Whatever happened to EtronX rifles and ammunition?

tndrfttom · Sep 28, 2016

I was looking at reloading components in online catalogue a while back and noticed they had Remington EtronX Electric Large Rifle primers on sale. I’m aware that Remington marketed a line of electrically-fired rifles for a few years but I never knew anyone that actually owned one let alone reloaded for it. I believe the available calibers were .220 Swift, .22-250 and .243. Other than a “zero” lock time and the ability to use commonly available brass cartridge cases what are the benefits of these electrically-fired cartridges? Has anyone owned one of these rifles and reloaded for it? What were your experiences? Just curious.....

Rule3 · Sep 28, 2016

This article kinda sums it up.

Expensive, poor performance, need a key and the battery was finicky.

Electric Cartridge Primers: Gone But Not Lamented - The Truth About Guns

Didn't they or do that have electronic ignition in some Black Powder rifles or is that gone also?

hdwhit · Sep 28, 2016

Another article on the ExtronX rifles:

Electronic Rifle Revisit | Outdoor Life

I missed it the first time around. It pretty much all came and went while I was re-learning how to walk, talk and sign my name again.

twodog max · Sep 28, 2016

A bad idea that no one was interested in. Remington has had a bunch of those in the past few years. I keep hoping they will snap out of it.

505Gibbs · Sep 28, 2016

A 'solution' in search of a problem!!
It never made a lot of sense so its going the way of the dodo bird.

DWalt · Sep 28, 2016

505Gibbs said:
A 'solution' in search of a problem!!
It never made a lot of sense so its going the way of the dodo bird.

Or to put it more succinctly, the Etronix was the answer to a question no one asked. Electric priming is necessary for some military applications, but not for hunting rifles. I remember thinking at the time - "Do the Remington marketing people really know something that I don't or are they just insane?" Difficult to believe Remington's top management green-lighted this product. Another of the myriad inventions that the world is not quite ready for.

MichiganScott · Sep 29, 2016

twodog max said:
A bad idea that no one was interested in. Remington has had a bunch of those in the past few years. I keep hoping they will snap out of it.

Then, on the other hand, Remington has had several good ideas that they failed to support, like the 6.8 SPC and the .260 Remington.

DWalt · Sep 29, 2016

The 6.8 SPC was and is a good idea, but was developed primarily as a military caliber as a ballistic improvement over the 5.56x45 for use in the M16/M4. But the military for various reasons (most of them sound) was not interested and was "Married in the Vatican" to the 5.56. That wasn't too difficult to anticipate. Had it caught on as a military caliber, its success would have been assured. I'd say that the .260 was never a good idea under any circumstances, as it didn't fill any niche.

Rule3 · Sep 29, 2016

Well without new ideas or innovation where would we be??

So work some do not.

Now if they could perfect hand held Phasers that would be cool!

A dash -2 model

gwpercle · Sep 29, 2016

It went with "New Coke" to the , " Well , it looked good on paper"
storage facility. Good ideas stick ( 1911 Colt) bad ideas just fade away.
Gary

Chuck24 · Sep 29, 2016

Rule3 said:
Well without new ideas or innovation where would we be??

So work some do not.

Now if they could perfect hand held Phasers that would be cool!

A dash -2 model

You sure that's not a DustBuster?

Eddie Southgate · Oct 3, 2016

Same thing that happened to Dardick Trounds , 5 mm rimfire, and Daisey VL .22's . Interesting but who needs them.

Eddie

Eddie Southgate · Oct 3, 2016

DWalt said:
The 6.8 SPC was and is a good idea, but was developed primarily as a military caliber as a ballistic improvement over the 5.56x45 for use in the M16/M4. But the military for various reasons (most of them sound) was not interested and was "Married in the Vatican" to the 5.56. That wasn't too difficult to anticipate. Had it caught on as a military caliber, its success would have been assured. I'd say that the .260 was never a good idea under any circumstances, as it didn't fill any niche.

I know a fellow that would disagree with you on the .260 and a whole slew of deer that wish he'd never bought one . It's a good cartridge but I like the 6.5- .284 better myself.

Eddie

DWalt · Oct 3, 2016

I didn't say it was ineffective, only that it doesn't seem to fulfill any particular unsatisfied hunting need, at least not in the USA. Historically the 6.5mm has never been a popular caliber this side of the Atlantic (remember the 6.5 Win Magnum and the 6.5/.284?), and there's nothing in the .260's ballistic performance that can't be equaled or surpassed by other cartridges in the same power class. The only advantage I can see that the .260 possesses is not ballistic, but rather dimensional, as it will more easily work through a short action (as it is simply the .308 case necked down), at least for the man who wants to use a 6.5mm in a short action rifle. And there evidently aren't large numbers of them.

AveragEd · Oct 3, 2016

As has been stated, metric cartridges were never terribly popular in the U.S. until the 7mm Remington Magnum was released along with the Model 700 in 1962. But thanks to the benchrest crowd, who have found the 6.5s to be the hot setup in 1,000-yard competition, that bullet diameter has really seen a surge in popularity.

I have all three of the popular 6.5s, the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .260 Remington and the 6.5-.284 Norma, with the latter being the most potent as well as, in my rifles, slightly more accurate.

Although it wasn't consistently the most accurate load for me, here's an example of how accurate a 6.5-.284 Norma can be in a factory rifle at 100 yards.

So like them or not, the 6.5s are here to stay. It's difficult to read a magazine that caters to rifles without finding an article on one of them. All three will fit into a short action if the 6.5-.284's bullets are seated to 6.5-.284 WIN depths - rifles chambered for the Norma version have longer throats.

Ed

22hipower · Oct 4, 2016

Agree with all the negative comments on the EtronX. On the other hand I have one in 220 Swift and accuracy is outstanding. Haven't shot it in years but it, and 1,000 primers, are waiting for me to get the itch again. And yes, I have a couple of 5mm rimfires too. Now, if I could just find a couple boxes of Trounds and something to fire them. . . . . Thanks for reminding me of the EtronX, will have to dig it out again one of these days.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Whatever happened to EtronX rifles and ammunition?

tndrfttom

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