WOW! Is all I can say about ALL the offerings from Remington in the way of Varmint Rifles - both models and calibers, that they are offering in their new 2,007 Catalog!
I tried to count up all the models and calibers available for a Varminting type Hunter to choose from and I finally gave up!
There were just to many styles, calibers and to many models that would be suitable for walking Varminter situations as well as the more traditional types of Varminters for me to come up with a definite total!
And the caliber choices - from 17 HMR, 17 Remington Fireball, 17 Remington and the wonderful 204 Ruger along with the 22 Hornet on up through Varmint type Rifles in 6mm Remington, 25/06, 260 Remington, 270 WSM, 7mm/08 and a host of cartridge choices in between!
And for those that don't mind lots of recoil there were Varminting type Rifles avaliable in 264 Winchester magnum, 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum, 308 Winchester and 300 Winchester Magnum!
Again, WOW, is in order!
The one Rifle that I am certain to be adding to my Varminting arsenal soon, is a Remington 700 VSF in the new 17 Remington Fireball cartridge!
Although the brand new model 700 CDL SF in 17 Remington may tempt me over the edge if one shows up before the VSF!
This new 700 CDL SF is one great looking Rifle!
I did get to handle a new offering for 2,007 from Remington - it was the 700 SPS "Varmint" - I liked it.
Lots of models in lots of styles with various stock, finishes (even camo!) and trigger options and LOTS of caliber choices!
I heartily recommend everyone get a hard copy of the NEW Remington 2,007 catalog and peruse it.
Even you "savage types" will be impressed with the sheer number of handsome Rifles in so many models and calibers!
I will say this to the "savage types" amongst us - Remington has come out with a Rifle that I BELIEVE is NEARLY as ugly as most savage models! The offending Remington model is called the "770"!
Its is best described as "intentionally un-pretty"!
Be sure to get one of the new 2,007 Remington catalogs for yourselves next time you are in a gun shop.
Keep up the good work Big Green (and do something about the Model 770's looks - please!).
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I fear they have spelled the kiss of death to one of my favorite calibers in the 260. It is absent from any of their top line rifles.

The 260 is available in the youth Model 7...

I sure wish they would make the VLS in 260 and 7/08 as standard catalog items.. I have a 260 VLS.. with a spare barrel also...

The biggest thing that caught my eye, was that the pricing is continually going thru the roof!

Hey VG,

I was going to ask you if you were going to try the new 17 fireball. It's a tempting cartridge, but like you that fancy CDL is mighty nice.

One of my favorite Remingtons is a model 7 in 243....and older one with a nicely grained gloss wood stock and a short (I think 16") barrel. A pawn shop find that I told my wife would be a good deer rifle for her. Unfortunately for me she loves it, so now I have to ask her if I can shoot it. It has an older 2 x 7 redfield widefield on it and the whole thing can't weigh 6 1/2 lbs.

Let us know when you shoot that fireball, I can't wait to hear a field report.

Keith

Seafire/B17G: I am with you on the soaring prices of all firearms being outrageous!
Not only are the arms amazingly high priced the ammunition from the factories is bizarrely high priced as well!
I may have to go back to work full time just to afford AMMUNITION and components for the guns I have now!
Sheesh!
By the way I am with you 100% on the 260 Remington (never owned a 7mm/08!) that should be available in at least ONE heavy barrel model!
My 700 VLS in 260 Remington is a tack driver and has next to no recoil! I love that Rifle! I have taken Coyote and Rock Chuck with it and when I get my Montana Wolf Tag (later this year?) I will be using the 260 Remington to harvest a Wolf! Optimism at its height this - LOL.
I also noticed last night that the 40X Models (30 caliber and under!) "are now "guaranteed" to shoot 1/2 MOA"! Thats pretty sporty of the Remington folks! It also mentions that the 40X actions are now trued! Along with their barrels being air-gauged and hand lapped. I know Iam sure happy with all my 40X's!
And speaking of 40X's I am sure that one of those could be had in 260 Remington?
I just checked and the 260 Remington is available in several 40X Models and can be special ordered in a couple other 40X models.



