HS3 + V3 Buttstock

[Dave R]

Ordered on a Friday, rec'd in Kitchener, ON the following Wed. Not bad at all. Also ordered 4 x .308 mags, a grip, and a 2.5" picatinny rail. Order arrived well-packed, complete, and the exact colours specified. My Savage 11 FXP Trophy installed in minutes per directions, no issues on assembly other than a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up a longer 5/32" hex key to tighten up the grip into the chassis frame. Quality of each piece outstanding. Extremely solid and tight. Total weight 11.1 lbs unloaded, with scope (Vortex Crossfire II 6x18 44 mm, Warne 1-pc base, Maxima low rings), and Harris 6" - 9" bipod. Bolt easily removed/replaced with buttstock in place.

One caveat: on sighting in I found it hard to get my eyes on target. The low Warne Maxima rings are great for typical hunting rifle stocks (like the plastic Savage stock with a lower comb), but the straight line of the AR style buttstock calls for at least medium-height rings. I verified this by simply removing the V3 adjustable comb and found that I could now easily get a good sight picture through the scope since I could place my cheek lower in the comb-less depression. I have a set of high Warne rings on order which should prove to be an easy fix.

The mags fed flawlessly my .308 reloads. Although very light in weight, they felt solid. Each magazine inserted positively and could be removed effortlessly. It'd be cool to have some kind of weighted base that could be screwed or bolted on. The follower springs are very firm. It took a bit of effort to squeeze in rounds past 6 or so. I didn't really load more than 5 rounds at a time into the mags while shooting from the bench, so I'll have to pursue this further.*

*EDIT: made 10 dummy rounds which all fit into a mag OK, albeit with a bit of firm thumb pressure for rounds 8 to 10. With the mag fully loaded with 10 dummy rounds a firm slap was required to slam the magazine into battery. All 10 dummy rounds cycled smoothly through the action with nary a hiccup.



Because of my difficulty in getting a decent sight picture, I opted to delay any performance evaluation until I get the scope re-installed with the new (high) rings to get a comfortable shooting position. I was pleased that for the initial 25-meter sight in that the last three zeroing shots cut a single hole through the bullseye. Not spectacular for such a short distance, to be sure, but it spells well for future 100 to 300 yard target shooting. Looking forward to my next range session!

 

[Dave R]

OK, finally made it out to the range yesterday. Smallest group I achieved at 100 yards using the MDT HS3 chassis was 7/8". Prior to this the smallest group I achieved with the factory composite stock with this load was 1 3/8", for a 36% improvement. Note this is based on an extremely small sample size statistically speaking, so please look at this accordingly. The earlier group was done on a "Canadian balmy" day on Dec 29, 2015 at 0 Celsius, yesterday was a fine Spring day at 17 Celsius.

The loads were the same: 168 gr Hornady AMAX, 45.0 gr Varget (same batch), W-W Mag rifle primers, R-P brass, OAL 2.800"

Note: brass used Dec 29th was fireformed and neck resized only. April 20th brass was new, annealed, full length resized, trimmed, neck chamfered, inner primer hole chamfered, and the neck resized when loaded up.

Here was my rifle set up yesterday. I placed a small sandbag behind the bipod to help stop recoil hop on the cement/carpet bench.

One thing I noticed when shooting the HS3 chassis is that the long (22") skinny Trophy barrel never got hot, despite several successive 5-shot strings. There's a LOT of clearance from the chassis forearm, with good air circulation to cool it down. I noticed that mirage was minimal, but that might change on a hot, sunny day.

 

[titch--]

Looks good Dave.

Just one question. I was just wondering how the balance is on that rifle of yours? Well balanced, front heavy or rear heavy?


Im really looking at picking something up for one of my rifles, but Im not sure what I want though. RIght now Im leaning towards pretty much what you have there. Ill just keep checking their clearance section and see if something pops up one day.

 

[Dave R]

In its present config (unloaded, no mag, Harris bipod legs up, Accushot monopod leg up), it feels fairly well balanced at its natural carrying point (forward of trigger guard, over empty magwell). Possibly a bit tail heavy, although I'd wager a bull barrel would counter that. MDT's new Skeleton Lite buttstock would be a real consideration for a carry situation. My rifle now weighs 11.5 lbs unloaded, now that I've added the monopod.

I plan to use this rifle for bench and prone shooting. If I were to go into the bush on a hunting trip I would slap the factory plastic stock (with the Savage DBM 4-round mag) and go back to its original 7 lbs (approx). In stock config it's certainly accurate enough to hit "minute of whitetail" at normal distances. The beauty of the MDT system is that there are only two action screws to undo to make the switch, then a few rounds at the range to sight in again.

Here it is with the higher Warne scope rings and the just-added Accushot monopod. I still need to evaluate the monopod vs rear sandbag...but it sure is handy!)

 

[titch--]

Rgr thanks

 

[Dave R]

Update:

Have spent considerable range time evaluating loads using Varget, IMR 4064, IMR 4395, and BLC-2. All gave good results in the 1 MOA range. Settled, for the time being, on BLC-2 (44.0 grains). This spherical powder flows evenly and gives very consistent throws using a Dillon 550B powder measure. I use fire-formed brass which is neck-sized in this progressive press, enabling me to quickly reload 50 - 100 rounds in quick order.

I remain pleased with the MDT HS3/V3 chassis for my Savage Trophy 11 in .308 Winchester. It has been dead nuts reliable without a single failure to feed over an estimated 500 rounds so far. I have 4 MDT polymer .308 magazines which I rotate in use. All four have performed flawlessly. Two caveats: 1) these mags will only allow a maximum cartridge OAL of factory-spec 2.800". 2) loading more than 7 rounds or so makes for tight pushing against the follower. (I only load 5 rounds at a time for range work).

