When hunting and rifle YouTuber Steven Lines asked his audience to name the worst rifle brands they’d buy from “never again,” one name bubbled up repeatedly: Fierce.
Viewers called the rifles “overpriced, overrated, and unreliable,” and the brand landed at No. 2 on his crowd-sourced blacklist.
So when a buddy of his showed up with a brand-new Fierce, Lines did what any curious shooter would do – he took it to the range and filmed the results.
In his words, he went in with an open mind, because he’s been wrong before (he famously flipped from Tikka skeptic to Tikka fanboy after owning one).
What happened next is the story.
The Test Bed: Carbon Rogue In 7 PRC
As Steven Lines describes it, the rifle was a Fierce Carbon Rogue chambered in 7 PRC, bone-stock and unfired. The setup included a bipod (he refers to it as a Tracer RP), a Scythe Titanium suppressor, and a Maven RS.4 scope.
Ammunition on hand was 175-grain Hornady ELD-X – not necessarily his first choice, but the same load featured on the glossy three-shot, 100-yard group card included in the Fierce box.
That card, Lines notes, claimed around 0.3 MOA – eye-popping accuracy for a hunting rig and the kind of marketing promise that raises eyebrows the moment the first group is fired.
First Impressions: Lightweight, Nice Stock, Stiff Trigger
Handling the Carbon Rogue, Steven Lines gives credit where it’s due: the rifle felt light, the stock geometry was appealing, and overall fit and finish looked legitimately premium.
The trigger struck him as stiff, though, and he flagged the bolt close as “a little hard to engage.”
Nothing fatal on its face – lots of actions smooth out with a short break-in – but it’s what you notice before live fire that sometimes foreshadows what you’ll be chasing later.
That Famous Box Group vs. Reality
Fierce includes a test target in the packaging, and the one in this box showed a tidy three-shot cloverleaf. Lines doesn’t sneer at factory test cards; he simply sets an expectation: let’s see if the rifle can do anything like that in the real world.
There were caveats, wind on the range, a less-than-ideal bench, and the gun was straight out of the box. Still, that’s also real-world hunting life. If a rifle is billed as a tack-driver, it should at least flirt with small groups even on an imperfect day.
Early Groups: Not Disastrous, Not Great
The first three-shot group measured by eye looked about an inch. That won’t win Internet bragging rights, but for a lightweight 7 PRC, it’s a serviceable starter. Switching support – from bipod to bags – Steven Lines and his buddy printed a second group closer to 1.25 inches.
The wind and the flexy table were factors, so nobody was panicking. When Lines took his turn behind the rifle, though, things got strange fast: a two to 2.5-inch cluster – then wider.
Hardware Gremlins Show Up Mid-String
As Lines kept shooting, another gremlin emerged: the bottom metal/magazine would pop open on recoil. That’s not a shooter error – it’s a mechanical problem. They chalked it up to a likely minor adjustment at first, but as strings continued, group sizes ballooned to three to 3.5 inches.
At that point, Lines and his buddy did what experienced shooters do: they tore the rifle down, re-torqued what needed torque, and re-checked fit. Then they returned to the bench.
Troubleshooting, Then… More Of The Same
After the wrench session, the Fierce went back on the bags – and the groups didn’t shrink. Steven Lines emphasizes that they were systematic: they checked the obvious culprits, from action screws to anything that could shake loose on a brand-new rifle.
The persistent magwell/bottom metal opening at the shot didn’t inspire confidence, and the flyers weren’t the occasional pulled shot – you could see an accuracy trend worsening as the session wore on. That is rarely a shooter-only problem.
The Scope Suspect
Having reviewed the mechanicals, Lines floated the last common suspect: optics. The Maven RS.4 on the Fierce had previously lived on another rifle where it performed reliably out to 1,000 yards, so he didn’t want to blame the glass – but at that point, what else was left?
In fairness, a scope can be perfectly fine on one rig and show reticle shift or tracking issues on another, especially after a move or if a ring/base interface is finicky. Lines didn’t declare a verdict. Instead, he marked the scope as “maybe” and moved on.
Price, Promise, And The Value Problem
Here’s where Steven Lines gets blunt. The Carbon Rogue presents as a high-quality, high-dollar mountain rifle. The materials, weight, and styling are compelling.
But if a rifle can’t consistently hold 1 MOA, especially when the brand’s own box card touts .3-ish MOA, you’ve got a value gap no carbon wrap can hide. As Lines puts it, you can spend less than half of what this rifle cost and get better reliability and accuracy from other makers.
That’s not dunking for sport; that’s a hard, practical take from someone who carries a rifle to fill a tag, not a spreadsheet.
Context Matters: One Gun, A Wider Reputation
Crucially, Lines doesn’t pretend one range day is the whole story. He acknowledges that Fierce can turn out great shooters – and he’s heard from folks who have them. His issue is consistency.
When a brand racks up comments about “duds” (his audience’s word) and your first-hand sample spirals from 1 MOA to 3.5 MOA while the magwell opens under recoil, you start to understand why those comments exist.
Accuracy claims are promises; hunters remember when the field reality doesn’t match the brochure.
What’s Next For This Rifle
To his credit, Steven Lines isn’t writing off the gun. He plans to swap optics, try different ammunition, and keep diagnosing. He’s an honest tester: he admits the 7 PRC in a light chassis can be less forgiving of shooter input, and he owns that one of his groups could include a pulled shot.
But he also points to the pattern – widening groups over time and a repeatable mechanical hiccup – as signs the rifle itself needs more than a different rear bag.
Hope For A Fix, But The Brand Has Homework
As someone who’s watched this dance across lots of lightweight “precision” hunting rifles, I’ll say this: any one of the problems Steven Lines encountered is solvable. Magazine latches can be tuned. Action screws can be torqued. Scopes can be swapped.
But when you combine accuracy drift, a hardware malfunction, and a premium price, you put the burden on the brand to prove the rifle wasn’t a lemon. Fierce sells rifles on lightness and precision.
If the first thing a buyer has to do is disassemble and troubleshoot to claw back 1- to 1.5-MOA, that’s an issue of quality control, not marketing.
Verdict So Far: Not A Catastrophe, But Not Confidence-Inspiring
The fairest summary of this test is Steven Lines’ own: not impressed for the price, and nowhere close to the sub-half-MOA accuracy suggested by the test card – at least not yet. The rifle looks the part, and it may ultimately shoot the part after fresh rings, torque checks, new ammo, and a different optic.
But on day one, the Carbon Rogue didn’t defend Fierce from the “overpriced and overrated” label his audience pinned on it. And that’s the problem with reputations: when your first impression confirms the rumor, you don’t get many second chances.
The Bottom Line From Steven Lines
Take it from the source: Steven Lines wanted to like this rifle. He says he entered with an open mind, fully aware he once misjudged Tikka and then became a convert. But after groups that grew from ~1″ to 3–3.5″, a magwell popping open, and a tear-down mid-session that didn’t fix the accuracy, he walked away underwhelmed.
He’s not done testing – and he asked viewers to share their first-hand Fierce experiences – but as a first outing, the Carbon Rogue didn’t justify its price tag.
If Fierce wants to shake its reputation among hunters, rifles like this one need to shoot small and run flawlessly right out of the box – no excuses, no caveats, and definitely no bottom metal swinging free on recoil.
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Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.