Remington Releases AR-15 Clone
As we predicted some months ago in the Daily Bulletin, Remington Arms has released an AR-15 platform rifle. The new gun, called the R-15 VTR™ Modular Repeating Rifle, is based on Bushmaster parts and engineering. Remington Arms and Bushmaster Firearms are both owned by parent Cerberus, a large holding company. We felt it was only a matter of time before Bushmasters were rebranded with the Remington name. Well that time has come.
The new R-15 VTR™ is available in two calibers, .223 Rem and .204 Ruger. Three models will be offered, all flat-tops. There is a 22″-barrel rifle, plus two shorter-barreled carbines, one with collapsible stock. It appears that the carbines have 18″ barrels, but specs won’t be released until December 1st. Perhaps to avoid the “politically incorrect” black rifle image, all three models come draped in Advantage MAX-1 HD camouflage. From a technical standpoint, the R-15 VTR™ is hardly innovative, though these “RemMaster” AR-clones feature a new trigger assembly engineered by Remington. Remington’s R-15s ship with a 5-round magazine, but all AR15 mags, including 20- and 30-rounders, will fit the new rifles. MSRP is $999 for the 22″ R-15, and we expect the first units to ship before the end of January.
Hopefully, Ruger’s executives have “seen the writing on the wall” and the company will listen to shooters, enhance the quality and durability of its products, and roll out improved rifles and shotguns that better match the current preferences of hunters, target shooters, and shotgunners. Thankfully, at least not ALL Ruger execs have their heads in the sand: Chris Killoy, VP of Sales and Marketing for Ruger, states: “There are many changes taking place at Ruger — changes that will allow us to do business more efficiently and will benefit the many independent distributors that help bring our products to market. These changes reflect the desires and needs of our customers.”
