The Q Mini Fix, Tested and Reviewed

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The Q Mini Fix is a sleek modern bolt action that presses AR ergonomics into a foldable rifle that’s designed for short cartridges like the 5.56mm NATO, .300 BLK, and 6mm ARC. As the name implies, this rifle is the smaller version of the Q Fix, and shares the same general feature set. This innovative rifle has a monolithic receiver, adjustable folding stock, and several key AR-style parts which boost its versatility. I tested the Q Mini Fix in 6mm ARC, and it’s hard — or impossible — to find a better micro action.

Q Mini Fix Specs

• Action: 5-lug AR-style
• Stock: Aluminum, folding, adjustable comb and length of pull
• Cartridge: 6mm ARC (tested), 5.56mm NATO, .300 BLK
• Capacity: 10 rounds (AR-magazines)
• Weight: 5 pounds, 10 ounces (measured)
• Trigger: Two-stage, flat shoe, 2 pounds, 12 ounces (measured)
• Barrel: 16 inches, 1:7 twist, stainless steel, threaded ⅝-24
• Length: 34 inches (plus or minus depending on LOP setting)
• Price: $2,958

Key Features

• Quick 45-degree-throw bolt with thick lugs
• Free-float Q-sert handguard
• 45-degree AR-style safety
• Monolithic receiver
• Threaded muzzle with angled shoulder
• Folding stock with rigid hinge
• In folded position measures 29.5 inches with Jumbo Shrimp suppressor attached

Review Highlights

• Great Accuracy
• Really good adjustability and ergonomics
• Very versatile
• Quality components and workmanship
• Bolt is a bit loose when cocked
• Designed to be used with proprietary accessories and muzzle devices

Q Mini Fix Accuracy

The first thing I wonder when I crack open a review of any given rifle is how does it shoot? I’ll save you the scrolling and tell you now. It’s really accurate — or for you grouchy sticklers, precise. When I say that I wonder how a rifle will shoot, I think about it differently than I did a few years ago. That’s something that you’ll see reflected in the data we collect and present for rifle accuracy at OL these days. Within the past couple years, we have found that using five-shot group sizes doesn’t give us a definitive or consistent look at a gun’s realistic level of precision. Five-shot group sizes and locations simply vary too much to be definitive in any way. It’s a metric that can’t tell you what you can expect from your rifle, nor can it reliably differentiate between rifles that are very accurate or just ok. Along with traditional five-shot group sizes, you’ll see 20-shot group size data and 20-shot mean radius listed. These are what you should pay attention to.

You can see how we compile our 5-shot groups into 20-shot composites here. 

The Hard Data

I tested the Q Mini Fix with three different types of factory 6mm ARC ammo, and hand-loaded bullets ranging from 85 to 115 grains. I recorded all accuracy data using Outdoor Life E.A.T.S. targets, firing at 100 yards from a bag-supported benchtop position. This little micro-action was quite accurate with a wide variety of bullets, but seemed to favor the Hornady 103-grain ELD-X over everything else.

Recalibrating Your Accuracy Compass

Considering larger sample sizes, which give you valid accuracy figures, you will find that you need to adjust your expectations or benchmarks for what makes a rifle really precise. The sub-MOA standard is essentially meaningless when we only consider small round counts. Why? Many rifles can shoot sub-MOA groups, but their overall cone of fire is much larger. A hunting or field rifle that can print 20-shot composites under an inch, or have a mean radius of .3-inches or smaller is very accurate and not common.

The Q Mini Fix Features

From end to end, the Q Mini fix is a unique firearm that’s packed with smart features. It borrows a lot of its style from the AR-15, but doesn’t use any AR parts except a pistol grip and magazines. The rifle smartly uses T25 Torx screws for nearly all the parts and accessory fasteners, making maintenance and modification simple.

Folding Adjustable Stock

The skeletonized stock on the Q mini fix is both trim and stable. It’s got an aluminum frame that has a simple adjustable comb piece on top, and a buttstock piece at the rear that’s adjustable for length of pull. The butt pad height can be adjusted with the push of a button. The butt is capped with a thin rubber pad that provides a good grip without too much cushion. On the bottom are two threaded holes to attach a bag rider.

The folding hinge is folded by pressing the stock down to unlock it, then swinging the stock to the right side of the rifle where it locks into place. While locked, it keeps the bolt handle in the closed position. When the rifle is new, the hinge is stiff and a bit difficult to unlock. Operation becomes easier over time, but the hinge, thankfully, doesn’t seem to loosen up. When deployed, the stock is rock solid. When closed, the rifle is still slender and packable. Some chassis rifles like the XLR series become thick and more difficult to pack when folded.

Monolithic Receiver and AR-Styled Bolt

The Q Mini Fix sports a monolithic aluminum receiver that looks similar to an AR-15, but is actually more similar to the Sig Cross. There are no upper and lower halves, it’s all one piece. Though there are a few complex parts on the Mini Fix, most of them are simple. The trigger, for example, has a flat shoe, and is essentially a single piece with a spring, which rotates on a single pin. It has a two-stage pull with about four ounces of takeup and a crisp break. That takeup resistance is just the tension of the spring on the trigger pin.

