One of the guns I was able to try out during a recent work trip was the Remington 700 Police 5R RACS. The rifle I used had an AAC suppressor and Leupold optics, and since this rifle is also chambered in .308 Win, which is one of my favorite calibers, I couldn’t pass it by.

This is a 5R, meaning this rifle uses a series of 5 lands and grooves in a twist, and the lands have a sloping rather than straight wall. More specifically, it has a 115 degree angle between the lands and grooves which is a contrast to the standard, which is 90 degrees. What that translates to is a variety of things. First, it means your barrel arrives slightly “broken in” for lack of a better term. A 5R barrel right out of the box is configured a bit like a standard barrel that’s had a few hundred rounds through it already. In addition it can also deliver a slight increase in fps (some rounds show a 100fps increase with a 5R barrel). When 5R first hit the market it was advertised as the end-all, be-all of barrel technology, and although it was overblown in some ways the naysayers claiming it’s no better than a standard barrel are also mistaken. It’s more accurate, cuts down on fouling, and as an added bonus it’s easier to clean, too.

I took a moment to fit the stock to my shoulder and discovered the LOP was too short, so I made use of the adjustable stock, lengthening it as far as it would go. Then I discovered the bill of my baseball hat was in the way, so I turned it around. Next came a slight adjustment to the optics, followed by the discovery that the angle I needed the rifle at required a sandbag – or something. With nothing in sight I used my hand, making a fist, turning my hand on end, and placing it under the pistol grip. This meant I was shooting prone in a somewhat different position than usual – habit is habit, after all – but it ended up being just fine.

Firing was done from 100 yards because the goal of the rifle range was tight groups as opposed to testing the guns’ long-range capabilities. With the stock fully opened it tucked into my shoulder comfortably, making the reach far more natural than it had been with the stock closed. The trigger was slightly stiff with a nice, crisp break and within a few rounds I was no longer noticing my initial perception of a stiff trigger. The pistol grip had slight grooves and was textured for a positive grip and it fit my hand surprisingly well; I often have problems with a grip being too small or otherwise uncomfortable, but this one not only worked well but felt good in my bare hand. With a suppressor this was a quiet rifle, so quiet I almost missed the “Hear me roar” boom of an unsuppressed .308 Win.

Overall, this is a nice rifle. It’s capable of sub-MOA, just as Phil discovered the 700 Police AAC he shot is; these Remington LE rifles are absolutely capable of the accuracy they’re advertised for, as I like to say, you bring the skill, the rifle brings the rest. This particular model is supposed to be capable of sub-MOA at 200 yards as well, which it would’ve been nice to see; maybe next time. That really is impressive for a rifle right out of the box.

I should probably admit my love of .308 Win before saying how much I liked this rifle. I could easily have stayed prone and sent lead down-range until I ran out of ammo, but unfortunately we had more to do that day. The 700 Police 5R RACS is an accurate gun, and with the suppressor it’s a sneaky, accurate gun. I may not be a police sharpshooter but I’d love to have one of these rifles for some hunting of the four-legged variety. Say what you want, but I believe Remington has some excellent guns out there, and this is definitely one of them.

700 Police 5R RACS, Model 86589 Specs:

Chambered in .308 Win

20” barrel

40X trigger

5R rifling with 1 in 11.25 twist

Suppressor-ready threaded muzzle, 5/8×24

RACS short-action chassis

Comes with two mags