When I first moved to South Dakota back in 2021, my biggest goal was to embrace the "Western" hunting culture. Watching shows like MeatEater, and other various shows on the Outdoors Channel, it can really implant a strong desire to hunt here out west. The wide-open skies, the vast plains, the heart-pounding stalks, the miles upon miles put on each day... the list can go on forever. What I didn't know was how much gear went into this style of hunting out here, and along with that comes with money. I knew I needed to upgrade to a versatile cartridge to hunt game from Antelope to Mule deer, so after research and getting opinions from people I set out for my local Cabela's. I was scouring their gun rack not super impressed with rifles in my price range such as the Savage Axis series, but when I saw this Winchester XPR and got my hands on it, I was hooked! The one I had looked at is composite material designed in the "Strata" camo pattern. The bolt handle and the barrel are coyote tan perma-cote. It was outfitted with a Vortex Crossfire II scope, and after some hard thinking on it I filled out the paperwork and walked out the door with it!
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 22 inches |
| Overall Length | 42 inches |
| Length of Pull | 13 3/4 |
| Weight | 6 lbs 3 oz |
| Magazine Capacity | 3+1 |
| Twist Rate | 8 |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Reciever Material | Steel |
| Trigger Material | Steel |
| Drilled and Tapped for Scope | Yes |
Calibers Available
The Winchester XPR comes with a wide range of caliber options to match your hunting needs! The list below is the following calibers the rifle is available in. Please note for each caliber the specifications may change by a small amount.
- 223 Rem
- 243 Win
- 6.5 Creedmoor
- 7mm-08 Rem
- 308 Win
- 350 Legend
- 6.5 PRC
- 270 WSM
- 300 WSM
- 325 WSM
- 270 Win
- 6.8 Western
- 30-06 Springfield
- 7mm Rem Mag
- 300 Win Mag
- 338 Win Mag
What I love
With my rifle there are a lot of aspects of it that I am absolutely obsessed with. The biggest would be the operation of the bolt. Even right out of the box the bolt was very smooth and operates freely. This smooth action causes no struggling to chamber a round. The safety for this weapon is a thumb safety located on the right side of the bolt. It is a simple forward for shoot backwards for safe, I prefer this over the safety systems that are in the trigger guard assembly area.
As far as shooting goes, I love how this rifle sends rounds down range. The trigger has a perfect amount of ease and let off to make each shot comfortable and precise. There is no jerking, and you don't have to put your whole ass into your finger just to pull the trigger back. If you prefer a heavier trigger vs a light pressure trigger, the trigger in the XPR is adjustable. The chambering of a round is very smooth and seamless. I have not had a jam or any type of failure to feed so far with this rifle, which is huge.
The XPR feels very good in the hands when shooting it, and it looks damn good too! The composite material for the stock paired with the "Strata" camouflage pattern makes it look pretty sweet. Sure, looks aren't everything, but I always admire how the camo with the perma-cote barrel just look slick.
To top things off, for what you get in this rifle, the price is pretty damn good! For the 6.5 Creedmoor I got mine at Cabela's with the Vortex Crossfire II as mentioned in the first paragraph for a little north of $700 including the tax. Sure, you can get other rifles around this price range that may be "better" to you, but for what I wanted to accomplish, especially just starting hunting here out West, this was a choice I am glad I had made.
Things I Wish They Added
Although there is not much that I dislike about this rifle, there are a few things that I wish Winchester would have added to really bring this platform together. First off, I wish that it had a threaded barrel. I plan on suppressing mine, but before I do, I will have to find a machine or gun shop that would be willing to thread my barrel just so I can slap a can on it.
The second thing I would have loved to see was a Picatinny system for the scope mounts over the Weaver bases. This is not a huge deal breaker, but when I recently bought my Arken EPL4, I was stoked to put their scope rings on it. Well, I was unable to due to the mounts being Picatinny and the rifle bases only taking Weaver. Unfortunately, nowhere locally had new base mounts or adapters for Weaver to Picatinny, so I had to drop money on another set of scope rings just so I could mount my Arken Optic.
The final thing is I wish there was a way for Winchester to find places to shed a few more pounds to make this rifle more comfortable to pack in the mountains. It is not insanely heavy, but it has competitors that are more light weight making them easier to trek with.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I love this rifle and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a great rifle that is durable and can withstand the elements in the field. I have found there is more I like about this rifle than dislike, so I see that as a major positive. As mentioned earlier, I have recently mounted an Arken EPL-4 optic on it, so standby for a further review! With this new glass I will be able to really judge the capability of this rifle and push out the yardage with my shots.
As always, thank you for reading this article! I hope that you have found it informational and enjoyable to read. If you have any blog article suggestions, please hit the "contact" tab at the top of the screen, follow the prompts, and I will hopefully push out what you are requesting! God bless.
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