Favorite Firearms: A Remington Model 722 Comes Home

by
posted on January 19, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
comeshome.jpg

was 12 years old in 1970 when my father was stricken with a brain aneurysm the day after Christmas. He had owned a 1950s-vintage Remington Model 722 chambered in .300 Savage, but, sadly, I was never able to hunt with him. When he died, my amazing mother and some family friends stepped in to fill his shoes, but that’s another story for another time.

I hunted using dad’s rifle for a year or two, but I’m left-handed, and I was convinced that I needed a left-handed rifle, so mom listed dad’s rifle for sale. Fortunately, one of dad’s buddies quickly saw the ad and called, urging us not to sell the gun. But money was tight, and I was a persistent young boy, so we sold it to dad’s friend, and I went ahead and purchased a left-handed Remington.

It didn’t take long for me to realize the error of my ways. After graduating high school, I approached my dad’s friend to ask if he’d ever part with the 722, but he had already sold the rifle to another of my dad’s buddies. For years I would occasionally think about my father’s rifle, and 20 years later, I contacted the new owner and inquired whether he’d ever consider selling the .300 Savage. We were able to agree to a trade, and dad’s Model 722 was returned to me, no worse for wear. I was almost like a 12-year-old boy at Christmas again!

The rifle itself is nothing special, the plain walnut stock shows handling marks and the bluing is slightly worn, but it holds tremendous sentimental value to me—and it still shoots well, too. I have since harvested a couple of deer with the rifle. Thanks to generous friends and some luck, the rifle was returned to our family after a nearly 30-year absence, and our sons have promised to never let “dad’s deer rifle” ever leave the family.

Dave Birchard, Pennsylvania

Latest

Hearing Healthy
Hearing Healthy

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Rifleman Report: Defending Freedom For 250 Years

"Anyone who claims not to understand the plain and simple intent of the Second Amendment—especially if that person happens to be a constitutional law professor, Supreme Court justice, congressman, senator or president—is likely hiding nefarious intent: to strip individual liberty from American citizens for the express purpose of making them susceptible to a tyrannical government."

Book Review: 2025 Traveler’s Guide To The Firearms Laws Of The Fifty States

Newly updated for 2025, the 29th edition of the Traveler’s Guide To The Firearm Laws Of The Fifty States is packed with all the need-to-know information for cross-country trekkers seeking to bring their arms along with them and remain legal in all localities.

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.