Remington XP-100

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Remington XP-100
Type	Bolt-action pistol
Place of origin	United States of America
Production history
Designed	1963
Manufacturer	Remington
Produced	1963-1998
Variants	XP-100 Varmint Special, XP-100 Silhouette, XP-100 Hunter, XP-100 Custom, XP-100R
Specifications
Barrel length	10.75 or 14.5 in. (273 or 368 mm)

Caliber	.221 Fireball, .22-250 Remington, .223 Remington, .250 Savage, 6 mm BR Remington, 7 mm BR Remington, 7 mm-08 Remington, .308 Winchester, .35 Remington
Action	bolt-action
Effective range	200-300 m
Maximum range	300 m
Sights	Optical scope

The Remington XP-100 (from eXperimental Pistol number 100) is a bolt action pistol produced by Remington Arms from 1963 to 1998. The XP-100 was one of the first handguns designed for long range shooting, and introduced the .221 Fireball, which is still the fastest handgun cartridge ever produced by a major ammunition maker. A decidedly odd looking gun, the XP-100 redefined the meaning of handgun accuracy, and the original XP-100 is still competitive today in the sport of handgun varminting, which it helped create.

1 Description
2 Model history
- 2.1 Model production by year
- 2.2 Caliber production by year
3 References

[edit] Description

The XP-100 was based on a short action bolt action carbine, the Model 600, with a 10 3/4" barrel set into a nylon stock with an unusual center-mounted grip. Chambered in .222 Remington in early prototypes, the case was eventually shortened slightly to reduce powder capacity to a volume more suited to the short barrel of a pistol. The resulting cartridge, the .221 Fireball, produced factory loaded velocities of over 2700 fps from the short barrel, and accuracy rivaling the parent .222 Remington, one of the most accurate cartridges made.

All but the XP-100R model, made in 1998 only, were single shot designs, while the XP-100R had a small internal magazine (holding a four rounds plus one in the chamber) typical to most bolt action rifles.

[edit] Model history

The XP-100 went through a number of changes during its production run, and many variations were only available through the Remington Custom shop. The most significant changes in the later versions were to barrel length, which went to 14 1/2", and the grip location, which was moved to the rear of the stock. The calibers also changed; with the elimination of the original 10 3/4" barrel, the reduced powder capacity was no longer such a requirement, and the chamberings switched to standard commercial rifle cartridges. By the time the XP-100 was discontinued, it faced stiff competition from not only other bolt action pistols, but also the highly versatile Thompson Center Arms Contender.

While the XP-100 have disappeared from Remington's lineup (Remington is primarily a maker of rifles and shotguns), the .221 Fireball still lives on. The Model 700 rifle has been available since 2002 in a .221 Fireball chambering; while it lacks the velocity attainable with the vastly more popular .223 Remington, also a .222 Remgington derivative, the short .221 Fireball delivers most of the performance with far less noise and flash, thanks to its shorter, more efficient cartridge.