• Winchester introduces the Xpert bolt-action rimfire rifle

Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

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Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

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SHOT Show 2022 - Winchester introduces the Xpert bolt-action rifle in .22 Long Rifle: an accurate, lightweight, versatile and budget-priced new entry for plinking, training, target shooting, and small game hunting

Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

Just announced at the 2022 edition of the SHOT Show, in Las Vegas, the Winchester Xpert .22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle represents Winchester's new generation of bolt-action rimfire long guns, covering a plethora of potential uses, from classic backyard plinking to basic training for novice shooters, from serious target competitions at the range to small-game hunting and pest control.

 

The Winchester Xpert is essentially a bolt-action variant of the Wildcat semi-automatic rifle that debuted at the 2019 edition of SHOT Show, and just like the Wildcat, the new Winchester Xpert has been designed to be easy to use, modular, and performing.

Winchester Xpert .22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle – right side

Winchester Xpert .22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle – right side

The Winchester Xpert bolt-action rifle is built around a dark synthetic, strikingly modern design of a stock, featuring built-in sling eyelets and a clip-on inserts system to allow the users to adjust the lenght of pull and cheek riser height according to their physique. The grip angle has been specifically designed to keep the trigger at easy and convenient reach for any build and hand size. The molded polymer stock keeps the overall weight of the gun down to 4 lbs. 8 oz (approximately 2 kilograms).

Winchester Xpert .22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle – left side

Winchester Xpert .22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle – left side

Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

The durable, blued steel receiver of the Winchester Xpert rifle is drilled and tapped for Picatinny rails or rings, providing for a full range of choice in terms of optics. The rifle also comes from factory with an adjustable rear sight and a ramped post front sight.

 

The controls of the Winchester Xpert bolt-action rifle have been designed to be easy to use for most shooters: the bolt handle is extended, adding extra leverage to make operating the bolt easier; the safety is tucked into the rear of receiver and within easy reach; and the dual, ambidextrous magazine releases on the sides and bottom of the rifle give this shooter options and are designed to deliver the detachable magazine into the user's hands easily. The Xpert rifle feeds from either Winchester's own 10-round, rotary Wildcat rifle magazine or from Ruger 10/22 compatible magazines.

Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

Other features of the Winchester Xpert rifle include a 457 mm / 18" precision button-rifled, Sporter profile steel barrel with a 1:16" twist rate, a recessed target crown and a Bentz-style chamber.

 

Seldom seen outside the world of rimfire autoloaders, a Bentz chamber is a "quasi-Match" chamber style that is way tighter than your common .22 Long Rifle chamber but still slightly larger in diameter than a standard Match chamber, providing superior reliability with any type of commercial or Match-grade .22 Long Rifle ammunition. Truly a must-have on a rifle like the Xpert, giving how .22 rimfires are known to be something picky per se.

Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle
Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

The Winchester Xpert also comes from factory with a hemispherical firing pin – offering improved reliability with rimfire ammunition – and Winchester's own, dedicated Rimfire M.O.A. trigger.

 

Like the trigger found in Winchester's Model 70 and XPR centerfire hunting and long-range shooting rifles, the Rimfire M.O.A. trigger is a three-lever design with zero creep, zero take-up and zero-over travel, offering a light pull and a glass-like break – optimal for hunting, target competition, and training.

Winchester Xpert, the rimfire bolt-action rifle

Standing at 92 cm / 36.¼" in overall length, the Winchester Xpert bolt-action rimfire rifle is compact, lightweight, extremely interesting in both form and function, and all-round excellent for any use you could generally put a .22 rimfire bolt-action into.

 

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Winchester Xpert has been announced at $319.99 for the U.S. market; the rifle will become available sometime in 2022, but when exactly in 2022 is yet to be announced.