Thoughts on the MRA Maverick?

Bigcrigger

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Hey all. I’ve been a bit of a holdout when it comes to the various pump action/straight pull rifles that are on the market up here. But as of late I’ve been thinking about the Maverick, the larger of the two rifles that MRA offers. I just have a few questions for any folks who have experience with these, or the Renegade.
First off, being a straight pull bolt action rifle, could this generally be thought of as a more accurate rifle than a semi auto one? There’s far less going on when you pull the trigger.

Second, does anybody here have any experience with building a Maverick for precise long range shooting? Do they fair well?

I understand that as with anything else in life, there are compromises. I wouldn’t expect one of these to be a nail driver at 500 yards out of the box, but the AR style ergonomics are fairly familiar to me, I dont mind a traditional bolt action but I just like the black rifle look and the controls.

So, thirdly; do you find that the AR style ergonomics offset any potential lack of accuracy out to longer distances? Should i just go with a traditional bolt action for shots 500+ yards out? Or could i just expect to buy a good quality barrel and slap it on the Maverick and achieve fairly similar results?

That ended up being way more words than I thought it would be. Thanks again guys.
 
Not a Maverick, but I had a G1 Renegade and found mine could not get better than 2-MOA average at 100 or 200, shooting off a bench rest and with a 20x scope. Maybe the Wylde chamber was the issue ? My 10-year old Ruger Am-std .223 (w-rotary mag) gets sub MOA with average .223 & 5.56 ammo and 'better' with 'Match'.
 
I've got friends with the Renegade and they find it comparable to their bolt guns for accuracy. Which makes sense, it is a bolt gun. Other than the trigger, nothing is moving when you squeeze that shot off.

I've seen the Mavericks at the range, I'm thinking of getting one for deer.

Accuracy is going to depend mostly on the quality of your build and ammo/barrel match up. And the nut behind the trigger, of course. ;)

Ejection is sometimes an issue with the MRA rifles, especially if you're loading hot. You don't have the leverage to get that expanded round out of the chamber that you do with a traditional bolt or a semi-auto.
 
AR ergonomic wont effect anything. Look at all the modern bolt action long range rifles out there. They all come with a pistol grip now. Even traditional stocks with target style grip mimics really a pistol grip.

Dads Colt HBAR with Magpul PRS and the DPMS PSG1 style grip makes it a super comfortable rifle to shoot.
 
For curiosity, I got a small and large frame straight pull to try and both shoot better then the semi auto counterpart using the same stuff.

sub moa consistently in the straight pull (1/2 moa on occasion) vs maybe moa on occasion in the semi using the best handloads suited to the platform.

In the 223, extraction hasn't been an issue at reg loads. In the large frame and 22 creedmoor, have to load to lower pressures or extraction becomes an issue. Tougher head brass is also a good idea and proper sizing... otherwise, load for it like a bolt rifle. Both hold their accuracy way out there as you would expect from a good shooting bolt rifle. Taken them both out beyond 800yds.

Both have match barrels and are going up for sale now that my curiosity has been satisfied.

Jerry
 
Generally speaking I like my Maverick. Feels comfortable to shoot, seems reasonably accurate, ergonomics are good. Couple of things to watch out for:

Mine has a very tight chamber and does not like some brands of 7.62 milsurp ammo (Hirtenberg, FNM Portugese, Norinco), But this would suggest good accuracy potential.

Mine was picky on mags and would not pick up the first round from the 10 round steel mag I first tried

Because the upper carries the buffer tube (unlike the AR where the buffer tube is attached to the lower), you cannot field strip it without removing the stock and you can only clean the barrel from the muzzle end or by using a bore snake or similar. However because there is no direct gas system to distribute residue into the chamber and bolt it stays remarkable clean.

Not sure there is any accuracy improvement over a semi auto, Basically everything is the same except you have to manually operate.
I did not build mine so cannot comment
Ergonomics are fine

This is not a precision rifle as such. I would think that if you are looking for long range accuracy then a bolt action would offer more potential
 
The main reason for the Renegade and Maverick is the plug and play compatibility with AR type parts. If I didn't want that I'd just get conventional bolt action which is why I did get a Renegade receiver set to put my AR parts on but will not be getting a Maverick, I don't have a prohibited semi 308 to reuse the parts from.
 
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