For $2500 you could do a lot better than that, but you could do a lot worse too.
My thoughts, as a guy who's wasted a lot of money on specialty pistols over the years:
- Center grip stocks aren't for everyone. The first problem with the center grip style is the fact that you have to use a trigger linkage to move the trigger so far forward. This always introduces a fair amount of creep even in the best systems. They can still be very good triggers, just never as good as a conventional set up. Having the grip that far forward increases muzzle rise by moving the fulcrum to nearly the center of the gun. Now it behaves just like a teeter totter under recoil pivoting on the trigger. The center grip also moves the optics closer to you face. This is bad if you plan to use a conventional long eye relief handgun scope which was designed to be held at arms length.
The center grip does have some advantages too. You have a shorter OAL for the gun which is great if you plan to hunt with it. These pistols are already pretty awkward to pack around so keeping it short does help. If you plan on using a rifle scope, the center grip stock moves the optic closer to your eye while still letting you extend your arms a bit more. It's just more comfortable to shoot that way if you're laying prone or in a hunched up position like you normally would be when hunting. For hunting I like the center grip stocks more than a rear grip. They just work better when shooting from field positions.
- The caliber choices Nosler is offering leave a lot to be desired. The gun is designed to be a single shot, so why limit it to short action calibers? The fact that they skipped the 243 entirely is pretty surprising too. I'd love to see a magnum bolt face and one of the short mags or even a 7mm RM or 300 Win mag offered. Throw a muzzle brake on a 300 Win Mag and it's easier to shoot than the unbraked 308 will be. I'd really like to see them offer it in 280 AI and 6.5x284 for the .473 bolt face and maybe even the 28 or 30 Nosler on a magnum bolt face.
- The bolt is on the wrong side!!!
This is what I don't like about Remington's XP-100. For a right handed shooter to cycle the bolt you have to let go of the gun, move both your right and left hands in able to cycle the bolt, drop a round into the chamber, close the bolt, grip the gun again, and now try to get back on target. A right hand shooter will want a left hand bolt on a specialty pistol so that he can maintain his grip on the gun and cycle the action to reload with his left hand. Savage got this half right by using a left bolt/right port configuration on their Striker pistols. The Savage Striker was actually a repeater though with a blind mag holding 1 extra round.
- They did a pretty good job keeping the weight reasonable. With an appropriate optic on there it will come in around 7.5#. That makes for a reasonably easy to manage package while still giving it enough weight to be stable when shooting it.
Overall I'm just happy to see somebody bringing out a production specialty pistol. The price is pretty ridiculous though. You could build a full custom rear grip SP with the stock of your choice on a custom action action for the same price. Or you could pick up a used Savage Striker or Remington XP-100 for $500-600 and fully customize it and save as much as $1000.
I'll throw the offer out there that if anyone is thinking about picking one of these up, we can see about meeting up so you can try shooting one of my pistols before you drop the cash. I know a lot of guys who're great with a rifle but can't hit diddly with one of these pistols. It requires a very different technique, especially if you end up using a rifle scope on there.
