For a hunting rifle including a controlled-feed, fully blueprinted action milled from a single piece of 416 billet stainless steel, McMillan carbon fiber stock, hand-lapped, button pulled barrel, precision user-adjustable trigger, ½-MOA accuracy promise, and more, Montana Rifle Company’s Highline rifle’s $2,595 MSRP seems pretty reasonable. Not that nearly $2,600 is inconsequential, but in today’s precision rifle world, that constitutes a serious bargain.
Grace Engineering in Memphis, Michigan resurrected the Montana Rifle Company (MRC), which had sadly been shuttered in 2020 and has been shipping rifles for about a year. Bowhunters might find the Grace name vaguely familiar, as G5 Outdoors and Prime Archery also operate under the company umbrella, archery companies renowned for manufacturing widely popular broadheads, archery accessories and compound bows. Grace Engineering, a third-generation precision machining manufacturer, has been in business for 50 years, including a good number of years producing components for several leading firearms companies.
MRC says they won’t ship a rifle unless it is capable of grouping three shots inside ½ MOA from a cold barrel using premium ammunition. I usually view these claims as little more than advertising hype, as not every shooter is capable of producing such groups, but as someone reviewing a rifle for publication, they certainly serve as a challenge. I put this claim to the test with a variety of factory and handloaded ammunition. The handloads (based on Lapua brass) were a mix of recipes proven in other 6.5 PRC rifles and experiments using some up-to-date powder releases.
Berger’s 140-grain Elite Hunter proved the best of the factory loads, printing three shots into .55-inch at 2,805 fps and including an extreme velocity spread in the teens. The best handload involved Hornady’s 153-grain A-Tip Match seated over 58.5 grains of Hodgdon Retumbo. That three-shot, 100-yard group, measured .42-inch at 2,896 fps. Hornady’s 143-grain ELD Match factory load, handloads made from Hammer Bullets’ 124-grain Hammer Hunter over 62.5 grains of Ramshot Grade and Berger’s 135-grain Classic Hunter over 56.5 grains of Alliant Reloder 26, produced sub-MOA groups.
The Grace family are passionate hunters who deeply cherish hunting traditions, including rifles. This inspired their Legacy Warranty Transfer program, enabling Montana Rifle Company owners to complete a simple form to transfer ownership – and full warranty protection – to a new owner.
It’s nice to see Montana Rifle Company rise from the ashes. The company is undoubtedly in good hands with Grace Engineering, which will ensure it not only survives, but also thrives through precision engineering, manufacturing and continual upgrades.
To read the full article byPatrick Meitin, please visit riflemagazine.com