Hunting/Hiking with a chassis based rifle?
- Thread starter Slowbalt
- Start date
<LOL> ..... I'm trying to decide if you're being funny or grumpy.
I agree, BTW.
x3
I have to agree as well. Nothing against a chassis based rifle at all but for my type of hunting which involves hiking reasonable distances in, still hunting and the occasional blind set up a classic hunting rifle works best for me and is plenty accurate for the distances I will harvest animals at. As has been mentioned in this thread the vast majority of the time your just carrying the rifle one way or another when hunting and for that a chassis system isn't really my cup of tea but to each their own.
You fellers all limit your shots to how far? And a 7 1/2 pound rifle will outperform a heavier rifle at what distance?
It really is about target style rifles vs "hunting" rifles, no?
And the question asked in the OP was about what?
R.
No hate here
Happy to hear you had good success with the hnt 26.
I am sure I could adjust to the difference in operation, I think we will see a few rifles and chassis in this vein coming out soon so I might get the opportunity to try one.
Happy to hear you had good success with the hnt 26.
I am sure I could adjust to the difference in operation, I think we will see a few rifles and chassis in this vein coming out soon so I might get the opportunity to try one.
This is my 308 heavy barrel chassis set up. According to my gps tracker i carried it over 16 miles on my last bear hunt. Often while carrying a sxs 20ga in my hands. I just slung it over my shoulder. The longer barrel hung up on some branches and i scratched it all to hell going thru the bush but its a hunting rifle. When i get to a good spot the chassis offers a solid platform and i find im way more stable for longer shots should i need to shoot across a cut. I dont have a final weight but thw bushnell forge woth its 34mm tube is like a brick and i bring 2x 10 rnd mags and 40 more rounds plus 30 shells for my 20ga when carrying it. As out of shape as i am with a bad shoulder and an elbow injury i had no difficulty with the chassis set up
Attachments
^^^^ This pretty much sums it up on all accounts except I didn't wrap anything up, I just used it the way it came from the factory. One thing that I will have to work on for next year is carrying it across my chest while wearing a bino harness when riding an ATV. I gotta figure something out so it doesn't feel like I'm slinging an M4 while wearing body armour with Pmags on my chest lol.
I've used both quite a bit, and really like the chassis for some applications. But not for hunting. They have too many downsides for the style of hunting we do. The MDT HNT26 does look interesting, and will likely be a great crossover platform.
It really just boils down to personal preferences and styles. IMO.
It really just boils down to personal preferences and styles. IMO.
My main hunting rifle right now is a Howa Mini, 6.5 Grendel in an MDT LSS series 1 chassis. It weighs less than a pound more than the stock rifle so not a really noticeable difference to me. I carry it every day on my hikes with the dogs, couple of miles, plus carry it when hunting by myself, many miles. Does it need to be in a chassis, no, but I like the looks and feel of the pistol grip plus the Magpul AFG I attach to the forend makes for a really comfortable shooting experience. Is it more accurate? Maybe a 1/4"@100yds so not much gain there. I am thinking of putting my Savage 110 in one of the new HNT26 stocks and re-barreling with a carbon fibre fast twist .243 but have not committed to that yet. The grendel has taken 2 deer and 5 coyotes in the last year so seems to work just fine for my needs.
Very nice little rig you have here. As you said, it works for you.
As far as the overall post goes, I am in the camp that if you can't carry your rifle you need to either hit the gym, or re-assess what you are trying to do.
Pro's
-Adjustable LOP, fit different positions or amount of clothing or the whole family with one gun. Now that I have this adjustability I won't give it up.
-Take down ability, a drop of loctite on the castle nut and you can spin the butt stock on and off to same position for take down on long pack in/outs. This is the poor mans ultralight takedown option.
-Accuracy
Con's
-Most are heavy, but you can build hunter friendly rigs.
-Cold, there are rubber inserts that can help on front end and rubber/poly grips and some $ carbon rigs out there.
-Non-traditional sling carry, you want side sling so they lay flat on back to keep pistol grips and extended magazines from jabbing you.
It's a 'get used to a different platform' sort of thing.
You get a lot more versatility in set ups from butt stock choices, grip choices and other accessories you can add for variety of reasons, think modular. you can sure pile on the weight in a hurry but with careful selection you can get em pretty trim as well. Lots of alpha mountain studs running builds on the XLR carbon stuff with carbon barrels etc.
The Howa pictured in in 6.5 Grendel is a good way to go light. I had a 20" lightweight in a gen 1 mdt Lss and my machinist took 7 oz of fat out of that get 1 chassis. The howa with Talleys and Leupold 3.5-10x40 was 6 lb 10 oz all up, one of the lightest chassis builds I've yet seen and could have topped it with my fixed Leupold 6x36 and had it right at 6.5 lbs all up, it wore a MFT battle link minimalist butt stock and ergo slim grip.
