Outwrite Outdoors

The introduction of the Remington® R-25™ is a big step for the outdoor community and the shooting sports industry. The market Remington is going after is the big-game hunting crowd. Nice. Having one of the biggest companies in the industry marketing an AR-platform gun to the big game hunter is just downright cool.

Don’t call it a black rifle
Finished in Mossy Oak® Treestand™ takes the "black" out of this being another "black gun." That is good because this is a hunting rifle. My test gun was chambered in .308 Win, a great choice, and the rifle will also come in .243 and 7mm-08.Based on the AR-10 platform, this rifle is being produced in conjunction with Remington’s partner company DPMS Panther Arms. It comes with a 20" carbon steel, fluted Barrel with a .680" recessed crown muzzle.

Most of the other parts are typical AR stuff. It comes with a four-round magazine to make it legal for hunting in most states. It also accepts any aftermarket AR-10 type magazine.

Is it a Remington?
When I think of a Remington, I think of one word: Accurate. If by nothing else to judge this rifle I could easily call it a Remington. When it found the right ammo, it would plain shoot. The ammo was the key too. We had a pretty good assortment of Remington ammo with us when I started feeding 150-grain Core-Lokt Ultra ammo to the rifle, it would shoot an MOA group without any hassles.

A few gripes
I noticed a couple of small details that some will find acceptable, and some will find hard to deal with.

The trigger is not what I would call great. I pulled it and the gun went "bang," so it does work. Just felt a little creepy to me.

The rail for mounting optics is a little low, but completely usable.

I also think that a recoil pad of some sort is in order for this to be a true hunting rifle. The butt stock of the gun has the rough edge of a tactical firearm. I would also have preferred the adjustable stock that Remington offers on the R-15, but that is a personal preference. And that is the great thing about the AR platform. If I want that kind of stock, I could easily get one and have several choices.

One of the hunting scenarios I was in with this gun was sitting in a box blind waiting for wild hogs to appear. My only issue was that it was hard getting position in that tight box blind. An adjustable stock would have let me get on target quicker. As it was, I ended up stepping out of the blind to shoot.

Hunting time
Remington offered me the opportunity to be one of the first to use this new rifle on game in a hunting scenario last year. Off I flew to the 777 Ranch in Hondo, Texas to get to chase critters and play. They didn’t have to ask twice.

On the first day of the hunt, my guide looked at me and said, "You know, we’re not that far from where there are some terrific sheep." I didn’t need any further prodding. When we got on sheep, they were spooked so I knew I’d be looking for a quick shot. I was looking at one in particular when my guide said to hold off, there was a better one coming. Sure enough an exquisite Texas Dall sheep appeared, and I quickly shouldered the R-25. When I had a clear shot, I took it and the sheep went down in a heap. The rifle was flawless so far.

The next day came, and I was out looking for an axis deer. Axis can be very hard to hunt by spot and stalk. But given the tool I had to work with and the confidence level I had, I was not that concerned. The gun comes up to the shoulder very quickly. I was a touch concerned with the scope being mounted so low, but I could compensate for that.

As it turned out, when we were headed out to a spot to glass for axis, we passed a slough that had some extra bird activity. This can often signal a dead animal, so we needed to investigate. No dead animal, but what we found was much more thrilling. As we scanned the slough, a large axis buck stood from the cover of some thick brush. Again, the R-25 spoke only once, and my tags were both filled. The rest of my trip was spent chasing hogs, and you can guess how that ended.

The Outwrite Truth
Remington has made another great, legendary hunting rifle. It is a fast handling, straight shooting hunting rifle built on a design that has been proven time and time again to take everything that can be thrown at it and keep coming back for more. With all of the options available for these types of rifles, this rifle is one that can be made to fit any hunter and any style of hunting. This is one of the more versatile hunting rifles on the market. Now, all they need to do is find a way to get my wife to let me buy one. A guy can dream, right?