Remington Sendero .338 Ultra Mag
Excellent
Remington Sendero .338 Ultra Mag article Dave Anderson writes for Gun Magazine [ QUOTE ]
Would you like to have a rifle capable of consistently hitting a silver dollar at 300 yards? Big deal, you say, plenty of varmint rifles in .22-250 or .220 Swift can do that. How about one capable of hitting a silver dollar at 300 yards -- with 3,000 ft./lbs. of energy? That's more energy than a .30-'06 develops at the muzzle. If you feel you need such a combination of accuracy and power, Remington has the equipment that can provide it -- the Sendero in .338 Rem. Ultra Mag.
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In 1994, when it became evident that beanfield rifles were more than just a fad, Remington developed the Sendero rifle. Eddie Stevenson, an executive with Remington, commented "with the success of our Model 700 Varmint models, we saw need for an extremely accurate, long-range magnum offering."
It would have been easy for Remington to screw a heavy barrel into their 700 action, bolt on a molded plastic stock, and let it go at that. To their credit, Remington didn't take the easy way.
Take the stock, for example. Stevenson noted, "The model 700 Sendero stock is manufactured for Remington by H.S. Precision. It features a full-length aluminum bedding block that runs the full length of the action." This strong, rigid bedding block supports and stiffens the action.
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Sendero barrels are made by hammer forging. </font>On the standard Sendero, the 26' heavy barrel brings total rifle weight to 9 lbs. The Stainless Fluted model is longitudinally fluted to cut weight by half a pound while sacrificing little in terms of rigidity. The flutes also increase barrel surface area to enhance barrel cooling.
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Though Remington says Sendero barrels are standard production and not specially selected, the chambers are cut to minimum dimensions. </font> Measuring fired .338 Ultra Mag cases with a micrometer indicated minimal expansion over unfired cases. Muzzles of the Sendero barrels are given a precision concave crown.
The 700 action has a fine reputation for accuracy. It is strong, rigid and symmetrical; its cylindrical receiver has a greater bedding area and is easier to consistently fit to the stock than a flat-bottomed action. Modern manufacturing techniques have made parts more precise.
According to Stevenson, <font color="red">
"Even though Model 700 Senderos are factory production grades, special attention is paid during the production process to ensure proper receiver-to-stock bedding fit and proper torquing of the action screws." </font>
The increased rigidity provided by the bedding block in the stock is undoubtedly an important factor. Although the 700 is a stiff action, it isn't as rigid as a modern bench rest action. The magazine well opening further reduces rigidity. Bolting the action tightly to the solid aluminum block greatly increases the ability of the receiver to consistently support the heavy, free-floating barrel.
Other components of Model 700 accuracy include a fast lock time and a good trigger. According to Stevenson, on Sendero rifles<font color="red">
"special attention is paid at the factory to insure the triggers are set at 3.5 pounds with a crisp clean break." </font>
Maybe so, but someone must have misread the scale. The trigger break on our rifle was consistent and clean enough, with minimal overtravel, but weight of pull was two ounces over six pounds.
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Has the Short Mag Fad changed the market so much that the following is no longer true?
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"with the success of our Model 700 Varmint models, we saw need for an extremely accurate, long-range magnum offering." </font>
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