Springfield Armory’s 2020 Waypoint bolt gun is back. The rifle looks great, but how does it perform? Over a century ago, the last Springfield bolt gun was manufactured. We are aware that there have been some ownership changes to this particular brand over the past 117 trips around our sun. But it is still significant. One of my colleagues suggested that Springfield was continuing its long-standing tradition of taking other companies’ bolt actions designs. Last time, it was Mauser. This century, Remington takes the honor. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh. This begs the question: Why would anyone buy when they can build? Springfield’s answer is simple: cost. The 2020 is an off-the shelf rifle that includes custom features. It costs less than what the average consumer would pay for the components. They back it with factory support and a guarantee of accuracy of.75 MOA. This is a great deal for DIYers and anyone who doesn’t have the time to do the hard work. The front receiver ring has an additional material to give it more rigidity. It also features a gas port on the left side to reduce the possibility of case head separation. The Waypoint’s recoil lever is machined as an integral part the action. It is not a separate piece of stamped steel sandwiched between barrel shoulder and action. Remington’s thin bolt stop is no longer sufficient to extract the bolt from the left raceway. Instead, the Waypoint’s bolt handle engages in a more gentle profile. This should reduce chances of sticky spent cases getting hung up and the effort required to remove them. The bolt handle is mortised through the bolt body and not brazed to its outside. This ensures that it will not break off if you apply more force than usual. The bolt’s other end has an oversized knob. This knob is easy to grasp with gloved hands, and can be easily replaced if it is damaged or worn. It feels like a 700 after a few hours with a Flitzcloth. It glides in raceways created by an EDM machine. These raceways, unlike the R700, are cut after heat treatment. This is one of the reasons why blueprinting activities are so popular in cottage industries. The bolt face features a Sako-style extractor that is inserted into the right lug. This is an additional custom feature included in the price. TriggerTech adjusts the trigger to release the striker. This trigger is 3.2 pounds and provides a crisp single-stage break with approximately 1/16 inch travel. It is finished in gray and brown camo, and has an inlet for AICS bottom metal. There are five flush cups that allow for multiple mounting options. You can also add additional M-lok slots to the forend at the 6 o’clock position. They were used to attach an adapter to the Spartan Precision bipod system. This has been a favorite of our hunts. Pic rails and other accessories can also be bolted to the forend. The adjustable cheek riser will add around 9 ounces to your gun’s weight, but it’s well worth it to be able fit the gun to your body. Although we wish the manufacturer had included a recess to hold the bolt, it is not necessary. You will need to remove the cheekpiece to access the bore to run a cleaning rod. This is a minor issue. The butt is protected by a Pachmayr recoil pad. Spacers are available if you need to extend the 13.5 inch LOP. The 2020’s BarrelThe Waypoint’s barrel is made by BSF. It has a carbon sleeve that is slid over a conventionally button rifled stainless tube. This tube is then tensioned using a nut that engages the 5/8-24 threads at its muzzle. Tensioned barrels are not new and offer greater consistency as things heat up. We didn’t do any 6.5-mag dumps during our testing but the first group we shot measured 0.65 inches. Hornady ELD M and ELD X bullets maintained the same mark for the next two groups. The rifle was required to use non-lead bullets for the mountain goat hunt. We used Barnes 127-grain LRX bullets as a handload and experienced some vertical stringing. This is usually indicative of a need to drive faster. We never got it right, but we were able to get a group of 2.25 inches at 300 meters. Bottom line: The Waypoint shoots. Photo by Kenda Lenseigne, Brian ButlerFinal ThoughtsThere is a lot of great rifles on the market right now. It’s a bold move for a company that has never made bolt guns in the past century to jump in with both their feet. Fortunately, the product they chose to introduce is pretty damn good, and when you add up the cost of a carbon-fiber stock, aftermarket trigger, sight bases, trick barrel and custom action, it becomes an even more attractive proposition.Springfield Waypoint Specs:
Caliber: 6.5 PRC
Capacity: 4 rounds
Barrel Length: 24 inches
OAL: 43.5 inches
Weight: 7.7 pounds
MSRP: $2,400For more information on the Springfield Armory 2020 Waypoint, please visit springfield-armory.com.Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.More On Springfield Armory:NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Storm Tactical Printable Target Pack 62 Printable MOA Targets with DOT Drills – Rifle Range in YARDS This impressive target pack from our friends at Storm Tactical contains 62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range use. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Perfect for long-range shooting! Get free targets
