AllOutdoor Review – Christensen Arms Mesa FFT .300 Win Mag

Christensen Arms, the luxe rifle maker based in Utah, has earned a seat of respect for their hunting rifles. So it was with great pleasure my gun reviewing partner and I accepted the opportunity to review one of their latest releases, the Mesa FFT bolt action. This rifle is available in several chamberings; we chose .300 Winchester Magnum. Though I only got to experience this gun on the range and not on safari where my friend’s review took it, I left with confirmation of the great reputation this brand enjoys.

Features

Ooh, the Mesa FFT is a looker! The custom look begins with a button-rifled, 416R stainless steel barrel, finished in tungsten or burnt bronze cerakote colors. The tapered, button-rifled barrel is threaded with 1/2×28 or 3/8×24 pitch and capped with a slim-line, seamless, matching thread protector. The test rifle has a bronze finish barrel.

That barrel floats free in a sporter style stock/foreend. We inserted a piece of paper under the barrel and slid it from front to back between the stock and barrel to confirm.  Other finish options include stock colors of 1) carbon with green and tan accents (as seen on the test gun), or 2) carbon with gray accents.  Sling studs are included fore and aft. Flash forged technology is the name of the trademarked, super-lightweight carbon fiber treatment used in construction of the stock. It lends its name to the rifle itself.  A traditional rubber butt pad brings up the rear. The combination of textures, colors, and subtle sheen on the metal surfaces of the Mesa FFT are simply a pleasure to look at.

A Remington 700-style action is the centerpiece of the Mesa FFT. It has what Christensen calls an improved bolt release; as I have no comparison I’m not sure what was improved but the bolt runs smoothly, consistently, like a fine precision gun’s bolt should. The internal magazine holds three rounds for magnum cartridges and four for all others, and has a hinged floor plate. This rifle is offered in 16 chamberings, some of which have a left-handed bolt option.

Backcountry hunts are the purpose of the Mesa FFT, and the design saves weight everywhere it can for those long walks into the wilderness. In addition to the tapered barrel, the synthetic bolt handle is skeletonized, the ejection port is very roomy, and the bottom metal is billet aluminum. The sample rifle has a standard right-side bolt. Some chamberings, listed below, also have a left-side bolt option.

Accuracy

Like most other Christensen rifles, the Mesa FFT is backed with a sub-MOA guarantee. With some help from that famous online gun store based in Tennessee, Lucky Gunner, we were able to test four brands of ammunition inclusive of four different loads. Before accuracy testing began in earnest, there was a factory-recommended, 50-round break-in process that is common across the Christensen brand. More information about why and how to break in their barrels can be found on their website. 

Surprisingly, the best results came from a brand that’s known for bullets but not ammunition:  Sierra. Their Gamechanger 180 grain delivered two groups of 1/2 to 7/8 inch with seeming ease. Sharing second best results were Winchester’s 180 grain Copper Impact and Remington Core-Lokt Tipped, both of which cut one-MOA groups at 100 yards. Remington 180 grain Core-Lokt Tipped proved accurate enough for most hunting applications. More than once, this load drilled two holes that touched and one slight outlier at 100 yards, yielding groups of two-plus inches but with confidence-inspiring accuracy. Standard 180 grain Remington Core-Lokt did not perform as well, yielding near-mirror image groups of 2.25 inches.

This was my first 300 WM trial, and as the 100-yard groups came as impressive but not as tight as I’d expected, aside from the Sierra load, I was reminded of something former Marine scout sniper Jerod Johnson, of STA Training Group, said to a 300 WM shooter with a custom rifle and the only 300 WM on the firing line. The shooter expressed concern at having the largest shot group during the sighting-in exercise. Johnson advised that a 300 WM bullet is still settling into its flight trajectory at 100 yards, and to expect better precision to show up beginning at 200-300 yards. During that class, I watched that operator easily outshoot my .308 Winchester as distances grew, even though my 100 yard zeroing group fit on a dime with room to spare. This sage advice proved correct again with the Mesa FFT. Firing on a steel plate at 200 yards (having no way to set a paper target there on a windy test day), the rifle delivered better groups than it had at 100, even with the wind. While the wind resistance of the bullet doesn’t have much to do with the Mesa FFT, a tidy 1.5-inch group at 200 yards put proof in the pudding of the company’s sub-MOA accuracy guarantee. It was also a great pre-safari confidence boost for my partner.

The traditional-looking, single stage Trigger Tech trigger on the Mesa FFT enhances the shooting experience by not being a distraction. Its break averages in the sub-three pounds range, though my Lyman trigger gauge did clock two pulls in a 10-pull sample at 3.3 pounds. For hunting, it’s appropriate. What some might consider to be on the weighty side should experience the clean, no-nonsense break of this trigger. There’s no wasted time or space where it’s concerned.

Specifications by caliber:  Christensen Arms Mesa FFT

Minimum weight is 5.5 pounds. Weights vary slightly by caliber/barrel length.

* Available in left hand
† does not qualify for Accuracy Guarantee, Drop Box Magazine

The Mesa FFT is bound to be popular with medium and big game hunters who seek both style and precision. It was a real pleasure to test this quality rifle that’s backed by a sub-MOA guarantee. I’m a little surprised that it’s priced reasonably for a premium firearm. MSRP starts at $1,599.

Eve Flanigan

Eve Flanigan is a defensive shooting and armed security practitioner/instructor who lives in the American Southwest. She is the author of "Ready to Defend: Tips for Living the Armed Lifestyle," and is a contributor to numerous gun-related blogs and print publications.