Gunwerks Nexus Rifle Review | Truly Unique, But Worth It?

Is the Gunwerks Nexus rifle as good as they say? Is the Nexus really that unique of a rifle to make it worth the investment? In the climatic moments of my 2024 rifle elk hunt, these are NOT exactly the questions I was asking myself. I was far more concerned with the question of, Will this rifle find its mark if and when it comes time to pull the trigger? Reliability and repeatability are everything when it comes to rifles, and there’s no more important time to trust your weapon than when your hard work comes together and you have an opportunity to fill your tag.

In this Gunwerks Nexus rifle review we are going try to answer those questions. There is little doubt that the Nexus rifle is a special and unique gun. What makes it special is comprised of a long list of features, attention to detail, quality control, and a drive for excellence. Even so, we set out to test its performance in the real world, with a less than “professional” shooter- myself, to see how it would perform both at the range and in a match, along with where it personally counts most for me, in the field hunting.

What Makes the Gunwerks Nexus UNIQUE?

It takes just one look at the Gunwerks Nexus rifle to see that it is unique- from the stock design, action, bolt angle, and more. Let’s go over each of these in a little more detail.

GUNWERKS NXT ACTION

The Gunwerks NXT action is Gunwerks’ proprietary action that is machined from a solid billet of aircraft-grade, 7075 aluminum to accommodate a user-changeable barrel. It also gives you a three-position safety and a double-stacked, flush mount magazine box that allows for loading from the top. It also features a built-in 20 MOA rail that is machined into it so you don’t need to add a rail. The attention to detail here is flat out incredible!

On a more practical note, this NXT action is super smooth and doesn’t catch while cycling rounds like a lot of actions out there. The tolerances are super tight, providing flawless mechanical operation. The honeycomb design of the bolt body is not only sharp looking, but functional since less surface area is in contact with the interior of the action which reduces friction. The 65° bolt angle is also unique and allows for easy clearance with your scope without fear of racking your knuckles. All this adds up to a super smooth, super tight, super functional action.

The single stage Trigger Tech trigger that comes with the Nexus rifle is flat out phenomenal. It came out the box breaking at 2 lbs, but I adjusted it down to 1.5 lbs which is where I personally like my triggers. I would describe the trigger pull as “heavy” feeling, but incredibly smooth with zero creep, and absolutely as crisp as can be. I FLAT OUT LOVE THIS TRIGGER!

USER-CHANGABLE BARREL

While it’s not entirely unheard of, a user-changeable barrel is a true game changer. Gunwerks did just that with the Nexus rifle system, designing their NXT action to allow just about anyone to swap the barrel quickly and easily using three T25 Torx screws. It’s that easy. Gunwerks designed this to be fast, easy, and most importantly, consistent. I’ve swapped the barrels between 6.5 PRC and 7 PRC without the slightest hint of issues.

BUILT-IN FULL LENGTH ARCA + PICATINNY

A simple yet incredibly functional feature of this Gunwerks Nexus rifle is their built-in, full-length ARCA rail on the underside of the stock, coming to an inset Picatinny rail at the barrel end of the stock. This setup is perfect for mounting your bipod while still giving you the ability to mount the rifle on your tripod for those times when shooting off a tripod is your best option. Personally, it’s exactly what I need in a hunting rifle.

LONG RANGE PACKAGE AVAILABLE

Gunwerks offers this Nexus rifle in their “Long Range Package,” which includes a scope of your choice mounted on the gun, a custom ballistic turret installed, ammo that has been used to zero the gun and confirm ballistic data, and the gun zeroed. It is truly ready to shoot right out of the box. The only thing you need to do is confirm that the gun is zeroed for you as the shooter at your elevation/location, and you are good to go.

NEXUS STOCK

The Gunwerks Nexus stock is a thing of beauty. It’s just as much a work of art as it is an incredibly functional and effective piece of equipment. This Nexus stock gives you beautiful leather paneling, a built-in thumb shelf, a full length ARCA+picatinny rail (as detailed above), a vertical grip that is designed to promote proper shooting position, and a shallow toe line for use with a rear bag. The thumb shelf is perfectly designed to help you get your hand in the correct position, and the vertical grip is carved to perfection to give you an incredibly natural feel when you are behind the rifle.

From a practical use purpose, the leather paneling certainly isn’t necessary but is sure comfortable. I found the vertical grip, thumb shelf, and shallow toe line to do an exceptional job of helping control recoil and promote proper shot execution. Simply put, it’s the most comfortable, balanced, and ergonomic rifle stock I’ve personally ever used.

Gunwerks Nexus Specs

Part of what makes any piece of equipment either fit or not fit into our list of wants are the specs.

