracy issues you'll find plenty to read about.

Mine was fine for 23 years I've had it, but all of a sudden it too developed the issue.

Some consensus out there that it's a barrel issue. As it warms from shooting it will string low. Iron sights is supposed to be ok as they move as barrel moves. The scope being mounted to the action doesn't, hence the stringing.

I pulled my scope and intend to test this, just haven't had the chance yet.

I think the recommendations to find an older, used scope make the most sense in this case. I'll definitely see if I can find one for the 30-30 because that rifle happens to be a tack driver.

I removed the scope from the 742 and I'll probably just leave it with the irons. I'm going to bring it with me on the next range trip and see how it does. Maybe I'll just use it as a poor man's Garand It shouldn't last too long; I see the model 742 has a terrible reputation for durability along with its poor reputation for accuracy. Remington seems to have laid an egg with this design.

Mediocre accuracy is one thing, 8 inches of vertical (only) dispersion is another.
If you do fire the rifle using irons only, I would be interested in learning the results.

Try checking the screw that attaches the stock to the action. Fifteen years of sitting could have caused the wood to swell or contract.

I was able to get to the range today. I fired three groups using the irons. The first two groups are at 50 yards. I found a few rounds of a different brand and weight (and much more recent production ) , hence the second group. The last group is at 100 yards.







I'm not too disappointed in the 100 yard group because I had difficulty seeing the target clearly. The 50 yard groups are pretty disappointing. It is what it is.

While I was shooting, I didn't notice the windage adjustment on the rear sight. I thought I had to drift the front which is why I didn't make a correction. My head is so far up my ass that I can see what I had for lunch.

I really don't have any need of this rifle so it'll probably stay in the closet for another decade

That’s minute of deer....

Not bad for a rifle of that type and vintage.

I held off posting earlier as it appeared the vertical stringing issue was most likely the result of a bad scope.

A short story to illustrate some of the previous poster's comments on potential causes for the stringing.

Many years ago my father loaned his old left hand bolt Savage 30-06 scoped with an old fixed power Leupold, along with some old hand loaded ammo, to one of my brothers for an upcoming hunt. My brother was busy with work and school and his schedule didn't leave time to sight the rifle in before the hunt...as my schedule at the time allowed me time to get to the range during the week, and I shot more regularly than he did, I volunteered to sight the rifle in for him.

I assumed that I'd find the rifle already sighted in and would only need a few confirmation shots to verify its zero...or at worst, that I'd have to make slight adjustments. I had planned on having it sighted in within an hour at most, and so got to the range in the early afternoon.

Shooting from a seated bench position at 100 yrds (actually, just a few yrds. past 100) my first few rounds landed just a few inches to the right of target center, maybe 2-4" apart. I made a slight scope adjustment...and then the fun began.

After the first adjustment the next string wandered somewhat closer to target center, but also started to move vertically. I made another scope adjustment followed by another set of confirmation shots...followed by another scope adjustment followed by another set of confirmation shots...etc... I literally "walked rounds around target center...and while they weren't exactly "groups" to begin with, the pattern had started to open up. I was seeing rounds starting to land 5-6" apart.

It was near dark, my right shoulder was sore from firing 50 rnds. of 30-06, and I was scratching my head trying to figure out what was going on. I started to examine the rifle and that is when I found a tight crack in the wood stock, maybe a couple inches long. At that point I thought I had found the cause of the wandering accuracy and decided to knock off for the day.

I returned the rifle and ammo to my brother, reported the accuracy problem, and showed him the target and while neither of us was happy about it, we both agreed that the rifle and scope were probably good enough for a 100 yard deer shot. My brother went on the hunt but never got a shot off...and after turning black and blue and being sore for a week, my shoulder finally resumed its natural color and function.

Sometime later I was talking to my Dad about the rifle and scope and he was glad to know about the wood stock crack...but then he informed me that he had discovered almost 30 years earlier that the old Savage had always had a tendency to wander after the barrel had heated up after 2 or 3 rounds. Apparently the trend at the time was to fiberglass bed actions and so my father had fiberglassed this action, but it had absolutely no impact on correcting the wandering problem and may have actually made it worse...

To sum it up, a fiberglassed action, a cracked wood stock, and a barrel prone to heating and wandering all factored in to the accuracy problem...and for all I know perhaps the ammo was a problem...not to mention the "nut behind the trigger".

I agree with MikeinNC and Sigfreund though, not bad accuracy for a hunting rifle from that vintage using iron sights. No vertical stringing in evidence in those non-scoped points of impact.

Pessimist - Please email me when you get a minute...My email is in my profile....Mark

Thank you for the feedback. It's good to know that my rifle exhibits typical accuracy. Yes, definitely good enough for deer if the distance is realistic.

MDS, clearly plenty of variables involved in getting the groups we'd all love to see.

quote:

Originally posted by pessimist:
I think the recommendations to find an older, used scope make the most sense in this case. I'll definitely see if I can find one for the 30-30 because that rifle happens to be a tack driver.

I removed the scope from the 742 and I'll probably just leave it with the irons. I'm going to bring it with me on the next range trip and see how it does. Maybe I'll just use it as a poor man's Garand It shouldn't last too long; I see the model 742 has a terrible reputation for durability along with its poor reputation for accuracy. Remington seems to have laid an egg with this design.

call or email Ironsight and see if they can fix your scope

https://ironsightinc.com/

they do excellent work

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

quote:

Originally posted by pessimist:
I think the recommendations to find an older, used scope make the most sense in this case. I'll definitely see if I can find one for the 30-30 because that rifle happens to be a tack driver.

I removed the scope from the 742 and I'll probably just leave it with the irons. I'm going to bring it with me on the next range trip and see how it does. Maybe I'll just use it as a poor man's Garand It shouldn't last too long; I see the model 742 has a terrible reputation for durability along with its poor reputation for accuracy. Remington seems to have laid an egg with this design.

call or email Ironsight and see if they can fix your scope

https://ironsightinc.com/

they do excellent work

The very question I had, you answered! Thanks for the link.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
That’s minute of deer....

If the deer is the size of barn. Out here a couple hundred yard shot is close. Be lucky to hit the ground with that.