Christensen Arms MPR 801-03016-00 7 PRC

In the November 2023 issue, we checked out three great hunting rifles chambered in 7 PRC. The Christensen Arms, Mossberg, and Remington rifles we tested were great for hunting, but we wanted something a bit heavier and with a muzzle brake to try targets out to a mile. This time we grabbed two rifles that came with what we thought were the necessary bells and whistles. 

The first was the Springfield Armory Waypoint 2020. The short-action version has been on the market for almost four years. A model with an action long enough to handle the full-length 7 PRC cartridge (BAW9247PRCCFGA, $2289) sports a 24-inch barrel, carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel complete with a good radial muzzle brake and a stock made by AG Composites. We also had some experience with the Christensen Arms Modern Precision Rifle (801-03016-00, $2499) that we felt would meet the necessary criteria. Our MPR also came with a carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel, though this one is of Christensen Arms’ own design topped by a 12-port muzzle brake. It also includes a folding chassis to make it a little easier to transport. Both use Remington 700-pattern receivers, so accessorizing your rifle is a snap.

How We Tested

So much of our interest in this project started with an opportunity to shoot at a target a mile away. Like many bucket-list items, we got our chance, succeeded in a minor way, learned things, and want to be prepared when we got to do it again. We wanted a longer barrel to milk all the velocity we could. We wanted a muzzle brake so we could see hits or misses in the scope during recoil. And we needed positive personal aspects in the rifle, such as an adjustable cheek piece to line us up perfectly behind the scope; a vertical pistol grip to help our hands work with the trigger in the positional shooting; and an adjustable length of pull to help us with our form and recoil control. We also needed a great trigger.

Our first attempts at mile-long shots came with 6.5 PRC rounds, but we realized we also needed a better cartridge. Our 6.5 PRC just ran out of ability to buck the wind past about 1500 yards. The Applied Ballistics Mobile app we use shows that the 7 PRC will get to a mile still retaining about 130 fps over the 6.5 PRC, and the 7 PRC actually has better long-range ballistics than most 300 Win. Mags or even the 300 PRC. 

We tested at American Shooting Centers in Houston, firing multiple three-shot groups at 100 yards supported by an Atlas Bipod (BT46-LW17 PSR). Then we added the BTCA adapter from Really Right Stuff, which allowed the quick-release clamp to work with Picatinny or Arca Swiss rails. There is nothing cheap about the bipod in function or price, with total cost running close to $600. The rifles were further supported by a large rear bag, heavy from Tab Gear. 

Most of the ammunition available at the time of this writing was from Hornady. Since that company developed the cartridge, we thought they were a pretty good choice. We tested using their Outfitter load using 160-grain CX (Copper alloy eXpanding) bullets along with Precision Hunter rounds loaded with the 175-grain ELD-X (Extremely Low Drag – eXpanding) bullet as well as the Match ELD-M rounds loaded with 180-grain match bullets. We also included a heavier load we developed for a personal 7mm PRC that used Berger 195-grain EOL Elite Hunter bullets (#807744, MidwayUSA.com) loaded on top of Vihta Vuori N565 powder and Federal Gold Medal Match Large Rifle primers. We used reloading data provided by Berger bullets and stayed strictly within their limits.

We used two optics from Leupold for our testing at 100 yards. The first was the outstanding MK5 HD 5-25×56 riflescope with the PR2-mil reticle (180222, $2199). The second scope was the VX-6HD 3-18×44 model (171565, $1899), which came with a duplex reticle illuminated with the FireDot system. The CDS-ZL2 turrets were set for quarter-minute-of-angle adjustments. A top range of 18x magnification was more than sufficient for 600-yard shooting, so we placed both scopes at that power for the entire test. Here’s how the rifles performed:

Christensen Arms Modern Precision Rifle 801-03016-00 7 PRC,

$2499

Gun Tests grade: B+

While the MPR was extremely accurate, the magazine fell out several times while we were shooting from a barricade. Function from all other shooting positions was perfect.

