Cadron,
I can't offer any first-hand experiences, only anecdotal instances. One of our suppliers offered them on closeout, at very attractive prices. Those prices, plus a $150 rebate to the consumer, made for a pretty nice gun at a real bargain. We sold the 10 or so we bought in short order. All were chambered in 30 TC, except for one in .243 Win.
By all reports, they will do the requisite 1" groups claimed, with one of the available loads. Some seem to like the 150gr bullet, more seem to prefer the 165. Almost all buyers are pretty much the typical hunters, and only burn a box or two of ammo in a year. Their focus is on a hunting tool at a good price. Platform doesn't mean much. It shoots, pretty much hit what it is pointed at, and kills. That's enough.
We do have one shooter with one. He said the factory Hornady 165s were pretty much the equivalent of factory 30-06 using 165s. His reloads, however, only equaled good .308 Win velocities. He is a mid-book level reloader, and not much of an experimenter. I expect it shouldn't be too hard to equal hot .308 loads with a bit of work. I DON'T think you can get above 30-06 to 300 mag levels safely. It just ain't gonna happen. If you want a good shooter for moderate to mid-range hunting (up to 4-500 yds?) this ought to be a good one. From what I've heard, the rifles should be up to the rigors of MOST hunters. They certainly are nice looking enough, fairly smooth, and well fitted. Walnut & blue; whats not to like. Maybe they're not for everybody, but that's what makes a horse race.
If you have one go buy 5-10 boxes of the flavor it prefers, and proceed to hunt for the next 5-10 rears. If you are a reloader, find a nice load that meets your needs, and again, do the same. Maybe boring, but pretty simple, really.
