Christensen Arms Enters the High-Value Rifle Market With the Evoke (Full Review)

That’s the idea behind the new line of Evoke rifles from Christensen Arms. The Utah-based rifle maker has built a reputation for producing high-quality long guns, but most of their current offerings land in the $2,000+ category. With an MSRP of only $898.99, the Evoke is Christensen’s first rifle within reach of the unwashed masses, and it’s been well-reviewed since it hit the market earlier this year.

But there are other great rifles that cost less than $1,000. The Evoke is affordable by Christensen’s standards, but it still has to compete with the Rugers and Tikkas and Savages of the world. Can the Evoke hold its own in the rough-and-tumble arena of high-value firearms or is Christensen’s bid to break into that market a dud? Keep reading to find out.

Cost Comparison

Of course, no matter how you slice it, the Evoke isn’t a budget-friendly firearm. A quick GunBroker survey shows that most listings hover around $870, with some chamberings exceeding $900. That’s more than many hunters are willing to spend on a rifle, so the Evoke definitely isn’t in the bargain-bin category.

Instead, it’s towards the top of what you might call “high-value” options: rifles between $500 and $1000 that are affordable but offer better features and more consistent performance than their “budget-friendly” counterparts. To give you a sense of the kind of rifle the Evoke is competing with, I did another search on GunBroker for other bolt-action rifles in this category.

• Ruger American Gen II: $599
• Mossberg Patriot LR Hunter: $680
• Franchi Momentum: $699
• Savage 110 High County: $730
• Weatherby Vanguard: $738
• Tikka T3X Lite: $775
• Christensen Evoke: $870
• Bergara Ridge Carbon: $899

This is the sweet spot when it comes to hunting rifles. You can get better performance from more expensive firearms, but in my opinion, the $500-$1000 range is where you get the most bang for your buck. If Christensen’s new rifle wants to stand out, it has to convince buyers it’s better than these other established models.

Models and Specs

The Evoke is off to a good start. Christensen rolled out four different models in many of the most popular hunting cartridges. Not all models are currently available, and not all models are chambered in every cartridge. But you should still be able to find something you like no matter what you hunt. The Evoke, Evoke Hunter, Evoke Mossy Oak, and Evoke Precision all use the same action, but they feature different stocks/chassis and barrel lengths depending on caliber.

This is the standard Evoke model. The rifle also comes in two other camo patterns and a Precision model.

Barrel: Christensen Arms Cerakoted 416R stainless steel barrel, button rifled, hand lapped, match chamber, free floating

Thread Pitch: 5/8 x 24 (standard)

Muzzle: Removable premium RFR stainless steel brake

Action: Christensen Arms precision machined receiver

Capacity: 3+1 rounds (2+1 magnum), detachable magazine

Trigger: Adjustable Triggertech ® 2.5-5 LBS (factory set at ~3LBS)

Optic Compatibility: STD REM 700 Compatible, 0-MOA picatinny scope base (Hunter and Precision models)

Stock: Polymer

More Details:

• Integrated picatinny rail section (ARCA rail section on precision model)
• Hybrid grip angle
• Adjustable FFT™ carbon fiber cheek riser (Precision model)
• Recoil pad

MSPR: $898.99 – $948.99

Heavy Durability

The Evoke has many great features, but some of those benefits come with costs in other categories.

For example, the Evoke is a solid, durable rifle. I don’t know what Christensen calls this barrel profile, but it measures 0.765 inches at a point just forward of the stock. That’s pretty thick for a hunting rifle, but it should promote accuracy from shot to shot. The barrel is constructed from 416R stainless steel, and it’s free-floated, button rifled, and hand-lapped. The two-lug Christensen M25 bolt has also been beefed up with an M-16 style extractor, and the octagonal knob is large and easy to manipulate. The cylindrical receiver is machined from 416 stainless steel bar stock and features an integrated steel recoil lug.

All of these design decisions will help the Evoke run for as long as you do. When I picked it up for the first time, the word that came to mind was, “tank.” As hunting rifles go, this thing is a tank.

But all that durability comes with a downside. Christensen reports (and I confirmed) that the Evoke’s starting weight is 7.7 pounds. Add a scope and a full three-round magazine, and you’re looking at something close to 9.5 pounds. That’s not unreasonable for a hunting rifle, but from a company known for lightweight mountain guns, I would have expected something a little easier to carry, especially considering the other, lighter rifles on the market.

Those other rifles cut weight by adopting features the Evoke doesn’t have. A fluted barrel, for example, would shave off a few ounces. The bolt on the Evoke is fluted, but in some chamberings it’s significantly longer (and therefore heavier) than it has to be. All Evoke rifles use the same action length, no matter the chambering. While a 300 Win. Mag. might need that longer action, a 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Win. doesn’t. Those easier-shooting, short-action cartridges don’t produce much recoil, so you aren’t benefiting from a weight/recoil perspective even though you’re still carrying around a longer action.

