Mack Brothers has officially launched their X-Ray Alpha rifle, boasting an unheard-of competition weight that has both fascinated and terrified the precision rifle community. Featuring a proprietary Mack Brothers EVO titanium action, an ultralight contour 6GT barrel from Preferred Barrel Blanks, and a carbon fiber chassis so aggressively skeletal it resembles a molecular diagram, the X-Ray Alpha checks in at an astonishing 4.7 pounds dry, before optic or bipod. This radical mass reduction has been lauded by mountaineering enthusiasts and condemned by anyone attempting to hold a steady reticle past 300 yards.
Initial field reports from early adopters at a recent NRL-22 match in Eastern Wyoming—where conditions notoriously hover between "breezy" and "force majeure"—indicate a steep learning curve. Test shooter Chad "Whiplash" Remington, attempting a supported positional shot from a Tank Trap, found his rifle, equipped with a Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56 with the Mil-XT reticle, momentarily suspended a foot above the barricade due to a 25 MPH crosswind. "My DOPE was dialed, my wind call was spot-on for the 100-grain Berger Hybrid," Remington stated, shaking his head. "But my rifle was effectively a weather balloon, and the zero moved with it."
Competitors are now exploring new stage strategies, including strapping rifles to barricades with industrial-grade ratchet straps or employing designated "rifle catchers" downrange. There's even serious talk among MDs about implementing minimum rifle weight requirements, or perhaps mandatory ballast systems for X-Ray Alpha owners, to prevent potential orbital insertions during prone stages. The rifle's 6GT chambering, while known for its mild recoil, reportedly causes enough muzzle energy to initiate a measurable backward drift on the shooter's position, especially on slick concrete pads. One shooter reported being pushed three inches back during a 10-round string. The future of PRS may require weighted shooter vests, or perhaps tethers for the shooter themselves, to maintain ground contact. The only upside? No one is complaining about lugging it between stages.
