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Christensen Arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor

Product review, Shooting hardware, , , ,

Introduction

I am not new to Christensen Arms rifles, I’ve been lucky to play with several of them over the last couple years. But today we are looking at a new to me rifle; the Christensen Arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor.

The Modern Precision Rifle (MPR) is Christensen’s version of a light-weight sharp-shooting rifle. Whether it’s used for competition shooting or as a sniper rifle, the MPR brings some very modern touches to the precision rifle market. But are those features worthy of praise?

The MPR

Christensen’s MPR is based around their stainless steel action, a two-lug action very similar to the very popular Remington 700 like many other modern actions. The rifle tested here is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, using a short action bolt. Like most Christensen rifles, the MPR is heavily reliant on carbon fiber.

Its carbon-wrapped match-grade barrel is largely responsible for the rifle’s lightweight, as are other parts of the chassis. At the end of the barrel it is threaded 5/8-24 and is fit with a matching muzzle brake for additional recoil reduction.

At the heart of the chassis is an aluminum block where the action is mounted. And the handguard is bolted on to the front and is made from a carbon fiber shaped tube. The MPR uses the very popular AICS pattern magazines and they feed nicely into the magwell of the rifle. Inspecting the grip looks to be a basic AR-15 type pistol grip, this is a nice feature as you can install whichever one suits your fancy.

The folding stock hinges just behind the tang of the action, I really like the way they designed the hinge mechanism. It’s quite tight and locks up as if there was no hinge at all. Just be careful to keep skin away from the area while folding or you may bleed a bit.

Fortunately the butt stock of the MPR is completely adjustable, which makes it very nice to adapt to each individual shooter. The whole thing is pretty handsome and put together very nicely.

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Rifle Setup

Surely I was going to need a good scope and at least a bipod to shoot this rifle well. I installed a Primary Arms ACSS Apollo 6-30X56 riflescope in a ZRO Delta Mount .  To simplify I went with  a Harris 6-9 bipod attached to the pic-rail on the bottom of the MPR handguard. For ammunition I brought along a few boxes of Hornady 140 grain match ammo. With everything put together, leveled and balanced I adjusted the rifle to fit me, and headed out for the range.

First Impressions

The Christensen Arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor was plenty comfortable to shoot. It weighed so little compared to other similar rifles I have. As I sat behind it on a bench I ran the bolt a few times and felt the break of the trigger just to familiarize myself with it. Its bolt was easy to lift and snap shut, and the Trigger Tech trigger as usual felt outstanding.

I loaded the magazine and closed the bolt. As I broke the trigger everything felt right, the recoil was quite modest and running the bolt for round two sent the empty case flying. The M16 style extractor of the MPR does a great job getting brass out of the way for the next round.

I fired a few more shots and adjusted my scope to get a proper zero. At that point I tried to settle down as best I could and shoot a few good groups using both the Hornady and some Federal 130 grain match.  I felt quite good about my shooting but I was not super excited about the grouping downrange, the first three groups of five-shots measured right around an inch. I tried again with my other ammo selection and got very similar results, my only hope is that perhaps this rifle doesn’t like what I feed it. And maybe there is something out there it will shoot better.

Into the snow

We decided to take the rifle for a hiking trip into the snow-covered Rocky Mountains, and I brought another type of Hornady ammunition to see if perhaps it faired better. With all my gear stowed on my back, my son and I headed into the cold.

The open country where we live makes an excellent place to hunt and shoot. Here in these breezy canyons I wanted to see how the MPR shot. Mainly to see how it would perform at longer distances and real-world shooting scenarios.

Normally this time of year I shoot at tiny snow patches in the dirt. But due to winter part 2, I was instead shooting at little dirt patches in the snow. The first target was about a three-inch muddy spot surrounded by white snow. I figured it would be easy to spot the impact and judge the shot.

After loading the rifle I steadied it and focused on my point of aim nearly four hundred yards away. I pressed the trigger and the suppressed gust of pressure echoed across the canyon. I’d added my Yankee Hill Machine R9 suppressor just to see if it helped the performance of the rifle.

