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When you think of bolt-action rifles from Christensen Arms, you most likely envision rifles with carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels. After all, Christensen Arms pioneered and then perfected that technology. Historically, the company's bolt-action rifles have also been fairly expensive. But their newest bolt gun, the Evoke, doesn't reflect either of those traits. Christensen Arms announced the Evoke rifle last year, but the guns didn’t really make it out of the factory until 2025. Now, the Evoke is here and comes in four versions: standard, Mossy Oak, Hunter, and Precision. I received one of the first standard models and recently put it through its paces on my home range. Here's a detailed rundown of the gun's features and how it fared in my testing.
Christensen Arms Evoke Specs
Length: 42 inches
Weight: 7.69 pounds (as tested)
Barrel: 16.25” to 22” depending on chambering, w/ 5/8x24 threaded muzzle & RFR Brake
Action: Two-lug, 90° bolt action
Trigger: Adjustable Trigger Tech
Capacity: 3+1 Detachable MDT polymer Magazine
Finish: Cerakote
Stock: Synthetic/Polymer
Available Chamberings: 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm PRC, 7mm Backcountry, 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Magnum, 300 RPC, 350 Legend.
Price: $898.99
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Christensen Arms Evoke Overview
The Evoke rifle is built around a new action designed by Christensen Arms, featuring a radially fluted, two-lug bolt with a 90° throw, as well as a plunger ejector and a Sako/M16-style extractor. The action does not come in short, long, or magnum lengths; instead, it's the same size regardless of the cartridge. The bolt handle has a slightly oversized octagonal knob, and cartridges feed from a detachable MDT polymer magazine with a three-round capacity, regardless of the chambering. You release the magazine by pushing a lever on the inside-front of the trigger guard, which encloses an adjustable Trigger Tech trigger that’s standard.
The Evoke has a button-rifled, hand-lapped, 416R stainless-steel barrel with lengths ranging from 16.25 to 22 inches, depending on the cartridge. However, with the 7mm Backcountry chambering, you have the choice between a 16.25- or 20-inch barrel. All four versions of the Evoke come with the muzzle threaded at 5/8x24 and with an RFR stainless-steel muzzle brake. Christensen Arms finishes all the metal work in Cerakote, and the barrel, with its match chamber, is free-floated in the stock.
The stock on the Evoke rifle is a synthetic polymer, and on the standard model that we reviewed, it is OD Green. The Mossy Oak version ($948.99) has a Bottomland camo finish; the Hunter version ($998.99) has the Christensen Arms’ camo pattern; and the Precision version ($1048.99) has the Christensen Arms’ hex camo pattern. The Precision version also comes with an adjustable carbon-fiber cheek riser. All versions of the Evoke include a short, three-slot, Picatinny rail section at the tip of the forend that includes a sling-swivel attachment. And all Evoke rifles have a hybrid grip angle with very attractive and comfortable texturing panels at the grip and on the forend of the stock. They all also come with a three-shot sub-MOA guarantee and a limited lifetime warranty.
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Christensen Arms Evoke Test Results
Let’s start with the bad and progress to the good. There were two negatives with the Evoke rifle. The first was its weight. While 7.69 pounds might not seem all that heavy when it comes to a big-game hunting rifle, the Evoke in 6.5 Creedmoor is one of the heaviest rifles we’ve tested all year, coming in at nearly a pound over the average. The other negative with the Evoke was with magazine removal. The magazine-release, located in the front bow of the trigger guard, worked perfectly to release the magazine latch, but sometimes I had to fiddle with the magazine itself to get it out. A drop-free magazine on a hunting rifle can be a good or bad thing, but you shouldn’t need long fingernails to remove a magazine from a hunting rifle.
Now for the good news, and there’s a lot of it. Even though the rifle was on the heavy side, it balanced well and was a tad muzzle heavy—just enough to help steady off-hand shooting. And even though the detachable magazine was a bit finicky, cartridges fed from the magazine into the chamber flawlessly. The texturing on the stock along the grip and forend looked good, felt good, and proved excellent at providing a sold purchase, even when wet. With the Picatinny rail mount for a shooting support and sling attachment inset into the stock, it never impacted our support hand during recoil. The bolt cycled smoothly, was easy to manipulate with speed due to the well-configured bolt knob, and it ejected empty cases with authority.
The Evoke performed well from the bench, too, particularly with the Hornady Precision Hunter load that shot lights out. In total, we fired nine, five-shot groups from the bench using three different loads, and with seven of those groups, the first three shots from the rifle would have met Christensen Arms’ advertised sub-MOA guarantee. As you can see in the chart above, multiple five-shot groups from three different loads averaged under an inch. I also did quite a bit of field shooting, using a Spartan Precision Ascent tripod and Javelin bipod to test the rail mount, and it remained firmly attached throughout all testing.
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Final Thoughts on the Christensen Arms Evoke Hunter
Pros
Very good precision
Integrated Picatinny rail in stock
Comfortable & ergonomic stock
Not too expensive
Cons
On the heavy side
Safety does not lock bolt
My guess is that Christensen Arms hopes the Evoke, at under $1,000, will serve as an entry-level rifle for customers who may someday upgrade to another, higher-end, Christensen Arms rifle like the Mesa ($1349.99) Ridgeline ($1799.99) or Ridgeline FFT ($2049.99). An high-performing yet affordable is something Christensen Arms has been missing in their line up, and the Evoke fills that niche very nicely.
The Evoke is also a rifle that’s well configured to suit a variety of hunting styles. It will work for the still hunter because it’s well balanced for offhand shooting, but spot and stalk hunters will appreciate it’s integrated bipod/tripod attachment point. Though a tad heavy when equipped with a riflescope and a suppressor, the Evoke can still come in ready to hunt at less than 10 pounds. While the Evoke may be the entry-level bolt gun in Christensen's lineup, a rifle that averaged under 1 MOA with three different hunting loads and costs less than a grand may be exactly what a lot of non-entry-level hunters are looking for, especially given the guns limited lifetime guarantee.
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