I assume these decisions were made to reduce production costs, and the Evoke’s MSRP is another important benefit. But like I mentioned in the previous section, there are lots of other rifles at this price point, some of which are both lighter and cheaper than Christensen’s new offering. You might decide the company’s reputation for quality–built for years at their facility in Gunnison, Utah–justifies a little extra cost. But it’s tough not to compare the Evoke with similar rifles, and I can see hunters leaning in either direction.

Goldilocks Stock

I might have some quibbles with the barrel and action, but the stock is almost exactly what you want in a gun like this. It’s all polymer, and so it can’t avoid that hollow, Tupperware-y feel. But it has aluminum bedding pillars that allow the action to be torqued down to 65 inch-pounds, which promotes accuracy. The texturing is grippy without being too rough, and the swelled, not-quite-vertical pistol grip allows for good purchase on the rifle with or without gloves.

I also like the inclusion of the picatinny/swivel stub combo at the front of the rifle. This lets users attach a picatinny compatible bipod and run a sling at the same time. It’s also recessed, so it stays out of the way if you’re not using it.

The AICS bottom metal accepts magazines in that pattern, though you might opt for something other than the polymer three-round MDT mag that comes with every rifle. It fits almost flush with the gun, which is great, but it doesn’t fall free when you push the mag release button. You have to grip the small portion of the magazine that protrudes from the bottom of the gun or push it from the top. This isn’t normally a big deal, but it might be difficult with gloves on. You can solve this problem by using a metal magazine or a longer one.

At two pounds, six ounces, the stock isn’t ultra lightweight, but it’s comparable to other stocks with similar feature sets. Overall, the stock is a Goldilocks combination of weight, features, durability, and cost—just what you want in a high-value hunting rifle.

At the Range

After getting into the nitty gritty of the Evoke’s barrel, stock, and action, I was excited to take it to the range. You can read spec sheets all day, but there’s really no substitute for actually pulling the trigger.

In this case, that particular exercise was a pleasant experience. I’ve seen Triggertech triggers pop up on several high-end factory rifles in the last few years, and there’s a reason. This is their lower-end "Field" model, but you probably won’t notice. The break is clean and crisp, and the pull weight is easily adjustable between 2.5 and 5 pounds.

The gun’s weight made it challenging (though not impossible) to shoot off-hand, but shooting from a barricade was easy thanks to the rifle’s balance point at the front action screw. Adding a MeatEater Banish suppressor moved that point farther forward, but overall I thought the gun was well-balanced.

The cheek riser made finding the eye box in the scope quick and natural, and I’m a big fan of what Christensen calls the “Hybrid” grip angle. It’s more vertical than a traditional sporter style stock but not straight up and down like we see on competition rifles. I found that it helped me grip the stock naturally without torquing my wrist down to find the trigger.

If you have small hands and wrap the thumb of your trigger hand around the stock when you shoot, the swelled grip might make shooting less comfortable than a more traditional stock. But if you've adopted the more fashionable thumb placement along the side of the stock or resting on top, you’ll be pleased with how ergonomic the Evoke is to shoot from pretty much any field position.

The gun comes with a beefy, three-chamber muzzle brake that does a great job controlling recoil on a 6.5 Creedmoor (and I’m sure for other calibers as well). But I much prefer a suppressor for a long day of accuracy testing, so I swapped out the brake after just a few shots.

In terms of accuracy, the Evoke was right in line with what I would expect from a factory gun at this price point. I shot five, three-shot groups with four different bullet weights and styles, two of which I was very happy with.

As you can see, the Open Tip Match loads from Sig Sauer performed exceptionally well, both from a group size standpoint and in terms of standard deviation. The Evoke wasn’t designed as a competition gun, but the heavy barrel should be able to handle long shot strings and maintain this kind of accuracy from stage to stage. You might not win a national championship, but if your hunting rig can do double-duty in an NRL Hunter match, that’s not a bad deal. Plus, since the action uses a Remington 700 footprint, it won’t be hard to find an aftermarket stock or chassis more suited to the competition circuit.

You probably shouldn’t hunt with OTM bullets, but you should be able to find a hunting round that this gun likes. In this case, it was a 130-grain expansion tipped bullet from Sig Sauer. The five groups averaged one inch, which is more common for a hunting rifle than the forums would have you believe, and one of those groups measured a very respectable half-inch.

Last Shot

New and aspiring hunters often have a hard time choosing a first rifle. Now, the Evoke makes that decision even harder. But I’m not complaining–more quality, affordable rifles is a good thing, and Christensen’s new offering deserves a place among its counterparts. It’s not perfect (no rifle is) but it offers excellent accuracy, lots of great features, and the backing of one of America’s most trusted rifle makers. For less than $1,000, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.