Anshutz MSR 22 Modern Sporting Rifle Evaluation
I hope that someone who actually owns one would give there real life experience with the rifle. Opinions are not facts. Tell me that you have one and have taken in to the range or hunting and what your rifle does and does not do well.
I had mixed feelings with the MSR 22, as the SCAR platform seems foreign to this precision rifle maker. I had confidence in Anshutz and purchased the gun.
I mounted a Leupold 3X9 tactical scope and headed to the range with as many different types of ammo as I could find. I sighted the rifle in at 55 yards and began testing 10 round groups of each ammo selection. It became apparent early on that the rifle would be very accurate. As with any rifle, it was necessary to find the ammo that the MSR liked best. I tested ten different brands of ammo, with some being target velocity and some high velocity. There was also several types of premium target ammo in the sample as well.
The MSR shot most of the ammo well with some shooting extremely well. There were only two brands that produced groups over one inch. I am not wasting your time mentioning brands because your MSR would likely handle the ammo differently than mine did.
Anshutz claims one hole ragged groups at 50 yards and I found that to be correct with my rifle. I had three ammo samples out of the ten that produced one hole groups of .5 inch or less. I believe the gun is capable of even better groups because the wind was gusting up to 8-10 MPH while shooting. Outstanding accuracy is a hallmark of the MSR.
The MSR is a well made gun and a pleasure to shoot. It does not feel like a fine bolt target rifle but is very capable of performing like one. The trigger is very good but different than triggers found on fine bolt guns. The MSR trigger has an unusual amount of takeup to deal with. After the take up, the trigger breaks cleanly on my gun at in between 3.5 and 4 pounds as verified on a Lyman electronic scale.
I am hard to please and you really have to look hard to find much wrong with the MSR. The rifle functioned well with most of the ammo. Federal Auto Match and Federal Premium Target would not cycle the action but all the other brands did fine. This not a cheap rifle and Anschutz has made sure that their reputation will remain intact with this new precision product. If you want exceptional accuracy in a semiauto, the MSR in my view is an excellant choice. I have no regrets purchasing this gun.
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Good Shooting!