The well-executed checkering wraps almost completely around the fore-end and forms a sort of lightning bolt pattern.

The fore-end has a nice taper as it moves toward the fore-end cap. Again, like the pistol grip, the checkering pattern is more than generous and surrounds the fore-end of the rifle in almost a lighting bolt pattern. There is a black fore-end tip to add a custom look, and a sling swivel is mounted directly behind this tip for field carry.

Looking at the action, you'll note that the Model Seven gets its looks and design features from its big brother, the Model 700. Remington's famous "three-rings-of-steel" surrounds the cartridge case and includes the bolt face, barrel and receiver for additional strength.

The receiver is cylindrical in design, saving machining costs and at the same time providing a more positive area for precise bedding within the stock.

On the bolt face itself, you find a spring-type plunger for ejection and the typical blade extractor. Twin opposed locking lugs secure the bolt to the breech, and on the right lug an anti-bind guide has been machine in for smooth operation. The bolt is jeweled for appearance, the bolt knob is checkered, and since the bolt does not ride on the magazine follower, a slight tip of the gun allows the bolt to move easily within the receiver.

A cousin of the .17 Mach IV, the new Remington .17 Fireball has a small case capacity, which is going to make it economical to reload.

The bolt release is located forward of the trigger; pressing it upward allows the bolt to be pulled out of the gun. For field use, the trigger might seem a bit heavy, breaking at five pounds, which can be toned down a bit by your local gunsmith. Magazine capacity is four rounds.

The receiver is drilled and tapped, to which I added a Leupold 2.5-8x36 scope. The metal on the gun is done with a satin finish, and the one-piece Burris base, Leupold rings and the scope complemented all this perfectly.

The .17 Remington Fireball is a new addition to the Remington line and closely duplicates the .17 Mark IV cartridge in all respects except velocity. With my Cooper rifle chambered in the Mark IV, I can handload to around 3,500 fps with a 19-grain bullet with good accuracy and no pressure signs.

Remington says its newborn will do 4,000 fps with a 20-grain projectile, and considering the fact that you can be your own spotter (there is insignificant muzzle lift), this could become a popular small game rifle.

ACCRUACY RESULTS: MODEL SEVEN FIREBALL
.17 Fireball Load	BULLET WEIGHT (gr.)	AVG. VELOCITY (fps)	AVG. GROUP (in.)
Remington AccuTip	20	3,805	0.75*
Remington AccuTip	20	3,805	1.00*
*three-shot groups **five-shot groups Notes: Velocity recorded 10 feet from the muzzle with Ohler Chronograph. Accuracy tested off a benchrest.

It could make a great trainer, too, because it's recoil is nothing. Consider that in an 81⁄2-pound rifle , the .22-250 Remington develops around 7.5 pounds of recoil energy and the .204 Ruger churns up 4.3 pounds. The .17 Remington Fireball comes in at 1.8 pounds.

The .17 Remington Fireball's design also means less cleaning and longer barrel life than its predecessor, the full-blown and perhaps outdated .17 Remington.

The author never liked Model Seven stocks—until now. The CDL's classic design incorporates a shadow-line cheekpiece and comfortable, inward sweeping pistol grip.

At the range, without a fully broken in barrel and limited to only one brand of ammunition and one bullet weight, the diminutive 20-grain bullet produced 3/4-inch three-shot groups and one-inch five-shot groups at 100 yards.

Over the Oehler Chronotach, velocities averaged 3,805 fps, which is about 200 fps shy of the advertised 4,000 fps. Taken the shorter barrel of the Model Seven into account, adding four more inches could drive up the velocity another 100 fps or so, but that is something to confirm at a later date using the Model 700 version with its longer 24-inch barrel.

All in all, I was very pleased with the rifle, its quality and the fact that Remington again ventured forward and revived a vintage cartridge by dressing it up in a new suit. Maybe the stage is the same, but the scene has certainly changed.