Help me pick a chassis for a B14R Heavy

hafejd30

hafejd30

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    • Feb 27, 2019
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    #1
    I’m building a second precision rimfire. I don’t shoot prs but I’m looking to a build it similar as a trainer and long range setup. Prone/tripod/barricade etc

    Looking at chassis options. I run a B14R already. But want a second one setup similar for shooting with the family and buddies

    Current setup is a B14R 18” steel/DNT/MPA BA Comp/TT primary two stage

    Thinking of setting the second one up with a B14R 20”/DNT and trying to decide on the chassis. I’ll probably run a trigger tech two stage in this one as well

    Looking mainly at the MDT elite or MPA Matrix currently. The con is the balance. I think the MPA matrix will be super rear heavy.

    Share your thoughts and pics if you have them.

    Two things I’m concerned of most is

    1) Reliable feeding. My comp doesn’t have an adjustable mag catch and one mag of three for sure has issues. The others feed fine

    2) Balance- not super ass end heavy without the need for a stupid amount of weights

    Current B14R prior to the DNT upgrade
    IMG_6275.jpeg
     
    #7
    Hgrubbs22 said:
    I have the heavy barrel with an MDT chassis. It balances pretty well just in front of the mag well. The only magazine I have is the Bergara that came with the BA. No feeding extraction or ejection issues.
    Click to expand...
    I had a mdt premier on this prior to the MPA I just hated the way it looked Unsuppressed with the barrel short of the forend. It did however feed great in that chassis. Shouldn’t be an issue with a few inches more barrel

    This was my 20” Vudoo I had in the mdt
    IMG_7478.png
     
    #10
    Mine's in a 17" Aero Solus. I went way overboard with the weights just because the L3i set was cheap on Black Friday, it balances about 5" in front of the magwell now with bipod mounted.:D Feeds perfectly with Bergara and Vudoo polymer mags. I also have a TriggerTech 2-stage installed.

    IO4Xw4A.jpeg
     
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    #13
    Hgrubbs22 said:
    Nice setup you have there. How are you liking that Solus chassis?
    Click to expand...
    Love it, it does everything I need and for $550ish around the holidays it's an unbeatable deal. This particular one is actually my third Solus chassis, and has the updated QD cheekpiece (only change is an open slot in the bottom so you can pull it straight out the top). I've swapped two different B-14Rs in and out of all three chassis and they all feed and function perfectly with no adjustments needed. For comparison I started out with a KRG Bravo and it took a lot of tweaking before I got it working reliability. My only real gripes are - the sidefolding adapter still isn't available, and the forend is apparently shorter top-to-bottom than other chassis so standard MLOK weights block the Arca rail (which is why mine are mounted at the back instead of up front).
     
    #14
    I would love a folding chassis as well. It would add more weight to my comp and balance worse than it currently does. But a folder that feeds and balances in the B14R is the goal
     
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    #15
    I have a b14 in mdt premier chassis. Swapped barrel for KI Precision 24” 1.220 barrel. Balance is great even without bipod . No weights up front. I still need to get a diamond trigger but I procrastinate…
     
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    #16
    Mongo68 said:
    I have a b14 in mdt premier chassis. Swapped barrel for KI Precision 24” 1.220 barrel. Balance is great even without bipod . No weights up front. I still need to get a diamond trigger but I procrastinate…
    Click to expand...
    Eventually I may upgrade the barrel through Modacam, DI or DPG if needed. In which case I’d be looking at a 23” or similar Krieger

    That’s why I’m willing to put it in a decent chassis upfront. I’m looking for one and done options surrounding the barreled action. The upgraded barrel or Rimx build down the road if needed
     
    #18
    Friends have the MDT ACC Gen 2, know of 3(2 with 20" and 1 with 18" B14R), no feeding issues and balances right around 17-18 lbs at 4" forward of mag well with 20". Still needs weight to do so.
     
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    #19
    Who has used the Matrix Pro or Pro II with a B14R 20” or similar in a rimx or vudoo

    Is it doable with weights to get a decent balance?

