SHOT Show: The Best Bolt-Action Rifles for 2026

The funny thing about bolt-action rifles is that they haven’t fundamentally changed much at all over the past century. Instead, what has changed are manufacturing techniques and materials. There’s also a smattering of new chamberings to contend with, but don’t kid yourself, many rifle cartridges that first saw use well over a hundred years ago still enjoy relevancy today. Unlike a century ago, most of today’s bolt-action rifles hardly use iron sights. It’s understood that end-users will likely mount some type of riflescope. Thanks to this, today’s bolt-action models make it easier than ever to mount scopes. Below are a few different rifles seen for the first time at SHOT Show 2026.

Save for a few here or there, virtually every rifle featured here is a hunting rifle. It’s an interesting observation, and it dovetails nicely with the fact that most new rifle ammo products announced at SHOT Show 2026 are also hunting-related. 

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Hunting, after all, is one of the applications where the utility of a bolt-action still shines. In many ways, this is something that hasn’t changed much in over 100 years. .22 and .25 Creedmoor feel like they’re finally “arriving” this year, as many guns on the show floor now took these chamberings. 

Beretta BRX1 Grey Birch 

While there wasn’t a whole lot of new rifle activity in Beretta’s corner at SHOT (keep in mind it also owns Tikka and Sako of Finland), I did notice that Beretta USA had a new version of its straight-pull BRX1 on display. This one had an aftermarket Grey Birch chassis installed factory standard. Two things here, first, it has been interesting to watch Beretta embrace high-end aftermarket accessories into its products and ship them directly from the factory. Second, this is a healthy sign for this fairly-recent straight-pull bolt-action from the Italian gunmaking giant. Grey Birch already makes chassis for Tikkas, so seeing it branch out to the BRX1 seems natural as well. This chassis has modern accouterments like M-LOK slots and a pistol-grip. 

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Bergara Platinum Stalker & Cima Pro 

Spanish rifle company Bergara, which already offers a great deal of various bolt-action rifles built around its workhorse B14 action, had two new models to showcase at SHOT Show 2026:

Platinum Stalker

Bergara’s Platinum Stalker is built on a Bergara Premier B14 action with the premise of keeping classic hunting rifle lines, but with a twist: modern materials in the barreled action. The Monte-Carlo style laminate stock along with the barreled action are set up to be resistant to the elements while maintaining that classic hunting rifle vibe. Platinum Stalkers are available in 11 different chamberings with a very good mix of classics, moderns and downright old-school options like .375 H&H.  

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Cima Pro

Many modern hunting rifles use carbon fiber in their stocks and/or barrels. Bergara seems to be one of the companies that has taken to this wonder material quite strongly, and the Cima Pro is Bergara’s latest product to result from its carbon fiber obsession. The Cima Pro is a sub-variant of last year’s Cima which in turn is an offshoot of the carbon-fiber rich B14 Squared Crest. Cima Pro rifles are built on stainless steel B14 actions. They also rely on Bergara’s carbon fiber curing processes to produce a light but rigid stock along with a carbon-fiber wrapped barrel. Cima Pro rifles are available in six different chamberings.

Blaser R8 Professional 2.0 

This year saw the introduction of Blaser’s latest R8 variant, the Blaser R8 Professional 2.0. It’s built on Blaser’s proven straight-pull R8 action and was designed to be the most ruggedized and weatherproof version of the R8 to date. At launch, Blaser has four different versions whose primary differences are its black-brown or dark-olive synthetic stocks. Two of these new variants include integrally suppressed models. Blaser R8 Professional 2.0 metal parts are treated with the company’s hyper resistant DLC A+ finish, while all the stocks are fully synthetic. They’ve got adjustable combs and accept different grip and forend rubber inserts that hunters than configure to their liking.

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Browning X Bolt 2

In the bolt-action category, Browning released some new variants of its X Bolt 2 rifle. These releases were centered around the fairly new .22 and .25 Creedmoor calibers. Those cartridges are fast, accurate, flat-shooting and lighter recoiling. Besides the new calibers, Browning’s new X Bolt 2s for 2026 ship with different stock options including the Browning Speed Stock, Hunter Composite, the Pro McMillan LR SPR, etc. Barrel lengths fluctuate between 16 to 22 inches, and the muzzles are threaded to easily accept suppressors. Call it a sign of the times.   

Christensen Arms Ridgeline Safari

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Although Christiansen Arms had a few product line extensions under its Modern Carbon Rifle lineup at this year’s show, the star in the booth was arguably the completely brand new for 2026 Christensen Arms Ridgeline Safari rifle. Put in simplest terms, Christensen Arms took its Ridgeline rifle and Africanized it. By that I mean that they adapted the Ridgeline design and adapted to African dangerous-game hunting by chambering it in .375 H&H and bedding the barreled action to a Safari-style walnut stock. Considering Christiensen’s adherence to everything carbon-fiber, a wooden stock on one of its rifles almost feels scandalous. 

CVA Cascade Rimfire 

CVA, Bergara’s sister company, unveiled a rimfire version of its popular Cascade rifle. They call it the “little brother” to its primary centerfire models. Made and designed in Spain, the CVA Cascade Rimfire comes in three different trims, two with spacer adjustable synthetic stocks and one with a classically-styled walnut stock. Each variant is built around a blued barreled action with an 18-inch ½ x 28 threaded barrel. Cascade Rimfires rely on a detachable rotary box magazine (Ruger 10/22 pattern). CVA ships these guns with 2-piece Picatinny scope bases, making them somewhat optics-ready.  

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Fierce Firearms MTN Reaper 2.0

Fierce Firearms rolled out its latest iteration of its MTN Reaper series with the MTN Reaper 2.0 at this year’s show. The MTN Reaper is an ultra-lightweight hunting rifle meant for extremely technical backcountry terrain. As such, it uses an ultra-light magnesium chassis and lightweight carbon fiber barrel. Besides carbon fiber and magnesium, the action specifically includes titanium components to keep weight down. Additionally, stowability is an important design consideration, so the MTN Reaper 2.0 includes a brand-new folding stock design. These rifles are available with 10 different chamberings.

Franchi M.U.L.E 

Franchi’s new stick at SHOT Show 2026 is its Momentum Utility Lite Elite, known as the Franchi M.U.L.E. This new beast of burden has a scout rifle like construction, with a generous factory-installed Picatinny scope base. No, I don’t think it’s long enough for a long-eye relief scope, but it’s certainly roomy enough for a wide variety of optics. And not to mention, it does include an iron sight array too. Franchi M.U.L.E.s have short 16.25 inch barrels and are available in .308 Winchester or .223 Remington. Being modern offerings, the stock includes some M-LOK accessory slots and threaded muzzles.  

Franklin Armory Prevail 

Franklin Armory’s Prevail felt like one of the show’s most widely announced bolt-action rifles. Its most unique feature is its action which seems like a technical combination of a classic controlled-feed and a push-feed action without the drawbacks of either style. Franklin Armory calls this “Total Round Control”. Furthermore, Franklin Armory is shipping Prevail rifles with either fluted steel sporter contour barrels or lightweight carbon-ceramic barrels. The Nevada-based company is also selling standalone Prevail pattern actions.  

Geissele Tactical & Competition Series 

In 2025, Geissele, a company known for its ARs and AR parts, kinda pulled a wild one by launching the King Hunter in Federal’s new alloy-case 7mm Backcountry. This year, Geissele is expanding caliber options for the King Hunter to include 7 PRC, .30-06 and 6.5 Creedmoor. The 7 Backcountry offering is staying, of course.

Beyond that, Geissele is also releasing another modern-style bolt action rifle series, the Tactial & Competition, built around Geissele’s 700-pattern action and accurate cold hammer forged barrels. This fully-kitted chassis rifle ships out fully-kitted and optics ready with MDT and Geissele components. All it needs is an optic and cartridges. Ask Geissele, and they’ll tell you that the “twist” (pun intended) is that the new Tactical & Competition Series tries to bridge the gap between a cut rifle barrel with a precision chrome-lined hammer forged barrel instead.

Howa Fenceline & Superlite Gen 2

Howa had two new models to showcase this year at SHOT Show 2026: the Howa Fencline and Howa Superlite Gen 2 series. 

The Howa Fenceline series builds off the ever-important Howa 1500 action and offers end-users additional features like Cerakote finishes, camouflaged synthetic stocks, threaded barrels and radial muzzle brakes. The Fenceline series, which has three different units, includes mini, long and standard-size actions.

Howa Superlite Gen 2 rifles are light-contour guns that make use of a lightweight composite HS Precision stock to keep weight at bay. These rifles are no-nonse move-around-the-mountain hunting rifles that stick to the point and don’t deviate from it. They’re available in a few chamberings including .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 7mm/08. 

Ruger American Generation II Patrol & Scout Rifles 

Ruger’s American Gen II bolt action series has been a best-seller and arguably one of the strongest value propositions in the industry as of late. This year, Ruger added Patrol and Scout versions to its popular American Gen II product line. 

The Ruger American Gen II Patrol lineup includes utilitarian rifles chambered in staples like 5.56 NATO, .308 Winchester or 6mm ARC, but Ruger is also developing 7 PRC, .338 ARC and .300 Win Mag models with the idea of making the American Gen II Patrol a truly practical series that can do it all. These guns include a Picatinny scope base from the factory, professionally applied Cerakote finishes and grippy synthetic stocks. These models feed from AR-style or AICS style magazines (depending on the chambering).