The contrast of dark splattered dirt across the snow, and my hit was close enough to call it good in my opinion. So I continued my search for additional targets. We repeated the process until I had exhausted my curiosity and ammunition supply.

christensen arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor
We also shot the MPR suppressed with the YHM R9 suppressor

Pros and Cons

I’ll be honest up front, I wasn’t exactly sold on the aesthetics of this rifle when I first saw it. I couldn’t exactly say what I didn’t like about it. But it has certainly grown on me a bit over the last few weeks. Everybody else thought it looked great so I’ll assume its just my weird taste.

I was really hoping this rifle would shoot better than it did. To be fair it is not a new rifle so its possible that it has been rode hard and put away wet too many times. But a rifle like this should shoot half-MOA groups all day.  I just couldn’t get it to reliably do that.

On the plus side, I really appreciated many of the rifles other qualities. The light weight is always appreciated. And its comfortable and adjustable chassis made shooting it very pleasant. Little features like the folding mechanism, great trigger, awesome cycling and threaded barrel made adapting the rifle to my purposes easy. And of course improved my shooting experience.

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christensen arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor
Shooting the Christensen Arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor

Conclusion

I must say that I liked this rifle more than I expected to. And yet I’m torn because I am simply uninterested in rifles that won’t shoot reliably sub MOA. I’m lucky to have rifles ranging from discount economy models under four hundred dollars up to production sniper rifles that cost seven thousand dollars. And even the cheap ones I can typically get to shoot consistently sub MOA and often 1/2 MOA.

The Christensen Arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor surely could be an outstanding rifle, I’ve heard of others that shoot outstanding and accurately. If this one did, I think I’d be hard pressed to let it go. But with a street price just under twenty-four hundred dollars, I’d need more convincing.

christensen arms MPR 6.5 Creedmoor

If you like this carbon fiber rifle, check out this custom one the 257 Blackjack

Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT 7mm PRC

Product review, Shooting hardware, , ,

INTRODUCTION

The Ridgeline FFT is the latest model in Christensen’s Ridgeline series of rifles. The FFT stands for Flash Forged Technology, a new process used to produce its carbon fiber stocks. Christensen claims this new tech further reduces the rifle’s weight for the ultimate lightweight hunting rifle.

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Being foremost a hunter, I am always interested in the latest new thing. And with Christensen being located here in my own state of Utah, I was even more excited to see them leading the way with new ideas. While I’m not sure if a lighter rifle will improve my shooting, at least I won’t be as fatigued when I come home empty-handed.

I have been hunting these Rocky Mountains for over a few decades, so I’d like to think this rifle was built for guys like me. As such, I was eager to see how it measured up to the quality customs and other carbon rifles I am used to. My initial thoughts on handling the Ridgeline FFT were that I would be quite pleased with the rifle.

SPECIFICATIONS

Caliber 7mm PRC
Barrel 416 Stainless carbon wrapped
Barrel length 22 inches
Barrel twist 1 in 8”
Capacity 3 + 1
Trigger Trigger Tech
Muzzle ⅝ inch x 24 threaded with Stainless side-port Brake
Stock Carbon Fiber Sporter

PROS & CONS

PROS
  • Very lightweight, starting at 5.3lbs
  • Match Grade chamber hand-lapped barrel
  • Threaded muzzle with brake
  • High-quality Trigger Tech trigger included
  • Remington 700 compatible receiver for accessories
  • Sub MOA guarantee from factory
  • Twenty-two inch barrel makes it very maneuverable
CONS
  • Action not as smooth as expected
  • Twenty-two inch barrel gives up some velocity

RANGE TESTING

I’d anticipated receiving this rifle for some time, I’d even received some ammunition already for it thanks to the good folks at Hornady. Since the action of the Ridgeline is compatible with Remington 700 parts, I grabbed a Leupold scope base I had in my toolbox and tightened it down on the Burnt Bronze action.

