Building a PRS and Hunting Rifle System - Inside MDT

After shooting my first Precision Rifle competition, I fell in love with the discipline and set out to build a competition rifle that could also be used for hunting. I planned on building one premium barreled action and swapping it between two chassis systems, depending on whether I was hunting or shooting a match. For a caliber, I chose the 6.5 Creedmoor, which would be perfect for hunting mid-sized game and also do well in competition. For my competition configuration, I elected to go with the MDT ACC Elite Chassis System.

Starting out, I focused on building a premium competition rifle and went with the following components.

• International Barrels heavy pre fit in 6.5 CM, fluted, with MDT Comp Break. I chose the fluting to reduce the weight of the barreled action. Weight could be added via external weights on my chassis.
• Defiance Ruckus Tactical - Short Action
• MDT ACC Elite Chassis System with Buttstock Dampeners, NV Bridge, and Weights
• Triggertech Diamond 2-Stage trigger
• Double-Pull CKYE-Pod
• MDT One-piece Scope Mount with Leupold MK5 HD

With the release of the new MDT Field Stock, I had a viable lightweight option to drop my barrelled action into a hunting stock without spending a ton of money. It would be like getting 2 rifles for the price of one. It has a similar V-Block bedding system to the ACC chassis, so the action does not require bedding to maintain accuracy and can be easily swapped. M-LOK slots on the forend of the Field Stock also allowed me to attach a QD mount for my sling and an ARCA rail underneath so I could use a tripod or my CKYE-Pod for hunts. The adjustable buttstock allowed me to fit the rifle to my body, and AICS magazines would make loading a breeze. Now, to test the performance.

My rifle system consists of a barreled action and an MDT ACC Elite Chassis and an MDT Field Stock.

TESTING ACCURACY AND GROUP SHIFT

Once I had the barreled action, chassis, and stock, I headed to my local range for a sight-in. For group testing, I chose Hornady ELD Match 120gr ammunition. It was a warm fall afternoon with no wind on the range. I sighted in at 100m using the CKYE-Pod and rear bag for support. With a 5-shot group, I was getting about 1⁄4 MOA in the ACC Elite Chassis. Aside from being extremely accurate, the rifle also got some attention due to the unique aesthetics of the chassis with custom hydro dip.

Next, I pulled the barrelled action with scope out of the ACC Elite chassis and installed it in the Field Stock. It took me less than 5 minutes to fully charge the rifle. I torqued the action screws down to the suggested 65 in-lbs and inserted the same AICS mag with the 120 gr Hornady Match ammo. I let fly a 5-round group using the same CKYE-Pod and Cole Tac rear bag.

Not surprisingly, the swap changed the point of impact. The center of my next 5 shot group dropped about an inch and shifted left ¼ inch. This is an easy adjustment on the scope, so nothing concerning. The grouping size was around ½ MOA, plenty accurate with factory ammo. I repeated the same test on 2 different targets, and the result was the same. All I needed to do was load a couple of my hunting rounds, quickly re-zero, and I would be off to the mountains with a very accurate yet lighter rifle.

Both groups are sub ½ MOA. I could easily tighten up the Field Stock groups with handloads.

FIELD TESTING AND LOOKING FORWARD

After testing accuracy at the range and handling the Field Stock in the mountains, I was pleased with the concept. The Field Stock was great in cold conditions, hunting at -2C/28.4F. The QD mount placement was comfortable to carry. The polymer was strong and warm in cold weather. Since most of my hunting was done in forestry cut blocks, the ARCA rail and CKYE-Pod allowed me to quickly build a shooting position. The Field Stock was a great investment, allowing me to transition my rifle from PRS to a very capable hunting rifle. The only tradeoff was a bit of extra weight from the heavy barrel, but the rifle was easy to carry with a good sling.

.223 Wylde Build.

After hunting season, I reassembled the rifle in its competition configuration and dropped my .223 Wylde barreled action into the Field Stock to do some load development. My .223 Wylde IBI barrel is built on a Pristine action and features an Arken EP5 riflescope and Triggertech Diamond trigger. It’s my preferred action for practice at local spots (around 500m) because of the low cost and good training value. I worked up a load using some 75gr ELD-M, Hornady brass, and Varget, and it easily shoots sub .5 MOA groups. The Field Stock is a great platform when I want to shoot a more traditional, lower-weight stock that will be used in the NRL Hunter-style matches. In general, I like the idea of having one or two premium barreled actions and then swapping them between a chassis or stock, depending on my goal and mission. The adaptability of the MDT Chassis Systems makes this super easy.

The MDT Field Stock is a simple robust stock that features everything you need for hunting and general precision rifle applications.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Corbin Lock lives in British Columbia, Canada, and loves the outdoors. He serves part-time in the Canadian Armed Forces and works as a full-time firefighter. He enjoys shooting, hiking, cooking, hunting, woodworking, and mountain sports in his spare time.