I remember very well in 2016 being at a friend’s house in Geneseo, IL. That friend was a writer in the industry and had great connections with Springfield Armory. An employee of SA came by the house and we had a little “basement talk” about guns, the industry and whatnot. At the time I was less experienced in precision shooting but very bolt action focused much like I am now.
The discussion came up about SA creating a bolt action rifle. Conversations arose such as, if they (SA) did create one, who is the buyer and what price point should it arrive at? Those discussions were taken seriously and some 5 years later Springfield would launch the Waypoint 2020, a hunting-focused bolt action rifle that offered a lot at a fair price. I’m not saying I’m the reason for it cause I’m not, I’m only saying it’s nice to feel like you’re a part of something great coming together.
2020 Action
Some months ago a few of us were contacted by Springfield about their new 2020 action. These would be actions only, ones to build upon and create a custom rifle build with. My mind went back to the basement talk. Mission accomplished.
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There’s much to like about the complete Waypoint 2020 rifle. In 2025 they launched a new variant, the Model 2020 Heatseeker which really upped the potential of the 2020 platform by placing it in a chassis instead of a stock and adding a shorter CF barrel among other things. In the end Springfield wound up with a great rifle and the Heatseeker is a foreshadowing of what the 2020 action can be when you aren’t limited by certain constraints. Now we are the materialization.
Features Of 2020 Action
The 2020 action has many solid solid and desirable features. The recoil lug is integrated into the receiver body and while the top rail isn’t, given a choice I’d opt for the recoil lug to so. The rail is secured by a couple of 6-48 screws. I still have many a rifle set up this way even in the days of integral everything and I’ve only had one top rail work it’s way loose in 10 years and countless rifles.
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The fluted bolt has dual locking lugs and a 90 degree throw. Bolt lift isn’t a chore on this one. Bolt handle is well designed and shaped and the bolt knob can be changed out as well. Thanks to the EDM raceway the bolt rides smoothly, with a great, solid feel. It’s a proper bolt action remover in the 700 platform. They resisted the urge to go proprietary and that’s a good thing.
I’m used to seeing the 2020 action painted up to match their barrel and stock, but this custom build action is a polished stainless steel.
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The Build Project
With action in hand I had a few decisions to make, the first being what caliber was I going to have it chambered in? The other being, who was going to build it? Being a short action that’s almost a no brainer for me as 6.5 Creedmoor is now the “standard” short action round in my opinion. I actually still really like the .308 and shoot it now more than ever, but the entire rifle build must be set up to run .308 comfortably. And I wasn’t going for a 23 lb competition set up in this case but instead a solid, middle of the road rifle for general shooting and for potentially training new shooters.
I reached out to Phoenix Custom rifles for the build. Owned and operated by Keith…. Who is a serious competitive shooter. His rifles have performed and won many competitions on the local level here in the Phoenix valley. I’m so used to dealing with prefit barrels, I forgot what to takes to assemble a rifle correctly with any chance of it shooting well.
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Barrel & Stock
I chose a Proof competition profile barrel. It’s my standard steel go-to. It would be 24 inches in finished length and of course threaded for muzzle brake or suppressor. For the trigger I looked to Rise Armament and their Reliant Pro. This is an excellent trigger that has an adjustment range of 1 to 3 pounds, and it has great safety built into it. It seems like most people running a 700 type action are using a Timney or Trigger Tech Diamond. Each has its own distinctive feel. The Rise’s feel is in between these two triggers in my opinion.
Like I said, this would be a more general purpose rifle so I went with a stock from Grayboe. The Phoenix 2 is an all around good choice with a 12.5 inch length of pull a that can be increased with spacers. The cheek piece has an inch of up and down adjustment. The finish I chose for the Grayboe is Fiberwood. I love this finish for its classic wood looks and vibe. I couldn’t resist. It helped keep the rifle in the general category from a looks perspective. Lastly, I added M5 bottom metal from Hawkins Precision with the detachable magazine.
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I installed a pic rail section on the bottom of the forend. While I operate heavily in the Arca connection space, due to my contrition focused rifles I wanted to do something different and maybe just a bit unpredictable. I had a couple of “old school” pic rail attachment bipods laying around. To keep it as non-cumbersome as possible I attached an Atlas bipod.
Glass & Ammo
Of course on a precision build you’re going to need an optic. I added a Leupold MK5HD 7-35×56 in FDE. With the PR-2 reticle, this optic is perfect for any precision rifle build. I also added a Thud Lite L .30 caliber suppressor from Elite Iron. This is hands down one of the best precision rifle cans you can own. Buy with confidence. It’s finished in burnt bronze and matches the Leupold optic extremely well. All these colors contrast and compliment each other well on this build giving it an earthy, wooden vibe free of if the tactical dark earth vibe that is rampant these days.
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On the range this custom Model 2020 build did not disappoint. It is a bit front heavy due to the barrel profile but that was to be expected espeically with the lightweight stock. I shot five round group with ammo from Federal, Hornady, Sako, Berger, and Lapua. Best group was delivered with the Lapua 136 gr. OTM Scenar L round posting a .26-inch group with a velocity of 2812 fps and a standard deviation of 9 fps. It was by far the best group and the next closest SD was 20.6 fps.
Conclusion On The 2020 Action
It’s nice to have a new option available for custom rifle builds and even more exciting that it’s one from Springfield Armory. Assuming you get a good builder like I did along with good components there’s no reason the Model 2020 action itself won’t be as impressive if not more than the complete 2020 rifle builds from Springfield.
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