First of all, a little background into why I chose this chassis system. No, the $600 stimulus check wasn't even a part of it. The first reason why is because I greatly dislike hunting stocks; I'm 6'3 and wear a large glove so I need to adjust the LOP to get a better natural point of aim. Secondly the base rifle is a Howa 1500 Gameking in 300wm, so it was realistically the only option... And as I am a new to long range/bolt guns, I didn't need to drop $1300+ dollars to be able to adjust the check and butt pad cant, put a NVG plate on, or have a ton of places for added weight, all I needed was adjustable LOP and a cheek riser this chassis was perfect. All I want to do is focus on the basics from here on out, and get the fundamentals of shooting down; and a more ergonomic chassis was easier, and cheaper than taking a class. And, yes price, for $425 I can't think of a better way to get a nice chassis system, especially since I am still running the Nikko Stirling 3.5-10x44.................. Lets just say I'm spending time looking into glass....... Nice glass...
On to the the reason you're here, if you stayed with me that is.
The shipping was amazingly fast, it took 2 days after the label was created for me to get it VIA UPS, mostly cause I am exactly 5 hours away from where it shipped from if my girlfriend is driving. The box it came in, after taking it out of the shipping box, was very nice, real quality. Which is a big deal to me as I work for a FFL part time, and IMO if a company doesn't put effort into the packaging, and really present themselves as serious about their product, why should I give them my hard earned money?
Beings the parent company is MDT, I was very eager to see what a budget chassis was in their opinion. After all, they do make some very fine, top of the line products. I was not in anyway let down. I cannot find any machining marks, it has very crisp lines and edges, and seemingly perfect ergonomics. Everything from the bolt handle, to the safety and trigger have ample room. All of it works just as smoothly as it did in the bland, outdated Hogue stock.. Which I'm sure I would absolutely adore if I wasn't born in 95'.. Anyways.. the finish on the metal is also very even and blemish free, besides me needing to clean it.. the only marks I can find are on the molded green plastic bits, but what do you expect for $400? Definitely doesn't subtract from the performance at all.. and it's nothing a little emery cloth and WD-40 cant fix... Murica'
So the fit and finish is fine, but what about the ergonomics? As I said before I am 6'3 and wear a large glove, before even adding any spacers it already feels leagues better than the fixed factory stock. Especially the grip. I will spring for the MDT Vertical Grip as I have shot a 6.5cm ESS chassis build with it and boy was that comfortable. However the grip, especially the rubberized feature, fits so well in hand. It has a slight well to fill in your palm, and after reading a certain post about the 'Mechanics of The Firing Hand' (shameless plug) and implementing what I took from that, it really helps the "Graspers" get a solid grip. There is also a minor shelf machined into the chassis that gives me a great spot to rest my thumb, in very close relation to the safety. As a more "tacticool" shooter I am used moving, reloading, and other manipulations with the weapon system on safe. Being able to reach, and engage or disengage the safety is a being deal to me. The bolt also gets a clearance, or relief in the cheek riser so, being a long action, I can easily remove the bolt and not compromise my "perfect" adjustment.
Still with me? Now I'd like to add a couple things I wish were different. The Butt pad is VERY stiff.. Being a 300wm the rifle is a bit of a shoulder killer. I almost wish it was softer like the Hogue stock, that definitely helped eat some of the recoil up. It also only come in black and Olive Drab Green, which I like, and plan to run with once I send it off for some... length loss.. more on that at the end.. However they are interchangeable side panels, and Oryx will gladly collect $40 to let you change the color out to Black, Flat Dark Earth, Grey, and (my personal favorite) Olive Drab.......(????)....... I wish I could have had the choice. But for $40 I can add the cheek riser thumb knobs, and buy some sticky chewies for the next range outing. lastly I wish they'd have thrown in a magazine.. I would've paid an extra $25 for a magazine to be thrown in, or at least had the option for one as they're trying to keep the costs down. All of that said are any of these deal breakers? Not at all. I plan to have the barrel threaded for a MDT Elite Muzzle Brake, which will require 2" to come off the barrel as it's skinnier than my attention span. Which means I can get the action and barrel Cerakoted, by my Friend who does that as a hustle, in ODG to complement the side panels, and the Elite Muzzle Brake will make it shoot softer so the recoil won't be so hard on my shoulder.
All in all I am BEYOND pleased with this chassis, it is a perfect budget option to help me focus on the fundamentals and my shooters checklist, while also aiding in looking awesome. Which is why we are truly all here. The next post will be about its first range day, likely in a little over a week. In the meantime it's dry fire drills in prone and with my BOG Deathgrip tripod (Thanks Amazon). Will this the the only chassis I end up having on this rifle? Only time will tell. But for now I'll take what I can get and use the money savings to buy some real high quality glass.
The box it came in, very nice and well marketed. would definitely catch my eye as a customer.
The chassis with the action installed, I was far too eager to play with it when I got home to take pictures without the action.
The other side view. There was a threaded space for me to put the swivel stud and attach my Harris Style Bipod.
The mag well, Slightly bevelled for smoother easier reloads.
A dirty shot, I really wanted to clean it up.. However long work days and I wanted to give everyone a raw look at it straight out of the box.
The recoil pad, and cheek rest both need Hex heads for adjustment. Thumb knobs are available for only $10. However I am stupid and forgot to add them to my cart....
An actual beauty shot, the machine work is top notch. The lines look very clean and very well designed.
The only "blems" I could find were in the molded plastic from manufacturing. I might take them out later as I am slightly OCD but i'm not too worried.
Another example of excellent machining, the M-lok slots are very well done, evenly spaced and lined up well. I will be adding the Swiss-ARCA attachment offered for this specific chassis the same time I order the thumb knobs.
As mentioned, there is a "gas pedal" (for you Gucci Glock guys) style feature I like to rest my thumb on, easy to reach the safety and also helps give me more "power" when running the bolt.
The swell of the pistol grip hugs your hand ever so sweetly.. so you can drop that steel with utter confidence.
The relief cut into the cheek riser is extremely helpful for removing the bolt for any reason necessary, and keep the height perfectly in place.
On to the the reason you're here, if you stayed with me that is.
The shipping was amazingly fast, it took 2 days after the label was created for me to get it VIA UPS, mostly cause I am exactly 5 hours away from where it shipped from if my girlfriend is driving. The box it came in, after taking it out of the shipping box, was very nice, real quality. Which is a big deal to me as I work for a FFL part time, and IMO if a company doesn't put effort into the packaging, and really present themselves as serious about their product, why should I give them my hard earned money?
Beings the parent company is MDT, I was very eager to see what a budget chassis was in their opinion. After all, they do make some very fine, top of the line products. I was not in anyway let down. I cannot find any machining marks, it has very crisp lines and edges, and seemingly perfect ergonomics. Everything from the bolt handle, to the safety and trigger have ample room. All of it works just as smoothly as it did in the bland, outdated Hogue stock.. Which I'm sure I would absolutely adore if I wasn't born in 95'.. Anyways.. the finish on the metal is also very even and blemish free, besides me needing to clean it.. the only marks I can find are on the molded green plastic bits, but what do you expect for $400? Definitely doesn't subtract from the performance at all.. and it's nothing a little emery cloth and WD-40 cant fix... Murica'
So the fit and finish is fine, but what about the ergonomics? As I said before I am 6'3 and wear a large glove, before even adding any spacers it already feels leagues better than the fixed factory stock. Especially the grip. I will spring for the MDT Vertical Grip as I have shot a 6.5cm ESS chassis build with it and boy was that comfortable. However the grip, especially the rubberized feature, fits so well in hand. It has a slight well to fill in your palm, and after reading a certain post about the 'Mechanics of The Firing Hand' (shameless plug) and implementing what I took from that, it really helps the "Graspers" get a solid grip. There is also a minor shelf machined into the chassis that gives me a great spot to rest my thumb, in very close relation to the safety. As a more "tacticool" shooter I am used moving, reloading, and other manipulations with the weapon system on safe. Being able to reach, and engage or disengage the safety is a being deal to me. The bolt also gets a clearance, or relief in the cheek riser so, being a long action, I can easily remove the bolt and not compromise my "perfect" adjustment.
Still with me? Now I'd like to add a couple things I wish were different. The Butt pad is VERY stiff.. Being a 300wm the rifle is a bit of a shoulder killer. I almost wish it was softer like the Hogue stock, that definitely helped eat some of the recoil up. It also only come in black and Olive Drab Green, which I like, and plan to run with once I send it off for some... length loss.. more on that at the end.. However they are interchangeable side panels, and Oryx will gladly collect $40 to let you change the color out to Black, Flat Dark Earth, Grey, and (my personal favorite) Olive Drab.......(????)....... I wish I could have had the choice. But for $40 I can add the cheek riser thumb knobs, and buy some sticky chewies for the next range outing. lastly I wish they'd have thrown in a magazine.. I would've paid an extra $25 for a magazine to be thrown in, or at least had the option for one as they're trying to keep the costs down. All of that said are any of these deal breakers? Not at all. I plan to have the barrel threaded for a MDT Elite Muzzle Brake, which will require 2" to come off the barrel as it's skinnier than my attention span. Which means I can get the action and barrel Cerakoted, by my Friend who does that as a hustle, in ODG to complement the side panels, and the Elite Muzzle Brake will make it shoot softer so the recoil won't be so hard on my shoulder.
All in all I am BEYOND pleased with this chassis, it is a perfect budget option to help me focus on the fundamentals and my shooters checklist, while also aiding in looking awesome. Which is why we are truly all here. The next post will be about its first range day, likely in a little over a week. In the meantime it's dry fire drills in prone and with my BOG Deathgrip tripod (Thanks Amazon). Will this the the only chassis I end up having on this rifle? Only time will tell. But for now I'll take what I can get and use the money savings to buy some real high quality glass.
The mag well, Slightly bevelled for smoother easier reloads.
A dirty shot, I really wanted to clean it up.. However long work days and I wanted to give everyone a raw look at it straight out of the box.
The recoil pad, and cheek rest both need Hex heads for adjustment. Thumb knobs are available for only $10. However I am stupid and forgot to add them to my cart....
An actual beauty shot, the machine work is top notch. The lines look very clean and very well designed.
The only "blems" I could find were in the molded plastic from manufacturing. I might take them out later as I am slightly OCD but i'm not too worried.
Another example of excellent machining, the M-lok slots are very well done, evenly spaced and lined up well. I will be adding the Swiss-ARCA attachment offered for this specific chassis the same time I order the thumb knobs.
As mentioned, there is a "gas pedal" (for you Gucci Glock guys) style feature I like to rest my thumb on, easy to reach the safety and also helps give me more "power" when running the bolt.
The swell of the pistol grip hugs your hand ever so sweetly.. so you can drop that steel with utter confidence.
The relief cut into the cheek riser is extremely helpful for removing the bolt for any reason necessary, and keep the height perfectly in place.