I purchased a folding adapter from MDT, which I immediately returned for exchange because it wouldn't latch securely. MDT handled this exchange promptly and even had me return the out-of-spec unit via Purolator (at their cost) when it seemed a Canada Post strike was imminent. The replacement folding adaptor locked up fine, but then I encountered another problem: there is a slight flange on this unit that prevents the Savage 11's bolt from being cycled outward. No problem cycling the bolt with just the HS3 + V3 butt, but the clearance of the cycling bolt to the chassis is very, very close. The slight flange of the folding adapter stops the bolt from withdrawing enough to eject & feed another round. Rats! To my utter frustration, my ham-fisted initial effort to tighten the folding adapter to the HS3 chassis resulted in some knicking of the folding adapter threads. In good conscience I could not return this marred accessory for refund. It is now a $129 paperweight on my desk to keep me humble.

Here are some targets from two days ago. One 300 yard target is sub-MOA, which thrilled me to bits! I sincerely believe that my Savage Trophy Model 11 mounted on the MDT HS3 + V3 buttstock provides me excellent value. With some additional work on my bench technique and load development I think I can shrink these groups even more.

 

[Dave R]

Update

So, out of the blue I get an email from Raul at MDT. Some kind soul (not me) had pointed him to this thread. Raul noted I was not able to get the replaced folding adapter to work due to insufficient clearance with the Savage turn bolt. In his email to me he said MDT's policy is 100% customer satisfaction. Despite the nicked thread on the adapter's mounting bolt, he said MDT would accept the folding adapter as a return for refund. Within 24 hours I had a return Canada Post mailing label and a completed RMA form to insert with the returned merchandise. The Canada Post clerk scanned the prepaid mailing label barcode and that was that!

What can I say? Customer satisfied. And then some!

 

[DUC_Dali]

Dave, thanks for posting, great write up, photos and an awesome looking rifle.

I was curious your impression on the Vortex Crossfire ? I've been saving/ shopping around for a scope for .308 that I can also swap to my Ruger PR in 6.5 creedmoor. I'm hoping to get a Vortex PST eventually. But the Crossfire is obviously 'economic' rather than cheap (I wouldn't call anything Vortex makes cheap) but how does it do the job ? Do you think you could get tighter groups with a more advanced optic ?

I only ask because I'm currently shooting a Bushnell Trophy XLT I got from Walmart for $200, in 4-12x SFP, on a CZ 557 in .308, and it's shooting sub MOA at 300 meters. I picked it up in a hurry only to break in my new CZ before hunting season. I fear though it wont be enough for the Ruger PR @ +600 meters.

Do you plan to keep the Crossfire or what's your intended use ? precision target or hunting ? How far out are you hoping to shoot ?

 

[Dave R]

Hi Dali, thanks for the kind words. I first make the disclaimer that I'm no expert on firearms nor optics. Just a guy who enjoys shooting.

1) The Vortex Crossfire II 6-18 is excellent value for the money, IMHO. My shooting range only extends to 300 yards, so the 18x is great for my aging eyeballs. I find the glass to be very good optically, and I only target shoot in bright daylight hours. I'm semi-retired, on a budget, so this scope works for me. If I could afford it, I'd go for bigger/brighter/etc. I'd probably stick with Vortex, but I would want to see other high end proven scopes first. Not sure if my groups would tighten appreciably, though, at the relatively short distances I shoot.

2) If I had the opportunity to shoot out to 600 yds (and beyond), I would

a) rebarrel my rifle. I like the Savage, but I'd look at 6.5 Creedmore (or in that caliber range) and get a bull or semi bull barrel to replace the skinny Trophy sporter barrel.

b) yes, upgrade my scope as mentioned above. The BDC vernier is fine for moderate range minute-of-deer hunting, but not great for precision target shooting. BTW, I've been using Nikon's excellent SpotOn app to determine my muzzle velocity, then using their range chart to determine the clicks necessary to adjust the crosshairs to zero in at greater distances. The Crossfire scope click adjustments work fine for this.

c) I would keep the MDT HS3 + V3 chassis system. I know there are other chassis and aftermarket stocks out there that are very, very good. This one works for me.

For the present time, for the informal target shooting I'm doing, I'm spending my money on bullets, primers, and powder.

 

[Crashman]

Good write up Dave, good info there and easy to read. Once shooting by the way, I really like these threads where a moderately price rifle and accessories prove you don't have to spend several thousands to get a decent shooter. I have the same set up as you, in a semi custom 260 with a Stiller action and have had similar pleasing results with the MDT chassis. My only complaint is when I try to clean my rifle barrel, I find it easier to remove the barrelled action from the stock and clamp it in a vise as the position of the butt stock makes it really difficult to run a rod down the barrel. The folding adapter would make an excellent accessory to avoid this problem, I just wonder if the additional length of pull could be corrected with the adjustability in the butt stock. Other than that it is an excellent piece of kit and works well for my needs as well.

 

[IAFS]

Crash, I find the same issue using a bore guide for cleaning. I am very particular about torque settings etc... So I just undo the screw on the buffer tube and voila, plenty of room for cleaning without removing the action.

I've been running my 6BR repeater out of the HS3 and skeleton stock. All I have to say is wow, these guys know what they're doing!

I now have 3 setups in various MDT configs and they have all helped groupings.

Dave, great write up!