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Product review: MDT TAC21 Chassis for Tikka T3 long action

February 8, 2017April 29, 2017 Geoff 2 Comments

Chassis systems have really come to the fore in the past few years, as tactical and precision rifle shooting has gained a larger following. Throw in lots of product innovation and modularity, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

There are three rifles that usually get the royal treatment, and have chassis built for them by most major manufacturers. Namely, the Remington 700, Savage 110, and the Tikka T3(x). The Howa 1500 usually features too. If you’re looking for a chassis for any of these rifles, you’ll have plenty to choose from. Having looked around the market, I decided to to give the TAC21 chassis a go.

The reason the TAC21 really stood out as a potential option for the build I was working on, was that the forend came off as a separate piece, but still had a continuous Picatinny rail. This was particularly important for me, as my Tikka T3 in 6.5×55 has a full over-barrel MAE suppressor that comes right back to the action. It has a 1.26″ OD and would need to be removed after every shoot to get gas residue and powder fouling off the barrel and crown. The TAC21 looked like it was up for the task – and it sure looked a lot easier than taking my rifle out of its standard stock every time I left the range.

The TAC21 by Modular Driven Technologies (MDT). Note the dimensions are for a Remington 700 SA. [Image credit: MDT] — The TAC21 by Modular Driven Technologies (MDT). Note the dimensions are for a Remington 700 SA. *[Image credit: MDT]*

So, after deciding on a chassis, MDT offered us one to review. This is always a good sign – when a manufacturer stands by their products enough to let them out into the wild with reviewers! So, after customising my order on the MDT website, it was time to wait for it to be shipped to NZ.

The agony

Nothing is more painful than having a cool new toy come from across the world, and not knowing when it will arrive!

Compounding my dilemma was the fact that it was a Tikka T3 long action. This meant that standard AICS mags would not work, because of the shorter magazine port. MDT makes their own magazines, in metal. They are Cerakoted the same colour as the chassis too. Unfortunately as I placed my order, they were out of stock and back ordered, so I waited “patiently” as they made up some new ones.

When the rifle did arrive, I happily single-loaded for a while, until the magazines were ready.

However, this was all mitigated by the fact that MDT’s staff are perhaps the best human beings on the planet. I judge a company a lot by how they treat their customers, and MDT tops the charts in my books. The only other company that would share that rank would be Vortex. And when it comes to some of the really big bullet and component manufacturers, I can tell you, your concerns are right at the bottom of the pile with them.

You may think I received special treatment as a reviewer and that my experience is not really a true customer experience. Well, the first person I spoke to knew I was a reviewer – the other two people did not. So, I’m comfortable standing by the statement above.

The best day, was when I inquired after progress on the mags, and was told they were a few weeks out still. How was this the best day? The kind lady at MDT offered to send my entire order ASAP, and then expedite the magazines to me when they were available, at no charge.

To which I said ‘Yes’. Very much yes.

I really wanted to give this chassis a thorough testing, and I didn’t mind single-loading for a month or so if I had to. And I’m glad I did, as this gave me a chance to work through some of the unique aspects of the system, and also take it along to some cool events, such as the Long Range Fundamentals course with Kerry from Precision Shooter.

First impressions

I cannot overstate how excited I was when I opened my package from Canada. But I unfortunately couldn’t use it straight away, as I was sighted in and good to go for my first F-Class shoot. After I attended that shoot with the Franklin Rifle Club at 600 metres, I got home, stripped and cleaned the rifle, and got busy putting it into the TAC21 chassis.

The first thing I noticed was that the solid aluminium chassis and Skeleton Rifle Stock added a good deal of weight. This was ideal for my purposes (an F-Open build), where extra mass means more stability and less felt recoil. If you’re after a lighter chassis system, for more run-and-gun shooting sports, look at the LSS or HS3 chassis by MDT – many of the same benefits as the TAC21, but much lighter by design.

Assembly

I won’t go through how to assemble the product – it’s pretty easy, and there are step-by-step instructions included. There are also some Youtube videos out there if you’re a visual learner.

While I was putting the rifle together I immediately noticed a few points. This chassis is not carelessly designed. There are some very obvious cutouts and reliefs specifically for my Tikka, where a Remington or Savage would have a different layout (bolt stops, safeties, etc.). Instead of finding a way to cookie-cutter design this chassis, they designed it around the actions they wanted to house, and did so with a high degree of accuracy and utility in mind.

The safety is easily accessible, and there is nowhere for the bolt to hang up. The bolt stop/release has its own little slot in the aluminium housing (they provide a longer retaining pin for this), and there’s even a window cut into the side so you can see your serial number. That last detail impressed me as an extra little bit of thoughtfulness.

The MDT 300 WM metal magazines give you an extra 1 - 2mm to play with. — The MDT 300 WM metal magazines give you an extra 1 – 2mm to play with.

Other things to note… The Tikka’s free-floating recoil lug has just been upgraded for you. The chassis comes with a steel lug, that is far superior to the soft, aluminium one that comes standard on the T3. You’re also completely replacing your trigger guard and mag well, so this means you can’t use your factory mags. This is no problem though, as the factory magazines are always too small in capacity and never long enough to load out to the lands for you reloaders.

