Christensen Arms MPR Competition Bolt-Action Rifle Review

Click to listen to the audio version of this article.

Get Out-of-the-Box 6.5 Creedmoor Precision with Christensen’s MPR Competition

Many a rifle shooter is looking for the best bang for their buck and rightfully so. If you’re going to be serious about long-range precision you’ll need more than just the rifle and ammo. Rifle ownership is nearly a bottomless pit where lots of money can be, well deposited if that term works for you. If you want a top-tier shooter right out of the box, then get a load of the Christensen Arms MPR Competition bolt-action rifle. 

Factory-Built Precision 

It can be hard knowing where to start if you’re new to precision rifles and hardly anyone builds a truly custom rifle anymore. Custom rifles are closer to “personalized” rifles since you can get an action, a pre-fit barrel, chassis, and trigger and assemble on your own. If I can do it, anyone can. You can also opt for one of the several solid factory-built options, one of them being Christensen’s MPR.

I’ve had several runs with the MPR with many years in between them and if there is one thing I can say, it’s that they’ve all shot fairly precisely. That said, I’ve always questioned whether or not a CF barrel on the MPR can deliver excellent accuracy over longer strings of fire and so far the answer has been yes. But what about if it had a steel barrel? What could it do then? Enter Christensen Arms’ MPR Competition. 

MPR Competition Vs. MPR

The MPR Competition only differs from the MPR in the name and the barrel. Instead of the 24-inch CF-wrapped barrel of the MPR, the competition model gets a 26-inch target profile stainless-steel barrel. This means weight and it adds lots of it—which is good. However, because the rest of the rifle is so light, it feels a little front-heavy. An optic helps balance it out a bit more though. I would opt to add something like an Adjustable Bag Rider to place more weight in the back. This will likely round the rifle out to roughly 16-18 lbs but that’s acceptable on a proper target rifle. 

Action

The action is their own but falls in the Rem 700 arena with a top rail for optic fitment. The rail has 20 MOA built into it which is nice. It’s a two-lug bolt, 90 degrees of throw, and is fluted. It features an M16-style extractor as well. The bolt knob is skeletonized, cutting down on weight in the regular MPR. It features an enlarged ejection port, something that can be overlooked. Spent cases should find their way out with ease. 

The Competition model has an improved bolt release and oversized FFT bolt knob. The bolt is nitride-treated as well. Other niceties include AICS magazine compatibility and a straight pistol grip that hits just right. It has a thumb rest as well. Christensen has put a Trigger Tech “Special” flat shoe trigger on board the Competition model and you’re not likely to complain about it. 

Chassis

The MPR Competition is an attractive rifle and that matters. The lightweight steel receiver coupled with the 17-inch FFT carbon fiber handguard does indeed give it a modern look. Plenty of M-Lok slots adorn the handguard too. Christensen has given it the right cuts and angles to assist. Unlike the MPR, the Competition version gets a grey (tungsten Cerakote) finish on the chassis instead of the brownish color of the MPR.  

The chassis is made of 7075 billet aluminum and features V-block bedding which is good for accuracy purposes. The folding buttstock is the same as the MPR, with plenty of adjustability for length of pull as well as cheek rest (comb) height. Adjustments are achieved with Allen wrenches. The cheek riser is CF with 1 inch of travel and LOP can be adjusted from 12.5 inches to 14.5 inches. Altogether there are six QD flushcup mounts, which will make sling attachment a cinch. 

Range Test Results 

As mentioned before, several prior experiences with the MPR had me thinking that I knew what to expect. Well, my expectations were off. The heavy steel barrel smoothed this rifle’s shooting characteristics out, not to mention the included side baffle brake. This rifle was gentle and composed and easy to shoot. The action is smooth enough on the MPR so you can move through the rounds with relative ease, in this case, it was Hornady’s holy grail 140 gr. ELDM.

If you have a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 1:8 twist barrel (like the Christensen) and it won’t shoot the Hornady well, something is wrong with you or the rifle. In this case, the Christensen with its hand lapped, button rifling and match chamber gave me the best group of 0.46 inches. This was my first group and I wasn’t able to improve it on this outing. No worries—a sub 1/2 MOA group from a factory rifle on your first group is nothing to be mad about. It proves their sub-MOA guarantee. I also tried Sako TRG 140 gr. 6.5 Creedmoor ammo and fired 4 rounds into .22 before throwing the final round out to .72 inches. Again—sub-MOA. All is well. 

The MPR Competition gives you a good bit of rifle for $2,499. And if you want to shoot an actual PRS competition, you just need an appropriately-priced optic and you can run the Factory division. In the case of the MPR, adding the steel barrel definitely changed things for the better. Adding the steel was a big deal. For more information, visit christensenarms.com. 

Specifications: Christensen Arms MPR Competition 

Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor 
Barrel: 26 inches 
OA Length: 46.5 inches 
Weight: 11.6 pounds 
Stock: Straight pistol 
Magazine: AICS 
Action: Bolt 
Finish: Tungsten Cerakote, Black Nitride 
Capacity: 10 + 1 
MSRP: $2,499