Melbourne-based Wedgetail Industries will launch its first bolt-action rifle later this year, adding to its existing line of high-quality, Australian-made semi-auto and pump-action rifles.
Images and some specifications of the rifle, named the Orion Hunter, were listed on the National Firearms Identification database website recently, sparking interest from eagle-eyed members of the Australian shooting community.
The Orion hunter will be a bolt-action centrefire rifle built on the Remington 700 footprint, based on what is revealed by the CAD drawings on the NFID website.
It will run AICS-compatible box magazines, a synthetic stock and a muzzle brake.
It will be available with barrel lengths of 46 and 56cm (18 and 22 inches), initially in seven cartridges — .204 Ruger, .22-250 Remington, .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, 6.5mm Creedmoor and 6mm PRC, with magazines holding up to 15 rounds.
The Orion Hunter appears to be Category B in all states and territories, helped by the ability to use 10-round magazines in states where that is the limit for centrefire rifles.
The action has an integrated Picatinny rail for mounting telescopic sights or similar accessories, and there are sling swivel and bipod-mounting studs on the furniture as well.
A Wedgetail spokesman confirmed the rifle was real, and would be formally unveiled at the Wild Deer Expo in Lardner Park, Victoria on 11-12 October this year.
The spokesman said at this stage they could not comment publicly about the rifle’s specifics beyond what was on the NFID site, but did confirm it would be produced in both left- and right-handed variants from launch.
“We’re very excited to bring it to market,” he said.
Wedgetail previously produced a straight-pull bolt-action rifle based on its semi-auto design but replaced it with the pump-action MPR rifle instead.
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