This is a strange-looking rifle, no doubt. However, it looks the way it does for a lot of important reasons. Stag Arms’ Pursuit is a versatile and modular rifle equipped with the most sought-after features. These are comprehensive and come to us from the competitive shooting scene. Some casual riflemen might not value all of the features, but as shooters and hunters learn about the utility they offer, many will.
About That Stock…
… Pick the Pursuit up in a gun shop and the stock will likely be the first component that you notice. It is of an unusual construction with an aluminum center section having the forend and stock attached to it. The stock detaches from the rest of the rifle by sliding a single captured pin left to right and then lifting the stock away from the receiver. That rear disassembly pin is a nod to the brand’s history in building AR-10-pattern rifles. At the other end, removing the barreled action from the stock is as simple as loosening two action screws and separating the two components.
One aspect of the Pursuit that will draw complaints is the weight. The buttstock of the Pursuit alone tipped the scale at 1 pound, 13 ounces. I weighed the center section and forend assembly and it, too, weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. In total, the furniture checked in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces, which is about average for most of today’s chassis-type systems.
Complaining about the stock’s weight, though, isn’t fair without considering what it offers. The rifle has an adjustable comb and length of pull. A single Allen-head screw controls tension on the comb riser, which offers about 1.2 inches of height adjustment. The length of pull is adjusted using a combination of provided spacers. Two come installed on the Pursuit, and there are two additional spacers in the box. The total length-of-pull adjustment is 11/2 inches.
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The grip has a palm swell and is almost vertical. The stock also comes with a bag rider attached to the toe. It provides a flat surface for a rear bag when sighting in and accuracy testing, but with the removal of two Allen screws it comes off for field use. The stock also features two quick-detach (QD) flush cups on both sides of the stock, as well as another near the toe. The QD cups on the side allow the rifle to sit flat against the shooter’s back when slung, which is the most comfortable slung position I’ve found. The cup near the toe is for conventional sling use and carry.
The Midpoint & Beyond
The center section and forend are packed full of meaningful details that not only impact how the rifle shoots, but how it feeds and how it’s used in the field. The center section is a single piece of aluminum, so the “bottom metal” is integral. This allows for precise control of magazine height relative to the receiver. Stag Arms also put an adjustable-height magazine catch on the Pursuit. Just about every bolt-action rifle that takes magazines uses the AICS pattern for .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor chamberings; the Pursuit is no different and includes Magpul’s AICS mags. For the Pursuit in 6.5 PRC, a metal Accurate-Mag is provided.
High-end chassis manufacturers started putting an adjustable-height magazine catch on flagship chassis designs about 2 years ago. It allows shooters to eliminate potential feeding issues, but also optimize feeding from any magazine. Making subtle changes in magazine height makes the difference between a round bouncing out of the magazine and into the chamber versus a round that finds a straight, clean path into the chamber. Think about the difference in diameter between a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 6.5 PRC. Both feed from AICS-pattern magazines. Both also need to sit at different heights for the smoothest possible loading experience. The Pursuit makes this possible.
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Other convenient features of the center section are the ambidextrous magazine release incorporated around the triggerguard, captured action screws, and a small barricade stop built around the magazine well. The captured action screws mean no dropped or lost action screws when disassembling the rifle. The barricade stop allows the shooter to set the rifle across a fence and then push it forward into the fence for recoil management without the fear of inducing a feeding malfunction from binding the magazine. The barricade stop protects the magazine and keeps field supports from interfering with its function.
The forend shows continued good sense in both design and execution. Stag Arms kept the bottom flat and used a spigot mount forward of the forend for a section of Picatinny rail. Mounting a bipod to the spigot puts it out close to the muzzle, but also keeps the rail off the forend. Keeping the underside of the forend flat allows the rifle to ride nicely across a backpack. It also makes
it comfortable to shoot off-
hand because some of us still
do that. There is a 3-inch section of ARCA rail that sits just forward of the magazine well. This is a good spot because that’s where a rifle should attach to a tripod, but it’s also low-profile; it settles comfortably in the hand when carrying the rifle. The underside of the forend has a metal section with M-Lok slots cut into it. This allows for more use of ARCA or rail, should the shooter desire.
The Barreled Action
Guns & Ammo’s test rifle was chambered in 6.5 PRC with a 22-inch barrel. The barreled action alone weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces. About 2 pounds of that weight is action; the remainder is the barrel.
The receiver uses a pinned recoil lug, and the scope base is attached by four screws. The bolt has a Remington 700 footprint, three lugs, and a 60-degree bolt lift. The bolt head is removable, though, so swapping chamberings from the 6.5 PRC to 6.5 Creedmoor, for example, is as easy as installing a different barrel, appropriate bolt head and magazine. The Pursuit takes any pre-fit barrel cut to the Zermatt Origin pattern.
