Inherited a Rem 700 5R Milspec

Squirrlwisper

Private
Minuteman
Jan 9, 2025
15
4
San Angelo TX
A prolific firearms collector(1000s of guns.) Of all types recently passed and I was given a chance to pick 2 firearms. Picked a Sig 716 patrol and the Rem 700 5R. I have shot it a little with a cheaper scope. Deciding on a better than good optics for it. I cleaned it down to metal since it had been shot. It is a precise rifle haveing squeezed one or two 1/2min 5shot groups out of it with hornedy 168gr match. But it's not the most consistant.
My question is how close to a legit M40(exact model?) is it? I don't think it's a world class barrel or anything haha.
 

Attachments

  • 17366192434646567652694154177531.jpg
    17366192434646567652694154177531.jpg
    527.2 KB · Views: 126
I have 3 of them since 2010... A.260 Rem, .308 Win, and .300 WinMag, and the .308 Win is identical to the above rifle. They are shooters. The 5R Milspec is not based on a M40, it's based on a M24. The barrel is an actual M24 barrel that has been turned-down to a Remington Sendero/Varmint contour. Same basic HS Precision stock as the M24, except it doesn't have the adjustments in it like the M24 stock does. An M24 also has a hooded front iron sight installed, and these do not. Other than that, these rifles are treated and assembled by the same smiths as the M24's are, according to a Remington insider I talked to years ago.

First things first, I'd snatch that shitty factory trigger out of it, and put a TriggerTech Special in there. Which is on sale @ EuroOptic for $160.


As for scopes, you can get by with much cheaper optics these days, that will do an excellent job for a rifle that you don't shoot all the time. My suggestion is this... Get an EGW HD 20MOA base, get some ARC M-Brace 34mm rings (Low height), and then order a DNT 7-35x56 scope from @gr8fuldoug over at CamerLandNY. This will be a relatively inexpensive setup, but will be an excellent setup. Don't let the price of the DNT scopes fool you, they are excellent for the money. We even have a whole thread about them in the optics section.

 
Last edited:
I have 3 of them since 2010... A.260 Rem, .308 Win, and .300 WinMag, and the .308 Win is identical to the above rifle. They are shooters. The 5R Milspec is not based on a M40, it's based on a M24. The barrel is an actual M24 barrel that has been turned-down to a Remington Sendero/Varmint contour. Same basic HS Precision stock as the M24, except it doesn't have the adjustments in it like the M24 stock does. An M24 also has a hooded front iron sight installed, and these do not. Other than that, these rifles are treated and assembled by the same smiths as the M24's are, according to a Remington insider I talked to years ago.

First things first, I'd snatch that shitty factory trigger out of it, and put a TriggerTech Special in there. Which is on sale @ EuroOptic for $160.


As for scopes, you can get by with much cheaper optics these days, that will do an excellent job for a rifle that you don't shoot all the time. My suggestion is this... Get an EGW HD 20MOA base, get some ARC M-Brace 34mm rings (Low height), and then order a DNT 7-35x56 scope from @gr8fuldoug over at CamerLandNY. This will be a relatively inexpensive setup, but will be an excellent setup. Don't let the price of the DNT scopes fool you, they are excellent for the money. We even have a whole thread about them in the optics section.

I did actually get a trigger tech standard for it already ha. It's VERY nice at just under 2 lbs. Feels like less honestly.
Not really into FFP and 34mm tube's. Unless I'm shooting benchrest i don't really need 35x mag. Lose my sight pic at that power too severely and Exit pupil No offense i just have a spasific taste. Got a Steiner Predator 4 2.5-10x42mm on the cheap for Sauer 100 classic in .308 and fell in love with it. so finding a used like new H6Xi would be nice. That type of FFP ret i actually like. Or a more obscure and cheaper Kite B6 LR with 23c Ret. Those are both 3-18x50mm. Largest i would go is 5-25x56mm.
 
The 5r rifle was just a marketing deal. There is nothing about it and the m40 that are similar except the action, and the m40 action is gone over by smiths at Quantico. The barrel on a 5r shares same rifling profile and tw of the m24, but it's not the same barrel blank or quality of blank that rem used in the custom shop on m24 builds. I can't remember all the exact parts, but 15ish yrs ago when the 5r came out, it was debunked quickly that "it uses same barrel as m24" that rumor mill on the web started. They shoot fine for a factory gun, nothing more or less. I had a 5r when it originally came out, shot ok till it got warm. The bore center was .040+ off from OD, it got swapped to a real 5r from bartlien. I had a lowly aac tac 308 rem that shot better than the 5r, after I put it in an AI chassis.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Basic user
I too once had a 5R in .308. It was as stupidly accurate as just about anything I've ever owned...but had the quirk of only shooting well if the bore had a decent amount of fouling.

