❘ ❘.
RIFLEShw
E.R. Shaw
Mk. X
By John Zent, Editorial Directorbottom, the receiver’s slab sides and inte-
gral top Picatinny rail provide stiffness
often lacking in circular designs. Regard-
less of the action, everyone agrees that
rigidity helps. Lacking the telltale Savage
barrel-nut, the barrel threads neatly into
the receiver, for a streamlined look. The
machining also includes a .
-inch-thick
forward recoil lug, as opposed to sand-
wiching a separate lug into the assembly.
Present are familiar Savage controls like
the tang-mounted thumb safety, a right-
hand bolt release that doubles as a cocking
indicator and a "triple-honed" AccuTrigger.
The Savage design gets credit for
proper head-spacing, but beyond that,
the Mk. X's hand-fitted actions are blue-
printed, with precision-cut chambers and
lapped bolt lugs. All that echoes the care
devoted to producing Shaw barrels, which
are button-rifled in a proprietary proce-
dure developed to minimize stressing the
steel, including use of a World War II-era
honing machine that relies on gravitational
force rather than mechanical pressure.
The barreled-action components thus
comprise an accuracy dream-team, at leastT
hough . . Shaw is a rising star in
rifle manufacturing, the company
has actually been an industry main-
stay for years, operating out of the same
modest shop on the outskirts of Pittsburgh
all that time. Until recently Shaw focused
on custom and
barrels for many
American firearm brands, including some
of the biggest, and so chances are good
that a rifle or shotgun you’ve owned car-
ries a Shaw barrel. Now their emerging line
of bolt-action and modern sporting rifles
merits attention too.
Some months back I took advantage of
an invitation to visit Shaw, and along with
learning how they produce their coveted
button-rifled barrels, I got a firsthand look
at the rifles, and was especially impressed
by the top-of-the-line Mk. X turnbolt.
Shaw’s second bolt model after the
Mk. (“Hardware,” April ), the Mk.
X is likewise built on an upgraded Savage
receiver. Though possessing a roundon paper. During the visit I got a glimpse
of real-world performance at a nearby -
yard range. With a dozen or more rifles
and shooters, it was a decidedly infor-
mal session involving bench and position
firing. As was the case all around, I kept an
eye on my groups and enjoyed hitting the
metal gongs, then really got in on the fun
as one of two shooters who fired a one-
hole, five-shot group with one particular
Mk. in .
Creedmoor. Mind you, it was
a light-sporter rifle firing factory loads, so
the deck wasn’t exactly stacked for such a
stellar result, though let’s note those were
merely two random groups.
For testing and evaluation, we received
two Mk. X's, one in mm Creedmoor
and another in .
mm Creedmoor. While
there were no more one-holers, several
groups printed inside an inch. The mm
Creedmoor showed a preference for Hor-
nady's -grain -, but shot all loads
satisfactorily.
Sub-
groups aren’t the only thing
to like. Via the company’s online portal
customers design their own rifles, with
myriad options for crafting a purchase to
your specs, tastes and budget.
You simply click on succeeding parts—
barrel, receiver, stock and extras—and up
pops a menu of choices. Some include:
chrome-moly vs. stainless steel; polished
vs. matte metal finish; caliber; barrel con-
tour, length and fluting. There are just
three stock choices—Grade walnut and
two laminates—and one can order muzzle
threading along with a thread protector.
The number of menu options is
mind-boggling: notably, more than
chamberings that run the gamut from
Photos: Forrest MacCormack varmint numbers to big thumpers like
Accuracy Results* E.R. Shaw Mk. X 6mm Creedmoor
Weight Velocity Group Size (inches)
Load (grs.) (fps) Smallest Average Largest
Remington Core-Lokt . . .
Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X . . .
Federal Premium Gold Medal Berger . . .
* Outdoors | Sandbags | Yards | -Shot Group