The Firearm Blog

Remington’s entry into the Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) competition is the Remington Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR).

The first thing you notice when looking at the rifle is the striking stock design. The butt stock is adjustable every-which-way and can fold for easy transport. The pistol grip is AR-15 compatible, just like the new Savage bolt action Model 10 BAS, so it can be swapped out for something the operator is more comfortable with. The free-floating handguard features rails at 3, 6, 9, 10:30 and 12 ‘o clock positions.

Stock folded. 20″ barrel. Interesting that the bolt is lock closed, but trigger is accessible.

Remington have taken no chances and have designed the rifle to be compatible with all of top contenders for selection as the next US Military long range sniper cartridge. The MSR can be easily switch between calibers by changing the barrel, bolt face and magazine. At the moment it is compatible with .338 Lapua Magnum, .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum and 7.62mm NATO. The fluted barrels are available in 20, 22, 24 and 27 inches in length and can be swapped out in minutes. Accuracy is 1 MOA at 1500 meters.

It weights 13 lbs with 22” barrel and loaded 5 round magazine and 17 lbs with 22” barrel, scope, bipod, loaded 5 round magazine, and AAC Titan suppressor.

Posted by boottrac at Sniper’s Hide forum.

A video of the rifle in action:

Overall this rifle seems to meet, and in many cases exceed, the SOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) requirements. It is good to see Remington MPD (Military Products Division) innovating. They have not introduced new military hardware for quite a long time (aside from the Remington ACR, which they did not design).

More info at Remington.

Hat Tip Accurate Shooter

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.

Murdoc spotted a video where a Remington VC referred to the ACR, formerly Magpul Masada, as the Remington ACR. It looks like the rifle, or at least the marketing, has been transfered from Bushmaster to the military devision of their sister company Remington.

I found this Remington promotion material online.

Click to expand.

It says that the rifle will be available in 5.56mm NATO, 6.8mm SPC and 6.5mm Grendel.

There is no indication that Remington will be offering civilian sales.

Remington has just announced the purchase of Dakota Arms, a manufacturer or semi-custom and custom rifles and shotguns.

Dakota make a wide range of arms. From single shot Model 1874 Sharps reproductions …


… to high-end tactical bolt-actions.

The Freedom Group who owns Remington (which in turn, I believe, is owned by Cerberus Capital Management) notably also owns Bushmaster, DPMS/Panther Arms, Marlin, Harrington & Richardson (H&R) and New England Firearms (NEF). They are leaving no segment of the market untouched.

Command Arms Accessories have developed a new Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 stock and forend.

The stock features a collapsible M4-style stock, pistol grip, aluminum buffer tube and picatinny rails for optics. There also appears to be a rail on the side of the stock, although I am not sure what could be attached there.

On a Mossberg 500

The new forend features a lower rail, which could be used to mount a forward handgrip, and side rails for lights or lasers. I like the grip design.

CAA are selling the stock for $199.99 and the forend for $59.99. Mossberg kit here, Remington kit here.

Hat Tip: Tactical Life

Linda from Remington emailed me this photo (UPDATE: or CAD rendering, thanks Erni) of the new AR-15 style Model 597 rimfire. More info on the rifle here.

Remington have announced a new addition to their line of Model 597 semi-automatic .22 rifles. The VTR (Varmint Target Rifle) is styled after the AR-15 and features:

Click to expand.

* 16″ target-style heavy barrels.
* A2 style stock or Pardus M4-style collapsible stock
* A2 Pistol grip
* Free float handguard
* 1913 Picatinny rail for optics.
* Black finish on all parts.

It is not clear if standard AR-15 compatible stocks and pistol grips can be attached. I will try to find out from Remington.

Two models will be available. The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with A2 Stock” model will MSRP for $445 (10 round magazine) and $479 (30 round magazine).

The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with Collapsible Stock” features a Pardus collapsible stock and had an MSRP of $445.

UPDATE: According to John, Product Development manager, different AR stocks should be compatible. AR pistol grip interchange will be limited because of the receiver design.

Thanks to Linda from Remington for her help getting me information.

Remington are now offering a 20 gauge shotgun for young ladies. It comes with a length of pull kit with spacers to increase the length of pull of the as the shooter grows up.

The shotgun has a 21″ barrel (with VR-BS Rem-Choke system), weights in at 6 lbs and features a Mossy Oak Pink Camo stock. The MSRP is $439.