For a rifle scope, I decided to install my US Optics TS20X. I had a set of 34mm rings that put the scope just the right height for me, so I adjusted it for proper eye relief and torqued it down properly.

I put a touch of lube on the contact points of the bolt body to slick it up and installed a bipod on the rifle before heading out. I prefer the solitude of the mountains over shooting ranges, so I dressed up for the cold and grabbed the rest of my stuff as I headed up the hills.

In my bag, I had a couple of boxes of ammunition from Hornady, both the Precision Hunter 175 ELDX load and the Match 180 ELDM. I also carried my Desert Tech DTSS suppressor to see how the rifle shot when suppressed and a Magnetospeed chronograph to measure velocity.

The first thing I wanted to get established was a good zero, so after setting my target at one hundred yards, I settled down on my shooting mat to get comfortable with the FFT.

I pushed three cartridges down into the magazine, which had plenty of room. It looked like you could seat the bullets really quite long and still have them fit and feed from the magazine. I ran the bolt forward to chamber the first round, closing the bolt into the battery as I peered through the scope.

I fired the first shot and two more to confirm impact; I was going to need to shift my impact about one MRAD right and up a touch. After doing so, I shot a couple of groups to see how the rifle performed, all while paying attention to the recoil impulse through the stock.

I would only shoot three shots and let the rifle sit for a few minutes. I didn’t really want to get it hot. Being a hunting rifle, I think it’s likely such a rifle would be carried a lot more than shot. After shooting a few groups, I paused to evaluate my findings.

I was surprised by how mild the recoil felt; surely, the muzzle brake was reducing a good portion of the impact. The accuracy was not spectacular, though I think it may need a minute to settle this bore down. I noticed that the three-shot groups would always have two together and the third one off just a bit.

I fired a few more rounds to finish off the two boxes, and I figured it would be good practice to see how the Ridgeline did on the open distances that these Rocky Mountains are famous for.

I picked a few targets, the first one at 530 yards opposite my canyon perch. After entering all the ballistic data into my Trasol Ballistic application, it came back with a firing solution which I dialed into the turret.

As I lay still in the snow, I looked at the snow stacked on top of my target. I held into the wind and pressed the trigger shoe till the shot broke. I could see a very significant impact on the target, knocking the snow off in a powdery cloud.

RELIABILITY

The Ridgeline FFT was very reliable at feeding and firing the PRC cartridges. I never experienced any issues other than the occasional magazine bind when you put them in poorly. The minimal controls of the rifle all worked fine, and I also noticed that the bolt lift that had seemed a little stiff back at home, didn’t seem to bother me from the shooting position.

ACCURACY

At first, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the rifle’s accuracy. I do think that shooting it more has helped; perhaps the bore needs a little break-in before it shoots its best. It did seem to prefer the Precision Hunter 175-grain ammunition over the 180-grain Match ammunition.

The Ridgeline does have an eight-twist barrel, which is the minimum for the 180-grain ELDM, so it’s possible that it could be on the verge of stability.

According to Christensen’s website, there is a 50-round barrel break-in process.

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OVERALL FEEL

I really like the overall feel of this rifle; it is comfortable, balanced, and of course, very light. I suppose if you twisted my arm for something to change, I wouldn’t mind a more vertical grip area.

But the rifle’s balance is superb; the carbon barrel cut at twenty-two inches makes it very easy to maneuver. And it feels great in the hands. The recoil is very manageable if you don’t mind the noise from the brake. It’s a very shootable rifle.

shooting the Christensen Arms 7mm PRC in the Rocky Mountains

FEATURES

CARBON FIBER

Probably the defining characteristic of Christensen rifles. Undoubtedly, all the carbon fiber used in this rifle significantly reduces the weight, with scope, rings, base, bipod, and everything but the ammo it comes in at eight-pounds ten-ounces.

TRIGGER TECH TRIGGER

As usual, the Trigger Tech trigger was immaculate, giving a clean and very predictable break every time. A good trigger like this is essential for making good shots on animals, mainly if they are far away.

