doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Remington Model 30 Express

I have never seen a mention of this Model in all the years I have watched this Forum. I recently picked up one and I think it is far superior to the Winchester Model 54 or the early (Pre-war) Model 70. I recognize I may be disputed but I will accept it. The bolt does not need any conversion for scope mounting and the scope may be mounted low. he safety is convenient and usable without any alteration for scope use. I would appreciate any comment.

I have a Remington model 30 Express that I've owned for 40+ years. It started off as a 30-06 and I used it for a number of years in that configuration. About 30 years ago when I lived in AK, I decided to re-barrel to a 35 Whelan AI stainless and re-stock in a synthetic stock to make it more impervious to weather and salt water spray and more useful IMO for the animals I hunted.

In some ways I wish I wouldn't have messed with it and yes I scoped it without any alteration. It is patterned off the P14/M1917 Enfield action. It's a large action and as far as I know doesn't need a whole lot of alteration to accept some of the very large calibers. I read some time ago that Art Alphin of A-Square used the P14/M1917 actions for many of his proprietary large bore caliber rifles.

I have a Remington 725 in 243, which is a 722 type action with the Rem 30/Enfield safety

https://www.gunbroker.com/Bolt-Action-Ri...amp;mfg=1000230

A lot of really great rifles, hunting and target, have been built on the P14/1917 actions. Here is a link to a discussion of the 1917 Niedner rifle that I am lucky enough to own.

my Niedner 300H&H

Does the Model 30 cock on opening or closing?

The original model 30 cocked on closing, but the later cocked on opening. I wonder if certain pars were actual paid for by the U.S. but but not delivered.

My rifle has been drilled and tapped for a Redfield mount. I have a Lyman Alaskan I took off a converted 1917 Enfield. It fits perfectly on my Model 30.

My rifle has a very thick metal buttplate which will protect the rear of the stock from any damage.

Cool thread on the Neidner 300H&H you own PhysDoc!

The original M 30 stock has a thick metal buttplate as well and it does cock on opening. I did own another 35 Whelan AI on a M1917 that cocked on closing.

I always thought safety system used on the Model 30, 720 & 725 Remington rifles was one of the best ever on any bolt action.

I have a M725 in .280 R that my wife uses & the safety is very handy & super secure. I never understood why Remington went from the small sliding side safety on the M722/M721 rifles back to a M30/Enfield style safety on the M725 for its brief period of production & then back again to the M722/M721 design safety on the M700 rifles.

The M720 was the last version of rifles on the M30 style action & w/o the dogleg bolt handle was a very nice looking rifle that isn't all that common due to a very short production period.

I had mine rebored to 35 Whelen a few years back for my moose hunt. Much like with my Ithaca SxS's, I have a soft spot for the underdog...

And some nice customs have been done...

The late Fred Wells of Wells Gun Shop did his .50 Wells rifles on the Pattern 17 Enfield actions. The .50 Wells was a .460 Weatherby Magnum necked up to .50 caliber. The Remington Enfield action handled it without modifications.
I have a Remington Enfield Pattern 17 custom rifle built on that action in the 1950's. It's a beautifully done rifle, but of the 1950's style with a squarish forearm, vs. most the nicely shaped forearms of pre War customs. Mine is a walnut with rosewood tip on forearm and pistol grip, and some sort of blonde wood thin spacer between the stock and tips. It's in the original .30-06, but with a new Douglas Premium barrel.
I bought this gun from an elderly gentleman in the 1970's for deer and elk hunting. Took a lot of deer and a couple elk with it. It's been retired for over a decade now as I hunt with 1800's single shots ever since.

Brittany Man:

That Model 725 in .280 your wife uses is a fairly uncommon rifle. My recollection is that Remington only manufactured about 4000 in that chambering, a fairly small number for a factory production gun. I own one which I use as a deer rifle.

The Model 725 might have been the nicest finished Remington production rifle they ever made. The checkering quality and fit and finish on mine are light years ahead of any Model 700 I've ever seen.

FWIW (not much, I know).

Rem

Recoil Rob's picture reminds me of the time, many years ago, I saw that rifle at a show and got visions of bargain hunting a great G&H off brand rifle. Boy, was I surprised. Maybe I should have just written the check. Does Recoil Rob own that gun today?

The P17 Enfields can make a pretty attractive rifle (with the sight ears milled off and shaped correctly). I've had a few.

The only Remington Model 30 that sticks in my mind is a carbine owned by an old gentleman I knew when I was a kid. He was the retired "segundo" (foreman) of a local cattle ranch and had at one time been the foreman of the Jack London ranch in Glen Ellen, CA. His was a well-worn .25 Remington, I think a 30R? I don't know what happened to it when he passed away.

His main "working gun" was a Steven Model 15 .22 single shot which he used to loan me when I was trespassing on the ranch he lived on (in a snug converted line shack), as long as I only shot ground squirrels and jack rabbits. (It had the usual "half-hour trigger"....a true friend of ground squirrels).

P.O. Ackley made many custom rifles on Enfield actions, but they were "Ackley grade" and pretty rough compared to Neidner's work. Interesting arms, though.

Neat threads!

That was a gun Mike Schwandt of Schwandt Classic Arms had some years back. It had fantastic Kornbrath engraving and, if I remember correctly, an exact date (as if it was given as a gift or presentation) on the floorplate. I think it was Christmas 1934 or 1935. It was a beautiful gun! I�m not sure who bought it.

Only in my dreams...I thought I got those pics from Hallowell's website some years back.

Mike had the gun at a Connecticut show years ago. I wish I had bought it. Hollowell may have had a gun like this or this gun, but Schwandt had it when I saw it.

Was that the Greenwich Show? I saw it there too, I defer to your memory.

Eight Bore is correct, Recoil Rob, both about it being Mike Schwandt who had it and it being on his site. The pics you posted are from Schwandt�s site, too. I recognize the background. I don�t think Morris ever had that gun. It�s also the gun I was trying to describe. It has fantastic Kornbrath engraving!

Bullwinkle seems a bit too happy...

The 725 was made in both long action and short action.

It was considered a higher grade version of the 720, 721 & 722.
What became the BDL. (IIRC)

Utah, the 725 was a higher grade of 721 and 722 but was not of the same design of the 720.

The 720 was a modernized Model 30, both descended from the P17 Enfield. The 721/722/725 were fresh designs and forerunners of the M700.

Wikipedia actually has a nice history...

"Prior to World War II, the Remington Model 30, had been the standard Remington bolt action sporting rifle. However production had halted during World War II.

During the war, Remington gained experience manufacturing large quantities of martial firearms more efficiently. By the end of the war, manufacturing technology had advanced significantly. By these standards, older designs like the Model 30 (and the Model 720 variant) were laborious and expensive to produce and could not take advantage of manufacturing advancements.

The Mauser M 98 action was popularly recognized as being well suited to sporting rifle applications but was complex and would require design changes to better take advantage of modern production techniques.

Rather than continue manufacturing older rifles that had become expensive to produce, Remington chose to develop an altogether new and modern rifle design with Mike Walker and Homer Young playing key roles. These factors converged in the development of the Remington Model 721 / 722.

The new Model 721/722 was introduced in 1948. Deluxe versions became available in 1955. The Model 725 variant was later introduced in 1958. These models all share a common design only differing by features and may be collectively referred to within this article as the Model 721 unless otherwise noted. Model 721 production ended in 1961 with the replacement Model 700 taking over in 1962. The Model 700 was also designed by Mike Walker and largely continues the 721 design with modern aesthetic improvements."