By Paul Rackley, GunBroker Editor
Springfield Armory has been producing rifles for 50 years. However, it has never really put out bolt-action rifles. That changed with the introduction of the Waypoint 2020. This tactical, precision rifle boasted excellent features and extreme accuracy with a .75-inch MOA guarantee.
Springfield started with a newly designed receiver called the Model 2020. It featured dual-locking lugs on a fluted bolt that runs down an electrical discharged machined raceway. It also comes with an optimized extraction cam and an enlarged ejection port that works well with its push-feed design for reliable operation.
Other features included adjustable comb, QD mounts, AICS magazine and custom camo. All this made the gun adaptable, accurate, reliable and pretty cool looking. However, the rifle looked more tactical than hunting. Any rifle can be used for hunting, but hunters like to hunt with rifles that look like a hunting rifle.
Well, the company has now brought out the Springfield Boundary. This rifle blends modern technology with tradition lines, providing hunters with something that looks and feels like a hunting rifle, but with upgraded features and extreme accuracy.
Features & Upgrades
The Springfield Boundary might have got its name because it has none. I’m not sure about that, but this rifle comes with some really nice and well-thought-out features. Like the original, the Boundary starts with the 2020 action, which features a fluted bolt and dual locking lugs.
It also comes with a carbon-fiber stock that has front and rear QD cups for sling attachment. Springfield included Rogue camouflage, a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad, a SA Radial muzzle brake and a Picatinny rail for mounting optics. It even has a patent-pending one-piece aluminum hinged floor plate covering the internal magazine.
Shooters can choose between two barrel options, a stainless-steel fluted barrel or a carbon-fiber barrel (tested). For the BSF barrel, Springfield roll wraps the barrel under tension. This produces air gaps for cooling, which helps with consistent point of impacts during shooting strings. Two more impressive features on the Springfield Boundary include the trigger and the lock time.
On the Boundary, Springfield uses a TriggerTech Field trigger. It is low profile and uses a non-snag safety, as well as Frictionless Release Technology to produce a smooth pull. It is also user adjustable between 2.5 and 5 pounds with a free-floating roller. This ensures the trigger breaks clean and consistent.
The next accuracy factor comes from lock time, which is the time between the trigger break and the primer strike. Fast lock time helps accuracy. With the 2020, Springfield claims a 1.9 millisecond primer strike. The company also says this lock time is 45 percent faster than others.
Now, features and quality, such as smooth triggers, fast lock times and ergonomic stocks, are great. A rifle needs to have good features and a nice feel. For hunting, it also needs to be easy to carry and aim. Its most important feature, however, must be accuracy, both at the range and in the field.
Reaching Beyond the Boundary
The morning of the test started cold and sunny, but the day heated up quickly. It was, in fact, a really nice day for shooting. And I ran the Springfield Boundary through its paces.
Since it came with a Leupold VX-6HD 3-18×44 riflescope attached, I started at 25 yards to make sure it was at least sighted on paper. Two Hornady Match 140-grain rounds stacked together showed it was ready for 100 yards.
From a bench with rests, this rifle placed three holes in a .6-inch grouping in the first string. It also placed them about 1.3 inches below point of aim, meaning, according to Hornady’s ballistic calculator, the rifle had been sighted for 200 yards.
Subsequent strings followed suit with three-shot groups measuring well under an inch, outside of the occasional flyer that I figure was shooter error. Swapping to Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain and Winchester USA Ready 125-grain loads moved the point of impact. I was expecting some movement with the lighter Winchester loads but both moved significantly more than anticipated. Accuracy, however, wasn’t affected. All three loads produced sub-M.O.A. groups throughout testing. It showed, however, the importance of resighting rifles when changing loads.
Once accuracy was determined, I set up some shots in hunting situations, meaning I fired from different ranges using varying rests, as well as freehand. Rests included trees, fence posts, kneeling and a Primos Trigger Stick.
The Springfield Boundary handled well, going quickly to the shoulder and pointing easily at the target in freehand. It also worked well from whatever rest I used, even when simulating a stalk. The bolt ran smooth, picking up rounds from the magazine when performing follow-up shots, which were quite quick. The combination of the muzzle brake and the recoil pad made the rifle very light on recoil. In fact, I had zero shoulder pain after spending a good part of the day sending rounds down range.
Beyond Accuracy
The Springfield Boundary was beyond pleasant to shoot. The stock, action, bolt and everything else came together beautifully to make this bolt-action rifle. Even the chambering worked well, as the 6.5 Creedmoor is accurate and flat shooting.
When paired with a quality scope, such as the Leupold VX-6HD, the Boundary becomes an absolute tack driver. The scope was clear, easy to work and provided positive adjustments. It was set up for one click equaling a quarter inch M.O.A. As such, four clicks equaled 1 inch at 100 yards. And it was dead on. While I didn’t run the box, I did adjust six clicks to the right and put three rounds 1.5 inches over. After returning back to zero, I took it the same amount up, moving the point of impact 1.5 inches higher; six clicks down took it right back to zero.
The Springfield Boundary may come from a more tactical world, but it is a hunter, through and through. It is fairly light, easy to carry and extremely accurate. It even has the feel of a high-end hunting rifle, especially with the lines of its carbon-fiber stock.
This rifle could easily be used in a deep woods deer stand or for reaching across a beanfield. It could even pair with still hunting through the pines or slow-stalking an antelope on the plains. It is a sporting arm from Springfield, and it has no boundaries beyond the hunt.
Springfield Boundary Specs
- Action: Bolt Action
- Chambering: 6.5 Creedmoor (also available in 308 Win., 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC, 300 Win. Mag., 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm PRC
- Barrel: 22” carbon fiber
- Stock: Carbon Fiber AG Sportsman
- LOP: 13.5”
- Length: 43”
- Weight: 6 lbs., 15 ozs.
- Capacity: 3+1
- MSRP: $2,599
