Remington's M700 XCR II meets the 375 Remington Ultra Mag Part I

 

Pictured in the order they appear on the table above, it all comes down to powder capacity when it comes to performance. Each cartridge has its unique benefits and drawbacks, however, all are relatively flat shooting and all are quite powerful. Commonly loaded in 270 grain and 300 grain bullet weights, handloaders extend the range to 225 to 350. There are lighter 0.375″ bullets but these are typically for use with the 375 Winchester and have thin jackets and a flat tip.

The 375 H&H is the .30-06 in the bunch; reliable even if not the most powerful and ammo is available almost everywhere. The 375 Ruger is more powerful than the H&H and can be chambered in a rifle with a standard length action. The 375 Remington Ultra Mag delivers an easy 250 – 300 fps over the venerable H&H which, in the world of heavy hitters, means a huge increase in kinetic energy, momentum and penetration. The 378 Weatherby is the King Kong of 375 with 100 – 150 fps edge over the Ultra Mag. however, the least expensive Weatherby in this chamber starts at $2,733 and that gun is too pretty to take outside.

The XCR II makes the Ultra Mag not just another 375 magnum…

The 375 Remington Ultra Mag, as is the case with other 375 magnums, is a big cartridge intended to kill large and potentially dangerous game, an opportunity that does not often come up in southeastern Maine. Frequently springing for $15,000 – $25,000 to put the rifle into a proper hunting setting has its limitations… approximately 15,000 – 25,000 of them. But the XCR II is flexible.

Where most of the other 375 Magnums are in the 9 and 10 pound class for weight, as noted previously, the XCR II is a sub 7 pound sporter. With the right ammo, and without a weight penalty, the XCR II could be used for local deer, black bear and hog hunting. Handloading, it is easy to assemble inexpensive ammo ranging from 200 grain cast bullets travelling 1,200 fps to 225 grain jacketed bullet woodland deer loads. This, of course, doesn’t preclude assembling 350 grain boomers as dinosaur season approaches.

One of my favorite recreational target shooting and whitetail deer loads is based on the Hornady 225 grain spire point and 55 grains of IMR 3031 with no case fillers. Velocity is approximately 2,200 fps, kinetic energy is over a ton and recoil, at approximately 25 ft/lbs, is less than half the typical 375 magnum recoil. The cost per box of 20 is just about $10.

Above, more than a gratuitous photo of bullets, represents a small sample of the weights and types of construction available for 0.375″ bullets. As they move up the weight scale the bullets get tougher construction, some are expanding solid copper alloy. Represented is Hornady, Speer, North Fork, Nosler, GS Custom, Sierra, and Woodleigh. Virtually every bullet manufacturers produces several types of 0.375″ bullets.

Shooting impressions… My, my, my

My theory of stock-dampened, recoil-absorbing, pleasant-shooting pretty much went away with the first shot. That was the one that cleared my sinuses and moved my head back several inches while my eyes remained at their original location. The next shot was slightly worse. The third shot had me whimpering “Mommy”. Actually, I’m exaggerating… no I’m not. The Remington XCR II does not by any stretch of the imagination kick like a 500 Jeffery or even like a moderate weight .458 Winchester Magnum, but it does kick harder than the average 375 H&H. Nothing Remington did wrong, just something scripted by the laws of physics.

I shot the first round of live fire with loads from 225 to 350 grains, both light and full up loads at 50 yards with open sights. After firing the first dozen rounds numbness set in and I hardly noticed the recoil from subsequent shots. The gun was quite a confidence builder as it was easy to put three shots in 1½” – 2″ at fifty yards as long as I took my time and controlled my breathing. The X-Mark Pro trigger greatly contributed to accuracy and the XCR II became very satisfying rifle to shoot.

Conclusion… for now

The XCR II is a well made rifle with a real potential for accuracy. The 375 Remington Ultra Mag is a powerful cartridge that takes well to handloading efforts and does well in factory form. I want to mount a scope and spend a bit of time examining longer range potential of the combination and wringing out some handloads… Part II.

Remington’s M700 XCR II meets the 375 Remington Ultra Mag Part I
Remington’s M700 XCR II meets the 375 Remington Ultra Mag Part II