it's worth the buy now price easy.

the cadillac of the enfields.

I hope to own one someday.

Id like to know how many realy were sold to the civilian market, and what serial numbers. I have one of them.

There was one a couple weeks ago with a police dept stamp on it.

what a steal

jeffe

jeffe-

that a sarcastic "what a steal"?

I drooled over it due to them so very rarely going up for sale. I do remember two of them being offered in the Gun List classifieds at the same time, some years ago, though.

Jeff maybe they will swap you for that hacked CZ!

the ones i have seen for sale over the years have marine corps markings on them.

do they still award them?

nope, it's a STEAL, i wish I needed one of these, but i've got an enfield i'll be cutting up...

i am jealous of whoever buys it.

jeffe

Well, I guess that I must be too picky, as I would not give the starting price for it. This is a donor action only. The stock is butt ugly and has a repired break at the wrist. So it is a pattern stock at best. 720s are a cheapened Model 30s. As are nearly all "up dated models", they cut prodution cost by doing it cheaper.

For "ME", Model 30S, or nought.

Keith

quote:

Originally posted by Hog Killer:
Well, I guess that I must be too picky, as I would not give the starting price for it. This is a donor action only. The stock is butt ugly and has a repired break at the wrist. So it is a pattern stock at best. 720s are a cheapened Model 30s. As are nearly all "up dated models", they cut prodution cost by doing it cheaper.

For "ME", Model 30S, or nought.

Keith

I agree.

Excuse the ignorance but what is so special about this action besides it being rare?

quote:

the ones i have seen for sale over the years have marine corps markings on them.
do they still award them?

Actually those are Navy guns, they were awarded as prizes to winners of major shooting events and championships during the 60-70-? period. Pacific Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, All Navy, Perry, Rifle, Pistol, Skeet and Trap and a few other events. I knew one skeet shooter that had a dozen plus. Same for a couple of rifle shooters. The cross Cannons and FJA markings are the inspectors stamps for acceptance. I understand from Scott Duff's web site www.scottduff.com that there are no more in the Navy inventory.

Serial numbers started at 40000. There were around 2400 made during their production time. I happen to own 402XX and 423XX. The first was a "civilian" gun and the latter a Secretary of the Navy Trophy Rifle (NIB) I won in 1972. I have shot my early gun, but for obvious reasons haven't used the new in the box trophy rifle. It's just a nice Enfield/Remington 30S type 30-06 with nothing special to recommend it. Remington introduced these in the winter just before Pearl Harbor. I have some of their early catalogues and it was going to be their contender against the Model 70. WW II took care of that.

As far as being inferior to a model 30, I would have to disagree. I have two stock model 30's (30S) and find the 720 to be every bit as good, if not better. I have also had many a P14/1917 pass through my hands (including one of each mfg at the present) and find it far superior to them. However, you are right about this one being a donor action.

Special? Other than rarity, IMHO it is mainly the fact that it has the majority of the work already done that can be done to a Enfield/Rem30 and still be original caliber. I think that the mystique came from the fact that so few were released to the open market. When they were discovered at Crane Indiana (as the story was related to me by one of the SATU armors in the late 60s) they were headed for the chopper. They pulled them for use as trophies and as I stated, there were only a handful awarded each year. It was possible for a "hot" shooter to acquire a stack of them during his golden years, which limited distribution.

I don't claim to know all there is about these, but I have researched and examined them every chance I could, asking questions of those involved with the program during the time it was happening. Therefore, I feel my information is reasonibly reliable and correct. YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by bulldog563:
Excuse the ignorance but what is so special about this action besides it being rare?

It's "special" if you want to call it that because it evolved from the Remington Model 30 which evolved from the US M17 rifle used in WWI. The Model 30 was put together by Remington with a lot of the pieces left over from the M17 contract after the war. Basically, the M30 and the M720 are factory sporterized military rifles.

quote:

It's "special" if you want to call it that because it evolved from the Remington Model 30 which evolved from the US M17 rifle used in WWI. The Model 30 was put together by Remington with a lot of the pieces left over from the M17 contract after the war. Basically, the M30 and the M720 are factory sporterized military rifles.

also, a sizable portion of them were removed from public sale, as stated above, and, they were the last of the remington enfields.

anyone know if remington had to cut a deal with the british government for the commercial versions?

the triggerguard is still the same.

quote:

Originally posted by Hog Killer:
Well, I guess that I must be too picky, as I would not give the starting price for it. This is a donor action only. The stock is butt ugly and has a repired break at the wrist. So it is a pattern stock at best. 720s are a cheapened Model 30s. As are nearly all "up dated models", they cut prodution cost by doing it cheaper.

