Buying a Rifle on Family Vacation - Another Remington 721

Just got back from a whirlwind seven-day family vacation. In seven days, we visited;

• The Narrows in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park Utah
• Elkhorn Hot Springs in Montana’s Pioneer Mountains
• My fathers Grave in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls in Idaho
• Multnomah Falls, Lava River Cave, and Lava Lands in Oregon
• The ghost town Bodie State Historic Park in California
• Lastly, before returning home Keough’s Hot Springs near Bishop, California.

All in All, we drove 3,559 miles.

While in Idaho I stopped in a local gun store. They had a Remington Model 721 in 30-06 sitting on the shelf. I could not pass it up for $240.00.

They also have a really nice 1903 Sporter, it has a high gloss blue so this is not one that would be a candidate for restoration. But for the price, $250.00 it would make a nice shooter. I didn't buy it only because the gas cost in the RV killed my bank account.

The Remington 721 I bought has what I think is a Herter’s stock with a really short length of pull The stock looks to have been cut down for a Jr. shooter. I'm going to look for a factory stock to put back on the rifle as the one on it has zero appeal.

The bolt and follower are both jeweled which is interesting. The blue is near 100% and the bore is fantastic.

I think the most interesting part of this rifle is the Leupold scope. The Leupold Mountaineer is different in that it only has a elevation adjustment. The windage is dialed in using the Leupold Adjusto-mounts.

In all of the old catalogs and even doing a web search, I was only able to fine Leupold Mountaineer scopes that have both elevation and windage. I find that odd and interesting that the Leupold Mountaineer that came with this rifle has only the elevation adjustment.

If anyone has any AD’s or documentation on this version of the scope I would be grateful if you shared it.

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That’s a beauty for sure.

Too bad the stock is so reduced, I like that kind as a shooter.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Too bad the stock is so reduced, I like that kind as a shooter.

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When I first got it I considered extending the stock for the correct length of pull and refinishing it. I decided that it would just be better to replace it altogether. Besides, whoever fit the stock didn't quite get the fit correct. The barrel hits the barrel channel in a couple of places and with the action screws tightened down you can still move the receiver up and down so I would need to inlet the barrel channel, insert some pillars and bed the action.

Today I found a really nice unfinished Montecarlo stock that would look nice on her. It would need final fitting and finishing but it has pretty wood, if I can get it for a good price I might go with it rather than factory stock.

I haven't decided if I want to resell or give it to one of my kids yet after I'm done playing with it. I'm starting to get too many 721's and I'm still on my quest for a 1st year low number 721.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

When I first got it I considered extending the stock for the correct length of pull and refinishing it. I decided that it would just be better to replace it altogether

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I just did that with a 1936 Marlin only because a repro is unavailable and replacements are worse. I wasn't suggesting that, besides like you say too many issues.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I just did that with a 1936 Marlin only because a repro is unavailable and replacements are worse.

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Jim, that a lever-action Marlin? Sweet! those are pretty much untouchable price-wise anymore. The stock on the rifle, while wouldn't take much to get'her squared away, I just figure if I was going to put a bunch of labor (of love) in the stock it might as well be a nice piece of wood that wouldn't be splice at the buttstock. I'm always conflicted though with fixing what is, replacing with aftermarket, and putting factory wood back on these old gals.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

a lever-action Marlin

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That's the one. I had no choice when I rescued this one from a small interior town in B.C. Came from a farm where the wife used it to pot deer. It needed about everything. SURPRISE, the bore is very nice and very tight. I wanted a Marlin that had a Ballard barrel and now this one and a 336A from 1948 as well. Price on this worn old piece was $500 shipped and a bunch of parts that members here helped me procure. Anyway, here it is. Yes, low number and no prefix. 1936.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

That's the one. I had no choice when I rescued this one from a small interior town in B.C. Came from a farm where the wife used it to pot deer. It needed about everything

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She's a beauty Jim, nice clean stock extension work. I can almost feel cycling the action. :)

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Originally Posted by usabaker

nice clean stock extension work

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I appreciate that Bill, I have seen much work by others here and still feel mine looks rudimentary. I have a friend here that's a cabinet maker and gun guy, refused to do the extension for me. He did guide me though and told me to use an epoxy instead of glue so I see a line. Used an existing busted 336 stock that had the same grain. Anyway, I agree that yours is much simpler to use a stock that is ready drop in. I'll bet you can still sell that high comb stock to someone.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

told me to use an epoxy instead of glue so I see a line

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I saw a thread here or somewhere where someone first coated the surfaces of a repair with glue (so to minimize the visible line), then put epoxy in the holes where the internal metal support was. The epoxy held the pieces together very tight, and the glue filled all the microscopic pores at the seam, and blended it all together.