    I’m really tempted to pick up another MPA and the matrix has my interest.
     
    #22
    littlepod said:
    View attachment 8673790

    View attachment 8673796

    Has internals in the area where the steel external is. I guess if you went XL weights you could get little more weight up front too.

    This is a 23" 1.2" straight on it.
    Click to expand...
    My 18” in the MPA BA comp with a rear weight is very close to balancing. Has weights In the front internal as well. I think the 20” would balance it perfect so maybe another comp is in my future.

    I love the matrix but would hate to need a 25+ lbs gun to get a balance

    My mdt ACC had two external and full internal weights to balance a 20” Vudoo just in front of the mag well. So that’s still a option as well
     
    #25
    littlepod said:
    Balance means, for your rifle with a loaded magazine, put your gamechanger on a ladder rung, plop your rifle on the bag like you would shoot it, and let go of the rifle, it shouldn't move/tip backwards at all.
    Click to expand...
    This is what I mean by balance

    This is my Vudoo I used to own with a similar 20” profile barrel as what I’ll be using. Balancing in front of mag well on the handle of an air pump
    IMG_5518.jpeg


    That MPA came with the weight. I haven’t messed with it. With a bipod on the front it’s a bit rear heavy yet but with my griffin can I was running it balance well.

    I’m going to run without cans as well. But leaving weight on for the balance suppressed. If I get another MPA comp for the second rifle I may just move the weight to that setup as it would match up with a 20” heavy about perfect

    Or if I do a Modacam rebarrel I’ll like the weight. Need to do more longer range shooting with it in coming month to decide
     
    #26
    In front of mag well is not generally where balance means. If you're shooting prone, it doesn't matter. If you're shooting a tripod, move it 3-4" in front of magwell when you mount it. If you're shooting off a barricade, you should be using a support bag. Half the size of the support bag is the balance point. For me, a shmedium is 8" long, so half of that is 4"
     
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    #31
    KRG bravo is my favorite B14R chassis so far. I put buckshot in the pistol grip and stock to balance it to my liking.

    I didn't like it in my MDT elite. But it did feed perfectly.

    Not a fan of MPA personally. I noticed they're the only chassis people consistently get better accuracy with bedding.
     
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    #37
    I ordered the 20" B14r heavy a couple of hours ago and am also looking for chassis suggestions so this thread is perfect. Balance, comfort, and rigidity are priorities. I really don't can't spend more than six or seven hundred and that is already pushing it. The Solus chassis is probably the #1 contender in my mind. I kick myself for not buying one for $500 last Black Friday. I can't wait until next Black Friday. I would love to find an Envy Pro, MPA BA comp or MDT ACC premiere on the used market. Any other good budget options?
     
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    #40
    grassassin said:
    I ordered the 20" B14r heavy a couple of hours ago and am also looking for chassis suggestions so this thread is perfect. Balance, comfort, and rigidity are priorities. I really don't can't spend more than six or seven hundred and that is already pushing it. The Solus chassis is probably the #1 contender in my mind. I kick myself for not buying one for $500 last Black Friday. I can't wait until next Black Friday. I would love to find an Envy Pro, MPA BA comp or MDT ACC premiere on the used market. Any other good budget options?
    Click to expand...
    I see Envy Pros used on good deals - I run my RimX in an Envy Pro and I think it is a great choice for rimfire.
     
    #43
    littlepod said:
    I owned all of them. The MPA Matrix Pro II is more expensive than the Envy Pro. But if money wasn't a concern at all then yeh the Matrix Pro II with the competition (lightweight) rear is probably what I would do (that's what I have now)
    Click to expand...
    I picked up a Matrix Pro II from the px today. I know the balance won’t be great with a B14R heavy setup. I shoot 95% prone anyways. But going to test both my B14R setups and the less accurate one will get a Modacam barrel upgrade. Which will balance in the matrix without issue I’m sure. Probably a 23-24” 1.2” barrel
     
    #44
    hafejd30 said:
    I picked up a Matrix Pro II from the px today. I know the balance won’t be great with a B14R heavy setup. I shoot 95% prone anyways. But going to test both my B14R setups and the less accurate one will get a Modacam barrel upgrade. Which will balance in the matrix without issue I’m sure. Probably a 23-24” 1.2” barrel
    Click to expand...
    If you do rebarrel go as long as possible, so 24".

