MDT Mention – The Armory Life: A Folding Waypoint? The MDT Hunter Chassis Review

The Springfield Armory Model 2020 Waypoint rifle burst onto the bolt-action rifle scene two years ago, to many people's surprise. Now, the gun is synonymous with accuracy and is one of the lightest hunting-orientated precision rifles on the market today. Boasting a carbon fiber construction in the barrel and stock, it is a rifle you can deploy on the firing line or out in the field without the concern of fatigue during a full day's use. The Armory Life – Springfield Armory's blog – recently wrote an article where they dropped their Model 2020 into an MDT HNT26 chassis to make the gun even lighter.

The Springfield Waypoint, sans any additional equipment or an optic, tips the scale at 6 lb 12 oz, making it pretty light. Moving from Springfield's AG Composites stock into the feathery MDT HNT26 chassis lightened the rifle even more with additional functionality. Staff from The Armory Life praised the HNT26 for its compactness and ease of carrying. Also, they noted this is MDT's 1st dedicated hunting chassis offering. Although hunters have utilized other MDT chassis for many years because of the features they afford, this is their first foray into a specific chassis design for the needs and desires of hunters.

Photo Courtesy of The Armory Life

What hunters will come to appreciate, as did The Armory Life, is the level of modularity and customization you can get with the HNT26. You can install M-LOK or ARCA rails depending on the accessories you want to add to your rifle. The length-of-pull (LOP) and your cheek weld are adjustable to your liking. The AICS pattern magazines the Springfield Waypoint ships with will work with the HNT26 chassis. The carbon fiber construction will also appeal to hunters who pack a lot of gear out into the field. The forend, grip, and buttstock are all carbon fiber, with the chassis employing a magnesium alloy base.

With the HNT26 chassis, shooters have a lot of configurations and options available to them as to what firearm they can drop in. The MDT HNT26 chassis is compatible with Remington, Savage, and Tikka action types. As far as the chassis itself, you get the option of black carbon fiber or cobalt green colorway in either a fixed or folding stock variation. The folding stock variant is what the staff from The Armory Life reviewed, and they spoke very highly of that feature. It locked securely into place, extended or folded, and it dramatically decreased the footprint of the rifle for transport or carry. Depending on the feature set you choose for yourself with the HNT26, the price varies from $1,299.95 to $1,699.95 for the chassis.

Photo Courtesy of The Armory Life

Field testing was done with Winchester Deer Season XP 6.5 Creedmoor 125 Grain ammunition; they could maintain Springfield's ¾ MOA accuracy guarantee. With the decrease in overall weight from Springfield's stock to the HNT26 chassis, no increased felt recoil was experienced.

Concept rifles are unique, and The Armory Life created a rifle on the cutting edge of technology. I am personally a big fan of the Springfield Armory Model 2020 Waypoint and can attest to their quality. Dropping one in an MDT HNT26 would be the perfect hunting rifle.

Make sure to check out The Armory Life! The Armory Life is owned by Springfield Armory, who makes a suite of high quality rifles and pistols.