Pennsylvania Game News - October 2020 - 25

and carbine versions, a beefier stock and
forend and a facsimile of the cartridgehead stamped with the identifying caliber
of the gun inset into the left side of the
receiver, the favorite being the .35 Remington. The M141 was superbly crafted
and the price didn't reflect all the handwork that went into a truly great pump
rifle. I bought a recently traded one off
a gunsmith's used gun rack. It had a few
blemishes and was drilled and tapped
for a scope. The bore was shiny, showing little use and it came with a box and
a half of old Remington "Kleanbore"
ammo in green boxes. I cleaned it up,
scoped it, and with that vintage ammo
shot 1½-inch triangular groups.
As metallurgy improved, Marlin
brought out an upgrade of its Model 1893,
calling it the Model 36 after its introduction year and offering it in three versions.
The M36 preceded the great Model 336,
which was released in 1948.
But the benchmark rifle of 1936, and
perhaps that of any era, is the Winchester
Model 70, hailed as the "Rifleman's
Rifle."
Considered the epitome of bolt-action
rifle design, manufacturing and craftsmanship, the pre-1964 models have a
long-established following and collector
base. While its predecessor, the M54,
offered a peek into the future, its design
wasn't quite there yet. But the Model 70
would offer those refinements, coupled
with unrivaled workmanship. Its features
included two forward-locking lugs and a
Mauser-type non-rotating claw extractor.
Its controlled round feed (CRF) was of
great importance to those who hunted
dangerous game and sometimes had to
shoot from awkward positions.
The M70 also featured an excellent
OCTOBER 2020

adjustable trigger, a one-piece bolt, a
three-position, wing-type safety and a
stock with cut checkering. It became the
shining star of hunters worldwide. But as
we'll see later, all was not well in Camelot.
Meanwhile, Remington, finding itself
third behind Winchester and Savage, had
to make a move.
The company's focus, quite smartly,
was to create a rugged, reliable blue-collar
bolt rifle. Its Model 720 was introduced
right before America entered World War
II, when production ceased with only
2,500 ever built.
The concept continued after the war,
though, and in 1948, Remington debuted
a no-frills, long-action Model 721 and
short-action 722 at a price point that not
only was in line with manufacturing costs,
but competitive within a sea of inexpensive military-surplus firearms. With its
encased bolt-head, it was advertised as
the "strongest bolt-action ever developed."
Accurate, solid rifles, they had tubular
receivers, stamped steel trigger guards
and plain stocks.
These predecessors to the famed
Model 700 still can be found in our deer
woods. In 1958, Remington continued the
line with an upscaled version, the Model
725. This model was short-lived, however,
and discontinued in 1961.
Priced at $43, Savage offered a supereconomical bolt-action in 1950, its Model
340, in .30-30. A lot of these found their
way into the deer woods as a youngster's
first rifle. They were accurate, durable and
had a removable clip magazine.
The oft-used saying "stick to your
guns" could have been coined from Marlin's efforts to remain the levergun market
leader by intermittently improving and
expanding its levergun line.
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Pennsylvania Game News - October 2020

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