New Attitude

The new Model 700 XCR Long Range Tactical rifle is the first of an entire new generation of Model 700s (and Model Sevens) introduced last year that embody a number of new features, engineering redesigns and quality-control improvements that give new legitimacy to Remington's claim that "the Model 700 is the most accurate production rifle available today."

Performance Engineering

This new rifle is designed for the long-range precision shooter and hunter and is available in .308, .223 and .300 Winchester Magnum. At its core is a 416 stainless-steel-barreled action with a new extractor system. The rifle comes without sights; the receiver is drilled and tapped for standard Model 700 scope-mount bases.

The standard-style Model 700 hinged-floorplate magazine has a five-round capacity in the .223 version, four rounds in .308 and three rounds in .300 Win. Mag. The twenty-six-inch varmint contour barrel is free floating and has wide tactical-style fluting for rapid cooling, with a dish-style target crown.

The barreled action is housed in a newly designed ambidextrous Bell & Carlson tactical-style stock featuring a full-length aluminum bedding block; tactical beavertail fore-end and recessed thumb hook located behind the pistol grip for enhanced shooting performance. The composite stock is reinforced with Aramid fibers and finished in OD green with a black webbed overlay. Dual front swivel studs and a read stud complete the stock package.

All exposed metal surfaces feature Remington's proprietary Black TriNyte Corrosion Control System. This micro thin, multi-layer process consists of electroless nickel and proprietary PVD (physical vapor deposition) coatings on the entire stainless-steel barreled action, providing diamond-hard abrasion resistance and virtual elimination of corrosion.

Overall, it's a very shootable configuration. Total weight is 8.5 pounds, the same as a standard Model 700 varmint rifle or Model 700 Sendero hunting rifle. The aluminum bedding block in the stock eliminated potential receiver shift or roll (one long-time criticism of the Model 700's round-receiver/non-integral recoil-lug design).

The beavertail fore-end is wide enough for solid, nontipping support on a sandbag, shooting sticks or a field pack rest without being too large for a comfortable grasp from your hand in conventional field shooting. The thumbhook in the bottom of the buttstock allows the shooter to press the stock firmly into the shoulder with the nonfiring hand when operating with a bipod or fore-end rest in the prone position.

Since receiving a review sample in .308 last summer, I've worked with it extensively, working up a variety of handloads that will group under one MOA at 500 yards (less than five inches), finding several generally available commercial .308 hunting loads that will perform just as well and using the rifle to make a one-shot drop on a pronghorn in Wyoming last autumn at 371 yards.

Trigger Is Key

The key ingredient of the Model 700XCR LRT's performance is the inclusion of Remington's totally new X-Mark Pro trigger system, introduced in 2007 after many years of intense R&D by Remington's engineers. All serious rifle shooters know that the three critical elements of a rifle's accuracy are bore, bedding and trigger--and the trigger is the only point where the shooter actually interfaces with the system.