Cadex CDX-R7 Sheepdog Review

The Cadex CDX-R7 Sheepdog and Shepherd precision rifles were designed as PRS or tactical ready rifles with a lot of features for the price. Using a Rem700 footprint custom action with a 4 lug short throw bolt, a fluted match grade barrel, adjustable aluminum-skeleton micro chassis, and adjustable custom trigger, the rifle packs a lot of tech in for the price tag of $3300-3450. This rifle was on loan from Cadex for this review.

Video Review

Cadex Sheepdog Specs

13 lbs dry, 17.8 lbs with scope like this, bipod, and loaded mag
Butt pad can adjust up or down
Spacers to adjust length of pull
Spring loaded cheek
Can get 0, 20, or 30 MOA rails
Large trigger guard
DX2 Evo adjustable trigger (2 stage) 1.5-2.5 lbs
Chassis uses an aluminum skeleton
4 lug bolt with 50 degree throw
AICS Mags
MX2 Suppressor ready muzzlebrake
QD Sling Swivels

Shooting the Sheepdog

Loaded up with a full mag, scope, bipod, etc, the rifle is about 18 lbs. Firing 6.5 Creedmoor with the addition of a brake means the rifle is very easy to get back on target before the bullet impacts: so you can spot hits on your own fairly easily.

Loading the AICS magazine is mildly inconvenient, as the top feed lips are longer than the body of the cartridge so you have to adopt a different loading style to hold rounds down as you feed the next one in.

Because of the convenience of adjustments on the stock, it’s easy to adjust settings on the fly. The spring loaded cheek rest is super quick to adjust and just brilliant. No tools, just a quick turn of the dial, put your head where you want, and twist it back and you’re done.

Competition to the Sheepdog

$3300 sounds like a lot until you start pricing out components to build a rifle like this. $2000 is about the going rate for a similar barreled custom action, and stock systems that offer this kind of adjustability are $1000-$4000 with quality varying quite a bit. Accuracy International’s AT rifles are around $6000, a Desert Tech stock is about $4k, etc. Sako TRG 22 rifles would be around $3700 and would be in the ballpark, albeit with fewer features. Some PRS shooters will opt to add a stock to a heavy barrel Savage, Remington, or other off the shelf rifle and that works, but it won’t come with some of the perks of a custom action; like the short throw of the 4 lug Cadex, or the machining quality. Some of the bigger manufacturers like Savage, Remington, and even Mossberg are releasing rifles with chassis systems but again, these aren’t the same as custom action rifles.

Here in Canada, guys are hitting $3k pretty easily when building NR AR’s, so $3k for a rifle with a gucci action and stock is excellent.

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