WOW - is about the best way I can describe this new offering from Remington!

In brief over the last 8 days I have been on a slash and tear trading and selling binge that would would even impress my late and notorious paternal Grandfather (he was an eastern Oregon horse trader extraordinaire!). I was slinging the stories and pulling out every stop in my quest for mad money!

I was on a mission and that mission was gather money by ANY legal means. I sold guns, I sold garage sale items, I sold silver coins, I used my birthday money, I bought items for my friends via the VarmintwWifes credit card and kept their cash - I was OUT OF CONTROL!

But I was having FUN!

For instance I had bought a Remington 700 VLS a few months back in caliber 223 complete with a Harris Bi-pod for $420.00. I sold the Varminter alone for $525.00. Then I sold the Bi-pod. I bought a Bianchi holster at a garage sale for $2.00 and sold it for $30.00. My credit card scams may come back to haunt me with the VarmintWife so I better not leave a paper trail in that regard here at this time. But the deal (swindle?) that put me over the top was finding an RCBS powder scale at a garage/estate sale for $8.00 and selling it for $75.00! With these ill gotten gains I headed for Missoula, Montana yesterday and found what I was questing for - a Remington 700 VLS in 204 Ruger caliber.

I actually found several but one at the Sportsmans warehouse really caught my eye. It was priced at $575.00 and no tax. I bought it with an outlay of only about $200.00 of "legitimately earned" money. Ialso bought a set of Redding 204 Ruger dies at the time ($35.25) as well as Leupold rings and one piece base.

I had just done the paperwork (4473) and was on my way to the checkstand when the great guy at the gun counter said "hey you wanna see Remington's NEW Varminter"? I thought to myself "is a 40 pound Robin fat"? Yeah I said. I had not heard of any new Varminters from Remington. But knowing Remingtons penchant for putting out small runs (1,000) of non-catalogued items my mind began racing! A 22 BR 700V? I thought, what could it be as the counterman began perusing the 2,005 Remington catalog! Yeah he had a copy of the 2,005 Remington catalog already - none for the public though!

He turns it to a double page spread that showed (just like he said!) a new Remington Varminter!

The Rifle is called the Remington XR-100! It is based on the Remington single shot XP-100 action! The really neat looking Rifle has a Model 700 style bolt handle and really looks wicked and cool! The Rifles barrel and action are blued and comes in a laminated thumbhole stock with air vents under the barrel in the forearm area of the stock! The action is a fully solid single shot and is fitted with the wonderful Remington 40X trigger! For those not familiar with this splendid trigger its most notable difference with the standard 700 trigger is it's adjustable via allen wrench without removing the action from the stock! This allows for quick and easy adjustment in the field or at the range.

The XR-100 will be offered initially in calibers 204 Ruger, 223 Remington and 22-250 Remington!

I have a custom Varmint Rifle built on this wonderful single shot XP-100 pistol action and it is one of the most accurate Rifles I own!

I am really excited about this new Varminter from Remington! Its looks are simply to die for and the 26" barrel will get all there is to be gotten out of these calibers!

Best of all was the MSRP that I saw in the catalog! I remember SPECIFICALLY that I was shocked at the low MSRP on the XR-100 but I am slightly less certain I now recall the ccorrect MSRP! I think it was $695.00!

The counterman had just talked recently with the Remington rep about this new XR-100 and he was told the laminated wide forearmed thumbhole stock was virtually the same as the stock that has been offered recently on the Remington 40X and on a limited run of 700 Varminters. I love this stock! The store it turns out had a Rifle with this style stock in the back room and I feigned unfamiliarity and the counterman brought it out and let me fondle it some. It apparently was spoken for already. This Rifle was an all stainless 700 Varminter in 22-250 and I took the Rifle to a portable shooting bench and set it on the bags there. Bliss was my impression again with that stock! I even tried it prone! No problems apparent at all!

Well now I was in a quandry - should I complete this transaction with the 700 VLS in 204 or should I renig on it and wait til next springish time for the XR-100 to show up? I decided to stick with the VLS 204 and headed out on the long drive home!