MUZZLE BRAKE

Christensen Arms 7mm PRC barrel review

The Burnt Bronze Cerakoted muzzle brake is very effective at reducing recoil felt by the shooter. It is timed using a crush washer to ensure the brake ports vent pressure to the side of the shooter and not into the ground in front of them. This feature reduces the likelihood of dirt and debris getting sent into the face of the shooter.

The brake is also easily removed, revealing the stainless threads beneath. The thread pitch is ⅝ inch x 24, which is a very common thread pitch for mounting suppressors and other muzzle devices.

MAGAZINE

The Ridgeline magazine is designed to hold three 7mm PRC cartridges. It does this well, in my experience. It also allows enough room to load three cartridges and still push it down to close the bolt with the full three rounds in the magazine.

The follower is made of polymer, but the floorplate itself is made from carbon fiber yet again.

Christensen Arms 7mm PRC full photo with bipod

HOW WE TESTED

For me, the most important performance indicator for any rifle is the ability to accurately hit the point of aim. It has taken a few rounds to get this rifle shooting as tight as I would like it to. But now that it is shooting better, I think it is adequate for the kind of hunting I do here in these same mountains.

To confirm the accuracy of the Ridgeline FFT, I again shot a few three-shot groups at one-hundred yards. The average of those three groups came out to an inch, and with groups like that, I would feel more than confident shooting big game animals out to five-hundred yards in good conditions. That makes this rifle very capable for hunting these steep canyons.

I will say, however, I do wish it shot just a little better accuracy-wise. There is no reason I shouldn’t be able to shoot this rifle accurately to a mile, but for that, I’d prefer it shot half-minute or even better.

The bolt did loosen up a bit after much shooting, though I was a little surprised to see some of the Cerakote rubbed off in the bolt raceway. Not a huge deal to me but not what I’d expect.

AMMO USED

Hornady 7mm PRC ammo

The ammo available for the rifle review was from Hornady. I used the Precision Hunter 175 ELDX ammunition, which seemed to be the rifles favorite. The other ammunition tested was the Hornady Match line of ammo that utilizes the 180-grain ELDM bullet.

Conclusion

This is the second Christensen Ridgeline I have had, and while they are definitely nice rifles, I often feel like I am left wanting a little more consistency from them. The rifle feels fantastic, and the function is excellent.

It would be hard to imagine a better rifle to haul all over these mountains. The lightweight and balance make it perfect for a guy who has to claw his way up snowy draws and wade through deep willow thickets.

The hunters I hunt with every year are the kind of guys who would love a rifle like this. But they are also the astute type that will demand exceptional performance; a one MOA accuracy guarantee isn’t exactly exceptional anymore. I’d like to see a ½ MOA guarantee on rifles at this price point, as I’ve seen plenty of far less expensive rifles shoot ½ MOA without much coercion.

Hopefully, I’ve helped inform you enough to make a choice if you are considering the Ridgeline FFT. Everything has pros and cons, so evaluate what’s most important to you and run with it.

-CBM

Christensen Ridgeline 300WSM

Product review, Shooting hardware, ,

I was born and raised in the dry desert state of Utah, as such I am no stranger to the fine firearms manufacturers in this state. One of the more famous firearms companies comes from the beautiful little town of Gunnison Utah, Christensen Arms. I have known of the company for some time, but several years ago I was offered tour of their facility. Their famous carbon fiber is just part of the whole Christensen production, titanium, stainless and aerospace technology are all part of Christensen’s multi-faceted production facility. Many manufacturers, particularly those with higher price-points source their barrel blanks from well known barrel producers. Christensen cuts their own barrels, and wraps them in carbon fiber before mounting to their custom actions. They are then married them to a stock or chassis that also might be built from carbon fiber molded right there in the factory.
Things may have changed even more since my visit to the factory, but ever since then I have been wanting to try out one of these rifles. Today is finally my first chance, as I have in my possession a Christensen Ridgeline 300WSM.