    It's almost impossible to get too much weight on the front of the rifle, whereas it's almost impossible to remove weight from the rear.
     
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    #46
    Photos in this thread showing the balance point just in front of the magwell is not my idea of ideal balance. 4-5” seems way better for shooting off barricades.

    Using a vudoo/25” 1.125 in a bravo I’m at 4” in front of the mag/barricade stop with a lightish scope. A heavier chassis would require a heavier barrel/weights to balance the same.

    I don’t understand why the short barrel trend is a thing.
     
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    #47
    DeadFox said:
    Photos in this thread showing the balance point just in front of the magwell is not my idea of ideal balance. 4-5” seems way better for shooting off barricades.

    Using a vudoo/25” 1.125 in a bravo I’m at 4” in front of the mag/barricade stop with a lightish scope. A heavier chassis would require a heavier barrel/weights to balance the same.

    I don’t understand why the short barrel trend is a thing.
    Click to expand...
    It’s not a trend in my case. The B14R comes with 18” and 20” heavy. I bought a 18” years ago. Shoots very well. I now bought a hvy 20” model from battlehawk. The price they sell for is worth the $$ in my opinion. I’ll shoot the two against each other and whichever shoots worst (unless they both hammer) will get a barrel upgrade from Modacam or I’ll pull the trigger on a Rimx or something

    I’m buying this chassis with the idea that I’ll have a 24” tube or similar in it eventually.

    My 18” factory barrel put 29/30 shots inside 1” at 100 yards the last time out with SKLR. Which is why I rolled the Bergara dice again.

    We’ll see how it plays out. I shoot mainly prone so balance won’t be a major issue for me but I do like to train with at least tripod shooting as well.

    I don’t think the Matrix Pro II will leave me “wanting” after this. The barrel swap can fix the balance issue. I’d spend half what a Modacam barrel would cost on weights if I kept the factory setup so it’ll have to be a hammer. But I’m willing to work with it if it is
     
    #48
    hafejd30 said:
    It’s not a trend in my case. The B14R comes with 18” and 20” heavy. I bought a 18” years ago. Shoots very well. I now bought a hvy 20” model from battlehawk. The price they sell for is worth the $$ in my opinion. I’ll shoot the two against each other and whichever shoots worst (unless they both hammer) will get a barrel upgrade from Modacam or I’ll pull the trigger on a Rimx or something

    I’m buying this chassis with the idea that I’ll have a 24” tube or similar in it eventually.

    My 18” factory barrel put 29/30 shots inside 1” at 100 yards the last time out with SKLR. Which is why I rolled the Bergara dice again.

    We’ll see how it plays out. I shoot mainly prone so balance won’t be a major issue for me but I do like to train with at least tripod shooting as well.

    I don’t think the Matrix Pro II will leave me “wanting” after this. The barrel swap can fix the balance issue. I’d spend half what a Modacam barrel would cost on weights if I kept the factory setup so it’ll have to be a hammer. But I’m willing to work with it if it is
    Click to expand...

    Even after the barrel swap, you’ll still need to add weights if you desire the 4” balance point. If it’s just prone and tripod shooting, then it matters much less. I run a Pro2 and love it.
     
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    #49
    Great thread. I'm building a very similar B14R trainer with DNT, MPA Ba, TT Special. My specific goal is to duplicate as many features as my 6mm Creedmoor in an MPA chassis. If I need weight for balance, it is easy to add. The heavier barrel is a real plus, wish it was a couple inches longer, but at current price levels, it's a steal. For mag feeding issues, I bought the L3i elite mag which has the adjustable catch. They are working on an all steel version and we should see it this summer.
     
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