Lincoln Vogue HSX Sporter 12-bore reviewed by Shooting Times

Lincoln Vogue HSX Sporter 12-bore

Both barrels feature multichokes. These are Lincoln’s XP70 chokes: 70mm overall length, 50mm of which is inside the barrel and 20mm external. Double knurled bands are there for grip, but if you have a choke resist extraction there is a provision in the form of four slots and a key to drive it. The gun comes with a selection 
of five chokes, from cylinder through to full, all bright plated to stave off corrosion and add a little glint to 
the aesthetics.

• The action is taken directly from the Vogue game gun, which in turn was a development of the Premier Gold. This is a strong action, simple by design, economic in its production and has been used for long enough 
to have proven its worth in the field.
• Though the cross-bolt is the full width of the breechface, the bite in the lumps only mates up to half of that width — not a vast contact area by any means, but the bite is very low in the block relative to the hinge pivot point.
• The trunnions themselves, though, are of a decent diameter to afford 
a good bearing surface and consistent lock-up.
• The hammers are driven by coil springs, the most popular method, whereas the sears and trigger are controlled by wire spring 
— basic, but effective.
• The gun has a manual safety catch, a nod towards the Sporter intentions, rather than the automatic safety of a game gun. It functions fine and is very positive in its movement, both as a safety and barrel selector.
• The single trigger is titanium nitrided and the blade is adjustable back and forth. There is quite a bit of creep in the trigger system, but it eventually breaks reasonably cleanly with a bit 
of a slide at 4½lb.

Regarding the stock, for a gun of moderate price such as this the grade of walnut is not bad at all, containing both decent grain structure and a bit of figuring that shows well in the oil finish. The things I don’t like about the stock are the less-than-imaginative shape of the chequering panels and the shape of the hand — in side profile it is deep and full but in plan is very narrow at just 1 3⁄16in, and falls short 
of a decent fistful for a game gun, 
let alone a Sporter.