Chambered in 7mm PRC, Springfield’s 2020 Boundary W/Carbon Fiber Barrel bolt-action was built for the backcountry.
by Jace Bauserman
My first experience with Springfield Armory was at a small arms range. A gentleman shooting next to me was clanking steel and dotting paper with remarkable accuracy. I immediately noticed the checkered mainspring housing, G10 grip panels, and beavertail safety; sure signs of a 1911.
Minutes later, and after a quick conversation with that 1911 operator, I was emptying .45 ACP magazines and having a ball. After burning up 50 rounds of my newfound friends’ ammo, I gave the handgun a closer inspection.
Branded on the slide was Springfield Armory, and the model was the manufacturer’s Range Officer Elite Operator. Two weeks later, I dropped some Benjamins on this quality autoloader.
Springfield Armory makes excellent guns. In the years following the purchase of my Range Officer Elite Operator, I’ve handled several Springfield Armory Series rifles, as well as their Echelon 4.0 COMP Handgun. I’ve enjoyed shooting every Springfield I’ve ever shouldered or placed in a thumbs-forward grip.
Naturally, I was excited when Springfield Armory, along with Fiocchi Ammunition, invited me on a Montana elk hunt. I would be shooting Springfield’s latest and greatest bolt-action rifle, the Model 2020 Boundary Rifle W/Carbon Fiber Barrel chambered in 7MM PRC.
Let’s get to it!
First Impressions: Model 2020 Boundary Rifle W/Carbon Fiber Barrel
Remember, the Model 2020 Boundary Rifle W/Carbon Fiber Barrel is a stock — not a custom — rifle. I pen that first because when I unzipped the included heavy-duty rifle case with Velcro straps and an internal muzzle protector and spied the gun, my brain said, “This is a custom rifle.”
Why?
The build is flawless. A 24-inch carbon fiber barrel, with an attached and removable SA Radial Muzzle Brake, melds seamlessly into the receiver. The Model 2020 action features dual locking lugs on a fluted bolt that glides smoothly, like a bobsled on ice, down the EDM raceways. A removable bolt knob that feels excellent in the hand attaches to the 90-degree bolt handle, and the lower-profile bolt stop enhances ergonomics and reduces the likelihood of the stop snagging on clothing, brush, or other objects. Bolt removal is fast and efficient. The action is topped with a Picatinny rail with a pair of recoil pins. I worked the action time and time again, and it’s butter.
The barreled action fits perfectly into the Rogue camouflage carbon fiber stock. The camo is sick, and the AG Sportsman Stock features a 13.5-inch length of pull. The base of the stock’s forend is flat, making it ideal for shooting from a bench, shooting sticks, or offhand. Other notable features include the dual QD cups for easy sling attachment and the 1-inch Pachmayr Decelerator Pad. The stainless-steel safety is conveniently located behind the bolt for quick access.
Springfield went the extra mile with the Model 2020 Boundary W/Carbon Fiber Stock. Aside from a top-end action and stock, the rifle sports a precise TriggerTech Trigger. The adjustable 2.5 to 5-pound trigger features a thin, slim design with a sweeping hook curvature that fits comfortably into the first knuckle of the index finger. It breaks crisper than a perfectly baked potato chip, and the patent-pending free-floating roller promises a clean, consistent break every time you want the rifle to go boom.
The 3-round internal magazine reduces weight and was a breeze to load. I despise an internal magazine that tries to push back at me while I’m trying to drive brass into it. This one doesn’t. The rifle measures 46 inches in length, and with an attached Leupold VX-5HD 3-15×44 scope and three 150-grain Fiocchi Hyperformance Hunt 7 mm PRC rounds, my total Montana package pushed the scale to just a tick over 8.5 pounds.
Now, if the rifle only shoots as well as it looks.
Model 2020 Boundary On The Range
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to attach an optic to a leveled Picatinny rail. After setting my eye relief and going through my usual scope mounting process, I pulled the bolt and performed an old-school bore sight.