The MDT Tikka T3 LA magazines are solidly constructed out of steel, and designed for cartridges up to .300 WM. You can bend the feed lips to suit your round. I lightly bent the lips on my two magazines to get a grip on my 6.5×55 cartridges. I could have bent them over a bit more, but I found them tight enough that nothing would knock the rounds out unintentionally, and I could get 6 rounds per mag instead of 5. This is ideal for the F-Class shooting that I’ve been doing, where you shoot your 24 rounds in 2 details of 10 scoring shots and 2 sighters. This means only one mag change per detail, rather than the four mag changes I was having to do with the factory magazines.

Mail day! Thanks MDT! #nomoresingleloading

A photo posted by The Gun Rack (@gunracknz) on Dec 5, 2016 at 10:11pm PST

The forend snugged up nicely to the body of the chassis – the offset screw holes helping to lock it in place. The rail on top truly was continuous, with perfect machining. The attachment of the forend is one of only two improvements I could think to make to this design.

The screw in the top rail could be hard to get to, depending on your scope/mount situation. I actually found I could just clear the scope with an allen key and remove the forend when necessary. Although most shooters would not need to remove this piece as often as I would, to clean under the full suppressor.

As I said - just enough space with my setup. Note the screw holes on the side for attachment of 1913 rails. — As I said – *just* enough space with my setup. Note the screw holes on the side for attachment of 1913 rails.

I would perhaps have done two screws on the diagonal sections between the rail (top) and the sides, rather than have the screw on top. I would rather have four screws to undo, than potentially have to take off my scope if I needed to work on the barrel exterior. However, I am no engineer, and aside from the extra labour and materials that would be required, I couldn’t tell you if my idea for fixing the two pieces together is anywhere near as good as the original design (in terms of robustness, etc.). So, a grain of salt and all that.

The other thing that I think would improve this design (for the Tikka shooters amongst us), would be replacing the bolt stop/release with an aftermarket one that sticks out further. It can be a bit finicky to get the bolt out, but certainly not to the point where I would say it is a flaw in the design. Just an area that could be improved – and perhaps this is an area for the end user to look at.

The Tikka T3 bolt stops differ from calibre to calibre. This allows to Tikka to produce a more uniform action, cutting down costs. I imagine it would be quite an undertaking to design, make and stock all of the possible options. However, if you look around, some machine shops and gunsmiths do make aftermarket versions out of steel or what-have-you, so it could be something to look at if you have fat fingers like me.

Breaking her in

This rifle has become my main centrefire rifle over the past few months, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I did have some frustrations at the start, and we’ll go through how to avoid these yourself.

Scope mounting. If you have a large objective lens (which you likely do if you want a chassis for your shooter), it will not clear the full-length rail on short or standard rings. Unfortunately my Vortex precision-matched rings were 1mm too short to clear the chassis, so I hopped onto the Optics Planet website and set about ordering a one-piece riser, to get some more height.

I was told the riser I wanted was considered an AR-15 part, and therefore couldn’t be exported from the US. Annoying, but rules are rules. They gave me a couple replacement options and I went with a pair of quick detach risers (ironic, as these seem much more suited to an AR, but anyway).

So, I mounted my Vortex Viper PST 6 – 24 X 50, and hit the 100 metre range at Waiuku Pistol Club. I almost cried. My rifle, which was shooting handloads into 0.2 MOA groups was now double grouping and doing just under 1.5 MOA. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of having to do this review, with such a negative result.

After burning through around 50 rounds of pricey handloads, hearing comments like ‘shooter error’, I was ready to go home. I took the chassis apart to wipe the barrel down and noticed the QD riser at the front had worked loose, and must have been shifting back and forth a minuscule amount under recoil. Feeling like an idiot, but a hopeful idiot, I went home to reload some more rounds and hit the range the following weekend.

Thankfully I have a 2-inch offset cantilever ring mount, provided by Vortex for an upcoming review on their Strike Eagle scope. I switched this in and patiently waited another week to get to the range. With the cantilever mount, the centre of my scope now sat about 2.5″ above the centreline of my bore. Not a major problem, except this will accentuate any user error involving cant. I would suggest getting a bubble level to ensure vertical alignment to the target. If you’re into long range shooting, you probably have one already.

Thanks to Vortex I had an offset mount on hand. Note the height off the barrel.

Another almost negative was that I found the latch that secured the Skeleton Rifle Stock to the chassis to be very stiff. I spoke to MDT and sent them some photos, of where paint had scraped off the housing for the latch’s retaining pin, indicating it was having trouble camming fully over.

This tiny build up from initial use was making it difficult to connect the chassis and stock. It didn't take long to sort it out though. — This tiny build up from initial use was making it difficult to connect the chassis and stock. It didn’t take long to sort it out though.

The MDT staffer said that a break in period could be expected, as the part was machined to tight tolerances to ensure a tight fit for the life of the rifle/chassis. He offered to send me another latch pin, free of charge, so I could polish down my current one, and use the new one after it had broken in. I said thanks, but no thanks. It wasn’t worth wasting their time and money if it was such a simple solution.

To ‘speed up time’ with my break in period, I gave the latch a couple hard taps with a wooden dowel and a rubber mallet. It now works perfectly.

The Skeleton Rifle Stock V4 is heftier than it looks, and features adjustable LOP and comb height. There's also mounting points for a rail at the bottom, to attached a monopod. — The Skeleton Rifle Stock V4 is heftier than it looks, and features adjustable LOP and comb height. There’s also mounting points for a rail at the bottom, to attached a monopod.