To make the MPR, Christensen Arms takes a Remington 700-footprint action and mounts it in a chassis. Machined from billet aluminum, the chassis really sets the MPR apart. Most of the excess metal is milled away, leaving a very trim finished piece. Christensen Arms (CA) even mills the left side of the magazine well higher than the right side to enable shooters to reload more easily while prone. Then CA tries to make everything as versatile as possible. The pistol grip is standard AR-15 style, and you can substitute your favorite, if wanted. The buttstock is adjustable for length of pull from 12.5 to 14.5 inches and is held in place by two set screws. Likewise, the cheek piece is adjustable and is secured by two more set screws. The riser is topped with a rest made from CA’s Flash Forged Technology. An FFT part is ultra light, and, if flawed, is easy for CA to chop up and put it back in the mix for the next piece. The chassis folds at a hinge just in back of the pistol grip. Our experience with that hinge is that it stays tight. Once folded, it is held in place by a strong magnet on the right side. We found that being able to shorten the length of a 26-inch-barrel rifle down to less than 39 inches was important when we need to store things in confined spaces. There are six QD points on the stock — all from the pistol grip to the rear. We would love to see a couple on the forend.

Christensen’s designers paid as much attention to the action as they did to the stock. They attach the action to the chassis using a V-block mounting system, which draws everything down tight. Our sample arrived with a five-round Accumag that was marked for a 300 RUM cartridge and the 3.85-inch overall cartridge length that goes with that round. Because the 7 PRC maxes out at about 3.34 inches, there is plenty of room left in the mag for your loads. That said, they kept the ejection port about as small as possible and still allow for the removal of a loaded round. Everything is topped by a 20-MOA Picatinny rail.

Christensen lavished a little extra love on the working parts. The trigger is the Field version from Trigger Tech, ultra crisp, and our sample had an average required compression of 1.56 pounds. We liked the flat face with the small lip at the bottom. It did a great job of positioning our finger for the proper press and leverage. The bolt, which is easily removed with the cheek piece extended (fold the stock a little), uses dual ejectors and an M16-style extractor. The bolt body, bolt shroud, and bolt knob are all fluted for weight savings. As with most Remington-style actions, the safety is a two-position rocker switch located on the right side behind the bolt handle. The bolt release is a lever on the left side of the receiver. The paddle-style magazine release sits just in front of the trigger guard. We found it to be secure, while easy to operate.

CA continued the lightweight trend on the front end. The 26-inch barrel is hand-lapped, button-rifled, 416R stainless steel. A very large portion of it is wrapped with aerograde carbon fiber. Then everything is protected by a 17-inch handguard also made of the FFT material. With the forend attaching directly to the chassis, the barrel is completely free floated. CA machines vents in the top and the sides of the handguard for cooling and a little more weight savings. They also machine M-Lok slots almost the entire length of the bottom. We used the supplied Pic rail at the muzzle end, but MDT and others can supply longer ARCA Swiss rails that would work great here. The muzzle is threaded 5⁄8×24 and came with a brake. There are four vertical ports on each side to go with four round ports on top. The upper ports are plugged by screws, which are removable to allow you to tune part of the recoil impulse. Finish on the metal parts was a tungsten-colored Cerakote.

Across 12 different groups and four different types of ammo, the MPR averaged 0.75 inch per three-shot group. The Hornady 160 CX ammunition printed a good group average of 0.71 inch in diameter. Feeding was perfect, and the trigger was great, but we need to see a modification or two. The rear edge of the FFT cheek piece was very sharp, and, no matter where we tried to put our face on the cheek riser, it seemed to pinch our cheek between the riser and our ear protection. Rounding that off should be a simple fix for CA, or for the owner putting in just a few minutes’ work with a file. We also noticed the magazine wanted to fall out when we worked off a barricade. We weren’t touching the magazine, or the release, and we made sure after the first couple of incidents that the magazine wasn’t touching the barricade, either. Prone and bench shooting did not create any problems at all. Otherwise, we were extremely pleased with this rifle.

Our Team Said: The Christensen Arms MPR was the heavier of the two rifles and recoil recovery was a bit faster. It might make a difference in a situation where the shooter needed to be able to spot their hit or their miss. The MPR folds on a very sturdy hinge that might make it easier to stow while traveling or in a pack.

All testing was done at American Shooting Centers (AmericanShootingCenter.com) in Houston. We fired multiple three-shot groups at 100 yards using an Atlas Bipod (BT46-LW17 PSR, $355 Amazon.com) and further supported by a large rear bag, heavy from Tab Gear, $34.

Written and photographed by Joe Woolley, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT