One of my local pawn shops just got in a Remington 722 in .222 Rem. Metal appears to have original finish and is 95%. Bore is very good. Stock is plain, uncheckered walnut and is in good condition with handling scratches and dents one would expect. The receiver wears a L-shaped side mount of unknown make attached with 4 screws. The receiver is also drilled and tapped for top mounts and is fitted with narrow steel bases to which are attached what appears to be custom stainless steel rings. Rings are not marked. The rear ring acts as a scope adjustment for windage and elevation. The package includes a 10x scope(make unknown) with adjustable 40mm objective, blued steel tube(clean, no turrets) and fine cross-hair reticle. This appears to be in very good condition. Price is $369.
What do you guys think? Is this a good buy?

I saw one in a Grand Forks, MN sporting goods store (Cabelas) 2-3 years ago that was the rifle only...no rings, scope, etc., looked about average given the age, and I was not able to look down the bore...I seem to recall they wanted somewhere in that $350-$400 range.

Take that for what it's worth.

Reed

P.S. Have you looked at classifieds and www.auctionarms.com etc. for comparison? It might provide some useful information.

Buy it. NOW.

Bobster---

$300 to $350 is normal around bere for a nice clean one. I pay $275 for actions and rifles to tear down for the action.

With four holes in the left rail?? I'd pass at any price. Actions are too cheap to weld that one up and it's not worth a lot with the holes........I'd offer $150.

I'm with Jack $150 tops....

You can buy one in 99% condition in the Gun List for $300 to $400 any day and thats just the asking price....Ocassionally I see one for $275 in 98% condition...but I have one, so I pass on them.

Boy. My stuff must be worth 2 or three times what I thought it was.

Thanks guys, I'm going to pass on this one. There is no way the guy will budge. He thinks this is a rare collectors item.

I have shot some accurate 722's, but there is no way in hell I would pay $369 for a butchered one. In a moment of weakness I might pay $150 like Ray suggested, especially if I had just lost the handle on my hi-lift jack and needed a new one.

Bobster,
If you decide to pass, could you send me contact information for that shop off board? I'd like to get more information. Thank you.
Chris Furuya
cfuruya_us@yahoo.com

I don't know what that 722 is worth, but I agree with the above posters that said to make a low offer. I have made a lot of 50% offers in pawn shops and gun stores, and I have not been thrown out yet.

I point out all the flaws I see in the gun as part of the offer. It helps talk them down, and it gets me to inspect real well before offering.

I got a Ruger 10/22 for $35 that way, and it has turned out to be a good gun for me.

Just a note on pawn shop trolling for guns, etc. My advice to anyone is to NEVER pay the asking price, I ALWAYS say "what will you really take for it?" Lots of times in the larger "high volume" shops they are just looking to turn over the merchandise and will "cut you a deal" to get something off the rack and out the door...Remember pawn shops are "money stores" they NEED to turn their inventory...

Sometimes like others who have posted on this, I just make an offer...you never know, that nice $500 retail gun may go to you for $150 (probably more than they loaned on it...IMHO) if they have been sitting on it for some time...

I've owned and do own any number of 721s and 722s. I actually really like them - I generally have found them to feed smoother than their offspring, the 700. I also prefer the shape of the bolt handle - just a bit more natural for me, but that's all personal preference. Like the 700, they are incredibly strong and are generally pretty accurate (at least in my experience). Many folks just after WWII shot their first sub MOA groups with 722s, especially in the 222 chambering.

Here are some of the shortcomings. The extractor is very small, even smaller than the 700's, so this can be a problem. Though, I confess, mine have always worked fine. The most annoying thing I have run into with these rifles is the non-standard drill and tap for scope mounts, especially for the rear mount on early production models (say 1948-1950 or so). When you read the bases chart by Millett, Leupold, or Redfield they make it sound like the 700 and 722 AlWAYS take the same bases - this is not true and I have the rifles in this very room to prove it. Many of them do match, but you may well find one that does not - then you need more holes in your receiver or a custom drilled bases and all that jazz.