Ruger also adapted the American Gen II into a scout rifle configuration. The company honors the details of Cooper’s scout concept by ensuring that the Ruger American Gen II Scout Rifle includes both iron sights and an extended Picatinny scope base that allows shooters to mount almost any type of magnified optic including long-eye relief scopes. 

Savage: A New Generation Of Model 110

Savage has been working on upgrading and revamping its workhorse Savage 110 product line to the point where the storied American gunmaker released the next generation of the 110 at this year’s show. There 16 different models with a few hundred SKUs that encapsulate additional left-handed models and some of the latest chamberings. Prior to SHOT Show 2026, the core Savage 110 rifle had been fundamentally unchanged since it first saw production in 1958. 

“The 110 is our longest standing rifle, and for good reason,” said Beth Shimanski, Vice President of Marketing at Savage Arms. “This model has helped make Savage Arms what it is today, and it will be a part of the future of Savage for a very long time. Building on the next evolution of AXIS that was launched in 2024, the new era of the 110 exemplifies Savage’s ability to maintain our standing as a heritage brand while staying at the forefront of innovation.” 

The newest generation of the 110 includes tweaks to OEM rifle stocks while the metal parts and the actions come with subtle changes. These include a “vertical cut” process in the receiver’s bolt travel, resulting in a smoother and more precise bolt action. The bolt head now features an improved extractor claw for better case contact, complemented by a dual ejector system to ensure reliable ejection. 

SDS Arms Spandau RL

This year, SDS Arms finally had the Spandau RL short-action bolt-action rifle in its booth in the flesh. The Spandau RL is a Remington 700 pattern rifle that gets right to the point. For a $799 MSRP, you get a hunting rifle chambered for .308 Winchester that uses a 1:10 twist 5R rifled barrel. The same barrel comes threaded with industry standard ⅝ x 24 threads and includes a radial muzzle brake. Its short-action receiver comes with a factory-installed 0-MOA Picatinny scope base that’s ready for a scope and rings. Similarly, to help clear the scope, the Spandau RL includes an oversize bolt-knob. This rifle even accepts AICS-pattern magazines. Finally, the Spandau RL comes with a traditional straight-comb American-style [Turkish] Walnut stock.

Seekins Precision SIC

Seekins Precision formally announced its SIC bolt-action rifles in October 2025 but formally showed them off to the public at this year’s SHOT. SIC stands for Seekins Interchangeable Caliber. These rifles were developed for Special Operations use, and one of the prime directives was quick and easy barrel interchangeability. The design relies on quick takedown pins, tool-less parts and for the things that do require tools, all end-users need is a Torx T25 wrench. SICs can handle chamberings like .338 Lapua, .338 Norma, .300 Norma, .300 PRC, .300 Win Mag, .308 Winchester and 6.5 mm Ceedmoor. 

Springfield Armory Model 2020 Heatseeker

Springfield Armory’s Model 2020 Heatseeker saw some new longer-barreled variants at the show. When these guns originally launched, they had shorter 16 inch barrels. Now, shooters can field them with 20 or 22 inch barrels. Springfield Armory Heatseekers are built on the 700-pattern Model 2020 action and ship with a unique modular chassis system courtesy of Sharps Bros. Chamberings remain a simple dichotomy of either 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Winchester.

Steyr SSG M1 A2 

Themetically similar to the Seekins SIC above, Steyr Arms had one of only two prototype SSG M1 A2 tactical bolt-action rifles on display at this year’s SHOT Show too.

As the “A2” this brand new 2026 rifle represents the most recent iteration of Styer’s SSG M1. SSG M1 rifles are modern tactical precision rifles built around interchangeability and modularity with different calibers. SSG M1 rifles handle .338 Lapua Magnum, .308 Winchester and 6.5 mm Creedmoor barrel. The SSG M1 A2 version includes updates like a section of Swiss-ARCA, a 20 MOA built-in scope base (original model had 30 MOA which was deemed excessive), and improvements in the quick-change barrel system. 

Weatherby Capra 

Weatherby launched the Capra, an ultra lightweight version of Weatherby’s classic Mark V. The Capra has a list weight of only 4-4.4 lbs (empty). The 4-lb short action models are technically now the lightest factory production rifles on the market. This rifle uses a special Mark V action machined from titanium along with a thin contour barrel with a unique double spiral fluting pattern that keeps excess weight off the barreled action. And speaking of, this is mated to the Peak 44 designed ultra lightweight Bridger stock.  

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