Well I was not even out of Missoula when I heard on the radio an ad for a factory sponsored Rifle and pistol shoot at the East Missoula Rifle range! I was going right by there it sounded like! The ad said Rifles from CZ, Remington, Savage, Weatherby, Winchester and others would be there! Screw the pistols I thought! I decide to try and find the range. I got there about 4:00 PM and get a great free camo hat and some other goodies. I buy a couple of tickets to shoot any Rifle 3 times for a dollar and I got into a drawing for a door prize with that also. I went right to the Remington section of the range and spoke with the regional Remington rep. He brought out another copy of the Remington 2,005 catalog and gave me more details on the XR-100! He had seen and handled one! He was really stoked on it! We spoke in depth about many Rifle issues. He had just returned from a factory sponsored Prairie Dog shoot and was looking forward to his next venture - a Grizzly and Caribou Hunt in Alaska! Must be tough I thought, being a factory rep?

Well I decided to shoot a Remington 700 VLS in caliber 223 that was fitted with the new model Leupold 6x18 scope! This guy was also the regional Leupold rep! What a job!

I was impressed with the new Leupold 6x18 and then decided to try a Remington 700 VS-SF in caliber 22-250 that was fitted with one of the brand new Leupold 30 mm tubed 3 dial 6.5x20 scopes. This scope had the new Varmint ranging reticle (which I really liked!) and I easily broke three of the skeets that were taped up out at 100 yards. Nice rig and this 30mm tube did not overwhelm the looks of the Rifle like some of the large model scopes do. I really liked its looks. A great visit was conducted with the factory rep and we updated the latest about mutual friends we know.

Everyone that saw the new XR-100 in the catalog was excited about it. I was having a great time at the well attended shoot UNTIL I found out the proceeds were all going to the pro-Wolf rmef! I left with no further "contibutions"!

I am excited about my new 204 none the less! I am already hatching schemes to gather funds to scope it up.

I had previously stopped at the Axeman store in southern Missoula to buy one of the two used Weaver 4x16 scopes that I had seen two weeks ago there. They had both sold! One was $180.00 and the other was $175.00 as I recall and they were both in great shape.

He who hesitates is sometimes lost!

I may rob a 36X Leupold off of one of my Varminters tonight and mount it on the new VLS for load development. I am about two scopes behind in that game right now.

I am sure that owning two 204's is not a mistake. I am really impressed with cartridge and the Ruger 77 V/T in 204 I already own.

Good for Remington!

The stock on this new XR-100 is much reminiscent of the Howa and Cooper vented forearm stocks of late. I am not sure who thought of it first among Howa or Cooper or who ever else but I think it may just allow for more uniform cooling around the barrel as well as a place for bugs and fleas to hide - also as a new dust gathering locale?

I will let you know how the new VLS shoots maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

Varmint Guy you are a sick, sick man. But I just love to read your posts. You have really got it bad.

After getting shafted with the last purchase I made, that being a Winchester Model 70 Super Shadow Super Short in 223 WSSM, I was reluctant to buy another new gun.

Now, you have to go and tell me about another new Remington offering! I have several XP-100 pistols that are extremely accurate so a rifle based on that action really gets me to thinking.

I am not sure I want a thumbhole stock but have to admit I have not tried one, so who knows?

But I am a died in the wool Remington fan and this thing sounds VERY interesting.

Thanks, I guess.

R F

Makes me glad I married who I did. We were in the Cabela's SD store and I was drooling over a $2995 Dale Goens rifle. She said, "Why don't you let me buy it for your for your birthday?'

If it didn't have a damn barrel band it would have been a good present.

God I don't miss the days I was married to a woman who was intolerant of spending money on hunts and guns.

VarmintGuy: Another great read. Alas, we don't yet have the .204 this side of the 'pond' but from what I've heard/read about it, it's seems to be a very 'hot ticket' indeed. Looks like the Ruger M77 MKII will be the first to arrive unless CZ manage to pull something out of the bag.

Seafire/B17G: Thank you for the kind words. I really enjoy sharing my experiences and opinions with other like minded folks. Again thanks for your kindness - you make me blush and you made my day!
Thanks also for the info on Boyds I will send them to my favorite places list.
You are exactly right, I am sure, with your observation on the Remington folks trying to keep up with the "Jones" in more facets of the game!
I only wish that Remington would chamber the 222 Remington and 22 Remington Bench Rest calibers in some kind of heavy barrel offering. I know a person can still get the 222 in the BDL and both of those in the 40X line but I want that caliber available for off the rack buyers like me (most of the time).
Thanks again.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

