Hello guys, its been a while since I have posted on the forums, and after this weekend I felt the need. I recently picked up a Remington VTR Desert Recon in .308 off of the forums and after reading many reviews on accuracy I was a little worried. Some say they can't get theirs to shoot MOA others claim (on a good day) to be able to shoot <.2 MOA groups. So what are these things really capable of?
I will be the first one to say that I am by no means a great, or even in my opinion good shooter. I just haven't done enough of it to be any good. I idolize folks like Carlos Hathcock, and have spent a fair amount of time reading different methods and techniques of how to shoot, just never had the time, nor gear to practice any. At a young age I discovered a decent ability to shoot clays, and have focused my sporting time practicing just that. So it goes without saying that I was not expecting to much at the range this weekend with my new .308.
Lets start with the set-up. A Remington VTR Desert Recon, Harris Bi-pod, Trijicon TR232(5-20x I HIGHLY recommend this scope) PRI 20 MOA base, Leupold MK4 aluminum rings (would rather have GG&G...but these will do for now). With that said, the great folks at Elmores mounted the scope and did a quick sight in for me. I was told when I bought this rifle that it was capable of 1.25 MOA with reloads, and I was fairly sure that even at 1.25" the gun could out-shoot me!
Range Day #1
I sighted the rifle in using 175gr Sierra Match Kings pushing around 2600 FPS. These were graciously provided by Jared, and were loaded by Andrew at Red Star. My first group looked like this (POA was the middle target);
Thats including the cold bore/fouling shot. I was immediately impressed. After getting the scope close to center (this was on Saturday...it was fairly windy) I tried shooting a group. This was the first group I shot;
Now I am certain that I have never before (intentionally) shot a group anywhere close to that (although admittedly my attempts to shoot "groups" are few). Lucky day I guessed. Well after that I attempted to shoot one more group, but by then my concentration and shoulder were about gone, and I hung it up for the day.
With a full box of empty brass, and a motive, that night I started my first step into developing a varmint load. I loaded some 110gr V-max bullets into my newly trimmed brass, backed by 36.6gr of 4138, and a CCI primer. According to Horniday it should be pushing about 2900 FPS. On Sunday I caught a break and I was able to head to the range again with my #1 spotter, my Dad.
Range Day #2
As most of you know, Sunday was EXTREMELY windy and it made shooting a decent group a true test of patience! My first group with my newly loaded V-Max varmint rounds looked like this;
Not bad for a first try with a new load! But with the wind picking up and seeming to gust more, I was not able to put together a better group than that with the light 110's.
I then moved onto some of Andrew's loads, with some impressive results. The best of which was this beauty;
I cannot say how much of this was luck, but for an in-experienced shooter, I was happy. I am not all that savvy on measuring groups, but to the best of my ability I measured it to just a hair under 1/2 MOA. Not bad for a stock gun with nice optics and decent ammo.
Observations
A few things that I observed about the tacticool style of the triangular barrel and plastic stock;
The barrel does indeed cool extremely quickly (as Remington advertises) but it does however start throwing shots after 3-4 fired within a minute or two. It seems to be a flaw with the new barrel Remington has developed, as others have seen the same symptoms.
The previous owner must have done some fiddling with the trigger, as it is "probably the best trigger I have ever felt on a 700" according to the folks a Elmore's.
The plastic stock, although mine seems rigid enough, is flat out to light. It is hollowed out plastic, and though I understand Remington's reasoning behind it, it is just no good for bench shooting. Even at 12x on the scope, and my breathing as controlled as I can make it, I could still see every heart beat in the scope. I have considered trying to fill it with something to get more rigidity and weight, but have yet to discover the correct substance.
Conculsion
Most people are writing this off as a novelty that Remington has developed to generate sales, I however think that there just may be something to that triangular barrel. Is there room for improvement? Sure there is with any new product, remember the iphone when it first came out had all sorts of issues, and now look at it, it is the top dog on the market, and is what most other phones are still judged by today. This is the very first rendition of the triangular barrel, and if you think about the physics of it, it makes perfect sense.
