GUN TESTS GRADE: A-
$635
The Winchester XPR Hunter showed up ready to work. The Vortex Crossfire II 3-9×40 scope was already mounted and bore-sighted on our sample. This was a nice, trim scope with crosshairs thick enough to see and thin enough not to obscure your point of aim. The reticle includes “tick” marks to help with hold off on both elevation and windage. Glass was clear and crisp.
| Action | Bolt |
| Overall Length | 42.25 in. |
| Barrel | 22 in. long, 1:16 twist |
| Overall Height w/o Scope Mount | 6.3 in. |
| Weight Unloaded | 6.75 lbs. |
| Weight Loaded (145 grain, 4+1 rounds) | 7.0 lbs. |
| Sight Radius | N/A |
| Action Finish | Permacote flat dark earth |
| Barrel Finish | Permacote flat dark earth |
| Magazine Capacity | 4 |
| Magazine Type | Detachable box |
| Stock | Synthetic, True Timber Strata finish |
| Drop at Comb | 0.5 in. |
| Drop at Heel | 0.75 in. |
| Bedding | None |
| Buttplate | Inflex 1 recoil pad, small |
| Length of Pull | 13.25 in. |
| Receiver Scope-Base Pattern | Short action Winchester |
| Trigger Pull Weight | 3.3 lbs. |
| Safety | 2-position sliding safety with bolt release |
| Warranty | None |
| Telephone | (800) 333-3288 |
| Website | WinchesterGuns.com |
| Made In | Portugal |
The stock is molded in “Strata” camouflage pattern, which makes good use of multiple hues of brown, green, and tan. The synthetic material has a nice pebble grain sculpted into the fore-end and the grip. The bottom of the fore-end is flat to help with shooting off the bag. The butt of the stock has a soft recoil pad that again, is not a primary concern with this caliber. We actually had one of the testers’ 12-year-old granddaughters shooting this particular rifle. She is a pretty seasoned shooter but had never fired anything larger than a 6.5 Creedmoor before this trip to the range. When asked if she thought there was too much recoil, she nonchalantly said, “Not so much.”
Both the Ruger and Savage rifles utilize short, handy barrels. The Winchester has the look of the more traditional hunter rifle with its longer tube. The XPR’s button-rifled barrel is not threaded at the muzzle, though it is nicely recessed to protect the rifling from abuse. Theoretically, the barrel is free-floated. That may be the case regarding contact in the bottom of the fore-end channel, but on our sample, the sides of the fore-end did indeed gently touch the barrel. A steel recoil lug has been inserted into the polymer stock and mates nicely with a mortise on the bottom of the action, just in front of the forward action screw. Once again, the bottom “metal” is a polymer as well as the magazine and even the trigger. The magazine latch is at the forward end of the mag and is recessed sufficiently to prevent most chances of inadvertent release. The spec sheet from Winchester says these are three-round magazines, but we got four in ours without any problem. We saw no spring pressure or feeding problems. The magazine cannot be top loaded while inserted in the rifle. It must be removed to be topped off. The barreled action has been finished in FDE Permacote, which matches nicely with the camo pattern on the stock.
The bolt is a one-piece design that was smooth to operate, even from the shoulder, and was easily removed via the bolt stop located on the left rear of the action. The bolt face sports a plunger-type ejector and a pivoting extractor. A groove runs down the left side of the bolt, into which the head of the bolt release fits and prevents the bolt from binding. The three-lug bolt lifts with a short 70-degree throw, keeping the bolt handle well away from any optics. The bolt is removed via an easily accessed release on the left rear of the action. The safety is a two-position rocker switch on the receiver just aft of the bolt handle. Forward is Fire and to the rear is Safe. Both the bolt and the trigger lock while in the safe position, so the Winchester XPR provides a bolt-release button immediately forward of the safety that can be depressed to rotate the bolt, even while on Safe. A visual and tactile cocking indicator protrudes from the bottom of the bolt shroud when the firing pin is set. The trigger may be plastic, but required compression was a very consistent 3.3 pounds with almost no perceptible creep or overtravel.
The average five-shot group from this rifle averaged 2.15 inches when compiled for all three types of ammo used. The XPR’s favorite was the Winchester 150-grain Xtreme Point, with groups as small as 1.54 inch. It would be interesting to see what results some tailored handloads could produce in this platform. All rounds fed perfectly whether from the magazine or just dropped into the receiver with the mag in place.
Our Team said: The Winchester XPR looks great and worked perfectly. This package includes a Vortex Crossfire II Scope at around $650, which makes it a good value.
