Springfield Armory Model 2020 Boundary Rifle Pushes Limits

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When Springfield Armory released the 2020 series of rifles, I was impressed with what I saw. I’ve tested a couple over the years and found them to be well-designed and well-executed rifles available at attractive prices. The only elements I was not a fan of were the vertical grip and detachable magazine, which, for a hunting rifle, are not my favorite features.

The new 2020 Boundary does away with those—harnessing the elements of the 2020 Waypoint that make it such a great rifle but in a more traditional hunting configuration.

The 2020 Boundary uses the same push-feed action as the other centerfire models in the 2020 series. It bears noting that, unlike many other designs on the market, the 2020 action is not a pure 700 clone. It uses a cone breech, which means the rear of the barrel effectively serves as a funnel to guide cartridges into the chamber; there are no step cuts or corners for a cartridge to hang up on.

Cone breeches are most commonly associated with 1903 Springfield rifles and pre-’64 Winchester Model 70s, both of which are well-regarded for their reliability. The cone breech is especially valuable when a cartridge is dropped into the action rather than fed via the magazine since it could take an unorthodox path on its way into the chamber.

Machining of Actions

All 2020 actions are heat-treated first and then machined. This process adds cost and is tough on tooling, but it eliminates the potential for warpage. The receiver itself is machined from stainless steel and has a cylindrical profile. The action raceways are wire EDM cut, so they are both straight and smooth. This method is slow and expensive compared to broaching, but the outcome is superior.

The action uses an integral recoil lug and a low-profile bolt stop at the nine o’clock position. The receiver is drilled and tapped on the Remington 700 mounting pattern and comes equipped with a Picatinny rail. In addition to the four screws holding the rail in place, there are also two steel dowel pins that lock into recesses in the action and rail for added strength.

The bolt is made from 4140 chrome-moly steel and nitrided. Despite the cone breech, the 2020’s bolt face is counterbored into the bolt body, providing a margin of safety in the event of a case-head separation. The extractor is a sliding-plate style, somewhat similar to those found on the Savage 110. The ejector is a spring-loaded plunger-type, inset into the bolt face and held in place by a roll pin.

The steel bolt body is spiral fluted with wide cuts. The bolt handle protrudes through the entire diameter of the bolt body rather than being brazed or welded on, making it extremely strong. Thanks to the different steels, finishes and hardness levels between the receiver and the bolt, there is no risk of galling, and the action cycles extremely smoothly.

Reliability?

Rifle customers focus a great deal on accuracy but often pay little attention to reliability, almost assuming that a gun will function as it was intended. This isn’t always a safe bet, and readers would be surprised at how many bolt-action repeaters I see that have issues when it comes to feeding, especially with short-action cartridges. This can become a real problem in the field. The fact is that I would rather hunt with a 1.5 m.o.a. rifle that is reliable than a 0.25 m.o.a. rifle that is finicky. Springfield Armory’s engineers obviously spent time considering reliability when they designed this rifle, and it shows. My example fed, fired, extracted, and ejected without a single hiccup.

The 2020 Boundary is offered with two barrel options: a fluted stainless steel barrel and a carbon-fiber BSF barrel. My test rifle was equipped with the fluted stainless option and was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, which meant that the barrel is 22 inches. Rifles chambered in .308 Win. get 20-inch barrels, and rifles chambered for magnum cartridges come with 24-inch barrels.

The barrel is threaded 5/8x24 at the muzzle and includes both a multi-port brake and a smooth thread protector. A direct-thread suppressor can be easily mounted. One option that Springfield Armory may want to consider in this lineup is producing Boundaries with shorter barrels intended for dedicated suppressor use—as the company did with the Redline version.

The 2020 Boundary uses a TriggerTech trigger that is adjustable from 2.5 to five pounds without disassembling the rifle. There is a single hex screw forward of the trigger bow that is used to adjust the pull weight. Mine came from the factory set at 3.5 pounds. TriggerTech has quickly built a reputation for producing triggers with excellent pulls thanks to its roller system, which eliminates creep. The trigger on this rifle was no exception.

Magazine and Bottom Metal

Others undoubtedly disagree, but I am not a fan of detachable magazines on big game rifles. First of all, the fact that they are not bolted on means that they can get lost in the field. Also, since they often protrude from the belly of the rifle, they also make a gun less handy and comfortable to carry in one hand and can dig into your back when slung. I was never able to completely warm up to the 2020 Waypoint as a hunting rifle for this reason, which is why I was so pleasantly surprised when the Boundary was announced.

Unlike the other rifles in the 2020 lineup, the Boundary feeds from an internal magazine. In the case of my 6.5 Creedmoor, the magazine has a capacity of four rounds. Instead of a magazine protruding from the belly of the stock, the Boundary uses sporter-style bottom metal with a trigger guard and hinged magazine floorplate. The floorplate release is located inside the trigger guard.

