Keystone PT722: A Rimfire Precision Trainer
Oleg Volk 06.18.18
A couple of years after Keystone 722 bolt action came out, numerous variations of this well-designed rifle have appeared. Once standard, deluxe, youth and varmint variations showed up, it was only natural that a rimfire trainer for centerfire actions be next. Keystone Arms teamed up with American Built Arms Company to create PT722, a lightweight chassis rifle meant to provide inexpensive short-range training for long-range precision shooting.
Even with the pistol grip, the safety lever remains reachable. The rest of the action and the barrel profile are similar to the very accurate varmint version, but the barrel on the model I tried is shorter at 16.5″ and threaded for muzzle devices. A 20″ version is also available. Housed in the American Built Arms Company MOD*X PT™ 6061 T6 aluminum chassis, it faithfully replicated the look and the feel of AB’s centerfire rifles. Despite the rigid, all-metal chassis and the hefty barrel, the overall weight is only only 6 pounds.
The stock may be adjusted with the help of a hex wrench, providing adult length of pull 13.75″ and youth LOP down to 10.5″, also useful for practice in body armor.
Adult shooters and kids alike had much fun with it. Shot with Swiss-made PRIME standard velocity ammunition as the compromise between noise and matching the markings of the Primary Arms rimfire BDC 1-6x scope, the rifle shot under 1MOA in windy field conditions. The kid’s target below was his effort at 80 yards.
Firing from prone, the action actually proved quicker for the left-handed shooter.
PT722 proved excellent for training new shooters and keeping seasoned marksmen in practice at lower cost, and with less noise or recoil that centerfire bolt actions. And, as the smiles indicate, the rifle is just plain fun to use. The chassis is light enough and sufficiently contoured to be easy on ungloved hands. The forend comes smooth out of the box but can be augmented with rail sections for a bipod, iron sights, lights or lasers.
In this case, absent a very tall tripod, more expedient rest was utilised. The recoil control stance is superfluous for rimfire but is good practice for transferring the skill set to the eventual 300 Win Mag. For now, my California friends just make “jumping rabbit” targets retreat with every shot.
At just over $530 retail with one 7-round magazine, Keystone PT722 is a very cost-effective addition to precision shooter’s toolbox. The 1-6x Primary Arms scope is a well-matched addition, permitting exact holdovers out to 200 yards while also giving unmagnified illuminated view for short-range snapshots. And, of course, a sound suppressor like the Gemtech Outback IID is a politeness to the neighbors and as well as a forced contribution to the revenuers.