I've since migrated to Ruger American Ranch in MDT LSS-XL Gen2 and current build is 8 lb 2 oz scoped in Talleys and Trijicon 3-9x40 Accupoint, magpul ctr butt stock and moe-k grip. My machinist was only able to get 3 oz out of that chassis so MDT has definitely figured out how to cut fat but love the XL length for laying prone over packs or bipod/shooting stick work...I found the regular LSS chassis too short for my tastes in these regards.
Once you adapt to the 'AR' modularity and carry options you get quite pleased with it all. We've been spring bear hunting now and so far most of November for deer/moose and the chassis is doing good. We did another season of deer and coyotes as well and my oldest dumped a whitetail at 238 and I took a coyote at 200 and was quite surprised how good that chassis system felt on that coyote, a lot of control and solid on the stick. My youngest dumped a bear at 10 yards and a nice whitetail over the pack at 300, I'll use the same gun for the other kid and myself also, adjusting the LOP is fantastic. The mag release button stuck out too far for my tastes on my AR magazine model but easy fix just taking 1/8" off the screw the button threads into and it allowed me to countersink the button into the side of the chassis rather than stick out. Little things that are hunter friendly seem easy enough to fix. Ergo m-lok rail covers are fantastic rubber inserts to warm up and or quiet/dampen the front end, lots of rubber or warmer poly grip options as well to match...it's just that central one hand magazine area carry where you'll want a glove. Not looking back now that I've made the move and been playing with these for a few years now on several platforms, we only hunt. Predators and big game combined.
-Adjustable LOP, fit different positions or amount of clothing or the whole family with one gun. Now that I have this adjustability I won't give it up.
-Take down ability, a drop of loctite on the castle nut and you can spin the butt stock on and off to same position for take down on long pack in/outs. This is the poor mans ultralight takedown option.
-Accuracy
Con's
-Most are heavy, but you can build hunter friendly rigs.
-Cold, there are rubber inserts that can help on front end and rubber/poly grips and some $ carbon rigs out there.
-Non-traditional sling carry, you want side sling so they lay flat on back to keep pistol grips and extended magazines from jabbing you.
It's a 'get used to a different platform' sort of thing.
You get a lot more versatility in set ups from butt stock choices, grip choices and other accessories you can add for variety of reasons, think modular. you can sure pile on the weight in a hurry but with careful selection you can get em pretty trim as well. Lots of alpha mountain studs running builds on the XLR carbon stuff with carbon barrels etc.
The Howa pictured in in 6.5 Grendel is a good way to go light. I had a 20" lightweight in a gen 1 mdt Lss and my machinist took 7 oz of fat out of that get 1 chassis. The howa with Talleys and Leupold 3.5-10x40 was 6 lb 10 oz all up, one of the lightest chassis builds I've yet seen and could have topped it with my fixed Leupold 6x36 and had it right at 6.5 lbs all up, it wore a MFT battle link minimalist butt stock and ergo slim grip.
I've since migrated to Ruger American Ranch in MDT LSS-XL Gen2 and current build is 8 lb 2 oz scoped in Talleys and Trijicon 3-9x40 Accupoint, magpul ctr butt stock and moe-k grip. My machinist was only able to get 3 oz out of that chassis so MDT has definitely figured out how to cut fat but love the XL length for laying prone over packs or bipod/shooting stick work...I found the regular LSS chassis too short for my tastes in these regards.
Once you adapt to the 'AR' modularity and carry options you get quite pleased with it all. We've been spring bear hunting now and so far most of November for deer/moose and the chassis is doing good. We did another season of deer and coyotes as well and my oldest dumped a whitetail at 238 and I took a coyote at 200 and was quite surprised how good that chassis system felt on that coyote, a lot of control and solid on the stick. My youngest dumped a bear at 10 yards and a nice whitetail over the pack at 300, I'll use the same gun for the other kid and myself also, adjusting the LOP is fantastic. The mag release button stuck out too far for my tastes on my AR magazine model but easy fix just taking 1/8" off the screw the button threads into and it allowed me to countersink the button into the side of the chassis rather than stick out. Little things that are hunter friendly seem easy enough to fix. Ergo m-lok rail covers are fantastic rubber inserts to warm up and or quiet/dampen the front end, lots of rubber or warmer poly grip options as well to match...it's just that central one hand magazine area carry where you'll want a glove. Not looking back now that I've made the move and been playing with these for a few years now on several platforms, we only hunt. Predators and big game combined.
Last edited:
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
Probably only carries that when he's actually hunting, lol.
Obviously you dont back pack hunt in no cell service areas where your buddy maybe 5kms away. If one gets in trouble gun fire at set intervals is the way to communicate. If you cant carry your gear i hope you enjoy hunting within sight of your truck. Ill continue to enjoy getting further away from road hunters
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
No matter how impractical, people will somehow find a way to convince themselves that is what they need .Not for me .The balance point of a chassis is really bad , carrying my rifle is what i do when I hunt. Not to mention off hand shooting is awkward at best with chassis ergonomics and balance.I have some arthritis in my hands and the alloy midsection plays havoc with that with the way it conducts the cold.Even with gloves it brutal.