Although I know I have not come close to the full potential of this gem, I am thoroughly impressed. With the proper ammo and the proper shooter, this gun could easily break 1/4 MOA.
*NOTE: All shots were taken at 100yrds.
I will be the first one to say that I am by no means a great, or even in my opinion good shooter. I just haven't done enough of it to be any good. I idolize folks like Carlos Hathcock, and have spent a fair amount of time reading different methods and techniques of how to shoot, just never had the time, nor gear to practice any. At a young age I discovered a decent ability to shoot clays, and have focused my sporting time practicing just that. So it goes without saying that I was not expecting to much at the range this weekend with my new .308.
Lets start with the set-up. A Remington VTR Desert Recon, Harris Bi-pod, Trijicon TR232(5-20x I HIGHLY recommend this scope) PRI 20 MOA base, Leupold MK4 aluminum rings (would rather have GG&G...but these will do for now). With that said, the great folks at Elmores mounted the scope and did a quick sight in for me. I was told when I bought this rifle that it was capable of 1.25 MOA with reloads, and I was fairly sure that even at 1.25" the gun could out-shoot me!
Range Day #1
I sighted the rifle in using 175gr Sierra Match Kings pushing around 2600 FPS. These were graciously provided by Jared, and were loaded by Andrew at Red Star. My first group looked like this (POA was the middle target);
Thats including the cold bore/fouling shot. I was immediately impressed. After getting the scope close to center (this was on Saturday...it was fairly windy) I tried shooting a group. This was the first group I shot;
Now I am certain that I have never before (intentionally) shot a group anywhere close to that (although admittedly my attempts to shoot "groups" are few). Lucky day I guessed. Well after that I attempted to shoot one more group, but by then my concentration and shoulder were about gone, and I hung it up for the day.
With a full box of empty brass, and a motive, that night I started my first step into developing a varmint load. I loaded some 110gr V-max bullets into my newly trimmed brass, backed by 36.6gr of 4138, and a CCI primer. According to Horniday it should be pushing about 2900 FPS. On Sunday I caught a break and I was able to head to the range again with my #1 spotter, my Dad.
Range Day #2
As most of you know, Sunday was EXTREMELY windy and it made shooting a decent group a true test of patience! My first group with my newly loaded V-Max varmint rounds looked like this;
Not bad for a first try with a new load! But with the wind picking up and seeming to gust more, I was not able to put together a better group than that with the light 110's.
I then moved onto some of Andrew's loads, with some impressive results. The best of which was this beauty;
I cannot say how much of this was luck, but for an in-experienced shooter, I was happy. I am not all that savvy on measuring groups, but to the best of my ability I measured it to just a hair under 1/2 MOA. Not bad for a stock gun with nice optics and decent ammo.
Observations
A few things that I observed about the tacticool style of the triangular barrel and plastic stock;
The barrel does indeed cool extremely quickly (as Remington advertises) but it does however start throwing shots after 3-4 fired within a minute or two. It seems to be a flaw with the new barrel Remington has developed, as others have seen the same symptoms.
The previous owner must have done some fiddling with the trigger, as it is "probably the best trigger I have ever felt on a 700" according to the folks a Elmore's.
The plastic stock, although mine seems rigid enough, is flat out to light. It is hollowed out plastic, and though I understand Remington's reasoning behind it, it is just no good for bench shooting. Even at 12x on the scope, and my breathing as controlled as I can make it, I could still see every heart beat in the scope. I have considered trying to fill it with something to get more rigidity and weight, but have yet to discover the correct substance.
Conculsion
Most people are writing this off as a novelty that Remington has developed to generate sales, I however think that there just may be something to that triangular barrel. Is there room for improvement? Sure there is with any new product, remember the iphone when it first came out had all sorts of issues, and now look at it, it is the top dog on the market, and is what most other phones are still judged by today. This is the very first rendition of the triangular barrel, and if you think about the physics of it, it makes perfect sense.
Although I know I have not come close to the full potential of this gem, I am thoroughly impressed. With the proper ammo and the proper shooter, this gun could easily break 1/4 MOA.
*NOTE: All shots were taken at 100yrds.
Last edited:
