Springfield 2020 Redline 16 Inch – Superb 308 Win Mountain Rifle

Description

Shorten a precision rifle and it usually stops being precise; lighten one and it usually stops being pleasant to shoot. The Springfield 2020 Redline 16 Inch does neither. It puts the Model 2020 action into a skeletonised Grayboe stock with a sixteen inch carbon jacketed barrel, and Springfield still guarantees three quarters of a minute of angle at a hundred yards. Overall length can come down to as little as 36.5 inches.

Short, Light And Still Accurate

Sixteen inches of .308 barrel gives up perhaps a hundred and fifty feet per second against a twenty inch tube, which trims the far end of the effective range and changes very little inside three hundred yards. What it buys is a rifle that moves easily through timber, fits behind a truck seat and comes to the shoulder quickly, which matters far more to most hunters than the last increment of velocity.

The carbon fiber jacketed barrel is a BSF unit with a thin fluted steel core inside a roll wrapped carbon fibre sleeve, free floated and threaded at the muzzle with an SA radial brake and thread protector fitted. Carbon jacketing gives stiffness at a fraction of the weight of comparable steel, and the flutes under the sleeve shed heat faster than a solid profile. It also moves the balance point rearward, which is why the rifle handles lighter than its weight alone suggests.

The Grayboe Trekker stock weighs twenty eight ounces and is skeletonised with lightening cuts through the forend and buttstock. Grayboe stocks are fibreglass composites rather than injection moulded polymer, so they do not flex under a sling or shift with humidity across a season.

Action, Trigger And Field Details

The Model 2020 action is stainless steel with dual locking lugs on a fluted bolt, EDM cut raceways and an optimised extraction cam. EDM machining of the raceways is what gives the bolt its consistent feel across the stroke, a process usually reserved for custom actions. Springfield built its accuracy reputation on this action in the Waypoint rifles, and the tolerances here are the same.

The TriggerTech Frictionless Release trigger adjusts between roughly two and a half and five pounds. A free floating roller sits between the sear and the trigger, which almost eliminates creep and gives a break that feels like snapping a glass rod. A low profile non snag safety sits alongside, shaped so it does not catch on clothing or a pack strap when the rifle is slung.

Field details are well judged. Length of pull adjusts from 13.25 to 14.25 inches in quarter inch steps and extends to sixteen inches with spacers, so the rifle fits in a t shirt or a heavy jacket. Three sling studs let you run a sling and a bipod without fighting for the same stud, and an integral bubble level doubles as a thumb rest at the rear of the action. Feeding is from an AICS pattern magazine.

Springfield 2020 Redline 16 Inch Specifications

• Caliber: 308 Winchester
• Model number: BAT916308CFGC
• UPC: 706397970598
• Barrel: 16 inch BSF carbon fibre jacketed, fluted steel core, free floated, threaded
• Muzzle: SA radial brake with thread protector included
• Action: Model 2020, dual locking lugs, fluted bolt, EDM raceways
• Trigger: TriggerTech Frictionless Release, adjustable 2.5 to 5 pounds
• Stock: Grayboe Trekker skeletonised, 28 ounces
• Length of pull: 13.25 to 14.25 inches, extendable to 16 inches with spacers
• Sling studs: three, one rear and two front
• Integral bubble level and thumb rest at the rear of the action
• Magazine: AICS pattern
• Overall length: as short as 36.5 inches
• Accuracy guarantee: 0.75 MOA for a three shot group at 100 yards

Two honest points. A radial brake makes this rifle noticeably louder at the bench and for anyone standing beside you, which is the price of the reduced recoil; a suppressor is the better long term answer if your state allows one, and the threads are already there. And light rifles are harder to shoot well offhand than heavy ones because there is less mass damping your own movement, so practise from field positions rather than only from a bench.

Why Buyers Choose The Springfield 2020 Redline 16 Inch

The first reason is how it carries. Sixteen inches of barrel and a skeletonised stock produce a rifle that can be slung all day without becoming a burden, and the carbon jacket moves weight rearward so it points naturally rather than dragging at the muzzle. Anyone who has carried a heavy barrelled rifle up a ridge understands why that matters more than the number on a scale.

The second reason is the parts ecosystem. AICS magazines and a standard optic base pattern mean nothing here is proprietary, so the rifle can be configured exactly as you want and serviced years from now without depending on one supplier. Lightweight rifles built around clever proprietary chassis rarely age as well.

The third reason is the trigger and stock together. A TriggerTech trigger and a Grayboe stock bought separately and fitted would approach a thousand dollars on top of a donor rifle. Getting both from the factory, matched to an action built for accuracy and backed by a sub minute guarantee, is where the value in this rifle actually sits.

Who Should Buy The Springfield 2020 Redline 16 Inch

This suits the hunter working timber or thick cover, the backcountry shooter covering ground on foot, and anyone building a suppressed .308 that stays short. It is equally at home in a truck or on a mountain. Look elsewhere if you shoot mostly from a bench and would prefer the stability of a heavy rifle, or if you want maximum velocity from a longer barrel.

Learn more about this lightweight hunting rifle from Springfield Armory, or browse our full firearms range.