AnotherAZWriter: Yieee Carumba! Now I have heard it all! A wind chaser!
I loathe the wind!
But I see what you are doing - apparently you are practicing in the wind for experience and expertise in that regard. Good for you!
At one time I was gearing up to get into Bench Rest competition and I had attended shoots at many different ranges over the decades so I had an idea what was going on. But in reality my assessment of the top twenty finishers in meet after meet boiled down to often times less than .1" difference in the aggregate scores for a shoot by those top twenty shooters. In other words who can guess the wind by 1/10" best all day. And after driving across the country to do this and the expenses that go with that and motels and cafes and the expenses that go with that I did not feel excited anymore about that competition.
I would rather head out for the Bighorns or Thunder Basin or anywhere on the high plains and spend that money and time and money on Varmint Hunting! Yeah shooting at a piece of paper at exactly 300 feet 0.000 inches away with a long row of windstreamers, flags and spinners leading right up to that piece of paper did not seem appealing to me anymore.
Yeah I would much rather shoot a rock at an unknown distance than paper. But my favorite targets are Varmints!
Long live the rocks!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Mho: I have several of the 40X Rifles now and have owned several others in the past. The 40X 2 ounce trigger does not have a safety on it at all! I have two Rifles with this model trigger on them. They require extra care and caution in the field for Varmint hunting.
The other model 40X trigger does have a safety and it is also externally adjustable. I set these at 32 ounces and Varmint away. I am not sure how low you can go with these and still be safe.
And I am not sure right off hand how "different" the 700 trigger and the 40X triggers are internally but there is a difference in the external positioning of the "poundage" screw. The 700 poundage screw faces "forward" and the 40X triggers poundage screw faces "downward" toward the trigger guard.
The 40X trigger is superb in my estimation.
Certainly the trigger on the XR-100 will be the model with the safety - and like I say it is adjustable in my experience to 32 ounces! I may just mosey over to the Remington site and see if this new Rifle is posted there as yet.
Hold into the wind
Varmint

I forgot to mention the targets I use when shooting off a bench. I use square targets and put the crosshair intersection right at the corner - very precise, esp with a very high power scope. You line up the vertical crosshair on the vertical edge of the square, and the horizontal crosshair with the horizontal part of the square.

To VG and Arizona, I got a grip on both of you guys scenarios!!!
VG.....ever see the "Shoot and See" targets that has the 2, 3" bullseye type targets? On the sheet with them will be 2, 3/4inch black dots and 4, 1/2" black dots! The big tagets work great when shooting a 22LR at 100yards or from my main standpoint, a 17HMR pistol. The little black dots work great for the varmint scopes we tend to use!! The 6.5-20 Nikon, 6x24 Elite 4200, 4x16 Weaver, 6.5-20 Leupold, 6x24 Trashco(yes I do still own one!!!!) fit the little black dots perfectly at 100 for testing!!! Try that next time you're out there!!
AZ....the rock deal has been a standard here in the eat for a long time!! You're right!! Not much question as to whether you hit the rock or not!!! White dust (or smoke) drifting off to one side or the other and that undeniable 'smack' of the projectile on the rock tends to confirm things!!! Later, GHD

Cool, there it was! Thanks for the link.
- mike

Don't think anyone posted this yet:

http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/xr100.htm

Enjoy.

Monte

Milanuk: Thanks for the link! Yeah it looks good doesn't it?
I was way off on the MSRP though I wonder what my memory cells have been into!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Being an old retired fart, how many alum cans do I have to pick up to buy one? Also, if I empty the cans first, will I still have a liver?

Hello mho,

I also had been of the impression that a Remington trigger would go down to 2lbs. It always has before. However, on my new Remington VLS in 6mm Rem. the gunsmith said he could only get it down to about 3lbs. As new it was set at about 8lbs, bloody disgusting. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

The best thing to do with a factory trigger is take it off leave it as is and replace it with a Jewell. This way if you ever want to sell the rifle you can switch back to the factory and put the Jewell on another rifle. Jewell triggers are like a good scope something you never sell just switch from rifle to rifle. IMHO

Cal, I would not be surprised if that was the case. Factory triggers seem to become worse and worse with every frivolous court case. Must be the lawyers' influence
- mike

I was digging around some more, and found the 'new and improved' versions of the 700 VS and VS SF:

http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/700vsf.htm
http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/700vssf_II.htm

Second one makes me almost start lusting after a new .220 Swift...

Monte