The free-floated 20-inch barrel is fluted, and it's a handy length for a hunting AR. The muzzle sports a recessed crown.

In Texas, I also had the chance to do some range testing with the R-25. Accuracy results are shown in the accompanying table and should prove to even the biggest Doubting Thomases that AR-style rifles can hold their own in the precision department.

The straight stock, combined with the low-mounted Leupold Mark 2 scope, put my head in the perfect position, one of the best setups I've seen on any hunting rifle. And as I mentioned, there are plenty of rail slots to allow you to get the right amount of eye relief.

Up until that trip, I'd never spent much time firing an AR from a benchrest, and I discovered I really liked the pistol grip because it puts the trigger finger in the perfect position for traveling straight to the rear, allowing you to break better shots.

Unfortunately, while the R-25's trigger is described in the literature as a "crisp single stage," I found it to be anything but. It has a long, creepy pull, which takes some getting used to at the bench, although in the field it was no problem.

During function firing I experienced a few instances where the bolt failed to lock back after the last round was fired. And with Federal 165-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, the rifle failed to feed about a third of the time--and it wouldn't group this ammo at all, for some reason--but there were no feeding issues with the other brands I tested.

At the conclusion of my range testing, I rapid-fired about 100 rounds of various ammo (except the Federal) with the butt placed firmly in my shoulder; with a loose grip; and off the shoulder holding just the fore-end and the pistol grip. The rifle was not cleaned or lubricated during any of this. There were no failures to feed or eject, although after the session I found the charging handle a little balky and hard to draw to the rear.

As a big game hunting rifle, the AR platform does have a few inherent disadvantages, at least for someone like me who's not used to using one for this purpose. There's nothing Remington can do about how an AR carries or the inability to close the action quietly, and there's nothing the firm can do about the weight--nothing economical, at any rate. But there are some improvements the company could make.

My number one complaint is the number of sharp angles on the rifle. The R-25's hard plastic buttplate has the standard sharp diamond-grip pattern, and Remington would do well to consider a softer, nonskid rubber-type pad--although not necessarily a full-blown recoil pad, which wouldn't be necessary.

I'd also cashier the boxy forward assist housing in favor of something rounder and sleeker like the one on the R-15 (the R-15's upper is made by Bushmaster, the R-25's by DPMS).

The R-25 is designed to accept all .308-capable AR magazines, and a four-round steel-box mag comes with the rifle. Frankly, I'd rather see Remington or one of its sister companies develop a polymer magazine for it, which would work just as well but would eliminate the sharp edges and corners of the steel magazine and be lighter to boot. Alternately, some sort of rubber or polymer baseplate cover or bumper would also make the magazine a little friendlier.

Last, I'd like to see a better trigger on the rifle. As I mentioned, I had no problems with the trigger in field situations, but it's not a lot of fun at the bench. If I had my druthers, it would be a two-stage affair.