The Firearm Blog

The US Military is looking for a system to replace the existing bolt-action SOF Sniper Systems M40, M24 and MK13 which are all based on Remington 700 actions.

Marine’s M40A3 Sniper rifle.

One of the key requirements for this system that differentiates it from the existing 7.62×51mm NATO and .300 Win. Mag. sniper systems is that it needs to reach out to 1500 meters with MOA accuracy. Armed forces around the world have long recognized the need for a system that can reach out further than the 7.62mm NATO but is lighter than .50 BMG rifles. Many have adopted the .338 Lapua Magnum chambered rifles to fill this niche. The .338 Lapua Magnum was originally a US Military project but it lost traction and the .300 Win. Mag. is currently used for longer range shooting. The .300 Win. Mag. lacks downrange energy and the lighter projectiles mean greater wind drift at long range (1000 – 2000 yards).

The current Precision Sniper Rifle, as at March 2009, are as follows.

1) The system shall be chambered to safely fire factory produced “non-wildcat” Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing Institute (SAAMI) or Commercial European standard (CIP) ammunition.

This eliminates some of the fancy odd-ball caliber long range cartridges such as the .408 Cheyenne Tactical (CheyTac). The most obvious choice is the before mentioned .338 Lapua Magnum. The cartridge has been around for a while and manufactures know how to get the most our of the cartridge. Another alternative is the .338 Norma Magnum which is only coming into production this year. It is similar in length to the .338 Lapua but has a slightly shorter and fatter case so it can use heavier and longer bullets which have a higher ballistic co-efficient.

.338 Lapua vs. .338 Norma Mag. Photo from Wikipedia.

2) The action can be either manually or gas operated and available in left and right hand versions.

I think most, or all, entries will be bolt-action rifles. They are easier to make accurate, lighter and more reliable than autoloading rifles. The advantage of a semi-auto is of course rate of fire, but this is not a requirement for this weapons system.

3) With primary day optic and ammunition the system shall provide 1.0 MOA from 300 to 1500 meters (in 300 meter increments) when fired from the shoulder or an accuracy fixture in nominal conditions. This is further defined as 1 MOA Extreme Vertical Spread for all shots in a 10 round group at the stated distances.

1500 meters = 1640 yards.

The rifle is fired from a rest and 80% of the fifty 10 round groups need to be 1 MOA. Note that the MOA is measured only for the vertical spread which eliminates the effects of wind on the measured accuracy. 1 MOA spread is over 10 round groups is much harder than getting 1 MOA for a standard 3 round group!

4) Mean Rounds Between Failures (MRBF) shall be 1000 rounds.

5) The system shall have an overall length no greater than 52″ in full configuration / extended excluding suppressor with a single component no greater in length than 40″.

6) The system shall weigh no more than 18 lbs with a 12:00 MilStd 1913 rail and a loaded magazine with 5 rounds.

7) The system shall be capable of operator breakdown into major components in less than two minutes.

The barrel also needs to be able to be swapped out by the operator within 20 minutes.

8 ) The system will assemble from the major component breakdown in less than two minutes by the operator.

9) The system will assemble from breakdown with no change in weapon zero.

10) The system will have an integral MilStd 1913 rail at the 12:00 position, the rail will be capable of maintaining bore sight alignment and weapon zero while conducting routine firing combined with combat movement and operational training drills.

These are all pretty standard requirements. One other test than will be performed will be drop tests with loaded rifles. The rifles are expected to be able to be dropped 1.5 meters at various angles without firing the chambered cartridge.

Overall they seem very sensible requirements. It will be interesting to see how this competition progresses.

AcuSport have added .300 Win. Mag. and .223 Rem. to their Remington 700 line which features 5-R rifling. From the press release:

Following the huge success of the Remington Model 700 (#9663) with 5-R rifling in .308 caliber. AcuSport is pleased to add two new Model 700 rifles to the 5-R line. Features a M700 stainless steel barreled action with 5-R barrel, the same barrel, an aluminum bedding in block in standard VS configuration. The 5-R designation refers to the barrels five lands and grooves and eleven degree target crown.

5R rifling is said be to easier to clean because the sides of the lands are more rounded than conventional rifling making it easier for a cleaning patch to get into the groove. It also is said to prevent gas leakage. I believe the M24 Rem 700 variant uses 5R rifling.

I have emailed the PR guy at AcuSport asking what the MSRP is. When I know I will update this blog post.

UPDATE: MSRP is for .223 and .308 is $1,359. The 300WM has a suggested price of $1,379.

More info here (PDF link)

CR Riddell, PE posted a comment about the Remington 700 VTR triangular barrel and I thought it deserved its own blog post:

I am a professional structural engineer. In 1977, I was granted a patent on a structural system that uses triangular cross-section members with a circular cross-section hole down the middle. Remington’s VTR barrel is identical to that shape. The objective of this shape is to maximize structural force transmission with a minimum of mass.

Remington Model 700 VTR barrel and integral muzzle brake.

During development of the concept, I established that the triangular cross-section provides the maximum surface area for a given enclosed volume. This accounts for the Remington heat dissipation claim/feature. Removing the mass along the central axis leaves the mass in the three corners at a maximum distance from the central axis. This maximizes the axial compression rigidity and the torsional rigidity, also a Remington claim/feature. The torsional rigidity promotes stability under the influence of the rifling twist, a special benefit in a rifle barrel. Flexural stiffness is optimal for downward bending of the muzzle end in the orientation Remington uses in the stock; one corner up and two corners down. That puts the top corner in tension and the bottom corners in compression, where buckling concerns reduce the allowable load-carrying capacity.