Keithv35: Yes I am a player for the new 17 Remington Fireball!
I wish this caliber came in the XR-100 as I have really grown to like the two XR-100's I have now.
I will be sure and let you know when I get one and when it gets shot.
After reading some postings on the reloading and small caliber forums here I think I better get on the phone and call Redding to get a set of dies on the way. It is apparently "the consensus" that 17 MachIV dies won't do the job for the 17 Remington Fireball???!!!
Its ALWAYS something.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I was able to see a SPS Varminter at the range this afternoon... A guy was having one out for its maiden voyage to the range...it was chambered in 243, and he said he got it quick as he has an FFL....

But after seeing that.. I can see horse trading off something when the 17 Fireball is available in that set up....

I actually look at that SPS Varmint to be a hot seller....The owner was also complimenting the new adjustable trigger on it...stating it was much better and easy to adjust.. and gave better results with less fuss than previous triggers from Rem..

Right now the distributors seem to have the 22.250s and 243s in the SPSV... the other calibers it will be available in are the 204, the 17 Fireball and the 308....

I know I will trade off a surplus deer rifle for one.. Rem did a nice job on it...I like it almost as much as I do the VLS...

Now it they would just either chamber it in a 7/08 and 260...

Aw never mind.. that is what I am converting to switch barrels for...

Seafire/B17G: I saw one of these at a chain type sport shop and the retail price they had on it was $529.00!
Compared to other offerings this was pretty low and I think a CAREFUL shopper might find one cheaper - by hook or by crook.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG,

I can get one locally for $515.00...

They will become more plentiful as the spring arrives I bet...

I expect the 17 Fireball to be what I had hoped for in the 17 HMR...I may just trade off a Ruger 77/17 to get the 17 Fireball when it comes out....

Seafire/B17G: There is a Brooks & Dunn country western song that goes something like this: "you better kiss me, cause your gonna miss me, when I'm gone"!
Well you better kiss that Ruger 77/17 V/T cause you ARE gonna miss it, when its gone!
Of ALL the Varmint Rifles I have ever owned and own now, my Ruger 77/17 V/T has provided me with more fun, more enjoyment and more satisfaction with its performance than ANY rimfire I have ever had and more joy than 90% of the centerfire Varminters I have owned and used!
Keep the 17 HMR! And gather money via a garage sale or cheating on your federal income taxes or borrow the money for the 17 Fireball from a relative - but DON'T sell the 17 HMR!
You're gonna miss it when its gone!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

All my Rem's are great, but they don't care about the leftys much anymore.

Chuckslayer: I have 4 close friends that I Hunt with that are lefties, and they let me know fairly often how rare left hand Rifles are in the Remington line!
They do make some though, I count 5 (five) offerings in Varmint calibers and Varmint models in the 2,007 catalog for you southpaws to choose from - you are right, thats not many!
I have not been paying attention left handed wise - how are the other manufacturers about percentage of models in left hand versions?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Well VG,

I have several more 17s...

I have two Marlins, and one New England Arms...also...

I am probably going to get rid of the two Marlins also... and replace them with ONE CZ in 17 HMR....

I am basically saving having one for my son as he gets older... he is 12 now.. for him to potentially shoot....

But I would rather have something I can reload as I want it to be.. and the 17 Fireball is just what I am looking for...

The price of the ammo is never going to win me over! but it is an awfully handy round when used in a New England break open as a truck rifle! and the cost of ammo is not that prohibitive when it is a single shot!

I spied an SPS varmint at the local shop last weekend. Seemed kind of cheap feeling. I love remingtons as much as the next guy but it just felt chinsey.

I too am a Remington fan but when I looked thru their catalog I get turned off by the imported junk stuff

K20350: I to have handled the SPS Varmint Model and it did have a kind of "hollow", "chinsey", savage like, feel to it! BUT - for $499.00 (Shedhorn Sports price as of 2/3/07) anymore, you do not get the best of stocks and accoutrements on a Rifle!
Shame, but thats the way it is.
I bet they still shoot pretty well though.
I handled the 700 VSF Varmint Model yesterday ($769.00 Yellowstone Gateway Sports price) and it not only felt much more solid it fit me really well! I have spoken up for one of thesenVSF Models in 17 Remington Fireball and was told 40 to 60 more days til the ones on order will be delivered - we'll see.

