Tactical Rifles Tactical Para Rifle

At Tactical Rifles their slogan is, “It’s not simply work, it’s a life long passion.” Says David B. Rooney, of Tactical Rifles: “From start to finish, all who handle our tactical rifles throughout assembly do so treating them as their own. Whether it’s a law enforcement or military operator, or a private customer, he or she will derive many years of reliable service of the highest order. The rifle will perform first and every time.”

For its custom precision rifles, Tactical Rifles (TR) uses the Remington Model 700 action unless otherwise specified. However, the action is completely gone through to assure precise alignment of bolt, receiver and barrel. Starting with Krieger hand-lapped barrel blanks, Tactical Rifles cuts the threads, match reams the chamber, and then turns a #7 contour as standard. However, other contours and fluting are optional, but TR prefers keeping weight reduction minimal to reduce the possibility of stress. Also standard is the AI stock designed by the late Malcolm Cooper. Consisting of a solid aluminum chassis, the AI stock has almost indestructible side panels that are painted to the customer’s specifications. A 5-round, or the new capacity 10-round, detachable box magazine (DBM) locks into an aluminum block in the stock. This high grade magazine is of the double column type with a single position feed for optimum reliability. The single position feed lips do not release the cartridge until it has partially entered the chamber, making it a controlled feed.


Available in either folding or fixed Tactical Long Range versions, the AI stock uses an integral pistol grip/thumbhole. For those who prefer a more conventional stock, McMillan Fiberglass stocks can be substituted on the model TR. For ease and speed of manipulation, the round bolt knob is removed and a conical knob is screwed on much like that first introduced on a rifle by Steyr 20 years ago. The factory trigger system is also removed and replaced by one of several aftermarket match triggers. The one TR prefers is the Shilen match trigger.

David Rooney reports that the goal of Tactical Rifles is to provide a rifle that can get 1/2 minute of angle (MOA) accuracy with any quality factory match ammunition rather than with tailored handloads. Each TR rifle comes with a certified 1/2 MOA or better test target. However, TR has a strict break-in procedure it recommends for its rifles. This amounts to thoroughly cleaning and removing all copper fouling from the bore after every round for the first ten rounds fired, and then after every five rounds for at least the next 40 rounds. For this, Tactical Rifles recommends Sweet’s 762 Copper Remover.

The caliber that remains most popular with TR is the .308 Winchester, but another model is the M40-223. Also popular is the Tactical LR in .300 WSM that offers a flatter trajectory than the .308 at 1,000 yards using the same bullet. The .300 WSM works flawlessly in the 700 action with TR’s single column DBM. Recently I received a sample Tactical Para Rifle in .308 Win from Tactical Rifles for a test. This Tactical Para (TP) came with the OD green folding stock that, all things considered, may be one of the finest stocks of its kind ever made. Stock features include an adjustable cheekpiece and butt, ambidextrous sling mounts, a rail on the bottom for a hand rest, and a stud for a Parker-Hale bipod. With a positive lock-up this stock has it all almost.

Instead of the 26-inch barrel of  Tactical Rifles Tactical Long Range Rifle, the Para comes with a 20-incher that’s ideal for urban use and suitable on out to 500 yards or so. While the barrel and other metal parts can also be had in an OD green finish, this one was matte black. The barrel’s #7 contour left its muzzle with a diameter of 0.85 of an inch, and it had a recessed target crown.


My sample Tactical Para rifle came with a M1913 Mil-Std extended rail base (often referred to as a “Picatinny” rail) as standard on its receiver, but came without a scope. For optics I mounted a Springfield 6- 20x56mm Government Model using the ARMS #22M 30mm ThrowLever rings. I have used this excellent scope for years on a variety of test rifles, and as good as it is, Springfield has now totally redesigned and improved its entire scope line. Although I was able to examine and test a number of these new Springfield scopes before I wrote this, I was not able to get one in time for the Tactical Para. Springfield’s new scope line will offer a variety of sizes and reticles, and will retain the internal leveler that Springfield made famous.

Where the true M1913 rail is concerned, there are no rings finer than the ARMS ThrowLever rings, in my opinion, but if you want a logical reason, it’s that the rail and mounts were designed together. If your rail is not a true M1913 (or close enough), the ARMS rings probably won’t work, and copies of them may only ruin, or cause excessive wear on your rail. As with anything that has threads, mounts with hex nuts require a threadlocking compound to stay put, and if removed, may or may not return to zero.

Returning to zero is important where a scope must be removed in order to use a night vision device (NVD), and if you’re a military/police operator, you probably know how important this is. Mounting Solutions Plus now offers an M1913 extension rail called the MOAPAL. Made of 4140 steel, the MSP rail uses ARMS ThrowLevers to lock onto a receiver M1913 rail bringing the mounting surface above and beyond the factory rail. This easily accommodates a vast variety of eye relief needs common to NVDs.