From Riddell’s Structural Member and System patent (#4007574)

All this techno-mumb-jumbo counts for doodly, unless the holes in the target get chummy and cuddle up together. As with all accuracy discussions, the teamwork between barrel, bedding, and ammo gives a unique performance result. This must be where Remington spent its advertised years in development.

Obviously, the manufacturer cannot control the customer’s choice of rounds, so they have to shoot for a statistical middle, so to speak. But the bedding is another story. Remington advertises a multi-point mount, not free-floating or glass bedding. This would be crucial for taming the harmonics in concert with the unique tension-vs-compression qualities of the barrel shape.

Thoretically, this barrel should be better than round, but the industrial wisdom and inertia is all compiled for round. Some tuning is required.

Very interesting. Thanks CR for the information.

Ryo decided his Remington 700 did not cut it, so he built a bolt action AR-15. Basically it is a AR-15 with a side charging handle and a blocked gas port.

Instead, I bought a 26″ Krieger AR-15 Varmatch barrel, with a 1:7.75 twist. They had these in stock, so it showed up at my apartment in about 2 weeks. To block the gas port, I simply installed the gas block off-centered (then later rotated it upside down because I was getting stung by gas and ejecta which managed to leak through the gas block and out the rear-facing hole where the gas tube would normally be).

A great looking rifle and I am sure it functions well and the bolt can probably be worked faster than many straight pull bolt actions.

More info and photos at Tech, Guns, and Food Blog

Remington will be upgrading the 3000 M24 rifles during 2009 at a cost of $3 million. I was quite surprised to hear this after all the noise about bolt action rifles not being good enough and that semi-automatic was the only way to go. The M24 Sniper Weapons System (SWS) is based on the Remington 700 rifle and chambers the 7.62×51mm NATO.

M-24 Sniper Weapons systems have been fielded to the U.S. armed services since 1987. Remington has been maintaining these weapons in Ilion, New York, and will be responsible for M-24 upgrades in the future. Remington’s proposal to upgrade the M-24 sniper rifle would save the federal government nearly $6 million dollars.

No word if the systems 10×42 Leupold Ultra M3A scope will be upgraded to something fancier and more expensive.

Hat Tip: Tactical Wire

The new model 700 Varmint-Tactical Rifle (VTR) is chambered in .204 Ruger, .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington and .308 Win.

A fusion of our most advanced performance features in both tactical and varmint rifles, the new Model 700â„¢ Varmint-Tactical Rifle (VTRâ„¢) is a revolutionary system optimized for extended-range precision and mobility. Its triangular barrel contour is a product of years of rigorous research and development focused on reducing weight, enhancing rigidity and promoting rapid heat dissipation.

To decrease recoil and muzzle jump, this uniquely contoured 22″ barrel has an integral muzzle brake that’s machined-in during production. Along with the new barrel design, we brought together a host of other cutting-edge features on our super accurate Model 700 platform. The results are nothing short of astounding.

More here.

UPDATE

NONYA posted a great photo in the comments below

This is a new limited edition model 700 that is chambered for the .260 Remington.

You can try to keep this limited edition rifle in the box, but one shot and it’ll be your big-game rifle of choice for life. Chambered for the accurate, flat-shooting 260 Remington,® the Model 700 CDL Stainless Fluted Ltd. is the ultimate embodiment of our world-famous action’s sleek lines, good looks and unrivaled out-of-the-box precision. The 260 Remington is an incredible all-around big-game cartridge. To commemorate its chambering in our newest limited edition rifle, the floorplate is intricately engraved with the cartridge and “260 Remington.”

The rifle’s receiver is heavily roll marked with “Model 700 Limited.” To achieve optimum velocity, the magnum contour barrel is a full 24″. It features Light Varmint-style fluting for rapid heat dissipation, and the action and barrel are solidly bedded in our distinctive CDL walnut stock. And prepare to be amazed by the shot control and breaks-like-glass feel of our X-Mark Proâ„¢ trigger.

Engraved hinged floorplate commemorating the 260 Remington cartridge

24″ magnum-contour 416 stainless barreled action with Light Varmint-style fluting

Special receiver heavy roll marked Model 700 Limited

CDL walnut stock with black fore-end tip and grip cap

X-Mark Proâ„¢ Trigger

More here.

A new .308 / .223 tactical rifle from Remington. I am looking forward to reading reviews about it.

When it comes to tactical firearms, there’s no more trusted name in the game than Remington. In rugged endurance, our Model 700 XCR Compact Tactical Rifle truly stretches the limits.

Our Model 700 XCR Compact Tactical Rifle, features a 416 stainless steel barreled action with Black TriNyte® PVD coating, providing a diamond-hard layer of defense against the elements. It features a OD Green stock with black webbing, wide tactical-style barrel fluting for rapid cooling, hinged floorplate magazine, and dual front swivel studs and rear stud.

Black TriNyte® PVD coating

OD Green stock

Hinged floorplate magazine, Dual front swivel studs and rear stud

Barrel is free-floating with LTR-style fluting

Tactical-style 1 in 9″ twist (223 caliber)

Tactical-style 1 in 12″ twist (308 caliber)

20″ barrel

Chambered in .223 and .308