Like the magazine assembly, the stock on the Boundary also fits the traditional sporter theme. Springfield Armory chose the Sportsman carbon-fiber stock from Alabama-based AG Composites. The Sportsman has a 0.625-inch drop at the comb and 0.375 inch at the heel with a 13.5-inch length of pull. There is no cheekpiece, and there is a one-inch recoil pad at the butt. The stock is 1.5 inches wide at the butt and 1.75 inches through the fore-end. The stock itself weighs 27 ounces.

Unlike many sporting rifles available on the market today, the stock on the 2020 Boundary is rigid enough for serious use, and the barrel is completely free-floated. Under the carbon-fiber shell on the fore-end is an aluminum block that not only provides structural integrity but also allows the owner or a gunsmith to drill and tap into the block to secure a rail or other accessory.

Getting Steady

There is also an M-Lok compatible attachment point on the fore-end of the Boundary. I installed a magnetic adapter that allowed me to add either a bipod or a tripod, two accessories I commonly use in the field while hunting. The stock also has four attachment points for QD-style sling swivels, one on either side of the fore-end and one on each side of the butt.

I have used a couple of AG Composites stocks on my own custom builds, and I am confident in their quality construction. Internally, the stock has two aluminum pillars that act as bedding points for the action. If this rifle were mine, I would take a few hours to glass-bed it, since I’ve never seen a rifle that didn’t benefit from bedding when done correctly. That said, there was no indication that there was a bedding issue with this rifle: no double groups, crazy fliers or vertical stringing.

The stock was hand-sponge-painted with a green, gray and tan Rogue camo pattern that complemented the carbon-fiber pattern partially visible underneath. The major metal components, other than the black nitrided bolt, were coated with gray Cerakote. Overall, this is an attractive rifle with the modern custom look that is common with many premium factory offerings.

The 2020 Boundary arrived with a Leupold VX-6HD 3-18x44mm scope mounted in Leupold Backcountry mounts and, much to my delight, had already been zeroed. I headed to the range on a hot, still morning and tested the Boundary’s 100-yard accuracy with three types of ammunition. Though it was tempting to see how this rifle would shoot with match loads, I felt it would be more relevant to test it with hunting ammo designed for use in the field.

Recoil Mitigation and Accuracy

I used the factory-installed muzzle brake during testing, so recoil was extremely mild. I found the sporter-style stock to be very comfortable, and the quality trigger helped when it came to shooting good groups. All in all, I loved the way this rifle handled and shot.

All three loads grouped well, but my best accuracy came from Nosler’s Trophy Grade 142-grain AccuBond Long Range ammunition. As you can see, the average of three, three-shot groups was 0.56 inch. I fiddled around with the group analysis tool in Hornady’s 4DOF ballistic app and was able to measure a composite of all three groups. I used this system to overlay the impacts into a single nine-round group, which measured just 0.81 inch. That’s impressive accuracy from a sub-seven-pound factory rifle with off-the-shelf ammunition.

Suggested retail on the steel-barreled 2020 Boundary is $2,173, and $2,599 for the BSF-equipped barrel. If that sounds pricey, get out your calculator. The AG Composites Sportsman retails for $689, and the TriggerTech primary goes for $180. Add about $300 for a premium barrel and $150 for bottom metal and you’re up over $1,300 without an action, gunsmithing or finishing. The truth is you would have a hard time building a rifle with these components for the price Springfield Armory is charging.

And it gets better. From now until December 31, 2024, if you buy a 2020 Boundary—or any other 2020 centerfire, including the Waypoint and the Redline—you will get a Model 2020 Rimfire Black Target rifle for free. Details for this are handled through Springfield’s website following your purchase.

Qualifying a "Favorite"

I am often asked what my favorite hunting rifle is. The only way to credibly answer that question is to break things down by price point. Going forward, when that question is framed around a $2,000 price tag, my answer will likely be the 2020 Boundary. For a company that began marketing bolt-action rifles only a handful of years ago, Springfield Armory has quickly risen to the top tier.

With the release of the 2020 series four years ago, Springfield Armory made a strong showing with a modern rifle built with high-quality components. The rifle’s tactical-style stock and detachable magazine weren’t ideal for everyone, though. Those of us who prefer a more traditional sporter-style stock and internal magazine had to wait our turn, and, with the release of the 2020 Boundary, our time has come.

Springfield Armory Model 2020 Boundary Specs

• Type: bolt-action centerfire
• Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 6.5 PRC, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm PRC, .308 Win., .300 Win. Mag., .300 PRC
• Capacity: 4+1
• Barrel: 22 in., 1:8 twist, threaded 5/8x24
• Overall Length: 43 in.
• Weight: 7 lb., 10 oz.
• Finish: gray Cerakote/black nitride
• Stock: AG Composites Sportsman carbon fiber
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped; Picatinny rail installed
• Safety: two-position rocker
• Trigger: TriggerTech single-stage; 3.5 lb. pull (measured)
• MSRP: $2,173
• Manufacturer: Springfield Armory, springfield-armory.com

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