Click pictures for a larger version.

Laminated wood stock.

Excellent set of adjustable aperture/bead sights.

Receiver is drilled and tapped to accept standard Remington 700 scope bases.

Under floorplate is storage for extra primed cases.

The bullet seater tip on the ramrod fits the AccuTip bullets perfectly.

When I was first introduced to Remington's Ultimate Muzzleloader system last Spring at the NRA Show in Indianapolis, I was impressed. I was first impressed by the simplicity of using a brass cartridge case to hold the primer and to seal the breech, and was puzzled that no one had thought of this years before. Muzzle-loading firearms have been around for well over three hundred years, and brass cartridge cases have been around for half that time, yet even modern muzzleloaders have used many different ways of holding the primer to ignite the powder charge, but I have seen none that are as simple, reliable, and as easy to use as this U.M.L. system just introduced by Remington.

Like some other modern muzzleloaders, the 700 U.M.L. uses a bolt-action rifle as the basis for the design. However, instead of employing various breech plug designs that use a shotgun primer to ignite the charge and seal the breech, the Remington design uses what amounts to a stretched 45 ACP cartridge case, or shortened 30-06/308 class case that has a primer pocket cut to accept a large rifle magnum primer. The beauty is that the brass case is easy to handle, easy to reprime, and relatively inexpensive, compared to other proprietary primer-holders utilized in other brands of modern muzzleloading rifles.

The Remington system seals the breech so well that absolutely no powder gasses escape the sealed breech, keeping the action perfectly clean, while allowing the rifle to handle a 200 grain powder charge of black powder, or the equivalent charge of a black powder substitute, such as Triple-Seven or Pyrodex.

Like most any muzzleloader, there are infinite combinations of projectile and powder charges that can be used, but Remington markets the Ultimate Muzzleloader as a system, recommending their AccuTip sabot bullet to be used with pelletized powder charges, and doing so greatly simplifies the loading of a front-stuffer. Remington claims the ability to push their 250 grain bullet to 2400 feet-per-second (fps), using pelletized black powder substitute.

The Model 700 U.M.L. is built primarily of stainless steel, using the proven Model 700 bolt action, mated to a twenty-six inch fluted stainless fifty-caliber barrel. The barrel has a one-in-twenty-six-inch (1:26) right-hand rifling twist. The rifle is available in two versions, with the one shown here wearing a laminated wood stock, and having a very good set of mechanical sights. The other version has no sights, and wears a synthetic stock. The trigger is very crisp, reliable, and user-adjustable. The sample rifle shown here has a trigger which released with right at four pounds of resistance. In addition to the adjustable aperture sight, the receiver is drilled and tapped to accept standard Model 700 scope bases. The rifle has a very sturdy stainless steel ramrod, with a brass bullet-seating tip that is shaped to load the AccuTip bullet without damage to the polymer tip. The AccuTip bullet is a homogenous copper hollowpoint, which I presume is made for Remington by Barnes Bullets, as it is their same excellent design, and Barnes and Remington are owned by the same parent company. The rifle shown here with the laminated stock weighed in at eight and three-quarters pounds. Under the floorplate is storage for three of the primed cases, to keep handy for a quick reload. With any muzzleloader, "quick" is a relative term when it comes to reloading the rifle, but the pelletized powder and primed brass cases make handling the components easier, and thus faster, than measuring loose powder and fumbling with shotgun primers or percussion caps. The saboted bullets are tight, and a bit hard to start down the bore, but once started, they slide smoothly down to the powder charge.

I tested the Model 700 U.M.L. for velocity and accuracy, in addition to observing its handling qualities regarding the operation of a muzzleloading rifle. I checked velocities at a distance of ten feet from the muzzle, using both Pyrodex and Triple-Seven pellets. While I checked velocities with charges from one to four pellets, most of my shooting was done with a full four-pellet charge, as the weapon is advertised to be a 300 yard muzzleloader, with power to take large game, and for that, maximum charges are preferred. The chart below shows the trajectory of the 250 grain AccuTip bullet out to 300 yards, using the actual velocity of 2350 fps achieved at ten feet from the muzzle, using a four-pellet (fifty grains each) charge of Triple-Seven propellant. Velocities were recorded at an elevation of approximately 541 feet above sea level, with temperatures hovering around the seventy-two degree Fahrenheit mark, with a relative humidity of thirty-six percent.

As shown in the chart, with a 150 yard zero, the trajectory shows the bullet is about a foot low at 250 yards, and almost two feet low at 300. One could flatten the trajectory relative to line of sight by setting the zero at 200, but I think that for most hunting situations, the 150 yard zero is a better choice, as it keeps the bullet's path to within about four inches of the line of sight out to 200 yards.

For accuracy testing, I mounted a Trijicon 5 to 20 power AccuPoint scope atop the Model 700 using Trijicon bases and rings. This scope has excellent clarity, as well as generous eye relief, allowing for accurate and comfortable shooting from the bench. Most accuracy testing was done with maximum charges of Pyrodex and Triple-Seven, with the former turning in a slightly better accuracy performance. Both powders shot a bit more accurately using a three-pellet load, but again, this rifle is built and promoted to use maximum loads approaching the power of hot-loaded 45-70 Magnum-class ammunition, and therefore that is the load which I fired for accuracy testing at one-hundred yards, with both types of powder exhibiting good accuracy for hunting at that distance, with the Pyrodex load having the accuracy needed to take game much farther out. The rifle was comfortable to shoot, both standing and from the bench, even with full 200 grain powder charges.

I was very impressed by the cleanliness of this rifle. Even after extended firing sessions exceeding fifty rounds per session, the action remained just as clean as when the rifle was unpacked from the box upon arrival. The brass cases were also perfectly void of any powder residue after firing, both inside and out, proving that the cases were totally sealing the breech upon firing. Likewise, the barrel was easy to keep clean inside. I ran a wet patch down the bore about every ten shots, followed by a dry patch, and the lack of powder residue indicated the most-complete burn of any muzzleloader that I have ever fired, including the smokeless muzzleloader built by Savage a few years ago. The powder residue in the bore was not the reason for the periodic cleaning, but the plastic residue left by the sabot made loading a bit harder after a few firings, but the Remington MZL Bore Cleaner easily removed both the plastic and powder fouling.

With the Model 700 U.M.L., Remington has built what is arguably the best modern muzzleloading rifle to date. It is powerful, accurate, easy-to-load, and one hundred percent reliable. As of the date of this review, the suggested retail price of the Model 700 U.M.L. shown here is $949 US, which is not cheap, and you can pay a lot less for a muzzleloading rifle, but you never regret buying the best.

Check out the extensive line of Remington firearms, ammunition, and accessories online at www.remington.com

Jeff Quinn

Click pictures for a larger version.

UML system uses primed brass cases for ignition.

Brass case used for ignition is basically a stretched 45 ACP case cut for a large rifle primer, or a shortened 308/30-06 class rifle case.

250-grain AccuTip bullet/sabot.

With maximum loads, Pyrodex proved to be more accurate than 777 with the 250-grain AccuTip, in this particular rifle.

Remington Cleaner dissolves powder and sabot fouling. Lubed patches prevent corrosion.

The breech and cases remained clean after over 50 firings, proving that the brass case seals the breech perfectly.