Why no 5mm Remington Rifles?

[35remington]

If it can't match the accuracy of the Hornet in any kind of wind, and doesn't have the steam (nowhere close, frankly), then it's accurate to say performance of the 5mm is poor. It wouldn't be a 200 yard round, certainly. Nor is the 17, so many would not consider it an improvement. A bullet light enough for good speed in the 5mm would be no improvement in B.C. over what the 17 offers, and the 17's BC is no better than .22 long rifle ballpark (.130). 0.130 isn't good, quite honestly.

Low priced 5mm isn't likely. Noticeably higher pricing than the .17 or .22 magnum is. Even these are hardly cheap. A small increase in performance for substantially increased cost is probably what would occur with any revamp of the 5mm.

Look at it this way:

If the 5mm was such an obvious winner, and production and pricing as well as performance limitations were so easily overcome, someone would have tried it again by now.

So certain of high speed salability of subcalibers were some marketers that the 17HM2 was introduced shortly after the 17HMR......and flopped big time.

My guess is that the people that take the risks figure the longer range rimfire market is now saturated, and the 5mm isn't enough of an improvement to warrant the effort and the substantial cost of failure.

Time will or will not prove me wrong, but a resurgent 5mm rimfire isn't a safe bet for those that take the marketing risks.

[475BH]

G2 Contender barrel, 5MM REM MAG, Blued 23", No Sights, #4198

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/g2Contender.php

[vh2q]

This is an old but interesting thread. Centurion (Aguila) makes 5mm RM ammo and I can tell you it is murder on ground squirrels way beyond 22LR and somewhat beyond 22 WMR distances. The problem is now the price of the rifles has shot up! And while the action may be good, the stock is plain ugly and the cheesy plastic rib/sights on the barrel detracts from the rifle. Rechambering a 22 to this caliber is problematic due to the case head size and the (much) higher pressure which calls for complete enclosure of the case head, i.e. the standard extractor mechanism on most 22s is problematic. As a single shot fan, I found an avenue which worked for me (but it would be expensive for someone who can't do his own lathe work): the old Stevens 44 in 25 RF has a case head size close enough that a rebarrel works without any changes to the action. Just fit the extractor with care to the new barrel (Green mountain has/had some stainless blanks). Since this is a 'take down' and the firearm is somewhat collectible, you can preserve the old barrel. I put a "leatherwood" target scope on mine again this does not require any drilling of the action. It shoots better than any rimfire I have owned incl the 591 I sold. As in 1/2 moa. The only drawback is I copied the original stout barrel contour and the rifle is not light by any stretch. I considered doing the same to a Favorite 25RF for a lighter rifle but the barrel-to-action fit can be a bit wobbly on those. If you wanted to go that route, I would advise getting a 1915 model not the 1898, then threading the action and the barrel to get a more solid setup. Also replacing the action screws and pins with modern replacements made from drill rod as the 5mm is more than 2x the pressure of the 22lr and the action pins will not take the pounding.