Springfield Armory's Boundary Version of the Successful Model 2020

Bolt Action Repeater featuring Classic Lines in a Modern Design

December 30, 2024 By Joel J. Hutchcroft

Earlier this year, Shooting Times reported on the Redline version of Springfield’s Model 2020 bolt-action rifle, and the author of that report (Joseph von Benedikt) said the Redline was the best of the Model 2020 lot. At the time, that may well have been true. Since then, the company has brought out the Boundary version, and in my opinion, it is the best Model 2020 yet. Here’s why.

Classic Yet Modern Features

I say the new 2020 Boundary is expertly crafted, and what I most like about it is its more classic design. In that respect, the Boundary has a carbon-fiber AG Composites Sportsman stock with hand-painted Rogue camo finish. The length of pull is 13.5 inches, and it has a 1-inch-thick Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad, two QD cups on the left-hand side for attaching a sling, and two M-LOK slots underneath the fore-end.

As Shooting Times has reported before, the Model 2020 action is precision manufactured from premium materials. The EDM raceways allow the fluted bolt to run as smooth as grease on glass, and the bolt’s extraction cam has been optimized to provide robust and reliable operation. The bolt stop is extremely low profile, the bolt handle is 90 degrees but still allows easy manipulation with a scope installed, and the bolt knob is removable. And by the way, the bolt and action are machined after heat treatment.

The action is finished in Tactical Gray Cerakote, and it has a detachable Remington 700-pattern Picatinny rail, which makes installing a scope very easy. Plus, the rail has two recoil pins for extra stability. Internal magazine capacity of our 6.5 Creedmoor Model 2020 Boundary is four rounds. The hinged floorplate is made of lightweight yet durable aluminum.

The 2020 Boundary comes with TriggerTech’s excellent Field trigger, which employs what the company terms Frictionless Release Technology for a very smooth pull. Pull weight is adjustable from 2.5 pounds to 5.0 pounds with a patented free-floating roller. It also features a low-profile, nonsnag two-position safety. Our sample rifle’s trigger pull averaged 3 pounds, 8 ounces, according to 10 measurements with an RCBS trigger pull scale. The variation over those 10 measurements was just 2 ounces, indicating just how consistent the TriggerTech Field trigger is.

close up of rifle trigger and stock — The rifle comes with TriggerTech's excellent Field trigger that is adjustable from 2.5 pounds to 5.0 pounds. (Photo provided by Author)

According to Springfield, locktime (the time from trigger break to primer strike) is a very fast 1.9 microseconds. They claim that’s 45 percent faster than major competitors. I don’t have a way to measure that, but I’ll take their word for it. Obviously, a faster locktime contributes to better accuracy because it reduces the chances of shooter-induced error in the form of deviation from aim. I’ve always maintained that my shooting skills are average, so I appreciate anything that helps me shoot better. I need all the help I can get. Speaking of accuracy, for the Model 2020 Boundary, Springfield guarantees 0.75 MOA for a three-shot group at 100 yards with quality match-grade factory ammunition in the hands of a skilled shooter.

boundary4 — The Boundary's precision machined stainless-steel action is finished with Tactical Gray Cerakote. The fluted bolt has dual locking lugs and a removable bolt knob. (photo provided by Author.)

The new 2020 Boundary is offered with two different types of barrels. Our sample has the 22-inch fluted stainless-steel barrel (finished in Tactical Gray Cerakote), and because it’s chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor, it has a 1:8 twist rate. It also has a removable SA radial muzzle brake, and a thread protector is included. The muzzle end of the barrel measures 0.72 inch in diameter. The other type of barrel offering is a BSF carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel that, according to Springfield, is jacketed in a roll-wrapped carbon-fiber sleeve and loaded under tension. They say that means 95 percent of the carbon-fiber sleeve doesn’t contact the barrel, thereby providing cooling air gaps and promoting consistent point of impact during shot strings. Fluting under the sleeve reduces weight and increases surface cooling area. The carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel also comes with the removable SA radial muzzle brake.

rifle on pack — One of the key differences with the new Model 2020 Boundary rifle is the classic hunting-style stock. (Photo provided by Author.)

The Model 2020 Boundary is offered in long and short actions. As I said earlier, our sample is in 6.5 Creedmoor, and other offerings include 6.5 PRC, 7mm PRC, 7mm Remington Magnum, .308 Winchester, .300 PRC, and .300 Winchester Magnum. The .308 rifles have 20-inch barrels. The PRC rifles have 24-inch barrels. And the Rem. Mag. and Win. Mag. rifles have 24-inch barrels. Magazine capacity is four rounds for the .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor rifles and three rounds for the other chamberings. MSRP is $2,173 for the fluted stainless-steel-barreled rifles and $2,599 for the carbon-fiber-wrapped-barreled rifles. Weights range from 6 pounds, 10 ounces to 7 pounds, 2 ounces, depending on chambering and barrel type. Our 6.5 Creedmoor sample weighs 7 pounds, 1 ounce, and it is 43 inches long.

rifle on its side with ammo — The Boundary’s hinged floorplate is made of lightweight yet durable aluminum. The magazine capacity of our 6.5 Creedmoor sample rifle is four rounds. (Photo provided by Author)

Range Results

How did our sample 2020 Boundary shoot? As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Overall average accuracy for the dozen 6.5 Creedmoor factory loads that I had on hand was 0.80 inch. That’s for three, five-shot groups with each load, and remember, I’m a mediocre shooter at best. Even still, I achieved 0.75 MOA for five-shot group averages with eight of the loadings. Springfield’s accuracy guarantee is for a three-shot group at 100 yards.

Serious shooters already know that MOA is actually 1.047 inches at 100 yards, so 0.75 MOA equals 0.785 inch. As you can see from the accompanying chart, I beat that with two Hornady loads, the Barnes load, the Black Hills load, the HSM load, and all three Winchester loads. The most accurate loading for me was the Winchester Deer Season 125-grain load (0.55 inch), but the Winchester 140-grain Match load was a very close second (0.58 inch).

accuracy results — (Accuracy results provided by the author)

The loading with the highest recorded average velocity was the Browning 129-grain BXR, and its average was 2,780 fps. That’s the average of five rounds measured 12 feet from the gun’s muzzle with a Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital chronograph. It was also the load with the highest energy. The load with the lowest extreme spread (15) and standard deviation (9) was HSM’s Tipping Point2 140-grain SST. Obviously, the new Model 2020 Boundary is an excellent shooter. And what I like the most is it incorporates the most modern features, yet it has classic hunter styling. Like I said at the beginning of this report, it is expertly crafted.