The Ridgeline
The Ridgeline from Christensen is built from a stainless steel action, which shares many dimensions with the Remington 700 pattern. This allows users to utilize the large aftermarket support enjoyed by the 700 series. The action features additional cuts to reduce weight and enhance performance, and things like an enhanced bolt release make it superior to other designs. The Ridgeline comes from the factory with a Trigger Tech trigger, which are very well known for their quality and performance. The fluted bolt uses an M16 like extractor, and a plunger ejector. The threaded bolt handle comes with a petite bolt-knob which you can change out if you desire.

The carbon wrapped barrel on this rifle is chambered in the powerful 300 Winchester Short Magnum, a cartridge I am quite familiar with. The barrel is twenty-four inches long, and features a one-in-ten twist, and threaded 5/8-24 at the muzzle where you will find Christensen’s radially ported muzzle brake.
The stock for the rifle is a composite construction, which uses a pillar-bedded design to improve the accuracy and performance of the rifle. A comfortable recoil pad and sling-studs are of course standard.

In the hands
As I lifted the Ridgeline from its box, the definitive feature of these rifles was immediately evident. This thing is quite light! A rifle this size feels impressively light at under seven pounds, very desirable for a hunting rifle like this. I ran the bolt a few times, and squeezed the trigger to make sure everything looked good. And then It was time to get thing thing ready for the field.
I installed a Nightforce 30 MOA scope base, that made mounting my scope easy. I used one of my favorite scopes, and one that I frequently switch back and forth between a great many rifles. The TS20X from US Optics is an excellent choice for a long range hunting rifle like this. The 2.5X is useful for an up close encounter should you be a stealthy sneaker, and if you get a shot that is way out there, 20X is plenty for making those long shots. I mounted up the scope with a set of 34mm rings, I would have preferred a bit lower set to better fit me but these would do for now.
I also attached a Harris bipod to the front of the stock, a good bipod almost goes without saying on a long-range hunting rifle. The three-round magazine looked rather vacant without anything to fill it, so it was time to find some ammo. As I mentioned I am no stranger to the 300WSM, I’ve probably shot several thousand rounds of it over the many years I’ve spent chasing Utah’s big game, and preparing for the hunt. So I had everything on hand to make my own ammunition for the Ridgeline, but I also wanted to shoot some factory produced ammunition for those that want to know. I had on hand some Federal Fusion 300WSM loaded with 180 grain bullets, a perfect representation of what a Rocky Mountain hunter would want to use for elk or deer. Besides that I loaded up some Norma Brass with my favorite load featuring a Sierra 190 grain Match King, a load responsible for dropping a dozen or so big game animals from my first antelope at 880 yards to big cow elk at 400 yards.

Let’s Hunt
The Ridgeline is a hunting rifle, everything about it is optimized for a hard-core big game hunter. I imagine it in the frigid cold hands of a sheep hunter in the Northwest Territories, or over the shoulder of a backcountry elk hunter leading mules to a distant basecamp. I wanted to see how it would do in exactly that situation, so I took it deep into the high Rocky Mountains. After zeroing the rifle at 100 yards, I wanted to see how accurate the rifle would shoot considering Christensen rifles come with a sub-MOA accuracy guarantee. The Federal Fusion 180’s shot a sub-MOA three shot group, but when I fired two more it opened up what I would call considerably. I assume this is likely to do with the barrel heating up from the magnum cartridges and pressure.

I installed a suppressor on the rifle, in my experience most rifles seem to shoot better when suppressed. And besides that, it’s just better. The Desert Tech Sound Suppressor (DTSS) was a perfect match for the lightweight Ridgeline, its titanium construction doesn’t add much to the rifle. And it easily handles the pressure of the 300WSM reducing the noise to a reasonable raucous.
I then stretched out the rifle to some more realistic distances, this open country allows for long shots. It isn’t uncommon to find big game from a mile or two away, and stalking into a closer distance. Its also not uncommon for the terrain to keep you from getting within a certain distance, so being able to make shots at long-range is helpful.
Making hits with this rifle at five and seven hundred yards was not difficult, but I again noticed that after a few shots my hits began to wander despite the nonexistent wind. Continue Reading Here…