http://imgur.com/a/dc0J5(link to pics)
I ask a lot of questions here and I thought I should give back a little. This is my experience with this chassis system. Please note I am by far not an expert and have only been in this sport for a few months so this is just a beginner’s take on this, hopefully it will help someone else.
This is a Modular Driven Technologies TAC21 short action chassis in FDE (colour). I put a new Remington 700 SPS Tactical (heavy barrel) in it.
First impressions:
This is extremely well made (probably more so than the rifle, more on that later). The finish on it was perfect, the cuts and angles are smooth and precise. I was really impressed how snug and close everything fit. It is heavy though, witch I guess is to be expected since it is made from billet 6061-T6 aluminum, which has been hard anodized to mil spec type III for extra strength, and has been finished with Cerakote.
Installation:
Here is where it gets fun. You must remove you action AND trigger from your action to install. To be honest I was a little intimidated and the videos and pics I found didn’t instill much more confidence, but with the little experience I had I did do it. The trigger install was the challenging part one because the videos and pics provided from MDT don’t show clear pics of where the sear and sear spring sit. My recommendation is turn your 700 over before removing anything and look at the sear and spring before removal. Once I got an understanding of it, it was easy enough; this may be an experience issue.
Another note I did not see anywhere on line is the (front, closest to the muzzle) scope mount plugs need to be removed for the action to slide into the chassis.
On the website it states this chassis will accommodate AR accessories, meaning butt stock, grip, etc. This is again probably more of an experience thing but I did not realize you need the buffer tube (gas system) from the AR to attach the butt stock (add this into your expenses for this chassis about another $30-$100 depending on brand. I used a mil spec so NEA milspec so I do not think the commercial will fit.
The grip I find works best with the flat top 90 degree cut grip. If you look at the pics you’ll see what I mean. The trigger guard it like a box so the rounded grips don’t fit as well
When I mentioned the chassis is better built that the rifle this is because of a fitting issue. When I slide the action into the chassis the bolt would scrape the top of the chassis (as I mentioned very precise close fit) and the bolt holes to tighten the action and trigger guard did not line up. At first I thought the chassis was flawed or not machined properly. This is NOT the case. The chassis is very precise, it was my brand new Remington. The barrel nut has a flat flange that fits into a channel on the chassis to keep it straight and snug and on my brand new riffle this was crooked. This caused the mag well to be off center, the holes to not align and the bolt to scrape. I called MDT whose customer service and support has been stellar throughout this process and they said many 700s have this issue. I took the gun and chassis to a local smith who confirmed what MDT said and straightened my nut and action (cost was $25). Once the Smith did this everything slide right into place lined up perfect and worked flawlessly.
Shooting:
When I took it to the range, I noticed right away the advantage, because of the weight and ergonomics I felt more comfortable shooting and it managed the recoil much better than the Hogue it came with. The pics show a regular AR stock but I have a CAA butt stock with Cheek riser en-route which will increase the comfort even more. At 50, 100, 200 I was consistently 100 yard paper in decent groups.
Overall:
I love this chassis. I love the look, the finish, and the feel. I do not regret this purchase at all and I would definitely recommend this chassis and MDT to others.
I ask a lot of questions here and I thought I should give back a little. This is my experience with this chassis system. Please note I am by far not an expert and have only been in this sport for a few months so this is just a beginner’s take on this, hopefully it will help someone else.
This is a Modular Driven Technologies TAC21 short action chassis in FDE (colour). I put a new Remington 700 SPS Tactical (heavy barrel) in it.
First impressions:
This is extremely well made (probably more so than the rifle, more on that later). The finish on it was perfect, the cuts and angles are smooth and precise. I was really impressed how snug and close everything fit. It is heavy though, witch I guess is to be expected since it is made from billet 6061-T6 aluminum, which has been hard anodized to mil spec type III for extra strength, and has been finished with Cerakote.
Installation:
Here is where it gets fun. You must remove you action AND trigger from your action to install. To be honest I was a little intimidated and the videos and pics I found didn’t instill much more confidence, but with the little experience I had I did do it. The trigger install was the challenging part one because the videos and pics provided from MDT don’t show clear pics of where the sear and sear spring sit. My recommendation is turn your 700 over before removing anything and look at the sear and spring before removal. Once I got an understanding of it, it was easy enough; this may be an experience issue.
Another note I did not see anywhere on line is the (front, closest to the muzzle) scope mount plugs need to be removed for the action to slide into the chassis.
On the website it states this chassis will accommodate AR accessories, meaning butt stock, grip, etc. This is again probably more of an experience thing but I did not realize you need the buffer tube (gas system) from the AR to attach the butt stock (add this into your expenses for this chassis about another $30-$100 depending on brand. I used a mil spec so NEA milspec so I do not think the commercial will fit.
The grip I find works best with the flat top 90 degree cut grip. If you look at the pics you’ll see what I mean. The trigger guard it like a box so the rounded grips don’t fit as well
When I mentioned the chassis is better built that the rifle this is because of a fitting issue. When I slide the action into the chassis the bolt would scrape the top of the chassis (as I mentioned very precise close fit) and the bolt holes to tighten the action and trigger guard did not line up. At first I thought the chassis was flawed or not machined properly. This is NOT the case. The chassis is very precise, it was my brand new Remington. The barrel nut has a flat flange that fits into a channel on the chassis to keep it straight and snug and on my brand new riffle this was crooked. This caused the mag well to be off center, the holes to not align and the bolt to scrape. I called MDT whose customer service and support has been stellar throughout this process and they said many 700s have this issue. I took the gun and chassis to a local smith who confirmed what MDT said and straightened my nut and action (cost was $25). Once the Smith did this everything slide right into place lined up perfect and worked flawlessly.
Shooting:
When I took it to the range, I noticed right away the advantage, because of the weight and ergonomics I felt more comfortable shooting and it managed the recoil much better than the Hogue it came with. The pics show a regular AR stock but I have a CAA butt stock with Cheek riser en-route which will increase the comfort even more. At 50, 100, 200 I was consistently 100 yard paper in decent groups.
Overall:
I love this chassis. I love the look, the finish, and the feel. I do not regret this purchase at all and I would definitely recommend this chassis and MDT to others.