A nice feature of the receiver is a sleeve that pushes out over the barrel extension, to which the handguard is mounted. This reduces torque on the barrel via the handguard and prevents point of impact shifts from improvised positions — something we see with many AR handguards that mount directly to the barrel nut. The lightweight handguard is attached to this sleeve via two T-25 Torx fasteners and uses Q’s proprietary Q-sert accessories such as Picatinny rails and their Kickstand bipod.

The Q Mini Fix feeds from standard AR-15 magazines and, in 6mm ARC, comes with one 10-ground Geissele 6.5 Grendel mag. I’ve used a number of AR magazines for 22 ARC and 6mm ARC, and the Geissele seems to be the most reliable and smooth-functioning.

A Unique Bolt Design

The Q Mini fix has an AR-styled bolt head, but that description doesn’t do it justice. Its AR influence extends to the lugs, extractor, and stiff plunger ejector. That’s about it. The bolt head is removable and features locking lugs that look similar to an AR rifle’s, but they are thicker, longer front to back, and there are five of them — not of uniform size. The extractor, similar to an AR extractor, is installed on the bolt with a drift pin and is powered by a spring under the rear. The bolt glides to and fro in the receiver along a set of rails that engage with the bolt shroud, and there’s very little friction inside the receiver.

The rest of the bolt assembly is quite different from others we’ve seen. In addition to the bolt head, the bolt body, striker assembly, handle, and shroud are the main components. The bolt can be stripped down with the help of a small punch and, though it’s not difficult, it takes a bit of practice. Disassembly generally isn’t necessary, but I do wish Q included some detailed instructions with the gun. The cocking mechanism is fairly complex, with some small rollers and other parts, but these shouldn’t be taken apart. 

Short Throw

Because of the lug and cocking mechanism design, the bolt has a short 45-degree throw. With that short snappy throw comes a bit more cocking force. In sub-zero weather, things stiffened up a little bit, and the heavier lift was a bit annoying when shooting from bagged bench-top positions. However, when firing from field positions off a bag or bipod it wasn’t really noticeable. 

An interesting feature is that once cocked, the initial rearward motion of the bolt handle draws the bolt body to the rear inside the shroud to accomplish primary extraction before the whole bolt assembly begins to travel. By contrast, primary extraction for most rifles occurs on bolt lift. Primary extraction is the movement of the bolt head that breaks the fired case free from the chamber.

The Barrel and Accessories

I tested the Q Mini Fix in 6mm ARC with a 16-inch barrel, but other models are available in 5.56mm NATO and .300 BLK with shorter barrels. My test rifle’s barrel is stainless steel and threaded ⅝-24 with an angled shoulder rather than perpendicular. 

This shoulder angle is meant to accommodate Q muzzle devices such as the Cherry Bomb muzzle brake it comes with. This and the handguard design cater to Q’s proprietary devices and accessories rather than regular industry standard stuff like M-Lok. 

The Cherry Bomb cuts recoil, but is pretty violent on these shorter-barreled rifles. I paired my Mini Fix with a Q Jumbo Shrimp suppressor, a short 6.5mm titanium can that, with the brake, weighs just a couple ounces more than most lightweight Ti setups, but is only 6.75 inches long. The Jumbo shrimp threads over the Cherry Bomb brake and the shoulder seals gasses really well.

Ergonomics and Field Shooting

I really appreciate the ergonomics of the Q Mini Fix. For a comparatively minimalist rifle, it offers great shootability and versatility. The rigidness and adjustability of the stock allows a personalized fit and you can easily swap out the grip if you want. 

Though the bolt handle is pretty dainty, it works. The bolt handle is positioned perfectly in a way that allows me to rest my shooting hand thumb atop it as a thumb rest. Doing that eliminates the need to move my thumb from another position after shooting, and I can just cycle the bolt. I do wish the bolt handle was just a little bit beefier and easier to grab, but its position is perfect.

I did notice that, when cocked, the bolt handle flops loosely if the gun is shaken, and did confirm that the only thing holding it in place is the friction of the lugs and engagement of the bolt face and extractor on the cartridge. It doesn’t affect performance, and even a Remington 700 does the same thing, they just aren’t typically as loose. The bolt handle is retained by the stock when folded and stowed, but some way to keep the bolt handle securely down when in battery would make me feel better. 

The Q Mini Fix is such a fun and solid little rifle to shoot, that I think it would make an excellent all-around hunting rifle for a lot of people. Velocities of the little 6mm ARC aren’t awe inspiring, but within 300 or 400 yards, no deer hunter should have anything to complain about. This would be a solid option for a run-and-gun coyote caller too, perhaps with a red dot mounted on a 45-degree offset for surprise close-range shots on moving dogs. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Light and compact
• Great accuracy
• Very versatile
• Great user adjustability

Cons

• Expensive
• Proprietary accessories

Final Thoughts on the Q Mini Fix

It’s not too often that we get to look at guns that are truly — or even mostly — unique. Though the Q Mini Fix has certainly borrowed some ergonomic qualities from the AR family of rifles, many of its features are original and well-thought out. Though the striker assembly is more complex than most bolt-action rifles, I’m pleased that many parts of this rifle are simple and straightforward. It’s a great blend of quality, ingenuity, and practicality.

This is an expensive gun, but the value is there. It’s a functional do-all that could be a packable mountain-hunting rifle or, just as easily, a dedicated east-woods whitetail killer. It’s set up to easily accept pre-fit barrels and, for short cartridges that really shine in a micro action, I’m not sure there’s a better bolt gun.

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Source: https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/q-mini-fix-review/