Remington 504

[Eagle Eye]

Has anyone seen one yet?  It is a new model bolt action rimfire that looks (from the pictures) a lot like a Ruger 77/22.

[Bullseye]

Looks nice in the pictures.  Too pricey for my blood though.

[PAndy]

I was at two different Gander Mountain stores that had them this past few weeks.  They were charging a hefty $709 but that will come down.

[Bullseye]

That is a whole $1 off suggested retail!!!!!  It is refreshing to see that Remington advertised a gun as available in 2004 and it is actually available in early 2004.  Unlike the Contender G2, Ruger Gold Label, Marlin 1894FG, etc........

[theoldman]

I'm a Remington fan from way back and glad to see that they have began to Make another  bolt action. At twice the price of my CZ's, and I don't think it has any advantage over  the CZ's I don't see a 504 in my near future. Good report in February issue of Shooting Times on the 504.

[jh45gun]

Just saw that report in the shooting times and the accuracy was not that bad but I do not know if it was worth 700 bucks worth. Like it was said the CZ's I am sure suoot as good for a lot less and heck even my Romanian 69 will shoot as good and that is a 80 dollar gun! Jim

[TC Shooter]

Remington had a decent shooting rimfire in the 541 series. The new rifle is the result of the priority of designing and building a rifle as inexpensive as possible.

Unfortunately the new design does not appear to have any performance improvement over the 541 series and is far , far more expensive -  :x Don't see how Remington will sell very many of these?

As far as magazine reviews - I have never read a bad review of any firearm tested.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Saw one last weekend for $599.


And--no---its not worth $600 bones.

[greer]

I recently had a chance to look over a 504 as one came into my shop for a trigger adjustment. I was impressed by the action. Very beefy with a small locking lug in addition to the large lug surface of the bolt handle root. The clamp on barrel may allow the aftermarket barrel makers to jump in with some interesting options. I thought the 20 inch barrel was too light for steady off hand shooting although the stock seemed very well designed. I shot a few groups with it with Wolf match target and it shot fairly well, maybe 3/4" at 50 for an average. That was just one brand of ammo though. The CZ American Classic with $100.00 worth of gunsmithing will be very hard for the rifle to compete with. I do think it is an improvement over the 541-T though.                          greer

[JohnClif]

This rifle was introduced because Remington needs a rimfire bolt-action rifle.  Most hunters pick their rifle brand and then stick to it (same as pickups, I guess).  The guy who owns a 700 and is looking for a rimfire as a small game or plinker will give Remington a look even if he doesn't buy it.  But Remington isn't trying to beat out the 10/22.  They're aiming a little higher.

The 540 series was a good .22 rifle, but for whatever reason wasn't a good selling product.  People either went higher, or lower.

Strategically, Remington needs a good bolt action in their lineup to compete with the likes of Kimber and Ruger.  I haven't personally seen this rifle... but I bet it has a fast locktime and a good trigger from the factory which will put it above the Kimber 82 (old model) and the 77/22 (slow locktime and needs aftermarket parts or a gunsmith's attention for a decent trigger).  The 700 action is the most popular action for benchrest and high power silhouette... and the 54x action (541/540/580) was the basis for many rimfire silhouette rifles.  I think that, for marketing purposes, Remington wants to be able to brag about the accuracy of their rimfire line as well as their centerfire line, and this new rifle is the result.

I'm a big fan of the CZ 452 rifle, but although they're made better than Ruger IMO they don't compare in quality to the USRAC 52 or the Kimber.  (I know they cost less.)  The market for high mid-range .22s (and WMRs and HMRs) is pretty hot, and Remington wants a large piece of it.

Only time will tell if it is accurate, and tunable enough to be well-received by shooters.

[Questor]

I read the article too. It looks overpriced for what you get. Looks cheesy too, with that el-cheapo checkering.  The CZ is hard to beat, and they tell you how to adjust the trigger.

I can't understand why people by American rifles. Until they start making guns with good triggers to go along with the good ergonomics, there are better options. I think Savage is waking up to this and perhaps it's just a matter of time before you can buy a good American made rifle at a reasonable price.

[JohnClif]

I can understand why we buy American rifles.

The best rimfire rifles made today are designed in, and made in America.  For the shooter who is willing to spend a little money ($400 and up) the selection of quality rimfires has never been better.  American-made bolt-action rimfire rifles in that price range feature easily adjustable triggers, excellent quality barrels and chambers, ergonomic and attractive walnut stocks... and the high end rifles such as the Kimber and Cooper combine beauty, workmanship, and functionality as never before.

What is missing in the American lineup is a quality bolt-action rifle in the $200-$400 range.  CZ has identified, and filled, this niche nicely with their 452 series.  In fact, I prefer the 452 over the Ruger 77/22 line... I like the trigger, stock design, and workmanship of the CZ over the Ruger.

I will also put up a Winchester 9422 against any foreign-made lever on the market (including the US-designed, Japanese-manufactured Browning) for quality of materials and workmanship.  Certainly the Henry is a distant second to these fine lever guns.

In short, I buy American when I want the best and am willing to spend for it.  We Americans always complain about jobs going offshore, but really the problem is us.  Too many of us aren't willing to spend a little more to buy an American product that is made in America.

[Questor]

Can you give me an example of an American bolt action that can be considered best?  I checked all of the available bolt actions when we shopped for 22s and until you got to Kimber they couldn't even begin to compete with the European guns.  You can get a low-end Anschutz for much less than a Kimber and it's at least as good.  The Rugers simply don't count because they have a bad trigger and a spotty reputation for quality.  I did handle a Remington 541 that was still available, and it was OK, but too heavy (and also out of production at the time.)  

The Marlins, Savages, and perhaps Rugers would be worth considering if they didn't have lawyer triggers.

We just got a Browning Buckmark that I had to send back because the trigger pull was around 10 pounds. Unbelievable.  Good gun, otherwise, but unacceptable because a good trigger pull is an extremely important quality.

America makes plinking guns for a nation of plinkers. That's the reality.

[gunnut69]

At one time the 22 rifle market belonged to the US makers, hose times are gone.  The 540-580 series actions were great and could well have been a pivotal design,  They are gone.  Instead we have the 504 is not rvolutionary and is unfreasonably priced.  For the less money the CZ452 will shoot rings arounfd it.  I've shot at least 5 and their accuracy is amazing.  As for top end rifles the Anschutz are nearly impossible to beat as they are in most high end matches.  The CZ's shoot nearly as well but their triggers are not as good.  The Copies of the M52 are amazing but they seem to lack the intrinsic accuracy of the CZ's but make up for that with the great micromotion trigger.  Also remember the 52 was nearly a $600 rifle.  If your interested in a great shooting sporter on the cheap, look around for an old Winchester M69a.  A simple design but they shoot amazingly well and can usually be found for $175-225.  I advise to not 'buy American', instead buy quality..  unfortunately a rare thing from American arms makers of late.