For "ME", Model 30S, or nought.

Keith

Keith,
heh, even the best friends don't agree on everything. I see this as a refinement to the american tastes, that costs WAY to much to release as a standard production piece, as each and everyone of the 720s was hand build, fit, and fitted... they came up with the 721 (no extractor) to start the "700" line.

IMHO, this is the superior action (stock leaves me mild) of all the commerical attempts on enfields.

jeffe

tin can - Your question as to whether or not Remington had to cut a deal with the Brits is valid except, the Brits contracted Remington to make 500,000 plus P14's and then reniged on the contract. The US government then hauled Remington's irons out of the fire by asking them if they could turn them into .30-06's (P-17). Remington did and our government essentially took up the contract. Remington would have gone into bankruptsy if they hadn't. If the British Government ever came back on Remington for patent infringement on a civvy version, I would hope they gave them the "Flying Fickle Finger of Fate".

quote:

Originally posted by Masterifleman:
tin can - Your question as to whether or not Remington had to cut a deal with the Brits is valid except, the Brits contracted Remington to make 500,000 plus P14's and then reniged on the contract. The US government then hauled Remington's irons out of the fire by asking them if they could turn them into .30-06's (P-17).

Hmm, I thought they produced the M1917 "US Rifle, .30 caliber, Model of 1917". American rifles are designated as M for Model whilst British rifles are designated a P for Pattern.

quote:

Hmm, I thought they produced the M1917 "US Rifle, .30 caliber, Model of 1917". American rifles are designated as M for Model whilst British rifles are designated a P for Pattern.

having been corrected on this subject before, as you posted, the designations are P14, and M17.

will a P14 bolthead take a 45-70 rim?

anyone seen or heard of a P14 conversion to 45-70?

I have a M17 action & bolt, with doubles of all internal parts, as shipped in the box from the CMP c.1947 or so. whole thing cost 12 bucks back then. I had planned someday to maybe get it sportered, but the more I looked at it, the more I couldn't bear to change it

303 rim diameter is .540", 45-70 is .608". I do believe a P14 to 45-70 is doable. I've seen a couple Brit Enfields in 45-70, so I think the P14 would also work.

quote:

Originally posted by Hog Killer:
Well, I guess that I must be too picky, as I would not give the starting price for it. This is a donor action only. The stock is butt ugly and has a repired break at the wrist. So it is a pattern stock at best. 720s are a cheapened Model 30s. As are nearly all "up dated models", they cut prodution cost by doing it cheaper.

For "ME", Model 30S, or nought.

Keith

M720 are not cheapened model 30s. Where the heck did you get that Imfo? And what do think is cheapened about them? They do have an aluminum trigger guard and floorplate, thats for a slimer stock and lighter weight.

Jack Appel, the Remington collector, had a Griffin & Howe 720. We came across it at a NY gun show and tossed for who would buy it, he won. Barrel was factory 22" (I think they were cataloged 20, 22 and 24) and scope was a Weaver in a G&H sidemount. Gotta be at least forty years ago. It is possible that his son Freddy has it now, I should ask him.

How about this one.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=60491618

John

Sweeeeeeeeeett!!

I just sold another "Enfield oddity" of sorts. It was an enfield that had all of the military markings removed and serial numbered by BSA as a sporter rifle. Nice sporter in 30-06 with all the british proof markings.

Rich
DRSS
NRA Life Member

Idaho Sharpshooter:
Those BSA marked rifles are really not an oddity. They were sold by the thousands in Canada during the 50's. They tended to be a bit heavy and the stocks were a bit bulky but they were very solid rifles and all I've shot were quite decently accurate. If memory serves correctly they sold for just over $100.00 at the company store in the mining town I grew up in. Mod. 70's in the same store were $139.00 and I opted for the M 70's which I'm still shooting. I see the BSA rifles on the used rack still from time to time and they now sell for 2.5 to 3 times the original new price if in decent shape.