Findings

The TAC21 is designed to take your rifle from factory to precision with very little effort. Bedding is one of the most important aspects of increasing the accuracy of a rifle, and MDT makes this easy. The action only touches the V-bedding in a few spots, and with incredible repeatability and sturdiness. The forend leaves your barrel completely free-floating, for any barrel less than the diameter of the action.

If I had started with an out-of-the-box rifle with factory ammo, I would have expected to see dramatic gains in accuracy. MDT claims up to 28% increase in accuracy, and I can believe that, looking at the design.

Taking an already accurate rifle and putting it into the TAC21 chassis system, what I was looking for was accuracy (repeatability of shot placement – not smallness of group size).

With scope now properly mounted, I was surprised to find there was hardly any POI shift from the 20 MOA Nightforce rail that was mounted to the Tikka action, to the 20 MOA rail integral to the action housing on the MDT chassis. It was literally a couple of clicks to get centre at 100 metres.

With factory ammo, I noticed accuracy was perfect. I had my doubts and expected I might get some shift in POI due to the optic being mounted to the chassis and not the rifle, but the repeatability was there. I had less than a full box of Norma ammo, so didn’t do too much grouping, but did notice a decrease in group size as well, by about 0.1 – 0.2 MOA, down to an average of 0.7 MOA.

Profile of the MDT TAC21 and Tikka T3.

My personal handload featuring Norma brass, 143 gr Hornady ELD-X projectiles, Federal Gold Match LR primers and ADI AR2208 powder (Varget) was just as repeatable.

As I mentioned before, repeatability was the test here, not smallness of group size. My handloads were tuned specifically to my rifle as it was, and this testing was done with the exact same load, with no further adjustment. It wasn’t shooting 0.2 MOA anymore, but it was shooting a consistent and repeatable 0.6 MOA.

Why did my handload group size increase, while the factory ammo groups decreased in spread? I suspect the bedding of the rifle worked its magic on the factory ammo, which is made to much lower tolerances than my reloads – and therefore could really benefit from the improved bedding.

I suspect my handloads increased in group size because the tension on the action has changed – almost double the torque to secure the action to the aluminium chassis, compared with the factory plastic stock. I imagine this has changed the harmonics somewhat. To reduce my group size again, I could either move my charge weight up or down a small amount, or I could play with seating depth.

Even at 0.6 MOA I was happy to take this rifle out to an 800 metre shoot, and it did quite well. Note if you use a rear bag, the inline stock will be higher off the ground, so you may need a bigger bag.

The latter is now a much more distinct possibility, as I have an extra 1.5mm of mag length to play with. I hope you haven’t got this far into reading this (fairly lengthy) article, and believe the increase in group size is an indication of negative performance on the part of the TAC21 chassis. As mentioned above, this is purely a function of my handloads being tuned to the rifle as it was.

With a bit more time to play around, I expect I’ll get this rifle back down to its 0.2 MOA capability, while enjoying the modularity of the rifle and ergonomic bliss that comes with having the action and butt stock inline. Just quickly, these are the features that I really like about the MDT TAC21:

V-bedding block for increased accuracy and decreased points of contact
Thoughtful design
Included recoil lug
Straight-line design to absorb felt recoil and decrease muzzle flip
Full length top rail – 20 MOA too!
Plenty of places to add a Magpul rail or two for your bipod, monopod, laser, printer, coffee maker, whatever…
Sling swivel stud included for bipods, but easily removable for rail mounted varieties
Excellent finish of hard anodizing plus Cerakote in your preferred colour – I had no marks on the stock after months of use, except for where the QD riser was loose on the top rail, and a couple points in the butt stock attachment area, that are not visible anyway when the rifle is assembled
Huge tolerance for barrel size, meaning you can have straight no-taper barrels, massive muzzle devices, whatever you want
Decent amount of weight for prone shooting and recoil reduction, but light enough to lug around a bit if necessary
It looks fantastic, and your factory rifle can play with the RPRs and HCRs and whatever else is on the firing line
Better magazine options

If you want any more convincing, head along to the MDT website and check out the customer reviews for this product. You will see exactly what I have experienced. Great product, fantastic service, and an all round improvement in your rifle.

Pig hunters be crazy

January 17, 2017June 13, 2017 Geoff Leave a comment

New Zealand is full of opportunity for the aspiring outdoorsman. Want to go diving or 4×4 driving? There are clubs a-plenty that will get you on your way. Want to hunt big red stags, eliminate possums or shoot some fallow deer for meat? Get along to your local NZDA and meet up with some like-minded people.

Crossing the first stream was beautiful. By the 6th or 7th crossing you stop focusing on the scenery.

Want to go pig hunting? You can do that too. But, as I learned on my first pig hunt, there are some more considerations to make than you might think. So, let’s think of this as a beginner’s guide to getting into pig hunting.

All you need is a knife

Wrong. Many think that hunting pigs is easier/simpler than other forms and hunting, because you only need a knife and you don’t need to worry about firearms or firearm safety. Let me dispel this myth very quickly for you.

Some pig hunters do use guns, but most won’t allow a stranger/novice to shoot over their dogs.
Knives hurt too – you still need to be careful.
Pig hunting is actually pretty involved, and makes use of more gear and tracking equipment than you may think.

Go with an experienced pig hunter

Heading out with an experienced pig hunter is not only more likely to result in finding game, but they will have all the gear needed for a successful day out. That includes GPS/maps, well-trained dogs with tracking collars, knives and knowledge.

