Hello all,

I had been pretty dead-set on a Model 70 Extreme Weather SS by Winchester (current production) in 7mm-08 for my new rifle. It will be my first centerfire rifle - scratch that, besides the Garand my wife is buying me for my birthday this week... laugh - and I plan on using it to build skills at handloading accurate ammunition, shoot at the range, and use as a primary deer rifle.

Stainless and synthetic were not originally either things I wanted, but due to extremely limited time to shoot I would really hate to buy a walnut stocked rifle that I then felt guilty about shooting paper targets with in the rain on a wet summer day for two hours because it was the only day I had free.


The Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather SS comes in a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock and has seen good reviews throughout the internet. This stock has an aluminum bedding block and apparently the rifle has been factory bedded - apparently a heat-and-pour resin that some refer to as hot glue - although different reviews of the bedding quality abound. However, the majority of the reviews state this is a quality and accurate rifle.

The Montana Rifle Company X-2 is built on a very similar action and David Petzal refers to their new synthetic stainless rifle as one of the best new rifles of 2015.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/the-gun-nuts/petzal%E2%80%99s-shot-picks-best-new-rifles-of-2015

http://montanarifleco.com/?page_id=180

It weighs a few ounces more than the Model 70 but this is not a concern to me as I do not hunt in the Western mountains but instead mostly sit in a tree stand in the eastern woods and shoot at a square range. In fact, the additional weight will provide that much more recoil attenuation so I am not concerned about that.

The MRC is shipped with aluminum pillars and factory glass bedded. The MRC has a 24" barrel vs the Winchester 22" barrel and has an OAL 2" longer as well at 44 inches.

Both rifles feature a recessed crown.

Both rifles will appear to run me in the approximate $1,000 range. One issue with the Extreme Weather SS in 7mm-08 is that I have not seen one for sale in 3 months of watching GunBroker. I am planning, once I have the cash in hand, to have my local gun store attempt to order me one thinking that may be the way to get it.

Is there any upgrade to the MRC over the current production Winchesters? I don't know much about them but thought they may be considered a high quality small business or maybe the "big name brand" is still a solid factory rifle at this price point and there isn't any advantage to going with MRC?

Thanks for any input!