The struggle is real. Walking the 13 acres of guns and gear at SHOT each year can be overwhelming. Without a focus and purpose, you can easily lose an entire day or more just wandering and looking. With a trained focus, I plan out my visit and make a list of what I am interested in seeing.
And at the top of that list each year are new precision rifles. Not just the new and shiny rifles with fresh paint and “super wizard” rifling or gadgets, but hardcore guns designed to stack rounds on top of each other. Colonel Townsend Whelen once said, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” So here’s what I found interesting in 2018!
Bergara Premier HMR Pro
Bergara has made its fair share of great guns over the years. Moreover, the company built the HMR (Hunting and Match Rifle) to handle a number of tasks, and the new Pro version is an enhanced model with a stainless steel barrel, fluted bolt and action. It also has a very nice trigger that can be adjustable down to less than 2 pounds. The action is designed as a two-lug system that features a separate floating bolt head to ensure proper contact with the lug abutments. It also features a cone-shaped bolt nose for smooth feeding, and Bergara is offering the rifle in a variety of calibers. These are just some of its many features.
For more information, visit bergarausa.com.
Browning X-Bolt Pro Long Range
Browning has a very unique gun in the mix that falls into what might be called the “semi-custom” category. This is because the rifle has specialized finishing touches and higher-end construction above the already top-tier X-Bolt family of hunting rifles. First, the X-Bolt Pro Long Range features a true carbon-fiber stock, making it extremely lightweight and rigid. The stock is filled with a noise-dampening foam. The rifle also comes with a heavy, stainless steel, sporter-contour barrel with a muzzle brake and proprietary lapping. The action has a 60-degree bolt throw and includes an adjustable “Feather” trigger. Browning is offering the rifle in a variety of calibers.
For more information, visit browning.com.
Christensen Arms MPR
Well known for its high-end hunting rifles, Christensen Arms has introduced the Modern Precision Rifle (MPR). This is a great-looking rifle with a proprietary chassis. In total, it weighs less than 7 pounds unloaded. The gun features AICS magazine compatibility; a stainless action with a fluted bolt and knob and an extended handle; and a hand-lapped, carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel. Short- and long-action models are available for $2,295 and $2,395, respectively.
For more information, visit christensenarms.com.
FN Ballista
This is a multi-caliber gun, which means that the rifle can be configured in less than two minutes to any of three available chamberings: .338 Lapua Mag, .300 Win Mag and .308 Win. The rifle employs a high-strength, vibration-isolated, aluminum alloy receiver with a Picatinny rail. In addition, it features multiple rail segments for accessories, and note that the gun actually has a grip safety. More features include a 26-inch barrel, a fully adjustable trigger (for a single- or two-stage press between 3 and 5 pounds) and an adaptable, ambidextrous folding stock that allows the shooter to configure the rifle for enhanced performance.
For more information, visit fnamerica.com.
GA Precision GAP Team Rifle
The GAP Team Rifle comes ready for competition right out of the box. The rifle sports a GA Precision Templar V2 short action, a Manners ET-4A stock and a 26-inch, stainless steel Bartlein barrel with 5R rifling and a 1-in-7-inch twist rate. The company also includes a Badger Ordnance enhanced triggerguard and a nice Timney trigger. All of this comes together to produce a rifle with an accuracy guarantee of 0.33 MOA. If you are serious about precision and are looking to really perform in the competition world, this is a gun to check out.
For more information, visit gaprecision.net.
GA Precision USMC M40A6
From the precision rifle masters at GA Precision comes the USMC M40A6. Additionally, this short-action .308 Winchester rifle is built to the 2017 U.S. Marine Corps specifications and has a Schneider stainless steel, 20-inch barrel with a 1-in-10-inch twist rate and a SureFire muzzle brake/suppressor adapter. Also, the chassis is from Remington Defense, and it offers multiple adjustment points to fit a wide variety of shooters. The gun is also tan and black for a touch of style, and it comes with a 0.5-MOA accuracy guarantee.
For more information, visit gaprecision.net.
Gunwerks Verdict
For over a decade, Gunwerks has been delivering complete shooting systems with bipods, scopes and everything in between. The company’s goal is to provide guns capable of hitting at 1,000 yards right out of the box. The Verdict is Gunwerks’ newest offering, and it comes with the company’s GLR action; a match-grade, carbon-fiber, 26-inch Proof Research barrel with a removable muzzle brake; and a Nightforce 5-25x56mm ATACR F1 MOAR scope. This is truly the complete package.
For more information, visit gunwerks.com.
Howa APC
Howa has introduced a new rifle with a modular Australian-made chassis. The aptly named Australian Precision Chassis (APC) rifle is designed for competition and comes in a wide variety of chamberings, including the .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester. Also, the gun is a solid performer at a decent price. Further, with a smooth action, an excellent two-stage trigger and an adjustable stock, it is sure to become a popular rifle in competition circles.
