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The Remington Model 700P LTR (Light Tactical Rifle), chambered for .308 Win.,
(also available in .223 Rem. and .300 Rem. SA Ultra Mag) features a slimmed down HS Precision stock to improve portability and reduce weight. The stock
incorporates a full length bedding block with hex-head Allen screws to secure the barreled action, and make the barrel free floating. It also has an extra sling stud at
the front to mount a bipod like the Harris Bipod in the photos. The flutes in the 20"
LTR barrel not only assist in weight reduction and heat dissipation, but are engineered to enhance barrel rigidity for pinpoint accuracy. These special features
plus the excellent Remington trigger make this rifle extremely accurate.
I mounted a Leupold 4.5x14x50AO scope with Mil Dot reticle for testing and evaluation. A Burris one
piece mount with Leupold high rings mounted the scope just off the barrel. One note about the Burris
mount. Burris has engineered the mount so that it sits down into the open top of the action to absorb the
recoil of the rifle. Instead of just the mounting screws holding the recoil, the screws plus a lip on the
bottom of the mount absorbs recoil, making a much stronger mounting system.
The first test I wanted to conduct was to see if good velocities could be obtained from a short 20" barrel. I
loaded three powders at near max loads with Hornady 150 grain spitzers for the first test and got good
results. 48 grains of IMR 4064 produced an average of 2825 fps, 47 grains of H335 produced 2750 fps,
and 48 grains of BLC2 produced 2600 fps. I was hoping to get 2800 fps from the short barreled LTR and
IMR 4064 made the 2800 fps with a little to spare. Accuracy was best with the 4064 putting three shots
into a one-hole clover leaf at 100 yards. The BLC2 and H335 groups went 3/4 to 1". More accuracy testing will be coming soon.
 My next test was with Hornady 150 gn SST InterLock and Nosler/Winchester Combined Technology Ballistic Silver Tip
bullets. Both bullets did well enough for hunting, but the best groups always came with the Hornady bullets. The
Ballistic Silver Tip bullets shot groups in the 1-1 1/4" range(click here), but this would not be good enough for precision shooting this rifle was designed for. The Hornady bullets,
both the spitzer flat base and the SST both shot one hole groups at 100 yards. (click here) Not just once, but four consecutive groups, with different powder charges of IMR 4064 powder.
My target work and hunting will be done with the Hornady 150 grain SST InterLock bullets and IMR 4064
powder. I will shoot 45 grains for target work and up to 47 grains for hunting. (Click here for ballistics table). The SST has a ballistic coefficient of .415, so it retains velocity and shoot pretty flat.
My next test is to try factory ammo. Federal 168 gn match and Hornady Light Magnums.
April 2003 Update
I finally made it back to the range to try a box of Federal 168 grain match ammo in the Remington 700 LTR
. To say the least, I was amazed at the accuracy. I have never had a rifle that shoots this good and with
factory ammo. I may as well sell my press, because I will never be able to beat this with hand loads. I
shot two three shot groups to get warmed up and then a five shot group. I can't even measure the groups.
I would not call them groups, I think it is better to call them three shot holes and five shot holes. Click here to look at the groups, I mean holes. The center group is five shots and the top and bottom are three
shots. The distance is 100 yards and for reference, the center bull is 1/2 inch.
Another plus is that the hunting load I developed using 47.5 grains of IMR4064, Hornady 150 gn SST, and
CCI 250 primer in Winchester cases, shoot to the same point of aim at 100 yards. No scope adjustments when switching from target to hunting ammo!!!!
May 2003 Update
I got back to the range to chronograph the 168 grain Federal Match ammo in the Remington LTR and got
another great surprise. The Federal ammo clocked 2650 FPS from the short barrel of the LTR. I plugged the numbers into the JBM calculator and got the trajectory, energy, and other good data below.
