Franchi Momentum All-Terrain Elite Rifle
By: Mike Dickerson
A sub-half-MOA, do-anything rifle
Franchi’s Momentum rifle has come a long way since I first hunted with a prototype gun seven years ago to provide feedback on the design. The Momentum has improved considerably since then and has evolved into today’s standard Momentum, Momentum Elite, and Momentum Elite Varmint models.
Now, Franchi has unveiled the newest addition to the lineup, called the Momentum All-Terrain Elite rifle. The rifle departs significantly from existing designs because it’s loaded with modern features that make it a good choice for just about any application. It is equally capable as a hunting rifle, truck gun, scout rifle, or ranch defender. The All-Terrain is initially offered in 308 Win. and 223 Rem., but guns in both chamberings can shoot their 7.62 and 5.56 NATO counterpart cartridges.
Much of the rifle’s versatility stems from its innovative stock, which provides greater functionality than most polymer stocks. At the forend are six flush-fitting M-Lok attachment points (two left, two right, and two bottom) for mounting accessories. There are also three flush QD attachment points, as well as three at the rear of the stock, that give you options for attaching (and quickly detaching) a sling. The stock is injection-molded, but it’s quite stiff in areas that count, such as around the action.
The stock can be easily tweaked for a custom fit. Three different TSA recoil pads allow you to adjust the length of pull from 14 inches to 14-3/4 inches, and you can swap between low, medium, and high comb risers to achieve perfect eye alignment with your chosen optic. The stock wears an attractive TrueTimber Strata camo finish, complemented by a black magazine well, pistol grip, cheek riser, and recoil pad. The forend has a wide, flattened bottom to help achieve a solid rest. It fills the hand but has scalloped contours for fingers of the supporting hand.
The rifle’s action features a slick-cycling, three-lug bolt with a short, 60-degree throw that won’t interfere with mounted scopes. A two-position safety lever is located within easy reach of the thumb, just behind the top of the bolt handle. It does not lock the bolt down when engaged, but the bolt requires just enough force to open that it’s unlikely to open if snagged on brush.
You’ll find an extended-length Picatinny rail securely mounted atop the action for mounting optics. From the end of the action forward, the rail is free-floated above the barrel, so you won’t have to worry about issues that come with rails mounted atop barrels. This setup gives you the flexibility to mount an optic that best meets your needs, whether it be a traditional riflescope, LPVO, red dot, thermal scope, or long-eye-relief scope for a scout rifle configuration. The All-Terrain is all about versatility and letting you optimize the gun for your specific needs.
Versatility is further enhanced with adjustable, folding dual-purpose iron sights (although the sights themselves are actually polymer). Folded down, they function as three-dot sights. Folded up, they work as peep sights with a rear aperture and front post. It’s a clever and useful design for both a backup and a primary sighting role.
The All-Terrain sports an 18-inch, free-floated, threaded barrel with a multi-port muzzle brake and a nicely executed, dark bronze Cerakote finish that extends onto the action. The shortened barrel gives the rifle an overall length of 40 inches, making it quite handy in close quarters. The barrel on my test rifle, chambered in 308 Win., has a 1:11 twist rate that will handle most 308 Win. bullets nicely, but may not be ideal for 225-grain or 230-grain bullets at the heaviest end of the 308 Win. bullet spectrum. The majority of factory 308 Win. loads use bullets lighter than those.
The muzzle brake, TSA recoil pad, and 7.5-pound weight work in concert to reduce perceived recoil considerably, making this rifle easy on the shoulder. Weight will be substantially more with a full magazine, rings, and riflescope attached, so the rifle would not be my first choice for lugging up steep mountains. That’s one of the few jobs this rifle isn’t designed for.
You can, however, run the rifle fast and put a lot of lead downrange quickly. It comes with a Magpul PMAG 10 10-round AICS-style magazine that feeds cartridges reliably. To detach the magazine, you extend your trigger finger and push on a paddle that rides flush with the front of the trigger guard. While pushing the paddle, you pull the magazine from the gun. It doesn’t just drop free. I see this as a virtue because you’re very unlikely to dump the magazine from the gun at an inopportune time.
The rifle is equipped with Franchi’s Relia trigger, which is adjustable within a range of 2-4 pounds. As the rifle arrived from the factory, the single-stage trigger on my test rifle broke crisply, at an average pull weight of 2 lbs., 10 oz., with just a tiny hint of creep on a slow trigger pull. Overall, this is a very good trigger and a step up from triggers found on many factory rifles. I happily left the pull weight at the factory setting for testing.
Functionally, the rifle was a joy to shoot. The spiral-fluted bolt is one of the smoothest-cycling bolts you’ll find on a factory rifle. The magazine is easy to load, and I experienced no issues with feeding, extraction, or ejection. As you might expect, measured bullet velocities were a bit slower than factory-stated velocities out of the rifle’s shorter 18-inch barrel. Variations from factory numbers ranged from 75 fps slower for Federal’s 185-gr. Gold Medal Berger match load to 170 fps slower for Barnes’ 168-gr. Vor-Tx TTSX load.
While the rifle comes with a one-MOA accuracy guarantee with premium factory ammunition, my test rifle showed a clear preference for some loads over others. I tested the rifle by shooting three three-shot groups with five factory loads using bullet weights ranging from 150 to 185 grains.
The worst performer was a traditional 150-gr. cup-and-core hunting load, which produced 1.79-inch average groups at 100 yards. All other loads shot much better, with one-inch best groups, and some turned in numbers that were well under the one-MOA standard. Hornady’s Precision Hunter 178-gr. ELD-X load produced 0.63-inch average groups and a 0.44-inch best group. Results were nearly identical with Winchester’s 168-gr. MatchKing load, which shot a 0.42-inch best group and 0.64-inch average group. With ammo it likes, this rifle shines in the accuracy department.
The Franchi Momentum All-Terrain Elite rifle comes with a seven-year warranty and an MSRP of $1,499, but you can find it for considerably less. That’s a bargain for such an accurate and versatile rifle that can be set up for a multitude of roles. For more information, contact Franchi USA; Tel.: (800) 264-4962; Web: www.franchiusa.com.
Specifications:
Caliber: 308 Win., as tested
Action Type: Bolt action
Trigger: adjustable
Rate of twist: 1-11
Barrel: 18-inch, threaded
Finish: Midnight Bronze Cerakote
Stock: Polymer with M-Lok attachment points, TrueTimber Strata finish
Magazine/capacity: AICS-style 10-round detachable magazine
Sights: Folding front and rear 3-dot and aperture; extended Picatinny rail
Overall Length: 40 inches, variable
Weight: 7.5 pounds
MSRP: $1,499