[SHOT 2026] Winchester SXR2 Semi-Auto Rifle Keeps The Fudd Dream Alive

We live in a tactical world; SHOT Show is filled with ARs and AKs and PCCs, with rails and lights and suppressors and a host of other geegaws bolted on. If you just want an old-fashioned wood-and-steel gun to go hunting with, it’s getting harder and harder to find. Winchester still plays in this field, and they introduced a new SXR2 semi-auto hunting rifle at SHOT Show 2026. But it’s hard to say just how new it really is.

Winchester on repeat @ TFB:

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SHOT Show Special

Currently, Winchester lists the SXR2 on their website with the tag “SHOT Show Special,” and the following blurb:

“New autoloading rifle built for big game hunting. Features reliable gas piston operation with strong seven-lug rotating bolt. Walnut stock with satin finish and textured grip areas. Lightweight alloy receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Adjustable fiber-optic front sight. Fluted non-reflective matte blued barrel and steel receiver.”

Remember, Aussies can’t have nice things like semi-autos (well, not easily, anyway) so they have this workaround.

Winchester has indeed sold the SXR2 Stateside before, but not in very big numbers; they were exclusively distributed through Lipsey’s a couple of years ago, and Winchester’s booth staff said they figured they sold about a thousand of them back then. It’s made from Belgian FN-manufactured parts which are assembled in Portugal, and bears similarities to the modern Browning Mk IV BAR. But whereas the BAR has gone fully modern with no iron sights, the SXR2 has an odd-looking irons setup. From Internet scuttlebutt, it seems it’s considered a more affordable take on the BAR. Booth staff said it’s basically the same thing inside the receiver.

Winchester had the blacked-out standard model and wood-and-steel … errrrr, wood-and-aluminum-and-steel SXR2 Field. The synthetic-stocked one sells for $1369-$1389 in the U.S., while the classier version is listed at $1439-1459. Available calibers are .308, .30-06, 300 Win Mag and 9.3x62. Obviously, like their blurb says, the rifle is made for big game hunting, and you can find a choice in that list to cover anything in North America (and a good bit of Africa too, if you have money for a safari).

Magazine capacity is three or four rounds, depending on caliber, with 22-inch barrel and weight of a little over 7 pounds. Overall length is 41 ⅜ inches, whether you’re shooting the short-action .308 or the other long-action alternatives. Length of pull is 14 ⅛ inches; drop at comb is ⅞ inches; drop at heel is 1 ¼ inches. See more info at their website here.

But wait, there’s more!

If you’re a frustrated fudd who doesn’t have more than a thousand bucks to spend on a new semi-auto, Winchester has another, much more affordable option this year. They’re bringing in flashy versions of the Ranger rimfire lever-action. Specifically, the Ranger Nickel and the Ranger High Grade.