The Q Fix is not a new rifle. Not even close. The company introduced it in 2017. But I think a lot of hunters—if they know anything about the rifle at all—have overlooked it because of its unconventional (maybe even tactical) appearance. The name of the company is unusual, too. Though I have no idea of the motivation behind the “Q” name, if you’re a James Bond fan, you’ll recall it was the Q Division of the British Secret Service that created all the cool weapons and tools Bond used. This tracks, because the Fix looks like something from a Bond film. However, the impetus behind the Fix was to create a modern, versatile, lightweight rifle, purpose-built for a suppressor and ideally adapted for hunting at practical ranges. We’re embarrassingly guilty of not investigating the Fix sooner, especially since it excels at its intended purpose. I recently put the Fix through its paces at my home range. Here is a full rundown of its features and how it fared.
Q Fix Specifications and Background
Length: 34.25 to 36.25
Weight: 5 pounds, 12 ounces
Barrel: 8-inch, 12-inch, 16-inch (tested), 17-inch, stainless steel, threaded 5/8×24
Action: Striker-fired, bolt action with 45° throw
Trigger: Two-stage match, 2.5 pounds (as tested)
Capacity: Detachable SR-25-type magazine, ships with 10-round Magpul P-Mag
Finish: Combination hard anodizing and nitride
Stock: Skeletonized, folding adjustable buttstock, aluminum Q-Sert handguard
Available Chamberings: Switch-barrel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester (tested), 8.6 Blackout
Price: $3,475
To understand the origins of the Fix, you need to know something about Q. Founder Keven Brittingham and his original company, Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC), are responsible for the 300 Blackout cartridge. Shortly after Remington purchased AAC, Brittingham left and started Q. His primary purpose was to design an accurate and versatile lightweight hunting rifle. With the help of a smart firearms engineer named Nick Schafer, Q created the Fix. More recently, Q introduced the Mini-Fix, which works with smaller cartridges like the 223 Remington and 300 Blackout. Additionally, Q developed the 8.6 Blackout cartridge, which is a fast-twist, 0.338-caliber cartridge for super and subsonic shooting, and it’s compatible with the Fix rifle. Q also offers other semi-automatic rifles like the Honey Badger, Sugar Weasel, and the Boom Box, and they have a full catalog of suppressors and accessories, tailored to work with the firearms they build.
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Q Fix Overview
Though the look of the Fix gives you the impression that it’s a modified AR15 or AK, it’s not. It is, in fact, different from any other rifle. Q builds the Fix on a one-piece 6061 aluminum receiver that feeds from an AR10 magazine. To prevent the Fix from firing when dropped, Q designed a unique but very simple, stabilized, floating trigger system that’s weighted and balanced. There’s also a manual ambidextrous safety lever like on an AR15 and the grip is interchangeable with AR15 grips. The forward section of the receiver is split, and the barrel has an extension that’s headspaced with a jam-nut similar to what Savage uses. This allows you to change barrels and swap cartridges on your own. You can do this with a spanner wrench/multi-tool offered as an accessory for $69. Finally, the receiver is locked to the barrel with T-25 Torx screws.
The stock is adjustable for length-of-pull and comb height, and the stock folds to the right side. When folded, the stock blocks bolt operation. You make most of the adjustments on the stock with a T-25 Torx wrench, but you can raise or lower the butt pad with a push button, and an alternate, larger butt pad is an option. You’ll also notice different colors of the aluminum metalwork. This is not due to different coatings; all aluminum parts receive clear anodizing because it provides the best protection; the different colors come from different grades of aluminum. Grey signifies 6061 aluminum, and the gold parts are 7075.
The bolt on the Fix is a radical departure from anything you’ve ever seen. It’s a four-lug bolt with a 45° rotation/lift. Less bolt rotation means fast bolt work, but also less movement to turn the bolt. So, Q went with an easier-to-cock, striker firing system to provide enough energy to fire the primer. The bolt rotates in a bolt body, and Q makes both from stainless steel. The bolt has a AR10-style extractor and an M16-like plunger ejector, and the bolt shroud houses the bolt body, bolt, and interchangeable bolt handle. It all rides on rails machined into the receiver. The bolt locks up directly inside the pre-headspaced barrel extension, and you can field strip it in a matter of seconds.