Pertinent to any rifle hunter — in addition to the ability to easily change calibers and cartridge chambering — is the simple maintenance the Pursuit offers. The bolt features tool-less disassembly. This is helpful in a situation such as when a firing pin pierces the primer, allowing fouling to enter the bolt’s firing pin channel. To access this area, just twist the Pursuit’s bolt shroud to pull the firing pin assembly out of the bolt body. Push one pin to the side to remove the bolt head and the shooter has unfettered access to the bolt’s nooks and crannies.
The other useful feature is the trigger hanger. The hanger houses the TriggerTech Primary trigger and allows it to slip out of the receiver by removing one screw. Keeping a spare trigger and trigger hanger available is useful because, in the event of a trigger failure — the most common type of failure — changing them requires little time. If you’re taking a flight to go hunting, this is a low-cost contingency plan that could save the hunt. The TriggerTech trigger adjusts between 11/2 and 4 pounds of pull weight.
Stag Arms describes the best process for barrel break-in in its owner’s manual; I’d recommend everyone follow it. The process involves cleaning the new barrel; shooting 50 to 60 rounds through it; and cleaning it again before doing any accuracy testing or load development. I followed this procedure, but took notes about group sizes along the way. The 6.5 PRC and 6.5 Creedmoor have excellent chamber designs and tight free-bore dimensions. Great accuracy is possible, even out of fresh barrels. A good chamber design is not enough to avoid performing the procedure Stag recommends. I cleaned the barrel and then shot a 15-round group at 100 yards, which measured about 2.1 inches. I let the barrel cool completely and fired another 15-round group. It measured about 11/2 inches. After cooling. I shot another 20-round group about the same size. Finally, I cleaned the barrel and started G&A’s accuracy protocol.
Final Shots
Stag Arms’ Pursuit has a unique look, but offers features found nowhere else. Thanks to the easily detachable stock, it is highly transportable. It offers effortless feeding from the detachable box magazines, regardless of chambering and it is easily swappable from one cartridge to another. If you want one rifle capable of handling several tasks, the Pursuit is a safe choice.
Stag Arms Pursuit
- Type: Bolt-Action
- Chambering: 6.5 PRC (tested)
- Capacity: 3+1 rds.
- Barrel: 22 in.; 416 stainless steel, LW profile, spiral fluted, 1:8-in. twist, threaded
- Overall Length: 41.5 in.
- Weight: 8 lbs., 14 oz.
- Stock: Adj. comb riser, adj. length of pull, M-Lok, ARCA
- Sights: None; 20 MOA rail
- Length of Pull: 13.75 in.
- Finish: Cerakote Elite
- Trigger: TriggerTech Primary, adj. 1 lb., 8 oz. to 4 lbs.; 3 lbs., 8 oz. (tested)
- Safety: Two-position lever
- Price: $1,899
- Contact: Stag Arms, 307-269-0061, stagarms.com
Spare Round: Trijicon Tenmile HX 5-25x50mm
The Trijicon Tenmile HX First Focal Plane (FFP) riflescope is new for 2024. Previously offered as a Second Focal Plane (SFP) riflescope, the 5-25x50mm optic was designed to fit between the 3-18X and 4.5-30X in terms of magnification and weight. For the magnification range, it is one of the lightest available at 29 ounces. It also provides some insight into what today’s long-range hunter wants in a scope. The reticle is illuminated, it has an exposed elevation turret, and it subtends and adjusts in minute of angle (MOA) increments. It would be difficult to find a more ideal scope for those desiring an FFP reticle in MOA, which happens to be a lot of the long-range hunting community. The reticle has a floating dot and the horizontal stadia subtends in 1-MOA increments. Accurate hold-offs for wind are not difficult with this reticle. It also has a reticle that works well at the lowest magnification, an unusual feature for FFP reticles with wide magnification. The etched reticle is illuminated in both red and green, and powdered by a CR2032 battery. The illumination is visible in all but the brightest conditions.
What makes the Tenmile HX unique is Trijicon’s durability testing. No commercial scope is tested to such rigorous standards. Such testing is usually limited to optics destined for military use. The Tenmile must first survive 10,000 rounds of simulated recoil on the same simulator used by the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal. That’s 5,000 rounds of M4 recoil and 5,000 rounds of SCAR-Heavy recoil. The Tenmile HX can survive all of it.
Then there is the thermal and shock tests where the scope is rapidly moved from a cool -20 Fahrenheit (F) to 140 F. This is to see if any lenses can crack from improper mounting. Drop testing comes next. Scopes are mounted to stock blanks that are weighted as heavy as a rifle and then dropped at heights from 18 inches to table-top distance. They are dropped onto hard-packed earth and plywood laid over concrete. Scopes have to maintain zero with no cracked glass, and must still be functional. The following crucible is vibration testing. The Tenmile scope is mounted in something resembling the paint-shaker at a hardware store and taken for a ride. Finally, the 3 meter submersion test in water for 30 minutes.
Tenmile scopes must survive all of these challenges before they’re made available to you. For hard-use long-range hunting, the Tenmile HX is hard to beat. Guns & Ammo’s sample provided excellent image quality, demonstrated a high durability, and possessed all the features we desire. Discover more at trijicon.com.
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