Knowledge is key. And something to be respected. Ask plenty of questions before and during the hunt – without being annoying of course. Ask questions so you know what to bring with you, ask questions so you know what kind of terrain to expect, ask questions so you know the series of events that will unfold when you happen upon your quarry.

Well-trained dogs make all the difference.

Gear

As I said, make sure to ask what you’ll need to take along. You may need to take a knife, but chances are your hunting buddy will have a spare knife you can borrow, rather than spending money on the sport before you know if you’re going to get into it or not.

Interestingly, the classic ‘pig sticker’ shape knife is not favoured by all hunters, although many do use them. A lot of pig hunters carry boning knives or similar. If you’re looking for a knife in Auckland, this store has a huge selection and decent prices.

Other considerations for while you’re out in the bush include your pack, food/water, first aid, and appropriate clothing. A camera or phone for pictures is great, but keep in mind you’ll probably be going through some rough patches of bush and/or crossing streams. You’ll have no one else to blame if you drop your phone in a river, or fall over with it in your pocket. Yes, I fell over in a stream. More than once.

Wearing blaze is great for keeping an eye on your buddy and not getting lost. A spare GPS collar in your bag, or a walkie talkie is good too.

In terms of a pack, I took a Hunting & Fishing day pack, which was great for all it could hold, but man did it get caught up on just about every twig, stick and branch. And supplejack. Oh my goodness the supplejack.

My mate who took me hunting had all he needed around his waist. This included a small first aid kit, water bottle in a holder, food and some other bits and pieces in a bum bag, and of course his GPS unit for the dogs. He had a rifle slung over his shoulder just in case. I could really see the value of iron sights and shorter barrels in a bush gun, as I saw how even this simply profiled firearm got snagged a few times.

This is supplejack. You will have to get through it... A knife or even small secateurs on on your belt will be incredibly useful. — This is supplejack. You will have to get through it… A knife or even small secateurs on on your belt will be incredibly useful.

Clothing and footwear is the one area I would recommend spending some money if you don’t have appropriate gear. If you’re not likely to be heading through gorse and blackberry, shorts are great. Waterproof boots are ideal, and long socks too. An appropriate top for the weather, but I can almost guarantee that short/no sleeves will be the go.

DO NOT, venture out in your brand new gear. You will be feeling sorry for yourself within a couple hours. If you’ve got brand new gear for an upcoming hunt, make sure to wear it in beforehand. Going for a few hikes will not only prevent blisters and sores on a longer hunt from boots and packs not broken in, but will also help with your fitness.

Physically fit

Probably the last piece of advice before I belabour the point. If you’re unfit, crashing through bush for 6 or 12 hours is going to take a hell of a toll. You’ll also probably slow your mate down and drag the whole day out.

On our way through Kauaeranga Valley we caught some peeks of the peaks. If you're lucky, this great outdoors is your gymnasium. If you're not that lucky - you'll have to do something else to raise your fitness. — On our way through Kauaeranga Valley we caught some peeks of the peaks. If you’re lucky, this great outdoors is your gymnasium. If you’re not that lucky – you’ll have to do something else to raise your fitness.

If you work a desk job or have a few too many pies and beersies, get yourself into some sort of fitness regime if you foresee hunting in your near future. The gym is great, and for many it’s the only practical option. However, if you can get out for longer walks/hikes/runs, you’ll thank yourself further down the track. This is the kind of fitness that will really pay off.

Be a good bugger

If someone has taken the time let you tag along to a spot they know of, and they’re imparting knowledge, etc., etc., make sure you sort out some of the expenses. Offer to get the pies or pay for the fuel. No one likes a bludger.

So – did we get a pig on my first hunt? No. I did get a first-hand education in all of the above though, and it will all come in useful the next time I go out. The most important thing I learned? Pig hunters are crazy – in the best way possible.

This is not a sport for the faint of heart or those who can’t dedicate a decent amount of time to training dogs and chasing dots on a GPS unit. It’s a dedication and a lifestyle, and damn it’s fun.

Long Range Shooting – Level 1 – Fundamentals

January 13, 2017January 13, 2017 Geoff 2 Comments

Late last year I had the privilege of being invited along to the first Long Range Shooting course run by Precision Shooter. The event was not only an introduction to long range shooting for many, but also the first event of its kind.

The LRS Level 1 – Fundamentals class was primarily focused around getting shooters of all abilities onto a fairly level playing field, and teaching solid shooting techniques. The course was run by Kerry from The Bloke and Precision Shooter, but most of the content was delivered by Christian Neubauerx – Beretta’s head gunsmith in New Zealand. With 20+ years of experience as a smith, Christian knows his way around a gun better than most.

How's this for a classroom setting? — How’s this for a classroom setting?

The classroom

The first half of the day was a ‘lecture’ of sorts. Essentially a classroom-like setting, undercover and with the use of props (i.e. rifles and gear). If the word lecture puts you off, don’t let it. Think about all those questions you’ve been researching in internet forums and gun sites. Now imagine an authoritative source, giving you the answers direct, without bias and internet-inspired bravado or stupidity.

Even though my rifle was shooting groups like this the day before, I still found the course quite a 'shake up' of my technique. — Even though my rifle was shooting groups like this the day before, I still found the course quite a ‘shake up’ of my technique.

There was plenty of time for questions, and we managed to cover off what kind of rifles make good long range rigs, cartridge choice, shooting equipment and a decent amount of theory (such as MOA vs MIL, etc).