The Fix comes with a 20-slot Picatinny scope rail that also holds the bolt release, located on the top of the action, in place. The forend is aluminum and resembles forends commonly used on AR-type rifles, but this is not an M-Lok forend. Q uses their own accessory attachment system they call Q-Sert, which has steel nuts locked into the aluminum handguard for added strength. They offer attachments for accessories to include their excellent folding Kickstand bipod ($350).
Barrels come threaded (5/8×24 with the 308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor), but Q does it a bit differently. Q tapers the barrel behind the threading, and they use a muzzle device called the Cheery Bomb, which direct threads into their suppressors with a taper as well. These tapers help seal and lock down the connection to prevent suppressors from working lose. If you want to run a non-Q suppressor, you’ll need a taper-to-flat adapter disk you install between the barrel and suppressor. It’s available from Q as well.
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Q Fix Shooting Results
I wanted to equip the Fix with a riflescope I felt was compatible with the concept of the platform, so I chose a Swarovski Z8i 1-8×24 rifle scope mounted in 30mm Leupold QRW rings. After adjusting the length of pull and comb height, I stepped to the bench and tested the Fix with three hunting-quality loads. Though the rifle would generally put the first three shots inside an inch, the average for all the five-shot groups fired was just a tad more than an inch. The rifle delivered very consistent precision; the largest group fired was less than 1.5 MOA. Also, all the shooting from the bench was with the Q Trash Panda suppressor, but about half the offhand shooting, and all the hunting, was with a Silencer Central Banish Backcountry suppressor.
For those familiar with the AR platform, grip, feel, and safety operation will be natural, and I found the ambidextrous safety easy to operate from the right side while shooting right handed. It was also comfortable to keep your shooting thumb on the right side of the receiver. Ultimately, I found myself resting my thumb on the bolt handle, which noticeably sped up bolt operation after the shot.
Field shooting is where the Fix excelled. It was fast to mount for snap shots, especially without a suppressor because the rifle balanced perfectly between the hands. The rifle also seemed natural to snuggle behind when assuming field positions, and the muzzle heaviness of a suppressor helped steady the rifle well for shots at stationary targets. The smallish bolt handle and short-throw bolt took some getting used to but soon came naturally. I also did a good bit of shooting from prone using the Q Kickstand bipod, which attaches direct to the handguard via the Q-Set screw system. It’s an accessory, but noteworthy, because it sort of completes the system.
Similarly, the rifle does not come with sling-swivel attachment points. However, Q offers their well-designed, two-ounce G Sling, which attaches with a unique system of Q’s own design. It affords common and cross-body (chest) carry, and you can also use it as a shooting sling. The rifle fed, fired, extracted, and ejected flawlessly. Cycling the short-throw bolt was similar to most traditional bolt rifles but cocking force was clearly mitigated by the unique striker-firing mechanism.
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Final Thoughts on the Q Fix
Pros
Lightweight
Versatile
Accurate
Cons
Safety does not lock bolt
Expensive
Q asked that I evaluate the Fix with their Trash Panda suppressor, and I agreed, but I had to wait for transfer approval. This took time and allowed me to spend more time than normal with a rifle provided for review. My son and I both hunted with the Fix during deer season and were both somewhat mesmerized by it; my son took a buck with the Fix on opening day. Because we were waiting on the Q Trash Panda suppressor transfer, we did a lot of the shooting and all the hunting with a Banish Backcountry suppressor. Once in hand, the Q suppressor combined with their Cherry Bomb muzzle device seemed better at sound suppression and recoil mitigation, but the 4-ounce lighter Backcountry suppressor provided a better overall balance.
The Q Fix is one of the most unique rifles I’ve ever worked with, and it performed without a hitch. From a versatility standpoint—especially with the ability to switch barrel lengths and go between the 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester, and the unique 8.6 Blackout—it is one of the most adaptable bolt-action rifles around. During the last decade, we’ve seen hunting rifles evolve into heavy, hybrid, long-range rifles. That’s not what the Fix is, but it has plenty of precision to take you out to any practical range, is versatile enough for most any shooting situation, and is unquestionably different.
Like I said, the Fix is not a new rifle, but it’s design is groundbreaking, and since Q does little advertising, many shooters and hunters are unfamiliar with this innovative and practical evolution of the modern hunting rifle. There’s nothing else like the Fix, and while it isn’t cheap, you may not be able to resist.
THE 1871 CLUB
