I ordered this rifle through a special group buy off of 24 hour campfire offered by Whittaker's Gun Shop. I picked up my rifle today from the LGS, and to be honest I'm on the fence about it. I ordered some Talley mounts that didn't make it into the box, but Whittaker's admitted the mistake and refunded the money at my request. However, they did offer to overnight them to me at no expense which was a very nice gesture.

I had dropped of a Leupold VXII 3-9X40 to be mounted in the Talley's but when they weren't in the box my LGS to the liberty of using some aluminum Weaver bases and Quad Lock rings he had on hand. It's no big deal and the mounts and rings will work for now as if this rifle shoots really well, I'll be switching out the scope for a more long range option. However if it doesn't shoot as I hope, it'll probably get reworked.

First thing I noticed about the rifle is way heavier than advertised. MRC list the X2 Extreme as 6lbs 14oz. I figured I was going to add close to another pound with the Talley's and the Leupold, making the rifle a hair under 8 lbs. Well that isn't the case the rifle came in a hair under 8.5lbs, big difference from what I was expecting.

Sorry for crappy scale picture:



I know the MRC actions are supposed to be heavy as just reading around the web you hear that. I do think MRC could lighten up these rifles a bit by changing the barrel profile especially the shank. The shank on my rifle is a good 1.75" before the barrel begins to taper. However the balance is good on the rifle as it seems to balance right at the front action screw.





Fit and finish seem to really good on my rifle, the trigger guard is flush with the stock line as well as the tang and ejection port. The cutout for the bolt handle could have used a little more attention as it's a little over sized. It doesn't feel as sevelt in my hands as my McMillan Hunter or M70 FWT stocks, but the stock does feel nice. The forearm is a little thicker than the McMillan's but the wrist, flutes and pistol grip has an excellent feel to them in my hand.

The barrel is free floated and centered in the forearm, though I'd maybe like a little more float on the barrel. It's a snug fit for an 8.5X11 sheet of printer paper to fit down the forearm. The float ends right at the shank as that is where the bedding material ends as well.





The stainless steel has a nice even matte finish all over though I haven't popped the action from the stock yet. The bolt handle feels a little small but it's still easy to manipulate. There is a ton of shipping grease in the action and on the bolt so until I can take some time to degrease everything, I can't really tell you how the bolt feels. I can tell you however, the safety works within an acceptable decibel range for those worried it might be too loud to use while hunting (another silly thread on 24 hour campfire about a M70 safety).

Hopefully I can get my 12 year old to drive me to the range on Friday after basketball practice, since it's hard to drive my pickup with my broken leg. She's getting pretty good at driving a stick and taking the backroads to avoid the law. It's a little father daughter bonding time we both enjoy.

If the rifle shoots well then I guess I'll figure out if I can put it on a diet affordably or not. I really want this rifle to perform well as I had planned to build an 8 twist .243 that would finish at sub 8 lbs all up, but jumped on this group buy as it saved me a minimum of $500 right off the bat. Needless to say I'm a little bummed about the thought of a 9lbs all up .243 Win.

Very nice rifle Chad. That rifle is everything and more than a Kimber Montana only wishes it could be....only just heavier

Friends don't let friends by Kimber rifles

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Very nice rifle Chad. That rifle is everything and more than a Kimber Montana only wishes it could be.

Friends don't let friends by Kimber rifles

Well if friends don't let friends buy Kimber rifles, you should send me your .22 LR for free!

Really good looking rifle. Looks a lot like a Montana. I almost bought a Montana but I was a little gun shy because I had to send my Kimber Select 257R back for a new barrel because it wouldn't shoot. Kimber took care of it but it was still a hassle. Only rifle I had to send back.

quote:

Originally posted by taylorce1:

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Very nice rifle Chad. That rifle is everything and more than a Kimber Montana only wishes it could be.

Friends don't let friends by Kimber rifles

Well if friends don't let friends buy Kimber rifles, you should send me your .22 LR for free!

Just come and get it. You can use it for a couple years

MRC for some reason seems to like a heavier contour barrel, do not care for the barrel shank on MRC.

I have a MRC LH 6.5 X 284 SS and they would not turn down the barrel for me on there barrel?

That is one of the reasons I did not buy one of the MRC Extreme in LH just to heavy, and accuracy has not been great based on 2 I have owned.

Well I'm trying to get Montana Rifle Company to fix the issue of weight. Though I did take some more weights of the rifle as well as the scope, rings, and bases.







I also posted the whole email chain with MRC over on 24Hr Campfire since I bought the rifle from the group buy on that site.

MRC group buy #2 first impressions and disappointments!

If it doesn't suit you, I'm always looking for another .243. Just sayin.

It is a solid and beautiful rifle. Just needs a diet.
Start with heavy fluting. It is not expensive and the quickest weight reduction per money expenditure.
See if MRC will exchange the barrel for a lighter contour. Since it is still new.
Remove the barrel and sell it. Purchase another barrel to match your specs.
Install a carbon fiber barrel from companies like Pacific Research in MT. around $800. The cheapest Carbon barrels are sold through Magnum Research in MN.
Best of luck to you.

taylorce1,

I have a MRC 1999 in 30-06. I was a little bummed about the weight of mine as well. I soon learned not to let it bother me when I started laying down Sub MOA groups with anything I fed it.
It's a fair compromise IMO. Get a really good sling and you will not feel the extra pound.. but when you lay it down on the pack, or off the stix, you will be glad you have it.

mg

If MRC contours that barrel down a little bit, it will give you the additional float you are looking for and make it a little lighter. How long is that barrel? Maybe consider having them cut an inch off..

I sent the rifle back for a full refund. I'm going a different route for my .243 Win now. It'll just take awhile longer to get as I'll wait until I'm working full time again. My broken leg has set back my income by quite a bit, and the refunded money went towards medical bills. My last surgery cost over $64,000 but luckily Insurance covered most of it.

Having owned 2 factory built mrc rifles, never again. I would consider an action, or a barreled action, but not a complete rifle. The quality was always decent, but somehow I was not pleased with their service. For example, they wanted to charge my buddy a ton of money to make a few changes to a rifle he wanted, they forgot to tell him that what he wanted was identical to another package they sold for 2k less then the "custom" fee they were charging him.

Things like the ejection cut on the stock not matching the action are just poor in my mind.

Nice looking rifles.