FIRST LOOK: Victrix Armaments' Scorpio & Pugio Tactical Sniper Rifles

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous lead — Athlon Outdoors author David Bahde with the Victrix Armaments Pugio.

Victrix Armaments Scorpio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous range — The Victrix Armaments Scorpio rifle

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous aim — “Built with law enforcement in mind and fielded by a number of agencies in Italy and Europe, the Pugio is an excellent example of state of the art chassis rifles.”

Victrix Armaments Scorpio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous case — “Moving to the Scorpio chambered in .338 Lapua, I was possible to get on target at just more than 1,300 yards in less than a few rounds.” – Author David Bahde

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous range — Athlon Outdoors author Sean Utley with the Victrix Armaments Pugio.

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous load — “The Pugio features a single cut, 16-inch barrel made from 416R stainless using a 1/10 twist rate.”

Victrix Armaments Scorpio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous lead — The Victrix Armaments Scorpio rifle

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous bolt

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous Dave Bahde — Athlon Outdoors author David Bahde with the Victrix Armaments Pugio.

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous side

Victrix Armaments Pugio Sniper Rifle Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous film — Athlon Outdoors author David Bahde with the Victrix Armaments Pugio.

Precision rifles dominate the market today. Victrix Armaments is a name you should familiarize yourself with when it comes to precision rifles.

While much of the industry is slowing to a crawl, precision rifle sales continue to grow. Mostly due to the ever increasing popularity of the Precision Rifle Series, local league matches have provided an even bigger boost improvements in precision rifles and ammunition has brought long range to the fore.

RELATED STORY — Mastering the Mile: Expert Long-Range Shooting

With a thousand yards once considered insurmountable, that has changed. Getting hits at a mile with today’s precision rifles is almost easy, let alone insurmountable. It has opened the market to long-range competition, target shooting, even hunting. Not lost on the military, the days of fielding a re-worked hunting rifle for precision work is all but gone. Purpose built precision rifles designed for both military and police operations is a growing market.

U.S.-made rifles aren’t the only contenders in this arena, either. Europe has entered the market producing some excellent purpose built rifles. Beretta’s recent acquisition of Victrix Armaments and introduction of the Pugio in .308 and Scorpio in .338 Lapua, .300 Win and .300 Norma Magnum adds some excellent rifles to the mix.

Victrix Armaments Pugio

Recent testing of the Pugio chambered in .308 at the recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Gateway, Colo., proved very interesting. Built with law enforcement in mind and fielded by a number of agencies in Italy and Europe, it is an excellent example of state of the art chassis rifles.

Starting with the Minerva 3-lug short action, the Pugio uses a short and fast throw. Designed to accept AICS magazines, it has a 10-round capacity. Trigger is an adjustable two-stage that was very clean, crisp, and predictable. Modular, this rifle came with an AR style hand guard using M-Lok for attachments.

The Pugio features a single cut, 16-inch barrel made from 416R stainless using a 1/10 twist rate. The muzzle brake is a detachable three-chamber design. Moving between multiple targets at 100-300 yards it was very fast and incredibly accurate.

Victrix Armaments Scorpio

Moving to the Scorpio chambered in .338 Lapua, I was possible to get on target at just more than 1,300 yards in less than a few rounds. Recoil was minimal with the three-chamber muzzle brake.

Made in AISI 630 steel, the Minerva 3-lug long action uses AICS Magnum magazines.

Barrel length on the Lapua is 26 inches. The Scorpio’s buttstock is adjustable to the shooter, while the hand guard uses a round elliptic design that accepts rails for accessories outside the full-length top rail. The stock folds and can lock both open and closed.

Victrix’s Scorpio was so much fun to shoot they are sending me one in .300 Norma Magnum for further testing.

Victrix Armaments rifles uses state-of-the-art CNC machines originally designed for the manufacturer of high-tolerance medical devices for its builds. The rifles feature meticulously machining with incredible attention to detail. Everything with the exception of the Benchmark barrel is made in house. Each process holds to very tight tolerances using state of the art measuring.

Victrix represents the state of the art in manufacturing and testing. Look for full coverage on this rifle along with the complete story on Victrix’s initial design and conception in Ballistic Precision.

For more information on Victrix Armaments, please visit VictrixArmaments.com.