Here are the Gunwerks Nexus rifle specs in an easy-to-read table:

How We Tested the Gunwerks Nexus Rifle

Rather than shoot this Gunwerks Nexus a few times and throw a review together, we set out to truly put this rifle through the paces. While you’ll likely be able to find a more technical perspective out there, we tested for the things that we find most important in a high quality rifle.

TEST #1 – IS IT 1000 YARDS OUT OF THE BOX?

The first thing we wanted to test is the “1000 yards out of the box” claim. That sounds cool and all, but is it a reality? Once the Gunwerks Nexus arrived, we took it straight out of the box, drove out to the desert, and set up some steel at 1000 yards. The results? Well, the short answer is that it passed with flying colors. I was truly surprised as I really didn’t expect to hit steel at 1000 yards the first time I ever pulled the trigger on this rifle, but that’s exactly what happened.

If you want to see the complete video and results of this test, check out this video:

TEST #2 – DOES IT COME ZEROED AND HOW DOES IT GROUP?

The next test we put together was to see if this Gunwerks Nexus came zeroed. Now, to be fair, zero for one person might be different than zero for another, so this isn’t a perfect test. That said, given the results of the first test, we expected good results. Surprisingly, the Gunwerks Nexus turned out to be about 1 MOA low, which actually supported the results we found at 1000 yards.

This test really only supported that it is truly important for you, the actual shooter of the rifle, to zero the gun at the location and elevation you will be using the rifle. Don’t have someone else do it. I have no doubt that this Nexus was zeroed when it left the factory, but for me and in my location, that turned out to be a minute low. I zeroed the gun, and for the entire year of testing since then, the rifle and this Revic RS25i scope has held zero and tracked consistently.

You can see from the results in the video, as well as our results listed below during load development, this thing is an absolute shooter. Sub 0.5 MOA groups were easy to come by, no matter the load. Not only is that impressive, but it gives you confidence in your rifle.

TEST #3 – HOW EASY IS LOAD DEVELOPMENT?

Another test I wanted to perform on this Gunwerks Nexus rifle was to see how easily I was able to develop a load for it. Now, I know this is extremely subjective to the hand loader and the care taken, but I’ve done enough load development to get a sense of when any given rifle will be easy or difficult to work with.

After going through load development with both the Nexus 6.5 PRC and Nexus 7 PRC barrels, I can attest to the fact that this is the easiest rifle I’ve ever worked with. Loads grouped well in the 0.3 and 0.4 MOA range with standard deviations in the upper single digits to low teens. This performance was easy to come by without extensive tinkering with seating depth, powder charges, etc. This rifle loves the Hornady ELD-M bullet (147gr with the 6.5 PRC and 180gr with the 7 PRC) paired with one of my favorite powders, Hodgdon H1000 and provides some excellent shooting loads.

Keep in mind that I tested these results numerous times in various temperatures and elevations. As expected, there were slight variations in velocity and standard deviation but results were always very close to this and super consistent.

The only “issue” I ran into was that the Nexus simply did not like the Hornady 190gr A-Tip bullet once it hit the 2700 fps mark. I tried several different powders including that Hodgdon 1000 as well as Hodgdon H4831 and Ramshot Magnum, but for whatever the reason, my groups opened up over 2700 fps with the 190 A-Tip in 7 PRC. Prior to 2700 fps, I was getting groups in the .25 MOA range and standard deviations in the single digits.

Sometimes a barrel doesn’t like a bullet and there isn’t a lot you can do about it. I could keep trying different powders, or move on to another bullet. I chose to move on to another bullet and went to the Patriot Valley Arms “Cayuga” copper bullet.

For this bullet I started with the 170gr version, which required a minimum twist rate of 1:8, which this Nexus has. However, PVA did say that a 1:8 twist barrel would only provide marginal stability for that bullet, but I thought I’d give it a try. While shooting the first “ladder”, I quickly found out that not only would it not stabilize properly, the bullet was impacting paper sideways at 100 yards. Needless to say, those groups were awful.

Which this in mind, I tested the twist rate of the barrel using the cleaning rod and patch method, and kept coming up with a twist rate of roughly 1:8.25, which would explain the results above. So, I ordered a packages of the 151grain “Cayuga” bullets and the result below speak for themselves. This load came together with the Hodgdon H4831 powder. I can probably tinker with seating depth and/or charge a bit more to tighten that group up even further, but for all practical hunting purposes, that’ll more than get the job done.

Overall, the most impressive load I found (IMO) was that 180gr ELD-M paired with that same Hodgdon H1000 powder, screaming along at 3032 FPS, with single digit standard deviation, and my 3 shot group registering at an astounding 0.182 inches. Sure, that’s a small sample size and further testing is required to get a true verification of the numbers, but during load development, that’s one that catches the eye.

