I know a lot of us have been waiting for this beast since its announcement last year and for some of us, the day of reckoning has finally arrived. Now, this is not a review of any sort, just an unboxing, general observations and a quick photo shoot. It will probably be sometime before I find some time to take this monster out to shoot.
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Some specs from the Cadex website:
Dimensions : 4.25″ x 8.4″ x 51.5″
10.8 cm x 20.32 cm x 130.81 cm
Dimensions (Folded stock): 5.3″ x 8.4″ x 42.4″
13.5 cm x 20.32 cm x 107.7 cm
Weight (29″ Barrel): 23.0 lbs (10,432 Grams)
More info here:
https://www.cadexdefence.com/products/cdx-precision-rifles/precision-rifle-cdx-50-tremor/
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When this thing arrived, I was at work and my wife signed it. To say the least, my wife was not very impressed. It was one of the heaviest, biggest boxes that have been delivered to my house with my name on it, and from her experience, if it's heavy, if it's big, it's probably expensive.
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The rifle was delivered in a reinforced cardboard box. As I understand it, Cadex is currently working with various manufacturers for an ideal rifle case for this monster.
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The rifle came with a very nice drag bag, with lots of pockets, reinforced stitching, and loads of straps and some pretty heavy duty zippers. It felt really durable compared to a lot of the soft cases I already have, but I really don't have a lot of experience with quality drag bags like these.
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The first thing I did was open all the pockets to see what sort of storage space was available. The large square pocket looks like it’s good for a large size data/log book or binder. In it was the manual, a few stickers, what looked like a 50BMG-size thread protector and a set of allen keys (presumably for all the screws in the chassis).
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On the back of the manual was the armourer's signature attesting that the trigger was set at 2lbs 5 oz.
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The next set of pockets were two long ones on the side of the bag. I was really hoping that Cadex would have mixed up the shipping contract and accidentally left me something no-no from one of their military contracts, but that was not to be. In one of the pockets was the massive bolt for the rifle, the other pocket was empty but clearly designed to house the monster can that Cadex designed for this rifle.
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Both the bolt and the rifle were protected in foam inside the rifle case. A thin added bit of protection for the rifle, but I assume also to protect the bag from any manufacturing oils or grease.
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The rifle was shipped with one of those monster 50bmg magazines as big as a hardcover book. Thinking about it now, that rifle was shipped with the butt stock in the open position, meaning that has got to be one of the biggest drag bags in production.
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On first glance, it appears to be the newest 50bmg chassis system from Cadex. I might be wrong, but it might be unique to the Cadex CDX-50 Tremor and not available for other 50bmg rifle builds? The hand guard is definitely different than the previous generation, possibly slightly shorter, and the top vent holes have been sealed up, presumably to reduce heat mirage from the hot barrel. The top rail is a slightly different design, and same with the main body. The folding stock system appears to be the same as the previous generation.
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All the essentials out of the bag.
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So, this bolt.....wow, this bolt is just ginormous. I'm fairly certain you could beat somebody to death with it. It is a nice looking design (I haven't taken it apart yet, but I've heard it's not hard at all) and the fit and finish is hard to fault. I also love the aggressive spiral fluting on it.
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Four locking lugs to ensure it goes nowhere, and also permits a very, very short throw.
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I couldn't find a set of googly eyes to put on the head of the snake, and that's what a lot of people have compared it to. It does have a strong resemblance to the head of a cobra snake, so it's a pretty cool looking brake.
On closer inspection though, it appears to be a well thought out design. There are three main side ports, and the lead bottom edge of the front port is curved and extends slightly out past the rest of the brake. I would guess as the hot gas comes out, it would act almost like a spoiler, with a downward pushing effect, eliminating the need for any top ports? Anyway, I've heard that Cadex's muzzle brake reduces a lot of the felt recoil from their other lines, so this will probably be no different.
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The action has got to be one of the nicest ones I've seen. It's very angular compared to the typical tubular designs that I'm used. It would have been nice to see the bottom of the action, but my guess is since it's Cadex's own design and taylor-made for their chassis system, there is no need for roller bedding or traditional glass bedding.
Cadex CDX-50 is milled near the top, and TREMOR engraved near the top, MFG Cadex Inc Canada at the bottom. I almost wanted to stand up and sing "Oh Canada" when I saw that, lol!
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Ok, so the weather's been pretty crummy the last week or so, and last night was the first clear day we've had, but by the time I got home, the sun was already mostly out of sight and I was only able to snap a few quick photos. I'll have to get the Tremor out to Squamish or Merritt one of these days instead of snapping a couple of shots in my back yard or laundry room, lol!
I pulled the scope and bipod off one of my other rifles just for photos. Actually, the Steiner will probably stay but I'll lose the wrap.
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I'm not sure what MOA the top rail is canted, and haven't read the manual yet, but if it's like their previous 50bmg chassis systems, it's probably a 40moa rail.
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A close up of the main chassis body.
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Cadex's unique folding stock, fully adjustable without tools. I know, some of you are probably thinking how hard would it be to pack a couple of extra tools in your range bag, but if you're anything like me, there will be a time when you forgot to back them. It's definitely a nice feature to have that tool-less adjustability. The recoil pad is nice and soft where it needs to be, and the folding mechanism Cadex designed is rock solid, with no wiggle whatsoever. When folded, it locks in the folded position and folds right on top of the bolt handle so it does not take up additional space.
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The safety is built right into the bolt. I've seen this design on some other rifles, but it is definitely new to me.
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Cadex's own design two-stage trigger.
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Anyway, that's the end of the photo shoot, can't wait to take this thing out to hammer some steel.
Special thanks to Patrice Picard from Cadex in getting this to me. Cadex really came through in turning dreams into reality.
