reliability question

[WA hunter14]

im thinking about buying one of two guns from a guy who got them because his dad passed away and i have no experience with either of them. one is a remington wingmaster 740 in 30-06 and the other is a remington game master 760 in 270. i would prefer the 30-06 but the thing im concerned about is the reliability of the semi auto action? i dont want to go in for a follow up shot and have it jam?

[carpsniperg2]

The 740 is probably a woodsmaster, not a wingmaster. The wingmaster is there shotgun series. Both the 740 and 760 are one of the most popular older guns still used today.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Both are based on the 30-06 case.  The .30 will give you more knock-down power, the .270 will give you more range.  You pays your money and you takes your choice.  (Not telling which one I'd take!)   

[WA hunter14]

so you guys dont think i will have a problem with jams in the 30-06?

[Huntbear]

Run away from the semi auto...  They are nothing but problems, with the gas system, the receiver getting battered and broke, etc...  some people will swear by them.. but I have dealt with more issues on that one model of weapon than any other as a gunsmith...

[WA hunter14]

thats exactly what i was looking for, thanks for the input!

[Heredoggydoggy]

Run away from the semi auto...  They are nothing but problems, with the gas system, the receiver getting battered and broke, etc...  some people will swear by them.. but I have dealt with more issues on that one model of weapon than any other as a gunsmith...

I agree.  They were "state of the art" years ago, but their design left a lot to be desired.  To quote an old saying from that era: "One shot=one deer.  Two shots=maybe one deer.  Three shots=no deer."

[wildweeds]

Skip the good "Deal" and go buy a bolt action............................ my granddad,uncle and I all had bolt actions,win 70,rem model 7 and mine is a savage 110c,all in 7mm, one shot one kill guns...............My other uncle has a browning BAR in 7mm................................... it's  most often a full clip show for one deer and it usually ends up in a shot up arse end with a couple in the front and one in the guts,jammer that only likes one manufactuers case and is a pain in the butt to reload for.I've seen it go off when the bolt slammed shut.I'm a browning shotgun guy o/u wise but would never own one of the semi auto rifles.I've seen the jamming thing in a 740 remington in 30.06 as well.

[WA hunter14]

i have bolt rifles. are you saying that they are that unaccurate to be able to hit the vitals on a deer or are you saying that guys dont take there time and make good shots because they know they can just shoot again?

[wildweeds]

From what I witnessed at the bench between 3 bolts and an auto........................ the bolts are far more accurate

i have bolt rifles. are you saying that they are that unaccurate to be able to hit the vitals on a deer or are you saying that guys dont take there time and make good shots because they know they can just shoot again?

[JohnVH]

the old school auto's are not known for good accuracy compared to a bolt gun.. That said, the new stuff is better. I have a auto's that will out perform some bolt guns...

But 50-100% of that is the shooter

[newbs55]

Out of the two the 760 would be the better. My uncle has one that he bought new in 1962 in .270 and there are over 100 deer that know its plenty accurate. I have shot it and it shots as good as most off the shelf bolt guns (my Model 70 included) right around 1" groups at 100. Plus if you need that second shot you can cycle the round without taking your eye out of the scope much easier than a bolt. I have actually always wanted one in .270 but have only really seen them in -06. Where are you from and How much does he want for it?

[iusmc2002]

I've got a 740 and 742 in 30-06 and 280 Rem, respectively.  I hunted with the 280 this year because it was my grandpa's gun and he passed just before hunting season.  It performed flawlessly with the Remington Corelokts I ran through it prior to taking it out.  I was concerned about the stories of their unreliability after getting wet/dirty, so before I got in the truck one evening, I burned through two 4 round mags as quick as I could.  No misfires, FTF or FTE and busted the milk jugs I was aiming at with no problem.  The 30-06 has two 10 round mags from CTD and I can burn through all 20 rounds with no problems other than a "warm" barrel.  I feed the 30-06 reloads with 150gr Hornady FMJs on top of H4350.  No problems with it yet. 
Most of the bad rap they got was because people wouldn't take care of them the way they needed it.  They'd come in from a wet/cold day and put it in the corner somewhere without cleaning it, then expect it to perform without problems the next day.  Now, you can say, "that's not a problem with a bolt gun".   Sure isn't.  But for rifles that are over 50 years old (just like anything else that old) you just need to take care of them.  If you can get a good deal on either of them (or both), I would go for it.

[brokenvet]

Just to add more.  A pump or auto will be noisy out in the field, I know I used and auto loader last year and it was very noisy when the bolt was closed.  It was an M14 clone. 

I noticed last year after I close the bolt animals came back as after 2 - 3 hours.

A bolt action you can control the closing if the bolt. 

[AWS]

My X has a 760 in 270 that as accurate as most varmint rifle, 140gr Sierra Gamekings in under1/2".  It was very reliable and when sh e shot you didn't have to trail anything it wasdrown right there.

In1966 I bought a 742 BDL deluxe and st it up for Military matches in taiwan.  I was able to shoot with the ROC army marksman to 600 meters and it was as good as there tuned M-1s. It was a 308 and I had access to unlimited military ammo so I burned a lot.  After I got out my dad used it into the 80s when he gave it away to a relative because it was too heavy.
It never got any heavy loads.  The old 740/742 do have a rep for battering the reciever and hanging up.

I keep a late model 760 in 35 Rem in WI for deer hunts when I fly

 so I don't have to deal with TSA.  It is quite accurate considerring it is shooting 200gr RNs. A Weaver V-3 and I don't spend any time behind the trigger except to kill a deer now and then.