It's here. Thanks to Cabelas for gittin it here quick. Say I really to like the way she feels.

Balance:

The balance point is right about the muzzle side pair of Scope base screws. With scope it should be right in front of the trigger guard, they way my high powered rifles are balanced. The balance is an improvement over my Sidekick which balance point is centered in forearm in spite of its shorter barrel. Certainly feels more comfy when sighting offhand to me.

Trigger:

In my way of thinking, the trigger isn't as good as the sidekick. There is a very short pull before breaking and it does notpull as easy. If the sidekick is 3.5 to 4.0 lbs, I'd say the Apex is 4.25-4.5 lbs. I have not scaled it. Not horrible in my estimation, but I would really have liked a trigger more like the sidekick. The trigger spring is not heavy soit looks like trigger could potentially be improved with a little honing. Looks like access to at least one surface would be easy without disassembling the action. I'm gonna try her like she is and only have the trigger modified iflater feel I must.

Handling:

I found the rifle cheeked at a compromise between the open sights and a scope. I had to press my cheek a little firmer than perfect to sight the open sights. I may cheek a littlelower on the cheekthan perfect with a scope on her, we'll see. The weight of the rifle is supposed to be 8.25 lbs. and I can feel the extra weight, but when shouldered, it feels lighter than my sidekick due to the balance. With scope, I should see a reduction of 20% in recoil for the same loads I fire in the sidekick.

Cleaning:

I think the APEX will be easy to clean. I really like fact that all the action comes out with the barrel. Looks likethree allen headscrews will let you get into the trigger/hammer/action assembly if one must. But right now I'm not planning to open it up while cleaning.

The real test is coming.

Of course the real test is "will she shoot". I don't have the answer to that one yet but will be finding out in the next few weeks.

I can tell the rifle was purchased before and returned, but it has not been shot the best I can tell. Can't explain why it was returned. I notice the package with tools has been opened. May they have had a problem with scope mounting? My first impression of the hammer was that it was too light. It's driven by a fairly light spring also. While that concerned me a little, I haven't heard anyone complain about insufficent primer ignition, and am thinking every thing will probably be fine.

I'm gonna keep her. Right now my impression is that for $60 dollars less than I spent on my Stainless Sidekick, I got more rifle, stainless,and a sling. But the Apex has to beat it at the range to really impress me. I have a hunch that it will achieve par with it if not better. I really like the solid stock/two recoil lug design for a stable platform.

Dang, I want to go shoot it.