Remington Introduces AR10-based Hunting Rifle
As most of you know, Cerberus Capital Management acquired Bushmaster Firearms, a leading maker of AR-platform rifles, in April 2006. A year later, Cerberus acquired Remington Arms. Not surprisingly, Cerberus has merged the product lines of these two companies, so AR-style rifles are now marketed under the Remington label.
Yesterday, at the NRA Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY, Remington unveiled its latest semi-auto rifle, dubbed the Remington R-25. The R-25 is based on the AR-10, the “big brother” of the AR15, a heavier, beefier rifle designed to shoot the .308 Winchester and similar cartridges. The R-25 will be offered in three chamberings: .308 Win, .243 Win, and 7mm-08. We were hoping Remington might also offer the .260 Remington or other 6.5mm caliber such as the 6.5 Creedmoor, but right now Remington is sticking to the more mainstream hunting calibers. However, Remington reps indicated that Short Magnum calibers might be added to the line-up in the future.
The basic R-25 features a flat-top receiver and metal float tube. The whole rig is decked out in Mossy Oak® Treestand™ Camo. Barrels for all three calibers are 20″ in length, with a 1:10″ twist rate. Barrels are fluted ahead of the gas block but that’s more for looks than anything else. Remington chose a fairly light barrel contour, keeping the gun’s weight down to 8.75 pounds, without optics. The trigger is a single-stage unit set at 4.5-5 pounds. That’s pretty disappointing, and we expect the first thing many R-25 owners do is modify or swap out the trigger to reduce pull weight. The R-25 ships with a 4-round magazine, but will use any standard AR-10 mag.
The Remington R-25 is priced at $1532 MSRP, and the first units are expected to ship in July 2008. At first blush, the price seems high for a pretty average rifle with a heavy trigger and what, we predict, is a mediocre barrel. Shooters wanting a .308 cartridge-size semi-auto platform for a cross the course rifle or space gun should consider other, less expensive sources such as Armalite for a separate AR-10 lower. Match AR-10 uppers are available from a variety of boutique makers such as Fulton Armory.
its great to see more companys like remington expanding into the ar market. but whats disappointing is remington’s msrp for there ar15 and this new ar10. rra offers a really nice ar10 for a msrp of 1300. or so and they have a well known name for there ar guns. i know first hand remington’s quality has gone down hill. i dont think im going to be running right out and get one of there ar’s anytime soon.
My biggest question, is why? I just do not see a need for this rifle in the Remington line up myself.
I honestly see no reason to pay 1500$ for a semiauto ar style rifle that won’t be as accurate as a fine tuned bolt action for a fraction of the price,or even a BAR. If I’m going to shoot a semiauto,give me a design that at least has a gas piston-instead of blowing all the crud directly into action. Also,where does the idea of camo come from? I’ve shot a LOT of deer/predators and all have been color blind,if you are doing your job when they approch,you’ll be aiming at them in the 1st place.
Where you’re going to get a fine tuned bolt-action for a fraction of $1500? And for the accuracy, AR style seems to beat gas-piston.
The camo is for liberals, it’s just to steer away from the evil black color.
When are they going to learn.Rem. thinks we all need this new stuff they keep introducing and all we really want is a Model 700 that shoots like they did 10 years ago.Also,why are they avoiding anything in .260,I have talked to their reps and I might as well be speaking a different language.It is almost like they like they don’t know what you are talking about.Wake up Big Green or SAVAGE will be at the top of the hill. Jeff
I dont understand what all the fuse is about this new R25 if you dont own one you should not shoot it down.I dont own an AR type rifle,but I am trying to get my hands on the new remington R 25 to see for my self.I dont know for shure but Remington and DPMS all are made in the same place.I do own rem.700 model in 2506 and 7mm mag and they are at and less 1/4 inch groops at 100yrds.I let you know when the new R25 is tested on my bench,thanks Remington,
For years I felt no need to have a assult style weapon. In fact was against them thought we only needed a good Bolt rifle and shotgun. But my guns are dual purpose I hunt with them and they
they protect whats mine and my loved ones. Im not so dumb as to think I stand a chance
should things go wrong with my bolt rifle against the gang bangers or goverment controlled
police force, therefore I wont be out guned. My dpms 308 is a tack driver be it man or
beast It will do its job.
I am almost 100% sure that all the parts that go into the r-25 are standard parts that you can get with a DPMS rifle. All the parts for it are produced at the same plant as the DPMS ones the only diffrence is the camo. And yes i do own one.
sounds to me that the people turning down the AR platform for hunting are just old men complaining and have no interest in furthering the sport of hunting. jthyttin is right, the camo is just for the liberals so that we can shy away from the “evil black gun.” as a hunter, the more guns that we except as hunting rifles the less antis can come down on them as “assault rifles” which only stregthens our second amdnt right. there is not denying that the AR platform is a great gun and has been a proven platform for many years (hence the military adopting it for so many years.) so if the point of hunting is to make a clean kill and to do so one is suggested to have a reliable gun to make that clean kill. why not should be the question. now yes 15k is a steep price to pay and i am sure within time the price will go down however i have no idea what rick gambetta was talking about with the “remington quality has gone down hill” comment. remington has been and as far as i am i know a leader in quality firearms. (again such as the Model 700 being used by the military as their M4 sniper rifle.) sounds like they are on a role with with some pretty reliable guns to me… well those are my thoughts and i welcome others.
I don’t understand how someone can make a negative comment about a gun that they have not seen or shot! Shoot an R25 and then tell me you don’t like it!! Yes 1,500 bucks is a lot of cash but there hand guns that cost more and do less. I too own 2 model 700’s one in 270 and one in 30-06 and love them both. Personaly I like the AR style and also own 2 AR 15’s in 223, does the R25 compare? Somewhat but I’ve got over 3k in one. Talk to you’er local gun store owner and ask him how long its been since he sold a “DEER RIFLE”. People want AR style guns weather we like it or not thats just what sells, so I can see why remington made this move. Thankyou.
Iam an old school deer hunter who also happens to like all types of guns .
I own several Reminton 700s in many calibers.Just in the last few weeks did I purchase my new R25 in 308 and this past saturday put some meat in the freezer . The R25 is a true huntig rifle in every respect. It just happens to be on an AR platform. I wish this rile had been on the market years ago its a shame that we have to defend such a masterpiece to the liberal mainstream.I belive still that a gun has no intent only it user does. Thanks .
A 1500 USD AR-10 that can be exported also to Europe is GREAT news.
Because of the the camo color and lack of flash hider these R25 rifles can be sold in Finland where I live. Finnish laws could deal with black color, telestock, flash hiders etc. but US export regulations can not.
I do not think R25 is expensive as it costs the same as a Tikka T3 Varmint here.
With a 16 / 18″ brl and m4 style stock, I’d be on board. Guess I’ll just wait.