Hairtrigger: As far as I know the foreign made Rifles Remington is now offering are the first they have done so with.
Puzzling!
I do not know anyone that owns one of these or has fired one so I can not report on them as yet.
Sheesh!

Seafire/B17G: Yes what a great Varminter for a young person - the 17 HMR is! My boys have shot my Ruger 77/17 V/T, but when they go off with their friends to "shoot Gophers" they prefer using one of our Ruger 10/22's on them!
I think its the rat-a-tat-tat factor of the 10/22's over the bolt action Ruger 77/17 V/T!
Which reminds me of a funny story! I have a very close friend who lives in Germany but vacations several times a year in the United States! He mostly fly fishes but one year we talked him into actually going along on a Ground Squirrel Hunt! Now my friend, Andreas, was an officer in the German Tank Corp and had shot some small arms but had never Hunted anything.
In fact he constantly gave me and the rest of our friends grief over shooting "Varmints"!We head out on a nice day for a picnic and some Varminting! And in fact for the first couple hours he would not take a shot at the Varmints! Finally I insisted he give the Ruger 10/22 a try on the Ground Squirrels!
He quickly became smitten with Varmint fever!
He especially liked the rat-a-tat-tat factor of the semi-auto Ruger 10/22 - and he was hitting about 50% of his targets with my Lilja heavy barrel custom Deluxe 10/22!
In fact he became so enthralled that he would not give up the Rifle and after a while I could not keep the 10 magazines I use on Gopher Hunts loaded up, for him!
Any Gopher that was missed got 2 to 4 more follow-up shots as it ran for cover!
I will never forget my friend "Andy" yelling at me (he had ear protection on!), in his best English with heavy German accent - "DEEL, DEEL load fostuh, zee Vahmuts iss gettung avay"!
Translation = DALE, DALE load faster, the Varmints are getting away!
I could not pry that 10/22 away from him!
I even took pictures of him and several Varmints on the ground in front of him with "his" 10/22!
Whenever Andy calls me from Germany he asks about "zee Vahmuts".
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Dale,

I had a couple of young german guys visit here last May and took them out Varmint shooting also... When they got a hold of my Ruger 77/17, I had to admit, they fell in love with it...

Then offer me up to a thousand dollars for it!
I kept on asking them, how would they get it back to Germany tho...

I am sure they ended up ordering one when they got home, or at least own a CZ or Anshutz in that caliber...

they thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread..

Varmintguy. I was just on the Ruger web sight, and they still have the 77/17 VMBBZ listed $765.00

I didnt even get to look at the price on that rifle. I was busy stealing a Cooper in .204 ruger. Yippee! I had a fund I was saving to order one and then one shows up at the Shop! Barely used w/ box and all. Cant wait to get it out of Lay-away. (Gotta have a budget right LOL)This 6-20 Vari-X 3 is getting pretty lonely though.

Hector: I paid $320.00 for mine several years ago and was happy to get it that cheap! They were selling for $390.00 or thereabouts back then at gunshops.
The gun counter manager was just livid that he had sold some of these 17 HMR Rifles back when they first came out and no one could get ammo for them - his customers were giving him grief!
He was so mad he offered me the Rifle for his wholesale cost and promised never to carry new fangled stuff again!
That shop did close up but is now in business with different employees in another part of Missoula, Montana!

K20350: Best of luck with the Cooper in 204 Ruger! They are beautiful Rifles and I hope yours shoots as good as it looks!
Hold a mid-winter garage sale and sell some of the wifes canning jars and such! I am in the process of selling a mint condition Honda Trail 90 (1969 Model) to raise money for my next Varmint Rifle!
If all else fails I still borrow money from my Mother (shes 80!) to front me a Rifle I see but can't wait for my pension check to get here! I always pay her back by the way.
How else to get the money now?
My wife just did our taxes and we are getting back about $1,300.00! I am going to demand HALF of that moolah - I even tried to convince her to go with our return to one of those firms that fronts you the refund immediately for a fee - she looked me straight in the eye and GROWLED - NNNNOOOOOO!
So that plan fell through.
But it might work for you!
Which Model is the Cooper, by the way?
You picked the perfect scope for your 204!
That Leupold 6.5x20 is my all time favorite "all around Varminting scope"!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Guys I have read the articles on the Rem 2007 guns. Just to let you know I bought a Rem .223 SPS for under $500 and it shoots sub MOA. I am not a great shot but this gun will do it. I have the trigge set at 2 lbs. Love the beaver tail forearm. Good shooting to all.

