r/canadaguns • u/Why_Am_I_Here_1999 • May 08 '26
Gun and gear reviews Should i get the sig cross and ditch the .45-70
Anyone have any info on the sig cross? Thinking about getting rid of the Henry .45-70 and getting one for the back country instead since I'll be able to reach out a bit further, but it's still compact enough for it. Talk me out of it or talk me into it more lol. I don't do terribly much back country but enough since we go to the trailer in the mountains often enough. I just figured the sig would be a better option for screwing around at the range.
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u/Azules023 May 08 '26
Just beware, the sig cross isn’t really a range rifle. It’s a tacticool hunting rifle. Nothing wrong with that but it has all the things you don’t want in a range bolt action rifle.
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u/Why_Am_I_Here_1999 May 08 '26
What are those? I don't actually have a bolt action right now I have 3 lever guns but nothing that will go past 250 reliably lol
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u/Azules023 May 08 '26
Bergara HMR and Tikka CTR are far better range rifles. The Bergara is a Remington700 clone so there’s tons of after market options available for it if you want upgrade the chassis or trigger for example.
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u/hafetysazard May 08 '26
I thought Bergara was going to be a blip on the market, but I’m so glad they’re still around making decent rifles.
Like they seem to have cornered the, “decent,” corner of the market. Not the ultimate, not the mediocre, but like right where you’d hope to get at their price range.
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u/BrotherLefthand May 08 '26
Lots of aftermarket support for tikka platforms as well now. The gap isn't as huge as it used to be.
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u/Murray3-Dvideos May 08 '26
Sounds like it may be a better choice. Light weight backcountry hunting setups are still fun to casually shoot long range targets with. You just gotta pace around the barrel temps more among other things compared to dedicated range guns.
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u/krimsonkodiak May 08 '26
I have both a Cross in 308 and a Marlin 1895 in 45-70. I love them both.
The Cross to me is an ideal all-around rifle, similar to the Scout concept but modernized. It’s super compact and capable, more accurate than I am, ergos are great, love it.
You will lose ~200 fps over a standard barrel though.
The 1895 is just cool. I put a dot on it and it’s surprised me with its precision within the limitations of 45-70. I started handloading for it and am enjoying shooting it more and more.
TLDR : don’t sell the Henry but the Sig is awesome.
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u/hafetysazard May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
You gotta decide now what you plan to do with it. If you’re not going to be carrying it for long periods of time, then you can get a heavier profile barrel, and a bit chunkier scope, and enjoy it as a decent target rifle most of the time. If you want it to be handy, then go for more of a traditional, lightweight model with a lightweight scope.
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u/BrotherLefthand May 08 '26
My approach to hunting rifles is the same as Lotus' approach to race cars. Simplify, then add lightness.
Hard to do that if you want a benchrest shooter. Too much lightness results in too much muzzle climb with recoil.
Too much heaviness and you're not having a good time out in the bush.
I don't think the sig cross is a well-balanced choice. You'd be better served with a tikka or bergara and building it over time to the rifle you want. There's a lot of options to build either platform anywhich way you please.
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u/iatekane May 08 '26
Sig cross is great and being what it is, a very compact light weight hunting/backpack rifle with lots of adjustability, good controls and very customizable.
Not great for long sessions of precision shooting off the bench, but then neither would a 45-70.
They’re good guns and good value for the feature set, despite their retail pricing having climbed quite a bit recently.
6
u/LongRoadNorth May 08 '26
I find it rather over priced for what it is.
A lot of the marketing around it makes it seem like it's a precision rifle but I've seen many reviews saying it can't even consistently hold a 1" group at 100 yards
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u/iatekane May 08 '26
That’s the thing for its combination of features it’s good value, there isn’t really a way to buy or build something with comparable weight and fold ability in a standard cartridge.
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u/LongRoadNorth May 08 '26
But it's significantly more than a tikka t3x ctr or varmint which although isn't a tacticool looking rifle it's a significantly better rifle for accuracy
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u/iatekane May 08 '26
Yeah those are better for accuracy but they’re much heavier than a Cross and much less compact, that’s the whole point and why it’s good value for the combination of features. Weight and compactness being main ones.
If you want to replicate that building something similar the best you can do is probably a tikka lite, chop the barrel the 18.5” and put it into a MDT hunt 26 folding chassis. But then you’re paying more than just buying a cross
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u/LongRoadNorth May 08 '26
Fair but my issue with it remains Sig marketing it as a significantly better rifle in the case of accuracy
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u/goshathegreat May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
I’d suggest the Sig Cross Trax, it’s cheaper than some of the other models and is super lightweight and compact. It also has a 16.5” barrel vs some of the other models with 24” barrels, makes the gun only 26” when folded.
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u/iatekane May 08 '26
The standard cross also has the 16.5” barrel (18” if you go with 6.5cm chambering) while the PRS and other variants have longer barrels, so it’s not just limited to the Trax if you want the shorter barrel length.
Trax is cool though and you save a bit of weight over the already light standard Cross model but you lose out on the adjustability of the butt stock and that’s a bit one for me. Cheek weld on the Trax I found to be less than ideal, but it’s the ultimate light and minimalist variant for sure.
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u/iatekane May 08 '26
The sig cross is pretty light at 6.5lbs, comparable to most other light hunting rifles and lighter than a lot of others standard bolt actions.
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u/FluffyPlays22 May 08 '26
I love my sig cross, but a 308/6.5cm rifle vs a 45-70 are not really comparable. It all depends on what you want the rifle for. Personally, if it's for protection, I'd take my 45-70, and if it's for hunting further than 200 yards I'd take the sig cross. But the sig cross is also going to be quite a bit heavier than a traditional rifle, or a 45-70 lever action once a scope is put on it.
Also, the sig cross is totally a fine rifle for the range, it's my most shot bolt action other than a 22lr, and that's where it spends 99% of its time is at the range, and the other 1% is actually hunting with it.
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u/SisyphusCoffeeBreak May 08 '26
no sell only buy