Remington goes retro

Guns Magazine, Oct, 2003 by Holt Bodinson

It must have been fascinating to have worked at Remington during the 1960s. It was as if someone at the corporate level said, "Let's throw out the rulebook. Let's try something new. Let's look at some modern materials and contemporary designs." And they did. Innovative, futuristic, even what could be called "radical" firearm designs rolled off the assembly line at a breathtaking pace.

This was the era of the "Nylon" .22s, the XP-100 pistol and the Model 600 and 660 carbines. They even shared some common design motifs. The .22s, XP-100 and the Model 600 all featured the very striking "shark fin" front sight. The XP-100 and the Model 600 shared the same action plus a plastic ventilated rib.

Well, Remington has gone "retro" In a move that is like Ford bringing back the petite Thunderbird, Remington has brought back the Model 600--albeit in a slightly more contemporary form. They've even given it a unique designation--the Model 673.

The "6" stands for the original 600 series. The "7" indicates that the new carbine is built on the type "Seven" action; and the "3" indicates the year of introduction, 2003. Seeing the Model 673's laminated stock, ventilated rib and shark fin front sight for the first time brought back a flood of memories.

Love At First Sight

It was 1970. I was working for the New York State Conservation Department and doing most of my hunting in the Adirondack mountains. In the Adirondacks, the deer are not plentiful and the hunting pressure is light. Yet, it's quite possible to take some great, trophy quality bucks plus black bear there. My rifles of choice at the time were a Model 71 Winchester in .348 Win. and a Sako Finnbear in .338 Win. Mag. Then one day I stopped in at Russ Carpenter's shop in the Mid-Hudson and there in the used gun rack was a Model 600 in .350 Rem. Mag. with a price tag of $150.

If ever there was a controversial rifle, the Model 600 Magnum has to rate close to the top of the list. Gun writers of the day crucified it. "It's ugly." "The dog-leg bolt handle is non-functional." "The bolt release is impossible to reach." "The bottom metal is plastic?" "Who ever heard of putting a ventilated rib on a rifle?" And the most universal gripe of all, "It kicks too much." But to me, it was love at first sight. I had to own it. It cost me a sporterized Springfield plus some boot, but I walked out of there with that Model 600, and to this day, it remains one of my very favorite big game rifles.

To understand the appeal of the new Model 673, let me share with you why I like its predecessor, the Model 600 in .350 Rem. Mag.

A Real Woodsman's Gun

It proved to be an ideal woods rifle--light, handy, well-balanced, powerful, and with its beech and walnut laminated stock, weatherproof and stable. The recoil lug was even epoxy bedded at the factory.

The Model 600's short, slim, free-floated, 18.5-inch barrel was perfect when you had to crawl through dense mats of young hemlock and spruce while tracking a bear in the snow. When it rained or snowed, the little carbine was compact enough to fit under your slicker and to tuck up under your arm. It was very fast to get into action once game was spotted. And the .350 Rem. Mag. cartridge proved time and again to be a magnificent one-shot performer in the field. In fact, last fall I hunted elk with the little Model 600.

Remington initially offered two loadings for their new "short magnum"--a 250-grain Core-Lokt soft point at 2,410 fps and a 200-grain Core-Lokt at 2,775 fps. Those velocities were indeed achievable from the carbine's 18.5 inch barrel. What's more, the accuracy of the Model 600 carbine with its stiff, short action, free floated barrel and epoxy-bedded receiver was remarkable. Even with factory ammunition, the big bore carbine was capable of holding pretty close to a minute-of-angle.

Surprisingly enough, recoil was moderate with both the 200- and 250-grain loadings. So manageable in fact, that my wife bought a Model 660 in .350 Rem. Mag. the following year. If you can handle the 180-grain loading in the .300 Win. Mag., you can certainly manage a .350 Rem. Mag.

I can remember buying only one box of Remington 250-grain factory loads. For Deer, antelope, sheep, caribou, black bear and elk, the 200-grain Core-Lokt, either as handloaded or as factory ammunition, leaves nothing to be desired in terms of terminal performance It puts game animals down with great authority and with a minimum of meat damage. Plus it shoots surprisingly, flat.

Sighted 2 inches high at 100 yards, the 200-grain loading is dead-on at 200 and only 9.5 inches low at 300. If I were pursuing moose or grizzlies, however, there's no question that the little carbine would be stoked with 250-grain loads, and having said that. the Model 600 and 660 Magnums proved extremely popular in the Alaskan bush.

Standard Of Comparison

The ,350 Rem. Mag. has often been described as being nothing more than a .35 Whelen in a short, compact case. Actually, it's a better cartridge on all counts. It operates at a higher pressure than the Whelen and out performs the former wildcat in terms of velocity and energy, even in a shorter barrel, It's simply a grand, medium-bore hunting cartridge that Remington is smart enough to keep in the line and breathe new life into it in au era of short magnums.