Daniel O’Dea road tests the Winchester SXR2
When the action comes thick and fast and in the absence of a self-loader, it’s hard to go past a pump-action, yet options for centrefire pump-action rifles in the most part have been few and far between. This is most likely due to a lack of relevance in global markets where self-loaders are still readily available and, as testimony to this, US-made pump-action rifles such as the Remington Models 7600 and 7615 along with the Browning BPR have been discontinued.
Thankfully in recent years Australian shooters haven’t been left completely high and dry, with the introduction of local pump-action options such as the SCSA Taipan, Wedgetail MPR and FABA-kitted Warwick Firearms variants. Yet all of these seem to follow the trend of the modern sporting rifle with modular alloy construction, receiver rails and polymer furniture, all good stuff but still leaving a niche for a rifle with more traditional lines and perhaps other calibre choices outside of .223 and .308. Enter the new Winchester SXR2 pump-action rifle.
As a firearm brand it’s hard to be more American than Winchester, though their new
SXR2 definitely leans more heavily on the European influence of Belgium-based F.N. Herstal who hold license for the manufacture of Winchester firearms globally. For starters the styling is far more traditional, especially in the ‘Field’ model supplied for this review which features a timber stock and fore-end.
The rifle also has as standard a Battue-style ramped rear sight, a type popular in European circles for driven hunts. On the plus side this is one pump-action rifle that’s highly unlikely to receive any attention from various state and territory ‘appearance’ regulations and, at time of writing, is available for sale in all Aussie jurisdictions.
On inspection mechanically the gun seems reminiscent of a Browning BAR (the hunting rifle, not the WWII machine-gun) only manually operated with a pump slide rather than gas, hardly surprising as F.N. Herstal also own Browning. Anyway, you have a multi-lugged rotating bolt which travels in a carrier actuated buy twin opposing action bars to lock into the barrel receiver. The recoil spring from the aforementioned Browning design now works to provide forward spring tension to retain the bolt in battery and assist in forward motion of the pump slide. They whole system is very slick with a smooth, well-made feel.
Without contradicting myself too much and although describing the styling as ‘more traditional’, I mean this more in terms of it not being an alloy chassis, AR pistol-gripped, MSR-type layout (modern sporting rifle). I make this clarification as, despite its traditional layout, the SXR2 pump-action is a very modern rifle, so you might say it’s like a fusion of modern verses traditional.
For example although timber stocked, the grip surfaces are machine lined as opposed to checkered, the walnut on the test rifle being well grained with a little figure which looks nice. The machine lining also extends on the lower slides of the butt stock between the grip and the toe and includes SXR2 monograming, while the grip base carries an embossed ‘W’ for Winchester.
The pistol grip includes a little palm swell on both sides for ambidextrous use and fills the hand nicely. The pump slide itself, which rides over the timber fore-end, is of black polymer construction and shares the same machined-lined pattern as the timber hardware. There’s plenty of modern polymer use elsewhere too, including controls such as the magazine and bolt release levers, trigger bow, safety and magazine body.
Speaking of magazines, the test rifle in .308 Winchester comes supplied with an extended nine-round mag as standard. As I understand, this is also the case when the gun is optioned in the .30-06 chambering though the capacity increases to 10 rounds. There’s also an offering in .300 Win Mag which has a flush-fitting three-round magazine with similar options also available for the .308 and .30-06 versions in four-round capacities.
The extended magazine appears rather bulky and is a composite of steel inner casing with large outer polymer body and base for the portion extending below the receiver. A lug is incorporated into the polymer base which locates on a horizontal pin within the receiver, the magazine then rocks into place to lock on to the magazine catch. So it’s a ‘rock and lock’ as opposed to ‘push to lock’ system. This is common in self-loading rifles such as FN FAL variants, Mini and M14, AK, Sig etc. so is probably a throwback to its Browning-FN heritage. It’s fast and intuitive once you get the hang of it but if you’re used to pushing magazines straight in, it might catch you out the first a few times you attempt a magazine change.