Related Articles
Ruger American Ranch Rifle 26985 350 Legend
Savage Model 110 Hog Hunter 57534 350 Legend
350 LEGEND RANGE DATA
All groups were shot at 100 yards from a solid bench using a Caldwell TackDriver front rest ($44 at MidwayUSA.com) and a T.A.B. Gear large rear bag ($30 at TABGear.com) with the heavy fill. Muzzle velocity was determined using a LabRadar chronograph ($559 at BuyMyLabradar.com). Location: American Shooter Centers (AMShootCenters.com) in Houston.| Winchester 145-grain FMJ | Ruger American Ranch Rifle | Winchester XPR | Savage 110 Hog Hunter |
| Average Velocity | 2193 fps | 2234 fps | 2155 fps |
| Muzzle Energy | 1548 ft.-lbs. | 1608 ft.-lbs. | 1496 ft.-lbs. |
| Best Group | 2.09 in. | 0.95 in. | 1.83 in. |
| Average Group | 2.39 in. | 2.10 in. | 2.03 in. |
| Winchester 150-grain XP | Ruger American Ranch Rifle | Winchester XPR | Savage 110 Hog Hunter |
| Average Velocity | 2251 fps | 2308 fps | 2223 fps |
| Muzzle Energy | 1688 ft.-lbs. | 1775 ft.-lbs. | 1646 ft.-lbs. |
| Best Group | 2.19 in. | 1.54 in. | 1.01 in. |
| Average Group | 2.42 in. | 1.77 in. | 1.33 in. |
| Hornady 170-grain Soft Point | Ruger American Ranch Rifle | Winchester XPR | Savage 110 Hog Hunter |
| Average Velocity | 2211 fps | 2250 fps | 2212 fps |
| Muzzle Energy | 1847 ft.-lbs. | 1911 ft.-lbs. | 1847 ft.-lbs. |
| Best Group | 1.98 in. | 2.35 in. | 0.99 in. |
| Average Group | 2.71 in. | 2.57 in. | 1.52 in. |
VALUE GUIDE: BOLT-ACTION RIFLE SCORES
| GUN NAME | ISSUE | GRADE | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester Model 70 F’wt Stainless 308 Win., $951 | Apr 2020 | A | Our Pick: Smooth handling, very good accuracy and classical styling. |
| Remington Model 7 CDL 26423 308 Win., $798 | Apr 2020 | A | A nice piece of wood, a good trigger and a compact 20-inch barrel on a rifle that could really shoot. |
| Tikka T3x Lite Stainless JRTXB316 308 Win., $748 | Apr 2020 | A- | Best Buy. Functional polymer stock, the smoothest bolt in the group, and the best out-of-the-box trigger. |
| Ruger Hawkeye Compact 37139 308 Win. $691 | Apr 2020 | B+ | Short length of pull and a 16.5-inch barrel; could be a great truck gun or suitable for a smaller shooter. |
| Savage 110 Scout 57139 450 Bushmaster, $829 | Jul 2019 | A- | Best Buy. The Savage Axis proved accurate, reliable, and fast handling. Adjustable LOP. |
| Ruger Scout Rifle 6830 7.62 NATO, $1139 | Jul 2019 | B+ | The Ruger Scout comes closest to the original Scout rifle concept, but it falls short due to weight. |
| Mossberg MVP Scout Combo 7.62 NATO, $780 | Jul 2019 | B | Not a true interpretation of the Scout Rifle concept. Accurate, well-handling short rifle at a good price. |
| Ruger 77/44 Model 7401 44 Remington Mag., $754 | May 2019 | A- | The 77/44 offers accuracy and power in a lightweight rifle. We disliked the magazine. |
| Ruger American Rifle 6903 Standard 308 Win. $382 | Dec 2018 | A | Light enough, accurate enough, and inexpensive enough for us to want to keep it. |
| Savage Axis II XP 57095 308 Win. $411 | Dec 2018 | A- | Best Buy. It works well, is accurate enough for hunting, and it is affordable. |
| Savage Model 12FV 18393 308 Win., $420 | Dec 2018 | A- | Most accurate rifle tested. Modest recoil. The rifle never failed to impress us. |
| Mossberg Trophy Hunter 308 Win., $240 | Dec 2018 | C | Overall, the rifle was worth the modest price, but there are better choices. |
| Ruger American Rifle Ranch 06968 300 Blackout, $420 | May 2018 | A- | Shot well both suppressed and unsuppressed. Short length would make it handy. |
| Remington Model 700 SPS-T 84205 300 Blackout, $680 | May 2018 | A- | Shot well in 300 BLK supersonic and subsonic. |
| Savage Arms 10PT-SR 22356 308 Win., $550 | May 2018 | B+ | Good build. It did shoot sub-MOA with one round. We loved the handle and AccuTrigger. |
| Remington M700 SPS 85538 308 Win., $600 | Oct 2018 | B+ | This short rifle isn’t the most accurate, but the overall handling is superb. |
| Remington Model 700 SPS 84218 308 Win., $606 | Oct 2018 | B+ | Hard to find a production rifle that is capable of greater practical accuracy. |
| Savage Axis 19223 308 Win, $240 | Oct 2018 | C | Accuracy wasn’t the best. The rifle was dogged by a heavy trigger that we fixed. |
| Remington 783 85847 308 Win., $340 | Mar 2017 | A | Best Buy. This was the most accurate rifle tested, and there were no demerits. |
| Remington 700 SPS 85538 308 Win. $655 | Mar 2017 | A- | There are few rifles that are as handy as this one. |
After going back and forth between choosing the Savage hog hunter or Winchester xpr I decided to let my dealer pick for me. He said he wasnt too familiar with either in 350 legend but pick the Winchester. I went with the compact model. I liked the fact of the 20 inch barrel and shorter lop. I really wanted the winchester over the savage but hesitated when you took half a grade away because of accuracy. I still figured at the distances my deer hunting is the groups would be adequate. After 2 range sessions I couldnt be happier. This might be the most accurate rifle I own. With Browning 155gr and Winchester 150 gr I have cloverleafs at 100 yards, I guess I got a good one. My other rifles arent cheap either I am talking Tikka,Blaser and Savage along with many others