168 grain Federal Match
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Range
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Velocity
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Energy
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Momentum
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Drop
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Windage
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Lead
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Time
|
|
(yards)
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(ft/sec)
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(ft-lbs)
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(lbs-sec)
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(inches)
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(inches)
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(inches)
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(sec)
|
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0
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2656.6
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2632.6
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1.98
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-1.5
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-0.0
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0.0
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0.000
|
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50
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2558.4
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2441.7
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1.91
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1.0
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0.2
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10.1
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0.058
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|
100
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2462.6
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2262.1
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1.84
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2.1
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0.8
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20.6
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0.117
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150
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2369.0
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2093.5
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1.77
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1.8
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1.8
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31.6
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0.179
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|
200
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2277.7
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1935.2
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1.70
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-0.0
|
3.2
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42.9
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0.244
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|
250
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2188.3
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1786.3
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1.63
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-3.5
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5.1
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54.8
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0.311
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|
300
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2100.5
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1645.9
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1.57
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-8.8
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7.5
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67.1
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0.381
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|
350
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2014.8
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1514.2
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1.50
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-16.1
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10.4
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79.9
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0.454
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400
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1931.1
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1391.1
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1.44
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-25.6
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13.8
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93.3
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0.530
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450
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1849.8
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1276.4
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1.38
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-37.4
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17.9
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107.3
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0.609
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500
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1770.9
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1169.8
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1.32
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-51.7
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22.5
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121.9
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0.692
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550
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1694.5
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1071.0
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1.26
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-68.8
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27.8
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137.1
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0.779
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600
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1620.6
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979.7
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1.21
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-88.9
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33.8
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153.0
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0.869
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650
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1549.4
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895.5
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1.16
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-112.3
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40.6
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169.7
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0.964
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700
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1481.4
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818.6
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1.11
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-139.4
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48.1
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187.1
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1.063
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750
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1416.7
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748.7
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1.06
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-170.4
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56.3
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205.3
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1.167
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800
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1355.8
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685.7
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1.01
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-205.7
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65.5
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224.4
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1.275
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Field Test October 2003
Everything seems to be going right with the Remington LTR project, even my hunting luck. My confidence
in the LTR and Hornady bullets grows with every hunt. So far this year I have taken two large hogs and four whitetails, including one 10 point buck, using the LTR. The hunting load for the rifle uses the Hornady
150 grain SST bullet pushed by 47.5 grains of IMR 4064 and a CCI 250 primer, in Winchester cases. The chronographed velocity averages 2840 fps.
Both hogs were boars in the 250 pound range and shot at about 100 yards. The Hornady SST with the InterLock design performed perfectly and completely penetrated the tough pigs, putting them down in their
tracks with shots to the heart lung area.
Likewise, the four deer taken all went down in their tracks with shots through the shoulders. The tack
driving accuracy of this load in the Remington LTR gave me the confidence and ability to actually aim for a
specific spot on the deer's' shoulders to make sure they were not able to run as they usually do when hit
in the lungs. All the deer were shot at ranges between 200 and 225 yards. The Leupold 4.5x14x50 was
zeroed for 200 yards so none of shots required any hold over or use of the mil dots. With this load, the
first mil dot is used at 350 yards. I have never seen any bullet do a better job, completely penetrating with
an exit hole about two inches in diameter. The 150 grain bullet weight seems about optimum for the .308
Winchester. It shoots flat with a .415 ballistic coefficient and performs just as well as any of the so-called premium bullets.
Hornady 150 grain SST bullet @ 2840 fps
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Range
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Velocity
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Energy
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Momentum
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Drop
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Windage
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Lead
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Time
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(yards)
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(ft/sec)
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(ft-lbs)
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(lbs-sec)
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(inches)
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(inches)
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(inches)
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(sec)
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0
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2847.7
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2700.8
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1.90
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-1.5
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-0.0
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0.0
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0.000
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100
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2622.6
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2290.8
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1.75
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2.0
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0.8
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19.3
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0.110
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200
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2409.2
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1933.1
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1.60
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0.5
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3.3
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40.3
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0.229
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300
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2206.8
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1621.9
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1.47
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-7.1
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7.6
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63.2
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0.359
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400
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2013.3
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1350.0
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1.34
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-21.8
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14.1
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88.3
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0.502
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500
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1830.5
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1116.0
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1.22
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-45.1
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23.1
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115.8
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0.658
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This rifle and ammo will be with me for the November Texas deer hunt. Can't wait!!
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