TEST #4 – NRL HUNTER MATCH

I don’t pretend to be a competitive match shooter, but I do love participating in “Hunter Games” matches to hone my skills, build confidence for the hunting season, and become more proficient at building a good base for those awkward shooting positions we often find ourselves in when hunting. These NRL hunter matches are a great way to do this and will really give you good feedback on what you need to work on.

With the Gunwerks Nexus in hand, I progressed through the stations, and while a match like this doesn’t really provide quantifiable results like a controlled environment at the range, I can say with absolute certainty that it did provide an extra dose of confidence in the equipment I was using. I used the Nexus like I would any rifle and scratched it up a bit on some stations, but scratches are a part of the process.

TEST #5 – REAL WORLD ELK HUNTING

Specs are cool, tests at the range are fun, and load development can be exciting when you finally land on that “perfect” load. But when it comes down to it, for a hunter, performance is where it counts the most and is what really matters. After doing all the initial testing mentioned above, it was time to carry this Gunwerks Nexus rifle into the field for elk season. I elected to swap the barrel from the 6.5 PRC over to the 7 PRC and roll with the larger caliber for my elk hunt. With the Nexus in hand, I hit the mountains in search of a good bull.

During this hunt, the weather was unseasonably warm, but the terrain was challenging and provided plenty of opportunities for abuse. The Gunwerks Nexus was strapped to my pack for many miles of single-track, dirt bike rides and slung over my shoulder during stalks. It even broke my fall when I stumbled in the rugged terrain and got scratched up. One could argue that it’s hard to take a rifle this nice into the field giving it some scars, but hey, that’s what it’s for, and I wanted to give it the full experience.

This hunt was only open for 14 days, but we were fortunate enough to find a great bull on day two. While we blew the first attempt at harvesting this bull, on day three, we were able to relocate him, and the perfect stalk came together. Three well-placed rounds from the Gunwerks Nexus at 405 yards dropped him in his tracks, and the work had just begun on this epic hunt. It took us another full day to get him packed out, but the combination of the Nexus topped with the Revic Acura RS25i scope, paired with the Revic BLR10b rangefinder binoculars proved to be a deadly combination.

Make sure to check out our other gear reviews and the Backwoods Pursuit YouTube Channel to help you decide what gear will help you stay out in the field longer!

I didn’t need the 2nd and 3rd shots, but if you’ve ever hunted elk you know how tough these giants are. I’ve personally seen fatally wounded elk run for miles, so I fully embrace the “shoot till they are down” method, so that’s exactly what I did.

Watch Our Elk Hunt – “Chasing Tradition”

What I liked – Gunwerks Nexus Rifle Review

The list of things I love about this Gunwerks Nexus rifle is quite long. It passed every test I threw at it with flying colors and did so in a way that inspires confidence.

• Incredible overall performance
• Thumb shelf
• Built-in ACRA and picatinny rails
• Vertical grip
• Built-in 20 MOA rail
• Easy user-change barrel
• Muzzle break included
• Full length ARCA + picatinny rail
• Accuracy and easy load development
• “Long Range Package” option

What I Disliked – Gunwerks Nexus Rifle Review

There aren’t many things I didn’t like about this rifle, but I did come away with a few nit-picky things that I would personally change to make it even better:

• No adjustable cheek weld
• Narrow eye box of the Revic Acura RS25i
• On the heavy side (with the Revic Acura RS25i)
• Cost

I really wish the cheek weld was adjustable, however, with the right height scope rings this is a non-issue. I absolutely love the Revic Acura RS25i that came with the long range package, but my primary complaint about the scope is that the eye box is fairly unforgiving. I love the reticle, but it is a bit on the heavy side, which adds to the total weight of this Nexus rifle system. Personally, I don’t mind a little extra weight in my rifle to aid in its shootability, but there are certainly times when I’ll elect to grab the chassis gun to shave weight for the trips deep into the backcountry.

This biggest deterrent for most folks with this Gunwerks Nexus rifle is likely going to be the cost. Starting at $6,475 at the time of this writing, it is a long ways from the “affordable” category and something most folks will have to safe for to get their hands on. There are certainly less expensive options out there that will perform as well as this rifle for the average shooter. However, none will likely do it with more class, comfort, and precision right out of the box.

Conclusion – Gunwerks Nexus Rifle Reivew

The Gunwerks Nexus rifle is arguably one of the best you can get among the “semi-custom” rifles. Sure, others will likely perform similarly, particularly if you are purely looking for a hunting rifle. With that said, however, there is great value in the confidence this Nexus rifle provides that is difficult to put a price tag on.

Confidence is something that can only be earned with a rifle, and the Gunwerks Nexus earned that in spades for me. The last thing I want to be worrying about when it’s crunch time is questioning if my rifle will perform. With the Nexus, there is ZERO question for me. This thing is an absolute shooter, and while it is certainly expensive, if you decide to invest in a Nexus rifle, you won’t be disappointed.

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