There were plenty of breaks and opportunities for tea/coffee and snacks (all provided). Before heading down to the mound we had a demonstration of shooting technique from Christian, who climbed up onto a long table with his unloaded rifle, and took us through body position and shooting sequence.

The range

Now it was time to put what we learned into practice. Everybody got their gear down to shooting position and racked their rifles. There was a good array of firearms, from utilitarian hunting rifles, through to long range platforms such as the Ruger Precision Rifle, and several in between.

I was shooting my fully supressed Tikka T3 in 6.5×55, residing in an MDT TAC21 chassis, and topped off with a Vortex Viper PST 6-24×50. Having a Tikka, I particularly enjoyed having Christian take the course, as I was able to pick his brain on Tikka-specific issues, such as the trigger creep I was experiencing. As head gunsmith of Beretta NZ, he has forgotten more about these rifles than most could ever hope to know.

Thanks @thebloke.co.nz and Christian for an awesome day of learning at the first Long Range Shooting fundamentals course. #tikkaT3 #vortex #MDT #tac21 #MAEsuppressors #hornady #eldx

A photo posted by The Gun Rack (@gunracknz) on Nov 19, 2016 at 11:33pm PST

The venue for the day was the Swiss Club, north of Auckland. If you’ve ever shot at the ASAR (Any Sights Any Rifle) shoot, you’ll know it’s a pretty sweet set up, and all of your shooting is done from an enclosed shooting position, out of the sun and the wind.

We were shooting at a set distance of 300 m. Hold on you say – “that’s not long range”. Fair comment. Remember this is the fundamentals course. Some of those attending had never shot beyond 100 yards/metres before. Not only was it about bringing these guys up to speed, but it was also about honing fundamental skills, regardless of distance.

Even at 300 m, trying to implement the techniques we had just learned, I did notice a lot more spread in my groups than I would have expected. Basically I was having a shake-up of my technique, and trying to focus on new ways to do things meant not shooting as well as I usually would, but building positive habits to shoot better in the future.

There was one frustration on the day, and that was supporting the rear of the rifle. I had just bought a new bag that was the perfect height for my MDT chassis, which sits higher off the ground than the original Tikka stock. However, the Swiss club is most often used for unsupported shooting of target rifles, with slings and jackets. To suit this purpose the club had built their mound on a slight upwards incline, to better aid body position, while the targets were on a downward angle from the mound.

The bag I snagged from Kerry made a huge difference.

For many of us, this meant struggling somewhat to get the right height/angle on our rifles. Thankfully after trying one of the rear support bags that Kerry had on hand, I was able to get shots downrange with greater consistency. This really inspired me to start looking at purchasing a multipurpose bag for field shoots. I’m not always going to have a perfectly level and stable shooting platform, so a more versatile bag is definitely called for. I haven’t decided yet on the bag I’ll use. I like the idea of the Reasor Gamechanger Bag, but I’ll need to have another thorough look at the options provided by the Gearlocker before I make a final decision.

Coaching

The format of the shoot was focused around improving the individual shooter. We had a few sighters, and then Kerry and Christian gave each shooter individual, one-on-one coaching through a series of single shots. We focused on body position, breathing, eye-relief, rifle mounting, bipod loading and more.

At some point we had lunch, which again, was provided. This was a great opportunity to chat with everyone and see how they were doing and what they were learning.

One-on-one coaching was one of the highlights of the day.

Next up was shooting groups of five. However, instead of simply having Christian or Kerry tell you where your shot landed, we had to try and determine where the shot went, based on how the shot felt. After a while you get pretty good at this. Adding this extra link between action and reaction really helped me identify which parts of my technique and environment were affecting my shot placement.

Unfortunately we ran out of time to complete the shoot, as we learned that the resource consent for shooting is limited to 5 pm. However, after a full day of learning and shooting, no one left feeling disappointed. After packing up we headed back to the club house to do a quick debrief and also to talk about cleaning methods and some other bits and pieces. I found this last casual info session extremely useful, as there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there when it comes to proper cleaning technique and which products to use.

Comparing gear and swapping stories with other shooters was a big part of the day.

Being the first event of its kind, there were some timing/teething issues, but nothing that negatively impacted my experience of the day. Having been on another course run by Kerry, I know the next Long Range Shooting course will be running like clockwork.

Speaking of the next course… I’ve heard rumours from Precision Shooter that the Level 2 course could be coming up soon, and at distances up to 850 m. Definitely sign up for the Precision Shooter newsletter and keep an eye on their Facebook page so you don’t miss out on that one.

For those who would prefer to start at Level 1 and get their fundamentals solid, I would highly recommend the course, especially for anyone wanting to get into long range competition, or stretch out their ethical hunting ranges. Beginners will benefit the most from this course, but looking back over the 4 pages of notes I took, even those a bit further along the learning curve will take away significant amounts of useful tips and techniques.

Not the best shooting I've done in my life, but a day of serious learning. — Not the best shooting I’ve done in my life, but a day of serious learning.

One of the things I learned more about was the effect of cant (tilting) on point of impact – especially at longer ranges. It’s something I hadn’t considered too seriously, and you can bet I’m going to do a tall target test to check out my cant in the near future. Another good tip was, when deciding to use MOA or MIL, think about what kind of shooting you’re going to do. For example, I intend on shooting a bit of F-Class, and they mostly use MOA, so that will be easier for me. Also consider what your shooting buddy uses, so you can speak a common language when it comes to wind calls, etc.

You can read more about the past course here, and don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter to hear about upcoming events.

