After that day, I was hooked.
Lets first talk about aesthetics.
Face it, firearms just call to us.
The look, the feel, how they makeyoufeel.
As silly as it seems, we make a lot of our purchase decisions based on these factors.
In my opinion, the Model 2020 Waypoint is a stunning rifle.
The carbon fiber stock with hand-painted Evergreen or Ridgeline camo is unique and functional.
Pairing perfectly with it is the BSF barrel jacketed in a roll-wrapped carbon fiber sleeve.
Underneath its beautiful exterior is a precision piece of art crafted by Springfield Armory.
The heart of the rifle is the Model 2020 action, and Springfield spared no expense with it.
Moving forward, the barrel is the definition of precision.
The barrel is fluted and wrapped in a carbon fiber sleeve, then loaded under tension.
This allows cooling air gaps that promote cold bore to warm bore repeatability.
Springfield also includes an adjustable Triggertech trigger, adjustable from 2.5 to 5 lbs.
with a patented free-floating roller for a crisp, clean and repeatable pull.
In Practice
My goal was to put this rifle through the paces on my terms.
I decided to set up the action into an MDT XRS chassis for a more modular approach.
For the optic, I chose my Vortex 3-18X Razor HD Gen 2 with a Spuhr mount.
For my bipod, I used my go-to Atlas Bipod from BT Industries.
And if you know me, you know I suppress everything I can.
For this build, I used my Rex Silentium MG10 suppressor.
Not having to wear ear protection during a six- to eight-hour range session is a heavenly day.
Finally, I chose Black Hills .308 175-gr.
ammo to feed the rifle.
Now that I had my rifle dialed in and feeling good, I was ready for the class.
The second day was our first day on the 100-yard range.
We dialed in our rifles and zeroed our optics.
The Vortex tracked perfectly like a champ.
We also tested for hot barrel shift by shooting seven to 10 accurate shots in rapid succession.
If the rifle had a hot barrel shift, you would see it during this test.
To my utter satisfaction, I found that the Waypoint had zero shift on a hot barrel.
All shots were nicely grouped together.
Upping the Ante
Day three of the precision rifle school was on the 300-yard range.
Building upon the skills we learned from the prior day, we tested our cold-bore shot.
For those not familiar, this is the first shot of the day with a cool barrel.
Again, the Waypoint performed to perfection.
The group from a cold bore was still sub-MOA with no shift.
I quickly learned that the third day is where Rob really starts putting you on your toes.
If we were moving anywhere, we had to run.
Every time we checked targets down at the 300-yard line, there was a 600-yard run.
Every time we deployed our kits, we had 30 seconds to get in position.
Additionally, we had 30 seconds for packing up.
This is where you really see how your body reacts under stress.
My favorite drill from that day was what I refer to as the tag test.
Rob hung little 2x1.5 price tags from about 4 of string below the target stand at 100 yards.
The wind was about 12 mph that day, so the tags were freely fluttering around.
We had three shots and as much time as we needed.
On my first try, I tried to time the shots with the wind.
I only hit one shot.
As a result, we are less accurate.
We gave it a second try of three shots.
I steadied myself, focused and cracked off three shots after taking into consideration Robs advice.
At this point, I was beaming with pride from the way the Waypoint had performed.
Its way more accurate than I will ever be.
I just have to keep up.
Judgement Day
Day four was the big one.
Shooting at 1,000 yards.
I had the confidence to know that my rifle was a ragged hole-puncher.
I just needed to input as little of me into the gun as possible and I would be successful.
We began at the 100-yard line, confirming our zero.
How did I do?
Frankly, I was pretty happy with the results.
My next wow moment came from another drill Rob had us do.
We stood about 20 yards from our rifles.
This was a race between teams.
As we ran to our rifles our spotters had to communicate the target to us.
Richard, my spotter, tells me, Its a small white object above the number 4.
Immediately I knew he had missed some critical information.
The 1,000-yard range has 10 number 4s from left to right.
So, I begin magnifying up to 18X with my scope and scanning each number 4.
I notice a tiny spec above one of them.
I called to Richard and he confirmed that is the one.
I am on target.
In my scope, the object measured about .3 mils.
I did some math; .27 divided by .3 equals 0.9 x1000 = 900 yards.
Rob said earlier when in doubt always assume the target is closer.
I decided since I was estimating here that I should dial for about 850 yards.
Richard confirmed the same.
I used my data and dialed 8.3 mils.
A moment later the object flipped over in the dirt.
My range estimation was perfect.
After flying high from that shot, we moved to the 1,000-yard line.
This is where the wind makes a real difference on your shots.
Luckily, after floundering some, Rob gave the students a chance by being our spotter.
The man is superhuman at understanding ballistics, wind and any other aspect of long-range precision shooting.
One by one Rob let us shoot and called our wind.
Three shots each, and then we went down range to check our hits.
As we headed downrange, I could only hope I had hits on paper.
I measured the group.
Yes, you read that right.
It was .8 MOA at 1,000 yards.
Just a couple of weeks ago I considered myself a novice at long-range precision rifle shooting.
I couldnt believe it!
I had earned the top shooter of the class award.
I was both humbled and surprised at the accomplishment.
The Springfield Model 2020 Waypoint performed flawlessly.
There were multiple times I had hits inside of hits on paper.
The MDT Chassis was a perfect fit for my length of pull and cheekweld.
Its lightweight yet rugged, providing you with an accurate reliable way to interact with the rifle.
The Vortex 3-18X was a fantastic companion to this rifle.
Last but not least, the Black Hills .308 175-gr.
