Remington fields a classic: .22 sporter

Guns Magazine, March, 2004 by Holt Bodinson

Crisp autumn mornings, "twenty-twos," and hardwood ridges full of squirrels simply go together. Holding Remington's new .22 bolt action classic sporter in your hands and hunting with its lead designer, Jeff Slone, just adds a bit of spice to the whole scene.

We haven't seen a .22 bolt action sporter in Remington's rimfire lineup since 1998 when its much sought after Model 541-T was discontinued. Their new Model 504 was worth the wait. It is a classic and classy rimfire sporter in every sense of the word.

Unveiled at Remington's New Product Seminar held at West Virginia's beautiful 4,100 acre Glade Springs Resort. the Model 504 proved to be the high point of the program. Designed and put into full production in less than two years, the appearance of a new .22 sporter caught everyone in the audience off-guard.

The abbreviated time time inception to production is once again proving the strategic value of Remington's R&D Technical Center in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where firearm and ammunition engineers have created other advanced designs. Examples include the recent Model 579; the value priced Model 710 (now in 7mm Rein. Mag and .300 Win. Mag.): and Model 673 (now in 6.5 Rem. Mag.). The Elizabethtown facility is Remington's hotbed of synergistic design, and Remington's President, Tommy Millner, promised us, "You haven't seen anything, yet!"

First Look

When you first see a Model 504, your overall impression is that it's done in the American classic style. In tact, the stock of the Model 504 very much reminds me of another Remington, the Model 700 "Classic." The walnut stock is made without a check piece and is very straight with a drop at the comb of 1.125 inches and at the heel, 1.25 inches--perfect for scope sights since this model carries no iron sights.

There is no forearm tip, but there is a stylized grip cap. The forearm is nicely rounded and the use of a flush fitting, six-round, metal magazine keeps the bottom line clean and uncluttered. The pleasing diamond checkering patterns are sharp and cleanly cut on the pistol grip and forearm. The butt is fitted with a slim rubber pad. The walnut is finished in a low luster that blends well with !he satin blued finish of the metalwork.

With a length of pull of 13.75 inches, the Model 504 was designed for the adult shooting chin. More importantly, the stock is nicely proportioned and feels good in the hands. The Model 504 is a quick-pointing and fast handling little rimfire.

Here's Where It Gets Interesting

The action of the Model 504 is completely new and quite a departure from the Model 541-S and T that featured a rear locking bolt with 6 lugs. For ease of manufacture the action body is tubular in form like that of the Model 700. What is impressive are the massive .300 inch thick action walls. providing valuable accuracy enhancing rigidity, strength, and bedding contact. In fact, while the first year's production will be focused on the .22 rimfire, Remington envisions this action design as the basic platform for future offerings in .22 Win. Mag., .17 HMR, and even small centeffire cartridges like the .22 Hornet.

Another radical departure from earlier Remington .22s is the method of barrel attachment. Taking a page from the book of the finest rimfire match rifles, Remington has eliminated the threaded barrel shank.

The unthreaded shank of the Model 504 is a slip fit into the receiver ring and is secured by a cross bolt, called a "clamp screw." The bottom of the receiver ring is split and tightening the clamp screw to a specified torque secures the receiver ring to the shank. This permits the factory to precisely center the barrel to the action and to set minimum headspace, which is so important to rimfire accuracy.

Once headspace is established, a small set screw is installed from the side of the receiver ring In permanently index the barrel shank. The barrel shank also features a key slot at the 6 o'clock position that insures that the double extractor cuts are indexed and aligned with the dual extractors of the bolt.

Remington states that this, "unique barrel clamp and set screw design allows retrofitting and customization without sacrificing strength." Indeed it will. What you have here is a design that will facilitate changing barrels and calibers with a minimum of tools and effort. I expect we will see a whole cottage industry spring up around the Model 504, offering a plethora of re-barreling options in the future.

I mentioned that the Model 504 lacks open sights. In their place is a receiver that is drilled and tapped for Weaver-style bases. In fact, for the first production year, a set of steel bases will be shipped with each rifle.

Shout From The Rooftops

Gone is the lawyer's trigger! I couldn't believe it. Old times are not forgotten. The Model 504 trigger is fully adjustable for sear engagement, pull weight and overtravel by, "Authorized Repair Centers."

Trigger pull weight from the factory will be set at 3.5 to 4 pounds, but it is adjustable down to 2 pounds. Sear engagement can be fine tuned to .010", but then a slop screw stops you. Lock time on the new action is very short. A rocking two-position safety positively returns the trigger under the sear when moved from fire to sate.