Brass uniformity – how much of a difference is there?

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 Geoff 1 Comment

Brass uniformity affects a few things – but how much of a difference can you expect from brand to brand? If you have highly consistent brass you’ll notice similar life spans across your reloads, as they stretch at the same rate. You’ll have near identical case capacities, the result of uniform wall thicknesses. There’s a whole lot more to case uniformity, but what I want to focus on is the amazing difference from brand to brand.

Five lots of 10 brass - which came out tops? — Five lots of 10 brass – which came out tops?

Here’s a quote from an article on .233 brass at 6mmBR:

From a reloading standpoint, the important thing to note is the rather substantial variance in case capacity from one brand of brass to another–as much as 2.6 grains! So, you cannot assume that a particular “pet load” will work if you change brass brands–you’ll have to do new testing.

Two-point-six grains – that may not seem like much, but for the little .223 case, it’s a fair amount. Bear in mind, the brass compared in that article is mostly higher-end stuff.

Our brass uniformity test

I’ve just started loading for 7mm-08, and as I undertook loading for an OCW test, I thought I should start with the most uniform brass possible, so that the results of various powder charges are more meaningful.

I had 5 brands of once-fired brass, that I’d put through my Mossberg 100 ATR. I didn’t have a huge quantity of each, so I just took a random sample of 10 of each. The brands ranged from budget to middle of the road. We looked at Prvi Partizan (PPU), Highland, Remington, Winchester and Hornady.

Unlike the .223 test at 6mmBR, I noticed 17.44 gr difference in average weight from the highest to the lowest. This is probably a result of both looking at a larger case and also looking at wider variety of brass quality.

Results:

The heaviest brass was PPU, coming in at 181.79 gr on average. Highland (produced by PPU) interestingly came in quite different on average at 171.67 gr. The more middle-end manufacturers (we weren’t looking at the likes of Norma or Lapua here), came in more similar: Remington at 168.07 gr, Winchester at 164.35 gr, and; Hornady at 165.69 gr.

Winchester and then Hornady came in the lightest, which would hint at more internal case capacity, but you couldn’t say that for sure without testing H2O capacity, which I didn’t get into. I did the entire test using a digital scale and digital calipers, to identify overall uniformity.

Weight:

Winchester had the lowest standard deviation in weight (0.48 gr), and the least difference between highest and lowest (1.60 gr). The highest was surprisingly Hornady at 1.33 gr standard deviation and a difference of 4.90 gr between highest and lowest. The S.D. for Remington, PPU and Highland were as follows; 0.74 gr, and 1.07 gr and, 1.05 gr. Respectively, the differences between highest and lowest were; 2.40 gr, 3.40 gr and 3.30 gr.

Length:

After one firing, most brands didn’t have much of an increase in overall length. All eamsurements below in millimetres.

Brand	Standard Deviation	Difference High-to-low
Remington	0.02	0.07
Highland	0.03	0.08
Winchester	0.03	0.12
Hornady	0.03	0.10
PPU	0.05	0.16

Neck diameters and wall thickness:

All brands except Hornady and PPU had extremely uniform outside diameters for their necks (0.00 mm S.D. and high-to-low differences of 0.01 and 0.02 mm). Hornady and PPU both had 0.01 mm S.D.s and high-to-low differences of 0.02 mm.

The inside diameter showed a bit more variation, as a product of both brass thickness and softness.

Brand	Standard Deviation	Difference High-to-low
Winchester	0.01	0.02
Hornady	0.01	0.02
PPU	0.01	0.05
Remington	0.02	0.06
Highland	0.03	0.08

Which brass did I choose?

All of these brands had similar factory loads, with 139 gr or 140 gr projectiles. The differences in the once-fired brass was quite illuminating. Also interesting, but not deal breaking, was that Remington and Winchester both had a single silver primer out of a box of 20 cartridges, when the other 19 were brass-coloured. After this series of tests I decided to stick with Winchester brass for my 7mm-08, as it was the most uniform in every category except length, where it came middle of the pack.

One of these things is not like the others #Winchester #7mm-08 #factoryammo

A photo posted by The Gun Rack (@gunracknz) on Jan 5, 2017 at 8:04pm PST

It’s important to note that these were small samples, and that brass in other calibres may vary quite differently from what we saw with the 7mm-08. There are also a whole bunch of brands we didn’t consider.

However, if you’re looking at lower priced ammo to generate good quality brass for reloading in 7mm-08, my money would be on Winchester – I even bought another pack of Super X today.

New Year’s resolution – get out there and do it

January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 Geoff 1 Comment

It’s never hard to convince a hunter to go out for a hunt, or to get a field shooter to a local competition – but what do we do when we’re not involved in our chosen shooting sports? Are we still getting all we can out of the beautiful country we live in? This is the question I asked myself while camping at the Lake Tarawera Outlet this holiday.

He won't remember this yet, but when he starts becoming aware of his surroundings, I'd rather this than a city street. — He won’t remember this yet, but when he starts becoming aware of his surroundings, I’d rather this than a city street.

While certainly not a hunting destination, there was plenty of opportunity to hike, fish, boat and swim. Hot water rock pools and endless kayaking destinations during the day, and cooking a camp feed in the evening, seeing more stars than you’d usually see in a month in Auckland.

Yes, it’s quite a “civilised” way to get into nature, compared to smashing through the bush chasing a pig. But when you’ve got family and a young baby, and a need to get outdoors, just about anywhere without electricity will do.