Hat Tip: Ammoland

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 have released two types of lead free ammo. The first is the Disintegrator Varmint in .223 Rem and .22-250 Rem., both with 45 grain bullets. Disintegrating ammo is normally lead free so that in itself is no special. It is a pity they have confined their offering to two calibers (and not 6mm for me )

Now you see him. Now you don’t. Introducing new Disintegrator® Varmint. Loaded with new lead-free frangible bullets that meet the requirements of non-toxic hunting areas, this ammunition delivers radical, explosive expansion that shatters the capabilities of conventional lead core/copper jacketed bullets. Because they break into tiny fragments at impact, Disintegrator Varmint bullets will not ricochet, offering added peace of mind wherever you shoot. Extremely tight manufacturing tolerances combined with our industry-leading components produce tiny groups on paper as well.

The second lead free ammo is the Remington Premier Copper Solid. Because copper is lighter than lead the bullet has to be longer to hold the same weight, this results in a very high ballistic co-efficient, which in turns produces good long ranger performance. The downside is that copper is much harder than lead so the bullet will give the barrel a very hard time. It will be available in 30-06, .270 Win, .243 Win, 300 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag and 308 Win.

For 2009, Big Green is proud to launch a truly superior bullet design onto the lead-free scene. While our new Copper Solid™ complies with non-toxic regulations, it dispatches big game with lightning authority in any neck of the woods. It delivers extremely deep penetration with nearly 100% weight retention and has a sleek ogive profile with a polymer tip and boat tail base that gives it outstanding flight characteristics. In fact, it’s one of the finest extended-range lead-free hunting bullets we’ve ever offered due to its extremely high ballistic coefficient. At impact, the polymer tip acts as a wedge, plowing through a built-in expansion chamber and initiating a mushroom that’s consistently 1.8x bullet diameter – creating a large terminal wound channel from close range to the farthest reaches of your shooting ability.

About time! Remington have launched a new trigger called the “Adjustable X-Mark Pro Trigger”. A great feature is that it is externally adjustable. No more taking the rifle out of the stock, putting it back, testing how it feels and repeating the procedure.

From the press release:

Since its introduction in 2007, the Remington X-Mark Pro trigger, utilizing advanced technological manufacturing processes and extremely tight production tolerances, may be considered the finest production trigger in the marketplace. With virtually no creep and its clean, crisp “breaks-like-glass” feel, the X-Mark Pro delivers enhanced accuracy and unmatched shot control. Now, our best production trigger just got better – for 2009, Remington is proud to introduce the Adjustable X-Mark Pro Trigger with external adjustment for trigger pull weight. This user-friendly, externally-accessible adjustable trigger is set at the factory to a pull weight of 3 ½ pounds with a 2 pound range of adjustment (3 to 5 pounds).

The key components of the X-Mark Pro trigger feature mirror-like surface finishes for crisper trigger pull. Electroless nickel plating enhances corrosion resistance and further improves surface finish. The result is an ultra-crisp feel with no creep. The X-Mark Pro Adjustable trigger operates like the current Remington fire control and features a safety that blocks the sear and trigger. The advanced design allows for consistent 3 ½ pound trigger pulls set directly from the factory. Should you feel the need; the trigger can be externally adjusted within a range of 2 pounds (3 to 5 pounds) with the included tool.

The X-Mark Pro Adjustable Trigger now comes standard on all new 2009 Model 700™ and Model Seven™ bolt-action rifles. For true custom performance in a production-grade rifle, look for Remington centerfire rifles with the new X-Mark Pro Adjustable Trigger.

This makes the seconds “premium” factory bolt action trigger to be released this year (the other being the Mossberg LBA)

X-Mark Pro Adjustable

Just when I though tactical bolt actions were going out of fashion and being replaced with autoloaders everyone seems to have launched a new model or line. Savege, Kimber, Ruger and now Remington with their Model 700 Target Tactical.

Model 700 Target Tactical. Click to expand.

The rifle is available chambered in .308 Win. and features:

* Triangular barrel
* X-Mark Pro Adjustable trigger (adjustable from 3-5 lbs).
* Tactical style bolt handle.
* 26″ barrel utilizing 5-R tactical target rifling as using on the M24 sniper rifles.
* Bell and Carlson Medalist Varmint/Tactical composite stock (notably not H-S Precision)

Action: Bolt/Short
Barrel Length: 26 inches
Overall Length: 45 3/4 inches
Avg. Weight: 11 3/4 lbs
Stock Material: Composite – Aramid Fiber
Stock Finish: OD Green/Black Webbed
Barrel Finish: Matte Blue

The MSRP is $1972.