With the bolt still closed, the left action bar can now be removed by pulling the forward end away from the inertia block and then out of the receiver. Before the right action bar can be removed, however, the bolt lock spring must first be removed by prying it out of engagement using a flathead screwdriver. Be careful when removing this part; heavy spring tension will send it airborne as I discovered during disassembly/assembly. Next, remove the bolt lock pin and then pull the bolt lock forward and out of the receiver. Now the right action bar can be removed in the same manner used previously.

Next, using a small punch, drive out the roll pin, left to right, located just forward of the bolt lock pin. With the roll pin removed, grasp the action spring and compress it forward, away from the action to remove the recoil buffer assembly. While maintaining tension, slide the action spring fully rearward. Now the action spring, action spring slide assembly, inertia block and gas piston can all be removed. Remember that the action spring is still under considerable tension – failure to do so will create a javelin-like response that scatters small parts throughout your workspace. Also, the gas piston must remain inside the gas cylinder in order to remove the action spring guide.

Now all that remains is trigger assembly, which can be removed via two shotgun-style pins located at the base of the receiver. The trigger assembly can be removed completely independently from the rest of the rifle's components.

This is as far as Winchester recommends breaking down the SXR. Savvy readers might notice that instructions for disassembly of the bolt and its carrier were not included. Browning engineers felt that removal of these parts was too complex a process, and after getting the bolt assembly out for photos and back in again, I can attest to its complexity. We managed to do it, but it's a procedure best left to Winchester-authorized service centers.

It used to be assumed and accepted that all center-fire semi-automatic rifles maintained accuracy inferior to bolt-action designs. However, the SXR displayed excellent accuracy potential during testing, where cool-barrel groups were as tight as 1.36 inches. The groups opened significantly when the barrel heated up, the result of the hot, magnum chambering. But this is a gun that will be carried much more than it will be shot, and the lower-end accuracy results are much more in line with the true capabilities of the rifle.

That level of accuracy served me well in the field. As the loud report of the .300 WSM rolled through the river canyon, I saw the bear shudder then lower its head, tearing across the old logging road. For a moment I questioned the shot, quickly getting back into the gun and swinging on the bear, the rapid recovery readily apparent as I touched off a second shot when the crosshairs settled again on black fur. In a mere instant, the SXR had barked twice.

As we scurried up the steep embankment, we saw that the boar had not run far at all – it had only run across the road, folding neatly at the edge of the woods. The first shot, a 180-gr. Winchester XP3 bullet (October 2006, p. 62), had entered through the back, left hip, penetrated the length of the body and exited through the front, right shoulder. The second shot had hit just ahead of the first; each showed considerable tissue damage – an impressive display of terminal performance from the XP3.

Equally impressive was the SXR. The follow-up shot was surprisingly quick for a rifle chambered in .300 WSM, a cartridge that delivers a sharp, stout recoil impulse. But the gas-operation mitigated much of that blow, turning it into a longer, slower push. More importantly, it delivered precise shot placement when I needed it.

Winchester has a storied tradition in terms of semi-automatic rifles. Remember, it helped turn out the most important gun of World War II, the M1 Garand, before later developing the M1 Carbine. After the war, veterans shouldered Winchesters once again as the Model 100 established itself in deer camps across the country.

The Super-X Rifle borrows heavily upon that heritage, from its proven BAR-style method of operation, to the forward-thinking application of its design, to the big "W" logo on the gun itself, proclaiming boldly a new era in which the Winchester name will continue to ride.

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