The X-Mark Pro features a mirror-like finish on its internal components, which enhances corrosion resistance and provides an ultraclean feel. From the box, it offers as much as a 40 percent lower out-of-the-box pull weight than the previous Remington trigger design; virtually zero creep; and one of the cleanest, most overtravel-free breaks I've ever felt on any production rifle. It is also fully adjustable for pull weight "by a qualified gunsmith," as Remington states. The trigger pull on my review Model Seven 25th Anniversary Edition was a glass-crisp 3.0 pounds from the factory, which I then set to a rock-solid 2.25 pounds--I like light triggers.

And another great thing about the new Remington trigger system is the fact that it can be retrofitted into any existing Model Seven or Model 700 rifle, right-hand or left-hand, all the way back to their original years of introduction. Remington isn't selling the X-Mark Pro mechanism as an accessory to ordinary customers, but it will be available to certified gunsmiths. And, of course, Remington officially recommends that you send your rifle to an authorized Remington Service location. A nationwide list is available on the Remington website: www.Remington.com.

I'm going to be dropping X-Mark Pro triggers into just about every Model Seven and Model 700 I own, and I've already warned Remington they're probably not going to be able to make enough X-Mark Pro triggers to satisfy demand for several years. The X-Mark Pro is standard equipment for 2008 on select Model Seven and Model 700 rifles, and it will undoubtedly be extended throughout both lines in coming seasons because customers will demand it.

Barrel Lengths
I mentioned earlier that the original versions of the Model Seven had 18.5-inch barrels. I loved them. I could carry one by the pistol grip in one hand without the muzzle dragging the ground with my arm down along my side. Then after a few years, Remington increased the standard-caliber barrel length on the Model Seven line to 20 inches, and when short-action magnum cartridges were added to the Model Seven family, those barrel lengths were standardized at 22 inches, except for the .350 Remington Magnum version, which remains configured at 20 inches with iron sights. I wasn't particularly happy about that, and I've trimmed most of my Model Seven inventory back to the "original" 18.5 inches. I probably won't do that to my 25th Anniversary Edition; it's just too pretty as it is. But I haven't ruled it out yet.

So a word about Model Seven short-barrel accuracy and ballistic performance is in order.

There was a time when carrying a shorter, lighter-weight rifle meant you had to trade something off in comparison to "full-sized" guns, either accuracy, power, or range--or all three. But due to improvements in firearms manufacture quality control and recent advances in ammunition propellant technology, current lightweight short-barrel rifles can now fire cartridges with every bit as much performance as the biggest, longest, and heaviest guns. Short rifles are easier to carry and handle; they are faster, more maneuverable, and more accurate across the board than their longer counterparts.