I was instructed to use two wood dowels and epoxy, slather the dowels to make sure they hold and a good coat between the two parts to be bonded. Don't over tighten or you won't have anything to bond. I was specifically told not to use glue in an end grain situation like this. I studied up on it and didn't want to undertake it but no one professional would and our members were too far away to mail it to. The other extensions I observed had a very minimum line, unlike mine.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I was specifically told not to use glue in an end grain situation like this

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certainly glue on end-grain does not have any holding power, in this application or any other. I see your point of leaving room for the epoxy between pieces to increase its holding power. My thought in the method I described was to control the epoxy from squeezing all the way out to the edges, and let the glue, maybe mixed with sawdust, fill the gap only for blending. I've never attempted to repair or extend a sporter stock though...all the ones I have come across have a cheek piece for righties and I shoot lefty.

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Originally Posted by ssgross

the glue, maybe mixed with sawdust, fill the gap

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Maybe, I would have liked the professional to have done it but he stated that his repair would have been identical. I'll never know.

On the upside, I have a 1936 model that shoots and isn't so pretty one can't handle it.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

isn't so pretty one can't handle it.

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Everybody's babies are always the cutest ever...but..."put a cigar in their mouth and they all look like Winston Churchill"

Now we've got away from Bill's new rifle...where is that anyway? New stock and all...

I would have compressed the heck out of the stock and the extra piece. Would have gouged some deep cuts on the glue sides plus you have two fluted dowels and maybe a screw or two for good measure. In your stock sanding save the dust to mix with the stain and truoil [or whatever you are using] to fill in any voids. I’ve bought guns on vacation, always fun to drag out a local phone book [old school] and find the local gunshops. My wife wound up in the Charleston WVa hospital on one of our vacations. When she was out of the woods and I could leave her I called around. Called a brick and morter shop and asked if they had any Martinis- no sir, any Webleys- no sir, then the guy asked if my call was a gag. I eventually got to his shop and found primers. This was the during last primer shortage.

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Originally Posted by baltimoreed

I would have compressed the heck out of the stock and the extra piece. Would have gouged some deep cuts on the glue sides plus you have two fluted dowels and maybe a screw or two for good measure.

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If you mean me, yes I used a screw in the center of the butt to crank it in tight against his orders. I also roughed up the dowels to make sure they took hold.

The sawdust mix for the cover job escaped me.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

He did guide me though and told me to use an epoxy instead of glue so I see a line.

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Hi Jim, Did you add black tint to the Epoxy? It helps minimize the line. For a repair like that it's nearly impossible to hide the line unless you blend the transition using stains and paints of varying shades to connect the grains. Your repair looks as good if not better then others I have seen Don't know about the "Don't over tighten" I clamp the repair down hard, its the bite into each end of the wood that holds regardless if it's wood glue or epoxy. But that's just the way I was taught.

I ended up buying two different stocks for this Remington, it was hard to see the grain being the stock are raw wood so I keep the one with the most character. I'm looking for a block of Gaboon Ebony to tip the end of the stock much the same way as the one that one it now. I figure if I'm not going to put a factory stock on it, I might as well build it the way I want it.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

Did you add black tint to the Epoxy?

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No, didn't know about that one. I did tighten well, didn't tell my observer about that.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

I ended up buying two different stocks for this Remington

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Lookin' forward to seeing the end result.

Kinda pertinent, I had a gifted ‘03 stock that had multiple patches from a po’s repairs that I wanted to use for a rebuild. To get the lighter patches to match I used leather dye on the patch along with multiple coats of Birchwood caseys water based red walnut dye to even it out. Hid them pretty nicely. Not done the build yet.
Attachment 118583

Very nice, sort of reminds me of the microbed Brownell's used to sell. That stopped 25 years back I think. It was a two tube epoxy with die.

Nice blueing on the metal.
Too bad they lost the rear sight when the scope was mounted.
Why do people do that?

A factory stock will not line up your eye with the scope properly btw.

How about the The Marlin 1895 SBL Marlin Firearms. is pretty good too.

I think that I have changed my mind about fitting a new stock to this rifle. The Remington 721 in 300 H&H that I sent to McGowen Precision Barrel just arrived today and what I think I will do, since the 300 H&H is no longer original is use its original stock on the 30-06 Rem 721, and fit the new stock to the 300 H&H.

I bought two stocks a chunk of Gaboon Ebony for the forend and a bit of Holly wood for a spacer between the stock and forend tip. Just need to decide which stock to use. One has a really nice red transition and the other has really nice character.

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I see the problem, they both appeal.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I see the problem, they both appeal.

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The top one will require a lot more work in profiling the wood, it's on the thick heavy side; but that grain pattern is hard not to want.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

profiling the wood,

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I had a stock like that in the '80s for a Mauser action and to make it sexy I sat with some wood chisels and carved the extra out, bringing the edges into a sharp relief. It turned out really nice but of course years later it sold like everything else seems to.