Whilst you're going through the '07 Remington catalog, flip to page 59 and there's a picture of a Winchester model 70 where a model 700 should be. Whoops!

Dotsix: IS it POSSIBLE for you to have a positive thing to say on occassion?
Perhaps you should take a lesson from the prior posting, to yours?
And, by the way, I looked at ALL the Rifles on page 59 with various types of optical enhancing devices and I would not bet my life that they are all not Remington products. The safety on the Rifle being held against the tree appears to be a Remington safety and its in the forwar -fire position! Not only that the rear end of the Remington firing pin in the bolt shrould also appears to be reflecting the reddish color from either the Hunters hat or his orange vest.
Could be Winchester - so what!
Weren't you AT ALL impressed with all the models, calibers, new types, new finishes and new types of ammunition and other NEW offerings from Big Green?


Kscoyote: Good to know that Remington is still making relatively "inexpensive" Rifles that shoot well!
I have owned and seen a whole lot of Remington 700 ADL's (from the past) that shot really well!
I have an older 700 ADL in caliber 308 Winchester that is splendidly accurate!
I did mount the Rifle in a fiberglass stock and it has helped me take many head of Big Game (Black Bear, Mt. Goat, Mule Deer, Whiteails and Antelope) and a few Coyotes!
Best of luck and continued happiness with your SPS!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Dotsix, I got my trusty old magnifying glass out and sure enough on page 59 is M70. You can see the safety and the checkering around bolt knob.
Varmintguy, Rem has some cool products this yr. I have ordered a new CDL Limited in .17 Fireball, been on order for about a month, might get by end of Feb. can't hardly wait.

Hector: I am excited as well about the new offerings from Remington in 17 Remington Fireball!
I think I would prefer the 700 VSF in that nifty new caliber but if a CDL with nice wood came along before the VSF I think I might just invest in one of those. I really like the looks of the CDL and the "engraving" on the floorplate of the 17 Fireball models looks great as well!
I have only used 25 gr. bullets in my 17 MachIV and I think I will go visit a ballistic site for an idea how the 20 grain bullet at 4,000 F.P.S. performs.
I just answered my self! I went to the Remington catalog and looked at the Centerfire Ballistic chart on page 85 - it shows the NEW 17 Remington Fireball to be a pretty flat shooter! When sighted dead on at 250 yards it appears an "on hair hold" for Prairie Dogs is in order out to 325 yards or so.
The trajectory table is based upon speed attained in a 24" barrel. I am guessing with the 26" barrel (like in the VSF Model) the speed may pump itself up to 4,100 F.P.S. or so!

Now back to the "question of the day".
I went and got out my BEST magnifying device.
I have a Bausch & Lomb made in America Jewelers loupe with head mount!
I found it - I attached it to my head and I went outside in the bright Montana winter sunshine!
To tell the truth I am now about 85% sure that Rifle is in fact a Remington!
I see the "inside" the trigger guard magazine release with my Jewelers loupe! If I am not mistaken most all Winchesters had their magazine releases outside the trigger guard in the front of the guard bow?
I will say this - at first glance and with unaided vision that Rifle does appear to be a Winchester Model 70 - but with a magnifyer it appears to be a Model 700 SPS Model with the checkered bolt knob and the lightly jewelled bolt. The exact position of the gas release port in the exact center of the front action ring may also add credence to Remington being the brand of that Rifle.
I have been trying to find a picture of one of Winchesters stainless M-70's but as we all know production of those ceased sometime back.
I enjoy a good mystery but I am not sure if this "question" can qualify.
All of my Model 70 Rifles are older models before the 1964 production Model changes.
Again I would not bet my life that the Rifle by the tree is in fact a Model 700 Remington - but I would bet... say... $8.00 cash that it is - any takers?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy