Am I the only one struggling to make a Decision between a Desert Tech SRS A1 or A2?

I had one of the original Covert A1's in Canada (the first imported into the country to my knowledge) and I sold it because it didn't have the mono pod that they now come with. Since then I have an A1 Covert with the monopod, and a standard A1 with the monopod. I have handled the A2 versions at SHOT and liked the weight for a hunting rifle but I don't think I would ever purchase one. In my humble opinion the built in monopod is what makes these beautiful rifles the bee's knees. My opinion only.
 
8 ball said:
I had one of the original Covert A1's in Canada (the first imported into the country to my knowledge) and I sold it because it didn't have the mono pod that they now come with. Since then I have an A1 Covert with the monopod, and a standard A1 with the monopod. I have handled the A2 versions at SHOT and liked the weight for a hunting rifle but I don't think I would ever purchase one. In my humble opinion the built in monopod is what makes these beautiful rifles the bee's knees. My opinion only.
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Why such a need for monopod? They are great if you spend lots of time behind the scope for observational purposes, but they aren't for shooting with.
 
I lusted over one for years, until I fired one. Bullpups are not for everyone, and I was, well, a bit disappointed.

Great quality and design, but the percussion was noticeable. Maybe a muzzle brake / moderator requirement, but I would not fancy 50+ shots in one session with one.

This goes into the H&K P7 category of "looks better than to use". Just my opinion but a well constructed traditional bolt action rifle is superior, fold the stock if size in transit is important?

Candocad.
 
I've always wanted a bullpup bolt action. I wish someone would make a half decently affordable one. As much as I would love a DTA SRS, I could never afford one.
 
Epoxy7 said:
Found one that was setup the way I liked and the price made it a good buy.

Went with Covert A1 that has a 22" 308 barrel.

Reasons for this choice:

1) I find it hard to believe the A2 shoots that much better. I suspect return to zero might be better which translates to 30% more accurate which is more likely repeatability for return to zero on barrel changes. The bolt locks into the barrel, the same way as an AR, SSG 3000, etc. Tried/true method for getting rid of accuracy variables.

2) The two pounds means nothing to me for my purposes. Plus with bullpups the weight is rearward which makes them feel a lot lighter. Simple lever effect for force required to hold the rifle. On a bench or prone it's a complete non factor. The monopod doesn't mean much to me as I use a rear bag. But it's nice to have rather than a delete and as another poster mentioned the deletion being used to bring the price and weight down. I can remove it and do the same thing, without missing a $500 option (prices on Desert tech are a bit ridiculous)

3) The Covert vs regular. I agree with what many on here posted regarding the advantages of the Covert. I think it looks great, you can use short barrels or longer barrels, it will reduce weight slightly which up front is far more noticeable and the only option I need to add for this rifle is a bipod. Which brings us to the bipod being further out argument. I've seen a few Desert Tech SRS users advise that on the longer railed versions they bring the bipod to the halfway point on the rail anyways since the rifle is rearward balanced in order to avoid bipod hopping. So the shorter rail of the Covert seems to be the definite way to go with this rifle for my use.

4) Price. I found one at a reasonable price which was significantly less than if I put together an A2. Also it is a package that included the same mount and optic I would have choosen regardless. On top of that the barrel while not a Desert Tech is a SAC Bartlein 22" with a 1;11.25 twist in 308. I really prefer my tactical precision rifles to be in this twist rate for 20-26" 308 barrels. It's just easier to find off the shelf match ammo and my reloads seem to universally match all of these rifles when they have this twist rate. I have no interest in lobbing 180+ grain ammo and generally shoot in the 167-175 range. Sometimes 155 which also seems to shoot well with this twist rate.

I should also add that I'm very familiar with shooting bullpup rifles so that doesn't throw me off and won't be new. Also I don't compete so the bullpup or 6 round mags isn't an issue for me.

Looking forward to this new purchase. Won't be receiving it for a month though due to payment plan. Even the "old" version is extremely expensive even now that we are seeing a few of the A1 rifles being heavily discounted to move them.

Great thread. Thanks for the advice/feedback from prospective buyers and owners alike. It really did help me with my decision making process.
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Congratulations on your purchase.

I got an A2 covert last week and although I haven’t shot it yet I am totally sold on the rifle. The trigger is amazing and the bolt is a dream.
FYI Bighorn out of BC can order you a drop in ready Benchmark barrel for your desert tech at a significant saving over a DT barrel.

Cheers
 
I've been lusting after one of these guns for awhile, and the changes and improvements to the A2 version are making it more difficult to resist. I'm a bullpup fan...but all my experience with this configuration comes from semi-autos. Does anyone who owns a Desert Tech have any comments on the ergonomics of cycling a bolt-action bullpup? I make a point of keeping in practice with traditional bolt guns and like to cycle the bolt with the gun at my shoulder for maximum speed. Is this even possible with a bullpup bolt gun?
 
Bigvern said:
Congratulations on your purchase.

I got an A2 covert last week and although I haven’t shot it yet I am totally sold on the rifle. The trigger is amazing and the bolt is a dream.
FYI Bighorn out of BC can order you a drop in ready Benchmark barrel for your desert tech at a significant saving over a DT barrel.

Cheers
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Where do you source the bolt and magazine separately?
 
jjohnwm said:
I've been lusting after one of these guns for awhile, and the changes and improvements to the A2 version are making it more difficult to resist. I'm a bullpup fan...but all my experience with this configuration comes from semi-autos. Does anyone who owns a Desert Tech have any comments on the ergonomics of cycling a bolt-action bullpup? I make a point of keeping in practice with traditional bolt guns and like to cycle the bolt with the gun at my shoulder for maximum speed. Is this even possible with a bullpup bolt gun?
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I owned a SRS-A1 Covert for a while and you can definitely run the bolt with the rifle shouldered and you cheek on the rifle.
It’s just a little different and requires a little more practice. It doesn’t take long to get used to it.
I’ll say this though, you’re either going to love it or hate it.
 
I have 2 of them. 308 & 338. They both shoot a ragged hole at 100 with hand loads. Claiming that the new one ( A2 ) is 35% more accurate is ludicrous.
The A1 is extremely accurate. For those of you who didn't already know. The SRS was copied from the German DSR1 rifle(Look it up). The Americans built a beautiful Chassis,
their own bolt and custom extension that they in turn used to connect to the world renowned Lothar Walther barrels that they use, which is really what gives them the accuracy they possess.
The A2 is lighter, different looking trigger,(My A1 brakes at less than 2lbs), and a new forearm. So I don't know what these guys are talking about in their video on youtube.
If you can afford one, you will not be disappointed. And don't forget PGW, another work of ART made here in Canada.

DSR-1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeIUnRzODhI
 
Some cool info I just got from DT regarding A1

A) the weight of the monopod is 0.35 pounds
B) the weight of the A1 16" barrel is 4.5 pounds compared to 4.3 pounds for the A2 16" barrel.

This means in an A1 covert chassis, you can save 0.5 pounds by using the A2 16" barrel and removing the monopod.

Now if someone has an A1 Covert and A2 covert chassis. I'd be curious to see the weight difference between both chassis without monopod.
 
Anees said:
I have 2 of them. 308 & 338. They both shoot a ragged hole at 100 with hand loads. Claiming that the new one ( A2 ) is 35% more accurate is ludicrous.
The A1 is extremely accurate. For those of you who didn't already know. The SRS was copied from the German DSR1 rifle(Look it up). The Americans built a beautiful Chassis,
their own bolt and custom extension that they in turn used to connect to the world renowned Lothar Walther barrels that they use, which is really what gives them the accuracy they possess.
The A2 is lighter, different looking trigger,(My A1 brakes at less than 2lbs), and a new forearm. So I don't know what these guys are talking about in their video on youtube.
If you can afford one, you will not be disappointed. And don't forget PGW, another work of ART made here in Canada.

DSR-1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeIUnRzODhI
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There is a guy on snipers hide that claims to have shot the DSR and that is was heavy and unergonomic to shoot.

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/dsr-1-is-a-piece-of-s-t.103946/
 
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