The receiver itself is of alloy construction with provision for a removable Picatinny rail (supplied as an accessory) for scope mounting. I’d note the rail does have a groove down the centre allowing for use of the battue sights even when installed. This is neat as you can mount a scope with QD mounts and easily remove it if you want to go to the irons for close up work in the scrub. The rotary bolt includes no less than seven locking lugs and the barrel itself is a cold hammer forged unit manufactured by FN Herstal. At 53cm (21”) in length it is threaded and capped at the muzzle, M14x1, for accessory fitment.
For testing, Winchester Australia supplied the rifle with an optional Picatinny rail and, most appropriately, a Meopta Meopro Optika6 1-6×24 scope. I say appropriately as I see a low-powered variable optic as the perfect match for this style of rifle, with plenty of field of view on low power for up close work yet enough magnification for longer shots within the practical range of such an outfit.
At the range I fitted the Meopta and zeroed in the rifle on my Caldwell Lead Sled. I’d a good selection of .308 Winchester factory ammo, all of which functioned flawlessly. Accuracy fell within the 1.5-2.0 MOA range with pretty much every brand I tested, which in my experience is excellent for this type of rifle and more than enough for the practical use intended.
Next morning I dragged myself out of bed before sunrise and carried the SXR2 out into the frost, making use of the standard QD swivels by fitting a sling for my walk. I’d note the position of the front stud on the fore-end tip allows for a good low-sling carry on the shoulder, making manoeuvering under trees and through scrub a little easier and with fewer hangups.
My mission was to investigate some pig diggings I’d seen the day before among the tea tree and Sifton bush which has invaded one of my paddocks. The pigs where there but only appeared briefly, crossing the track at speed in the distance, no doubt heading home to their daytime lodgings. I felt perfectly equipped for the outing albeit not having the chance to put my tools to task. To be honest I wouldn’t have felt disadvantaged had I left the scope at home, as the Battue-style sights with bright red fibre-optic front bead were perfectly suited to the surroundings.
The rifle carried well with good feel and balance. Made for fast instinctive shooting, I’d note you can tailor the fit via six supplied shims to adjust stock pitch and advantage, pitch plus or minus 3.5mm at the heel or 3mm left or right for advantage. The shims are all numbered and the process of adjustment is outlined in the manual.
For general shooting the rifle came to point easy and was fast to operate. The standard Inflex II recoil pad worked well, making the .308 reasonably moderate to handle and get back on target quickly. The bolt locks open on the last round and remains so until the slide release on the right of the receiver is pressed. This feature also lets you lock the bolt to the rear with the magazine removed, remembering the bolt is under forward spring tension and favours the closed position. This is good for safe transit and inspection as well as cleaning. A crossbolt button-style safety at the rear of the trigger-guard will be familiar to most and is easy to manipulate.
Initially put off by the bulk of the extended polymer magazine base, in practice I found it both ergonomic and useful. It fills the hand when used as a rest in the offhand position and a finger groove along the forward edge provides a natural position for hold and operation.
The SXR2 is also available in Composite black polymer and Strata camo polymer versions. With the combination of high-powered centrefire chamberings along with easy handling and fast operation, I can see this rifle finding a home with anyone chasing game in thick scrub or woodland. Sambar hunters immediately come to mind as do those chasing pigs in the lignum.
Specifications
Firearm: Winchester SXR2 Pump Field
Action: Pump
Calibre: .308 Win (tested)
Capacity: Eight-round extended magazines
Barrel: 21” (530mm)
Barrel spec: Cold hammer forged F.N. Herstal 1:12 twist
Front sight: Fibre optic red bead
Rear sight: Battue-type ramped
Rear sight alt: Optional Picatinny rail for optic mounting
Finish: Matte black
Stock: Walnut
Weight: 3.3kg
Length OA: 1080mm
RRP: About $2860