Many many years ago as a small child I remember visiting my great uncles house. He was a bit of a gun hoarder having 100s and 100s of rifles, shotguns and derelict muskets stacked in just about every room of that house. About 20 years ago he passed away and I was offered '1 gun' from his estate. I had no knowledge what was available and the individual I was dealing with had no knowledge of firearms. I could only ask for something in generic terms. So I asked for a 'bolt action hunting rifle such as a 30-06 or .270'.
A year or so goes by and I received this: A Remington 722A chambered in .244 Rem. Yep, it was a bolt action alright and in mint condition - in fact it looked to have never been fired - it was that mint. But I'd never heard of a '244' and it sounded awfully small. A quick check at a local discount store left me with the impression this was some long forgotten orphaned cartridge and I put it away...
Some years later, some more knowledgeable than I educated me that ammo was in fact available under the '6mm Rem' name. Indeed, 75 and 100 gr 6mm ammo could still be readily had as it turned out. The 75 gr ammo worked great but not the 100 gr ammo. Today 6mm Rem is no longer available on the shelves. But I've gotten into reloading and have developed a nice 90 gr and even a 100 gr load for it.
I had a 1980s Bushnell 3-9X 40 I had bought new and never used which I mounted. I added swivel mounts to the stock. The mint wood stock cleaned up nicely with a coat of carnauba wax. While this is not the 722BDL version but rather the more plain 722A, the stock still seems 'finely figured' to me and it is walnut of course.
Rather than sell or re-barrel it - this rifle has gotten me into handloading which I'm enjoying.
I've also scored two 8 point white tails. My great uncle no longer knew who I was nor did he specificy I receive anything but I'm appreciative that the estate saw fit to share this one sample with me many years ago.
A few basic facts:
- 1:12" Twist
- 26" Barrel (a tad long perhaps but...)
- Capacity 4+1
- 8 lbs (8.8 lbs w/ scope)
- Date codes to Oct '55 (first year of the .244)
- Walnut
The .244 was introduced in 1955 along w/ the .243 Win. The .243 Win won in the market place battle. Most give credit to the .243s faster twist allowing it to more readily shoot a 100 gr bullet. Some site the plain jane nature of the 722A vs Win's Model 70. I really don't know. Rem did change the twist within 3 years to more readily accept heavier bullets. And their 722A was priced lower than the Win Model 70 so you got what you paid for I would guess. The 722A was a good rifle directly influencing the Model 700 that followed it. They even renamed the cartridge from .244 to 6mm to try and reboot it. But the market place has spoken.
While I never received that 30-06 or 270 I originally requested - I've really grown to appreciate this rifle and it has introduced me to the hobby of handloading. At this point I doubt I'll ever hunt anything greater than white tail and for that purpose - it seems close to ideal. The lighter recoil makes it more fun to shoot for longer periods at the range as well.
I might consider a Timney trigger swap. The stock trigger seems great to me. But there is a trigger controversy re the 700 which supposedly extends to the 721/722s.
