Remington Model 720 .30-06 Springfield 22” Bolt Action Rifle, MFG 1942 C&R
SOLD FOR: $2,127.00
LSB#: LSB250731EK009
Make: Remington
Model: 720
Serial Number: 41553 (bolt serial # matches)
Year of Manufacture: 1942 / ATF Classification: C&R
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
Action Type: Bolt-Action, blind magazine
Markings: The left side of the receiver is stamped “MODEL-720”. The right side of the receiver is stamped “REMINGTON / REG.U.S.PAT.OFF.”. The right side of the barrel is stamped with multiple proof marks. The left side of the barrel is stamped “SPRINGFIELD. / .30 CAL.1906”. The top of the barrel is stamped “REMINGTON ARMS CO., INC., REMINGTON / ILION WORKS, ILION, N.Y. MADE IN U.S.A.”. The left side stock is stamped with the crossed cannons logo and inspector initials “FJA”.
Barrel Length: 22”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded post atop a stippled ramp banded around the barrel. The rear sight is an adjustable elevation u-notch dovetailed into a band around the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: One-piece wood stock with a straight comb. The forend and semi-pistol grip are textured. The stock shows light handling marks, with a few small pressure dings and surface scratches. The checkered metal butt plate shows some surface oxidation, but only light wear. The LOP measures 13.5” from the face of the trigger to the butt. There are no chips or cracks. Overall the wood stock rates in Very Good condition.
Magazine Quantity & Condition: None
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp with some stubborn fouling. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 9/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 96% of its metal finish. There are spots of oxidation located on the front of the floor plater, the rear sling swivel, the sights, the bolt release, and the bolt. The balance of the finish shows minimal handling and operational marks. The markings are clear and legible. The screw heads are sharp. Overall, this rifle rates in Good to Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly, as does the safety. The trigger has a crisp and clean break. We did not fire this rifle, but we did perform a mechanic’s check. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: The Remington Model 720 occupies a very small but fascinating niche in American firearms history — it’s both a transitional design and one of the rarest standard-production U.S. bolt-action rifles of the 20th century.
Introduced in 1941, the Model 720 was an evolution of Remington’s earlier Model 30 series, which itself was derived from the World War I-era Pattern 1917 Enfield action. The 720 retained the Enfield’s robust dual-lug bolt and rear-locking safety lug arrangement but refined the lines, shortened the receiver, and fitted a streamlined sporter stock. It represented Remington’s effort to modernize the big Enfield action into a true commercial sporting rifle just before the United States entered World War II.
Its significance comes not just from design lineage but from timing: with the outbreak of the war, civilian production was immediately curtailed, and Remington’s resources were diverted to military contracts for the 1903A3, M1903A4 sniper rifles, and other ordnance. Only a few thousand Model 720s were completed before production stopped entirely in 1944. In that brief window, a small number were sold commercially, but most were diverted for military presentation purposes.
Total production is generally cited at most 2,500 rifles, and of those, roughly 1,000–1,020 were delivered to the U.S. Navy. Because they were discontinued quickly, the Model 720 never appeared in postwar Remington catalogs and was effectively superseded by the Model 721/722 series introduced in 1948 — rifles that set the stage for the famous Model 700.
Collectors prize the 720 for its transitional character, refined pre-war workmanship, and its extreme scarcity. The U.S. Navy presentation rifles command the greatest interest due to documented provenance, but even standard commercial examples are sought-after as one of the lowest-production bolt-action centerfires in Remington’s catalog.
In short, the Model 720 represents the last gasp of Remington’s pre-war sporting craftsmanship, the bridge between the heavy Enfield-derived sporting rifles and the post-war, mass-produced 721/700 family — and with production figures this low, it’s a rifle that stands as both a technical milestone and a rare artifact of wartime industrial priorities.
Be sure to check our detailed pictures for a better understanding of the firearm. -C.R.
