Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Could someone educate me on this 721?

Picked this old 30/06 up yesterday for a price too good to pass up



I dislike 30/06s because they make it hard to justify any other cartridges and I've always been a Mauser guy, but it sat on the rack for at least a week and figured I hadn't made a bad choice in a while. With a competent shooter, the iron sights are right on with 180gr Power Points...with me, they're minute of deer

Did a little poking around and it doesn't look like all 721s were checkered?

This is the date code on a Remington? I believe it's a 1957 rifle from the D? Serial 403xxx


Needs a little love and cleaning up, and it pains me to say it, but it seems like a okay little rifle. My initial thought is to rebarrel it something cooler...

Cory

Nice grab. I like the 721/722 rifles. They did make some higher grade ones that were checkered. Yours appears to have been custom checkered by a previous owner .

Enjoy that cool old rifle!

Like a 35 Whelen ??????😋😋

For a Whelen just send it for a rebore to JES. RZ.

If I was in the States, it'd already be on it's way...

Cory

The 721, 30:06 was my first rifle, and I still have it. I had it rebarreled to 35 Whelen years ago, and a new composite stock was added. I moved up to a 300 WM and have not had it out in a long time. . A great simple solidly built rifle.

WD assembly code indicates August 1957.

Most 721s and 722s are the "A" version without any checkering, the "B" version is much less common.

So would you say this is 721B? I'm way out of my depth with Remingtons

Cory

If the checkering is original factory, I'd say 721B, but I was raised in a Winchester 70 home by a guy who had little use for rifles made by Remington.

By 1957 I think Remington had introduced the ADL/BDL designation. Early models used 721A (no checkering) and 721AC for standard wood with checkering. The "B' models were some sort of upgrade.

I have a 721 06 I picked up about 15 years ago. Great accuracy. I had never seen them as higher grade. Just a working mans gun. I decided the stock could use some work and striped the muddy finish off. What was under shocked me. A full length piece of quilted walnut. Absolutlely beautiful. Have since given it to middle son to enjoy.

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Nice lookin' rifles/actions.
Look at a Salvage and then look at a 721/722.

All the B models I have seen had the letter b stamped behind the 721 or 22 on the reciever. Had a couple ac and they had no stamping , however they had ac stamped in the barrel channel of a little better grade wood, checkering was well executed. All the B’s I had exhibited good checkering and very nice figured wood. Some had factory swivels in a style I have never seen elsewhere except maybe on a couple of the rare model 720. Remington of that era had some models of higher grade than the B as well, they seem to be really rare in my world, ascI have never run across any.

The checkering doesn’t look like any of the factory checkering of that era, most likely a custom job.

If you want to be the Kool Kid on the block leave it a 30-06. Put a scope on it and work up a load, accuracy might surprise you…..

That’s my understanding too. The Cs were standard grade wood with checkering and the Bs got upgraded wood and checkering. At first glance, I thought that was factory checkering above because factory checkering had the double border that’s on this rifle but the overall pattern isn’t the same shape as the factory, especially the panels on the grip. The checkering varied slightly from year to year.

I have several 722Bs and 721Bs and some are marked “B” after the model number and some aren’t. Some of the B markings are stamped and at least one looks like it was engraved with an vibrating pencil. You may also see HI stamped in the barrel channel for a high comb stock which was an option at some point and/or a B for the wood upgrade and it’s really nice wood, not just a little nicer. I THINK all the 722s chambered for the 222 had high combs, the assumption being that a scope would be installed but all of my 721s have the stocks with lots of drop to make them compatible with iron sights.

The 300 H&H rifles have factory installed recoil pads (I don’t recall factory recoil pads on other chamberings) and you’ll often see aftermarket pads on other rifles because they are relatively light with lots of drop.

Thank you for your help and knowledge gentlemen, I appreciate it.

Cory

The 721/722 is a fine rifle, and that’s coming from a diehard Model 70 man.

My grandfather won a 721 in .30-06 in a raffle when he was in highschool.

All these years and several thousand rounds later its still his favorite hunting rifle.

If it was me I would buy a good scope and leave it a .30-06.