One of the interesting aspects of the 722/721 is that when they were introduced, many shooters reacted to them in the same way many react to Ruger Americans and other 21st-century "affordable" bolt actions. Here's what Bob Wallack, a gunsmith and a frequent contributor to many shooting magazines, had to say about them in the 1958 GUN DIGEST:
“The motto at Remington these days…is ‘all for production,’ so their rifles are designed for ease of manufacture and to sell at a certain price. Every part that can possibly be banged out on a punch press is banged out on a punch press, much to the sorrow of any real gun bug. Such methods do not affect the handling qualities or functioning of a rifle, certainly, but neither do they add up to a gun that a guy’d want to own with pride.”
Interesting.
Mike Walker and crew had a feel for the market and what people wanted.
Bill Ruger had that same sense of market and reportedly out voted his bean counters on more than one occasion.
It seems that Ruger still has that market sense, is being rewarded accordingly.
Is capitalism great or what...
DF