While taking a short walk through the bush between the boat ramp and the ski lane, I thought of a couple of friends of mine. They recently hiked the Hillary trail over Christmas and spent the holiday reading books and catching amazing sunsets. This couple regularly hike around the upper North Island. As I thought of the hike they had just finished, I realised that this non-hunting pair of friends are not only much fitter than I am, but they see a whole lot more country than I do. And they feed their souls but getting away from the daily grind, and into nature, much more often than I could lay claim to.

Getting out on the water is just one of many ways to enjoy the beauty of our outdoors.

So, here’s my New Year’s resolution – get out there an do it. Whether it’s hiking, fishing, swimming, driving, whatever. This year, I plan to spend more time outdoors on the weekend than indoors. My boy is only 3 months old, but by the time he starts forming the memories that will make up his childhood, I want him to remember the names of trees and lakes, rather than games and movies.

Product review: Boyds Field Design stock for 303 SMLE

December 15, 2016January 3, 2017 Geoff 11 Comments

Anyone who follows The Gun Rack on Instagram or Facebook has seen sneak peeks of a very green 303 over the past few months. I’ve really taken my time on this particular gun build, and subsequently the review of this stock, but here it is – The Gun Rack official product review of Boyds Gunstocks’ stock upgrade for the British Lee-Enfield series of rifles.

Guess which firearm is getting a makeover?

A photo posted by The Gun Rack (@gunracknz) on Aug 20, 2016 at 10:04pm PDT

The build…

This particular rifle is a quiet bush monster. Monstrous in appearance, but suppressed and subsonic in its implementation. There’s a lot that’s gone into this particular rifle, so – fittingly – we’ll do an entire article covering the various bits and pieces, and the decisions that led to each of them.

One decision that was, unfortunately, made for us, is that I’m no longer going to have the rifle Cerakoted, as a dear and valued member of the NZ shooting community, Victor Alberts, passed away recently while on holiday overseas. Victor was the applicator and artist behind Cerakote NZ, so necessarily we’ll be looking to sort out some other means of protecting the metal on this bush gun.

The rifle that defended the free world – twice

The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle was featured in both world wars and a host of conflicts all around the world. Its younger brother is only now being phased out of service with the Canadian Rangers, who will have a locally made, licensed version of a Sako product (T3 CTR). Other weapons have been trialled, but none compared to the reliability of the Rifle No 4 Mk 2 (since 1941 – not bad).

Even still, the old Lee-Enfield is a devastating tool in the hands of irregular forces around the world, who do not have access to more modern weaponry, or who perhaps have an abundance of old Commonwealth stock. With ballistics and firepower not too far off the .308 Win, it’s not hard to see why the rifle has kept pace.

Anyway, I digress. So, this stunning piece of history came to my possession in a sorry state. Which is okay, as I was keeping an eye out for an old beater that could be beautified without destroying a battlefield artifact.

My 1943 SMLE (above) was in a sad state when I bought it - compared to my 1942 (below) which will stay unchanged. — My 1943 SMLE (above) was in a sad state when I bought it – compared to my 1942 (below) which will stay unchanged.

One of the problems with using a wartime rifle (1943), that was mass-produced with unique ‘improvements’ and variations across the world, is that you are bound to run into quality issues. In contrast, I do have a 1942 Lithgow rifle which is beautifully symmetrical and well-machined (even if it is left a bit rough in some areas). But this made-in-Britain wartime specimen is a product of its environment, and loose tolerances, rough surfaces, and poor bluing are to be expected.

In hindsight, I really wish I’d done this build off a Rifle No. 4 instead of an SMLE No.1 Mk iii, as the action lends itself to being rebarrelled to higher-power cartridges, but that may have taken this build in another direction altogether.

If you’re considering a build on a No. 4 or even No. 5 action, Boyds thankfully caters to those, too.

Taking apart the two-piece stock

The Lee-Enfield is everything a modern precision rifle is not. It’s not free floated, the stock is not a single piece and and the ergonomics are all wrong. However it was well-suited to winter clothing and putting a lot of lead downrange, so we can’t really judge the designers for that.

The two piece stock is easily taken apart with some screwdrivers, and potentially a socket driver if you don’t have a really long flat head screwdriver. Check out the easy tutorial here (with lots of pictures!).

Not many rifles will have the trigger come out with the floor metal.

Fitting the Boyds Field Stock Design

One thing I love about Boyds stocks is seeing the precision lines in the inletting. Now. Take a look at your naked Lee-Enfield. There is not a single square section on that thing. Because the action has so much inconsistency in shape and finish, I spent a fair bit of time sanding and filing around the top of the action and inside and around the sear and trigger slot.

The area around the mag well also needed some relieving of material to get the floor plate sitting properly again, which allowed the barrel channel to move into the appropriate position.

I found it really useful to mark the action with engineer’s blue (a permanent marker will do), to find the high spots on your action that necessitate removing some more wood.

Please be careful removing material, as it’s a lot easier to take off than it is to put on! While I say I spent a lot of time on this, that doesn’t mean I shaved off a lot of the laminate. Rather, I spent a lot of time making sure I didn’t take off too much, so I could still have a snug fit.

When fitting the butt stock, shaving off a small bit of wood off the top of the donut-shaped insert allowed the laminate stock to snug up nicely when I tightened the bolt. However, on the forend side I found there was a bit of a gap between the wood and the characteristic steel band which forms the rear of the receiver and separates the forend and butt stock. I had a shooting buddy of mine machine up a shim to bridge the gap. He put in some counter sunk holes so that I could screw it into the stock once I had all of the metalwork (including the shim) coated, however it’s so far been held in place by friction and is doing just fine.

