The Remington Model Seven Rifle makes a nifty, thrifty, and swift little hunting set-up.
I squeezed off shot #3, and it made a tight cloverleaf on my target. And then I got nervous, knowing what had happened too many times before: three rounds downrange, a half-inch group, and then I start pulling shots.
I was testing the new Remington Model Seven rifle in the Mossy Oak Bottomland finish, topped with Trijicon’s new Huron 2.5-10×40 rifle scope. My ammunition for this phase of my shooting was Federal Premium Vital Shok .308 Win., launching a 168-grain Trophy Copper bullet. I shot from a rest at my outdoor range, my target set up at 100 yards.
Remington Model Seven Review
Shooting the Remington Model Seven
I opened the bolt on the rifle to let in the 20-degree Fahrenheit Wisconsin air, and took a short walk to ease my nerves. From there, I got back behind the rifle, did some slow breathing exercises, and took my next shot. It touched the holes left by the previous three bullets!
And Shot #5? I pulled it. A little. But the whole group still came in at just .97-inches, with my first four shots an outstanding .44-inches.
One accurate little rifle, I decided, this Model Seven Bottomland, and a great option for the hunter. Yet, the Model Seven is also a rifle line that’s generally been ignored.
A Gun Long In Production
Remington launched the Model Seven line in 1983. It was made and marketed as a more compact option to Remington’s flagship Model 700 bolt. It is roughly 2.5-inches shorter than a standard 700, and Remington sells some of these smallish rifles every year, keeps coming out with different versions.
Yet, I rarely see the rifle reviewed in the shooting and outdoor media. And, while it’s admittedly a small empirical sample, I do travel around the country rather extensively on hunts and shooting events; and, I have never seen someone with a Model Seven.
Model 700’s? All over the country.
However, if you hunt from a tree stand or an enclosed blind, need a gun for close-in hunting in thick country and/or want a nimble truck gun? You should take a serious look at a Model Seven Bottomland with its 16.5-inch barrel.
My Set-Up
For my shooting with the Model Seven Bottomland model, I also used .308 Win hunting ammunition from Dynamic Research Technologies (DRT) , with their 175-grain frangible bullet, and Hornady’s Full Boar firing a 165-grain GMX projectile.
I had no problem getting MOA and SUB-MOA groups with all three brands of ammunition—if I let the rifle cool a bit after the third shot. The slim-profile barrel of the Model Seven Bottomland heats up quickly, and when I fired off five shots too quickly, either (or both) shot #4 or #5 would go .5- to 1.0-inch wide.
On average, the Hornady came in right at 1.00-inch groups for five shots, the DRT at 1.15-inches, and the Federal at .90-inches. Each ammunition brand also pegged .5-inch groups of three and four shots within those five-shot strings.
The Model Seven features Remington’s own X-Mark Pro Trigger. The trigger can be externally adjusted from 3 to 5 pounds of trigger pull with a 1/16” Allen wrench. However, my Lyman Electronic Digital Trigger Pull Gauge measured the pull on my rifle at a crisp 2 pounds, 7 ounces.
Magazine, Stock, & Recoil
The Model Seven’s internal magazine holds four rounds and features a hinged floor plate. The barrel is factory threaded at 5/8”-24 for a suppressor or muzzle break; a Picatinny rail section mounted atop the receiver makes for easy optics mounting.
As noted, the synthetic stock is finished in Mossy Oak’s popular Bottomland camouflage pattern. Which may strike some as a little dark. But you certainly won’t have to worry about the stock catching the attention of a sharp-eyed deer.
The recoil on the Model Seven was rather snappy. Not a surprise for a rifle that weighs just six pounds, with a short barrel and chambered in .308 Win. The recoil was not terrible; but if I was buying this rifle for a younger shooter or someone a little recoil shy? I’d opt for the 6.5 Creedmoor or 300 BLK chambering, the other two calibers available for the model Seven Bottomland.
All in all? A first-rate and nicely compact hunting rifle.
SPECS: Remington Model Seven Bottomland
- Caliber as tested: .308 Win
- Barrel Length: 16 1/2″
- Twist Rate: 1:10, Right
- Barrel Material: Carbon Steel
- Threaded: 5/8”-24
- Magazine Capacity: 4
- Total Length: 34 1/4″
- Avg. Wt. (Lbs.): 6
- Length of Pull: 13 3/8”
- Drop (Comb): 1 ¼”
- Drop (Heel): 1 ½”
- Barrel Finish: Matte Black
- Stock Material: Synthetic
- Stock Finish: Mossy Oak Bottomland
- Misc.: Rail on Receiver, Push Tang Safety, Super Cell recoil pad.
- MSRP Under $800