The 5R doesn't share much with the M24 as far as who assembles it. Remington Defense is a separate entity within Remington...so the rifles aren't assembled on the same line. However, the steel, rifling, and general receiver quality (if you want to call it that) are the same.

There was once a great video on YouTube where the host went inside Remington defense. I think James Yeager did one as well at one point before his channel was nuked.

Unfortunately now, all I could find was a quick snippet from some guy who is too far up the ladder to be hands on in the processes.

 
The 5r rifle was just a marketing deal. There is nothing about it and the m40 that are similar except the action, and the m40 action is gone over by smiths at Quantico. The barrel on a 5r shares same rifling profile and tw of the m24, but it's not the same barrel blank or quality of blank that rem used in the custom shop on m24 builds. I can't remember all the exact parts, but 15ish yrs ago when the 5r came out, it was debunked quickly that "it uses same barrel as m24" that rumor mill on the web started. They shoot fine for a factory gun, nothing more or less. I had a 5r when it originally came out, shot ok till it got warm. The bore center was .040+ off from OD, it got swapped to a real 5r from bartlien. I had a lowly aac tac 308 rem that shot better than the 5r, after I put it in an AI chassis.
THIS is what I figured. There was just no way a 1200$ rifle would be close to a 5k+ rifle. If I'm not mistaken the real thing(barrel) has to put 10shots under .40in center to center at 100yrds to Pass?
 
THIS is what I figured. There was just no way a 1200$ rifle would be close to a 5k+ rifle. If I'm not mistaken the real thing(barrel) has to put 10shots under .40in center to center at 100yrds to Pass?

No. More like 1 MOA...but typically they shoot better.

The M24 was a good upgrade from the M21, but it was not the cutting edge for rifle accuracy.

I say this owning an M24 as well. Sadly my commercial 5R was actually more consistent (as long as the bore was fouled in).
 
  • Like
Reactions: FuhQ
The 5r rifle was just a marketing deal. There is nothing about it and the m40 that are similar except the action, and the m40 action is gone over by smiths at Quantico. The barrel on a 5r shares same rifling profile and tw of the m24, but it's not the same barrel blank or quality of blank that rem used in the custom shop on m24 builds. I can't remember all the exact parts, but 15ish yrs ago when the 5r came out, it was debunked quickly that "it uses same barrel as m24" that rumor mill on the web started. They shoot fine for a factory gun, nothing more or less. I had a 5r when it originally came out, shot ok till it got warm. The bore center was .040+ off from OD, it got swapped to a real 5r from bartlien. I had a lowly aac tac 308 rem that shot better than the 5r, after I put it in an AI chassis.
It is the same barrels and blanks as the M24, dude. All factory barrels are hit-or-miss. Your AAC might have shot better than your 5R...Luck of the draw with factory built rifles. I've had factory ADL sporter barrels that shot 3/4 MOA with handloads, and some CDL barrels that couldn't shoot 2.5" groups to save its life.

Also, "real 5R barrels" were originally built and designed by Boots Obermeyer. Eventually Remington started producing their own CHF 5R barrels for the M24's...Which is what they used in the 5R Milspec, and what they still use today in the M24 rifles.


Screenshot 2025-01-12 at 2.32.41 PM.png
 
My 5r milspec has been one of my favorite guns. I will never get rid of it. It’s been stupid accurate from day one. I did put mine in a manners t4a.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7712.png
    IMG_7712.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 20
  • IMG_7715.png
    IMG_7715.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 19
  • IMG_7714.png
    IMG_7714.png
    1,001.9 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG_7710.png
    IMG_7710.png
    1.3 MB · Views: 18
  • IMG_7711.png
    IMG_7711.png
    859.3 KB · Views: 21
  • IMG_7444.jpeg
    IMG_7444.jpeg
    435.8 KB · Views: 25
  • IMG_6881.png
    IMG_6881.png
    1.9 MB · Views: 25
  • Like
Reactions: Squirrlwisper