My first shot from 50 yards was 1.5 inches left and 3.75 inches high of the bullseye. Six shots later, I had a sub-1/2-inch MOA group from 100 yards. The Boundary is a tack driver. Springfield promises a 3/4-inch MOA, which is fantastic, but it’s a conservative estimate. If you do your job, this rifle’s accuracy will be incredibly eye-opening.
For a rifle so light—one built for the backcountry—the Model 2020 Boundary W/Carbon Fiber Barrel chambered in 7mm PRC produced extremely light recoil. The rifle’s SA Radial brake, Pachmayer Decelerator pad, and overall build significantly reduced recoil, allowing me to stay on target, work the buttery action, and quickly send another round.
Elk are big ungulates. My rule is: If a bull is on his feet, I always keep shooting. I’ve seen too many bulls get up and walk away after getting knocked down. I want an elk-killing caliber, which the 7mm PRC is, and I want to be able to stay on the animal in my scope and send a follow-up shot, or two, if necessary.
I didn’t have a lot of time with the Model 2020 Boundary before my hunt. However, I shot 25 rounds through it from prone, kneeling, and standing positions. I shot it off a bench and prone to 600 yards, and kneeling with the rifle in a BOG DeathGrip to 400 yards. I love shooting it. The bolt-action performed every time I pulled the trigger. If I did my job, the rifle did its. That’s all a hunter can ask for.
The Model 2020 Boundary & The Big Sky
I’m not one for giving away hunt locales, and despite a 22-mile horseback ride into the Montana wilderness, I spied much more blaze orange than I EVER want to see again. I don’t want to bring any more attention to the area, so, I will just write that Montana’s backcountry is as beautiful as it is hellish—towering peaks, granite hillsides, and dense pockets of pine.
Sadly, I’ve never seen such promising elk habitat that didn’t hold any elk. Despite five days of intense hunting by me and five other hunters in our camp, not a single bull fell.
Why?
Pressure. Human and four-legged. This is wolf country, and someone let the dogs out. Their slow, eerie howls echoed morning, noon, and night. Trails showed palm-sized paw prints, and though the area had held lots and lots of bull elk (rut sign was everywhere), they’d vanished.
Though I didn’t get to send lead at a Montana bull, I did traverse miles of steep and gnarly country. The Model 2020 rode easily on my shoulder and in my backpack. It slid in and out of my scabbard, and after returning home from my hunt, I took a single shot from 350 yards at a 4-inch steel plate and made it ring. This is a well-built, ultra-accurate rifle designed for the backcountry, and I have plans for a redemption tour in 2026.
There’s Always One
I didn’t know Alex Joseph before this hunt. Alex works in marketing and creative strategy at Springfield. He’s a hell of a guy and a hell of a hunter. We are birds of a feather, and I think the only thing either of us did close to as hard as we hunted elk was laugh.
While we all got a piece of humble elk pie, Joseph didn’t return from Montana empty-handed. On the third evening of the hunt, he smacked a solid Montana whitetail from 200 yards with his Model 2020 Waypoint with Adjustable Stock and Carbon Fiber Barrel.
“The buck was quartering to me hard,” Joseph said. “The 150-grain Barnes TTSX bullet entered in front of the left shoulder. The buck was dead before he hit the ground. I could see the life leave his eyes through my scope because I never came out of my scope.”
Joseph went on to tell me that never in his hunting career, and the man has hunted most everything, everywhere, has he cleaned a deer and found essentially a fully liquified chest cavity.
“The Fiocchi 7mm PRC Barnes TTSX 150-Grain did its job,” Joseph continued. “This rifle, optic, ammo, and configuration proved extremely effective.”
Final Thoughts
Suppose you’re considering investing in a new backcountry hunting partner for the fall of 2026. In that case, I recommend visiting Springfield’s website and exploring their complete line of Boundary and Waypoint rifles. Both are available in an array of calibers to meet the demands of your hunt.