For more information, visit legacysports.com.
Kimber Advanced Tactical SOC II (SG)
Another rifle catching a lot of eyes this year is the Kimber Advanced Tactical SOC II (SG). Moreover, this is an all-business rifle built to meet the requirements of military and law enforcement professionals. Available in 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester, each rifle is built by hand with an adjustable, aluminum folding stock; a match-grade, 16-inch barrel; and a threaded muzzle with a thread protector. Kimber also includes a muzzle brake/suppressor adapter and a 1-inch recoil pad, and the company’s KimPro II finish helps resist corrosion. Finally, the gun comes with a 0.5-MOA accuracy guarantee.
For more information, visit kimberamerica.com.
Mossberg MVP Precision
At the top of Mossberg’s bolt-action rifle line is the new MVP Precision. The first thing you’ll notice is the all-new Mossberg chassis design and Luth-AR MBA-3 adjustable stock. This rifle is also designed to accept and feed from standard AR-style magazines—a first for bolt actions. It also features Mossberg’s patented LBA trigger, which can be adjusted from 3 to 7 pounds, an optics-ready 20-MOA top rail, a scalloped tactical bolt handle and a Magpul MOE+ grip. I had the pleasure of running this rifle and found it to be quite spectacular.
For more information, visit mossberg.com.
Remington 700 Tactical Chassis
Any discussion regarding precision rifles would be lacking if Remington weren’t mentioned. This new Model 700 comes with an ergonomic MDT TAC21 chassis that makes it easy to add whatever accessories you might need. The free-floating 24- or 26-inch barrel delivers superior accuracy while the Magpul fully adjustable stock and pistol grip ensure shot-to-shot consistency for any shooter or scenario. A fantastic melting together of old and new, the Model 700 Tactical Chassis is available in .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum.
For more information, visit remington.com.
Ritter & Stark SLX
The Ritter & Stark SLX is a fantastic short-action, multi-caliber precision rifle. Further, it can be run with .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor ammo. Modeled after the company’s long-action SX-1 Modular Tactical Rifle (MTR), a unique feature of the smaller SLX is that the barrel and rail are integrated, allowing you to leave your scope mounted. Most impressive, however, is the company’s statement that its SLX barrels will shoot to “at least” 0.5 MOA with factory ammunition for 5,000 rounds.
For more information, visit ritterstark.com.
Ruger Hawkeye Long-Range Target
Ruger has been hitting a series of home runs in the precision shooting world lately, and the Hawkeye Long-Range Target looks to be another winner. Here a Ruger Precision Rifle Hybrid muzzle brake crowns a heavy 24-inch target barrel with 5/8×24-tpi threading. It also has a speckled black/brown laminate stock that can be adjusted for comb height and length of pull. Additionally, it takes wildly popular AI-style magazines and comes from the factory with a 20-MOA Picatinny rail. In short, it’s aesthetically pleasing and boasts all of the qualities that ensure it will be a great shooter.
For more information, visit ruger.com.
SAKO TRG-22/42 A1
From our friends in Finland, we have the new TRG-22/42 A1, a tack driver worthy of the SAKO name. Additionally, this rifle has solid features like a sturdy folding stock attached to the receiver at two points, an M-LOK forend and a full-aluminum middle chassis that eliminates temperature-caused dimensional changes. Add in SAKO’s well-known accuracy and you have a spectacular rifle. Finally, it’s currently available with a 26- or 27-inch barrel in a variety of chamberings.
For more information, visit sako.fi.
Savage Model 110 Tactical With AccuFit
Last year, Savage released its AccuFit system. Further, this is an ingenious stock design that the company has incorporated into a variety of rifles, including the 110 Tactical. Also, the rifle’s AccuFit system lets tactical and competitive shooters customize the length of pull for the utmost consistency, and the user-adjustable AccuTrigger provides a light, crisp pull. Together with the AccuStock, which secures the action three-dimensionally along its entire length, the 110 Tactical provides the fit and function of a custom rifle right out of the box. It also features a suppressor-ready threaded barrel, a one-piece scope rail and a 10-round detachable box magazine.
For more information, visit savagearms.com.
Weatherby Mark V CarbonMark
Weatherby is a name generally connected with hunting, especially when it comes to big game. Moreover, the company’s reputation for making great rifles is known around the world. The Mark V CarbonMark comes with a custom-built, carbon-fiber-wrapped Proof Research barrel that is 64-percent lighter than traditional steel barrels of the same contour. This sub-MOA rifle also has a nine-lug Mark V magnum action with an integral recoil log and a cocking indicator, an LXX trigger and a composite Monte Carlo stock. It is a beautiful gun capable of being both a target rifle as well as an exceptional hunting gun.
For more information, visit weatherby.com.
This article is from the November-December 2018 issue of Tactical-Life magazine. Grab your copy at OutdoorGroupStore.com. For digital editions, visit Amazon.
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