I have a Remington "Model 30-S Express"
I've never really paid it much attention until this post. Upon inspection it looks to have been re barreled to 25-06 with a 1-14 twist.
There aren't any iron sights on it but there is a provision on the receiver for a side mounted sight just in front of the bolt on the right side.
there are also two holes drilled and tapped on the left side of the receiver that match up exactly to an old Griff on & Howe side mount I have.
The main reason I took in the rifle, is that it bears a unique scope mount. I won't go into detail on the mount and when I can figure out how to post images I will. The mount was hand made (very well by the way) by an old friend of mine, long since gone, Les Viel. It is marked, "Viel and Field Vernon BC". The rifle was redone by Les in the mid fifties and wears a Weaver K6x, made in El Paso Texas.
By today's standards, the rifle isn't a real tack driver and will only stabilise 100 grn flat base bullets and less. It will hold into an inch with just about any realistic load though.
I like the rifle and I'll bet it has more than a few good stories to tell. It was bought new and spent its life with the buyer "Tiny Ryan" until he passed on and it went to his grandson. I picked it up from him several years go, traded it off and got it back again in another trade. I think I'll keep it this time.
You know, rifles like these ooze history, both from their owners and the rifle's origins. Remington was tooled up for the "P" series rifles and had thousands of left over receivers after WWI. The rifles were well respected and had seen a lot of use by the US expeditionary forces in France.
They needed a new design to sell the public that wasn't going to cost either John Q or Remington to much money, so along came the model 30.
The thing that really bothers me as I age, is what will happen to these fine rifles when we're gone? I look at the offerings of "Tradex" and see so many of the grand old rifles of yesteryear, selling for peanuts. Many of these rifles have been ridden hard and put away wet but are still fine rifles. What happened to the hiers of the original owners? Did they lose interest? Were the rifles government leases, like the Swede 96s?
I would really like to pass my firearms on to my stepson and grandson. He likes firearms and would give them a good home. He just doesn't appreciate what they really are and what they represent. WWI, WWII, Korea and Viet Nam to name a few are just old history lessons that intruded on play time. Maybe in a few years he will realise what he's getting.
bearhunter