Remington's Model 700™ VTR A-TACS™-Big company innovation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remington M700™ VTR A-TACS™ Manufacturer Remington Arms Company Model Model 700™ VTR A-TACS™ Caliber .308 Winchester Stock Synthetic A-TACS Camo Hardware Finish Carbon Steel – Satin Black Oxide Magazine Capacity 4 Barrel Length* 22″ Twist Rate 1:12″ Weight** 7 lbs 1 oz. Overall Length** 41 ⅛” Pull** 13 ½” Drop at comb** ⅝” Drop at heel** ¾” Non-optical sights None Trigger X-Mark Pro Adjustable Trigger Pull AVG 4 lbs 1 oz MSRP $825 * Includes 1.7″ long muzzle brake ** Actual Weights and Measures

Removing the VTR from its box, braced for the… triangular experience, almost immediately I realized  was holding a really good looking hunting rifle and I not a fan of synthetic stocks, camo or much that doesn’t look like a classic rifle of 1926.  That was the year I turned twenty one years of age, so the associated memories linger.

The barrel contour looks better then a cylindrical barrel and the stock geometry is excellent. The proportions and profile of the forearm and pistol grip are steadying. The camo pattern by Digital Concealment Systems is more subdued and more effective than other patterns, including the now discontinued Desert Recon version of the VTR. The synthetic stock’s Hogue Overmolded pistol grip and forend inserts are a nice touch as is the Remington Super Cell recoil pad. The double forearm swivel studs are a nice touch for mounting slings and bipods. The rifle can shoot long so the benefits of these features are not superfluous.

I couldn’t figure out what was so familiar about this gun’s appearance. Then it dawned on me that its appearance reminded me of ancient Arc Light rotation jungle boots and nifty jungle fatigues and all of that military arranged scenic travel of the 60’s. Nope,  I am not suggesting Remington’s VTR doesn’t look modern, I am inferring it looks all business. The ventilated, wide, flat bottom forearm is comfortable to shoot offhand or from a rest, the magazine floor plate release is handy, but tucked up out of the way. The pull length is right and the drop makes for comfortable scope/head positioning.

The stock / barrel make a full floating assembly from one end to the other. The interior of the stock is strengthened with ribs and feels… substantial even though it is light in weight. The lighter weight of the stock allows beef to be added to hardware where it will do the most functional good, while maintaining a reasonable overall firearm weight. The camo is so effective, I had to look at these images quite closely before I could see the rifle.

When Remington changed to the adjustable version of the X-Mark Pro™ trigger, I stopped putting aftermarket triggers on my Remington rifle. They are too slick and too easy to adjust to bother with the added expense of an aftermarket trigger.

 

Out of the box, trigger pull was 4 lbs 1 oz. This was adjustable down to just under 3 lbs and up to just over 5 lbs. That is more than enough range for me on a hunting rifle. In addition to a useful trigger pull range, the trigger is very crisp with no signs of creep or roughness anywhere in its travel. There was virtually no excess overtravel as received.

 

The VTR’s safety is a two position type; on and off. When switched on, the trigger is locked, but the bolt can be cycled to chamber a round or clear a round. I don’t feel safety challenged with a two position safety as most of the time I have to pull out a gun’s manual to remind myself that the third position does on guns so equipped.

 

For some reason, this rifle has its serial number engraved in the bolt handle recess. This appears to be a restatement of its serial number.

 

 

It was fairly easy to find a set of Warne rings made specifically for the VTR, however, after a week of searching I was unable to locate a matching scope. Subsequently I went on to mount a more traditional, solid performer scope set up.

 

The Remington Model 700 VTR is made to deliver accurate shot placement over the longer haul, as well as close in, however, it is also light and compact so the question became, how should it be scoped? I decided to go with a Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x42mm, specifically model# 65-2164M.

 

The scope is compact for optics of this magnification, the 30mm tube diameter makes for a bright image, and the quality coated lenses produce excellent contrast and sharpness. The Elite 6500 has side focus parallax adjustment and, in this case, a fine Multi-X reticle. The Remington is enough gun. Were it not for weight considerations, I might have gone with a 30X version.

 

 

It’s always easier to see the scope adjusters when the protective caps are removed, above. The side focus adjustment on the left side of the scope is visible in the inset. Elevation and windage controls are down to adjust and lift to zero the index marks. The scope was installed with medium height Warne steel rings. Low rings would have probably worked considering the open bolt and objective bell clearance, however, head placement, eye alignment and ease of loading the gun’s magazine led to the medium height ring decision.

 

 

 

Other than accuracy, the big news to me was the effectiveness of the muzzle brake. Shooting along side of a rifle with a conventional 20″ barrel the Remington consistently delivered velocity increases proportional to a 22″ barrel and report dB 60 feet from the muzzle was 3 dB less than the 20″ gun without a brake. This may seem like a small increment of noise suppression, however, the effects of dB are exponential so this is more than a slight edge in sound levels.

 

The table should place the gun’s performance into proper context. It did very well and Hornady brings a lot to the table for .308 Winchester shooters. That is pretty good scooting for a 150 grain factory load.

 

The gun shoots soft. Might be the brake or the Remington Super Cell recoil pad, but it is a soft shooting rifle and the muzzle stays down under recoil. I noted earlier that the brake is not a noise maker and the action is slick for a factory gun.

 

I shot handloads and factory ammunition with good results which will appear in Part II as the data was too much to include here. The gun could shoot sub MOA groups all day with most loads and factory ammunition. I shot one group with some 165 grain Nosler bullets that went less than half inch for a three shot group.

 

The price is pretty good for anything with a full Model 700 action and pretty remarkable considering the gun’s accuracy, fit and finish and preservation of a hinged floor plate. Nice gun.