The shim held in place by friction fills a small gap between action and stock. once coated with the rest of the metal work it will blend in well. — The shim held in place by friction fills a small gap between action and stock. Once coated with the rest of the metal work it will blend in well.

The gap between the forend and steel band I’ll put down to variance between manufacturers of rifles over time. I measured this strip of metal on my two SMLE rifles (one year apart, but one from Australia and one from the UK), and found a 1 mm – 2 mm difference in broadness.

You will definitely need to take out some wood where the rear ring of the receiver interrupts the line of the stock, and also where the safety lever goes in the forward position.

A radius and a square cut will make room for the safety lever and the rear action ring.

Positives of the Boyds Field Stock Design

If you’re looking to improve your Lee-Enfield Rifle or SMLE, you have three options:

Restore the wood with new old stock or modern replicas (on a No 4 this is feasible, on a No 3, near impossible)
Put it in a plastic stock, which will reduce weight, but will deliver more recoil, and increase your noise in the bush with its hollow construction
Choose a hardwood/laminate solution

I’m assuming you landed on option 3, which is why you’re here. The hardwood solution is not only inline with the character of the gun, but also just feels right. I have a couple battle rifles in modern plastic stocks, and I’m too embarrassed to take them to the range, and too put off by the handling and feel to really enjoy them.

The Boyds Field Stock Design (and any of their stocks, really) is a re-imagining of the stock design based around the action and the shooter, not simply a replacement of the existing furniture. This means you can expect an increase in accuracy, stemming from various feature improvements, such as a better inletting, length of pull, cheek weld, positive grip characteristics and also added rigidity when compared to plastic aftermarket (or even original manufacture) stocks.

Line of sight

I found that the Boyds stock in particular raised the eye-line perfectly for the old rifle. With the original stock, if you try and get a positive cheek weld, you’ll be looking at the top of the action. You have to raise your head a bit and compromise your repeatable position on the rifle in order to see the iron sights.

Lining the two up by the rear of the bolt, the difference in drop is quite evident, as is the angle of the butt pad - both changing the handling characteristics of the gun. — Lining the two up by the rear of the bolt, the difference in drop is quite evident, as is the angle of the butt pad – both changing the handling characteristics of the gun.

With the Boyds stock, the decreased drop on the comb means you are looking straight at the iron sights. If you had a low mounted scope, you could use this quite easily with little compromise in cheek weld. I have a Vortex Razor HD red dot sight mounted on mine, which, unfortunately, means added height to the optic. However, this doesn’t bother me because, with its unlimited eye relief, I can have my head just about anywhere on the stock and still have an accurate sight picture.

Solid construction

The Boyds stock is not only solidly made with highly advanced resins, but it feels more substantial when you’re shouldering or handling the rifle. The forend fits an adult male hand well, unlike many skinny stocks, where your fingers will wrap around onto the barrel if you’re not careful. It’s also beefier at the butt end. This is in contrast to the original skinny grip that would have been perfect for gloved hands in the trenches, but not user friendly for acquiring a positive grip in the hot bush and forest we often hunt in.

The slight increases in length, width and girth, add up to a much better length of pull and trigger/bolt manipulation characteristics, without increasing the overall length by much at all.

Choice

If you’re pulling apart an old rifle like this to do something special, why not make it truly one-of-a-kind? From the standard colours offered by Boyds, the Pepper laminate is a sexy rendition. Black and charcoal – it modernises any firearm, while still retaining the warmth of wood. There is also a straight walnut stock if that’s your preference.

The 'Scale' laser engraved chequering adds aesthetic appeal, visual depth, and enhanced grip characteristics. — The ‘Scale’ laser engraved chequering adds aesthetic appeal, visual depth, and enhanced grip characteristics.

I chose a Zombie Hunter custom colour for an extra US$16.50, and my rifle stands out like no other. It’s an attention grabber at the range, and it just looks freaking cool. It’s one of those guns you want to take out and shoot, regardless of whether you’re actually working on a load or hunting or just plinking. I might burn through a lot more ammo just because she looks ‘cool’, but that’s okay. Not to mention, everyone else wants a go at it, too!

I also asked for some chequering on the stock, specifically the ‘Scale’ pattern. It’s laser engraved, and absolutely perfect. It adds some extra grip (of course), but also adds depth to the appearance of the rifle. There are a couple other options to choose from as well.

While you’re at it, you could also look at a custom finish, or a different butt pad option to tame your heavy-hitting wildcat magnums.

Negatives

Hey, nothing’s perfect, and there always have to be some negatives.

My only regret on this build (regarding the stock) is not having sling swivel studs, as a sling will be essential for crashing through some of our heavy NZ bush. However, I’m sure Boyds would have included some had I actually thought to ask. Not to worry, I do have some spare, but that’s definitely something I’ll think about next time. More a mistake on my part than a negative with the stock.

There is one negative, and again, it’s not actually a fault of the Boyds Field Design Stock: It’s the rifle. There is no way on God’s green earth that you will have a perfect fit. Unless you own the Boyds’ house action that they model their stocks off.

There is so much variation in fit, quality and manufacturing tolerances between these old war time rifles, that I can almost guarantee some work for you with sandpaper and a file or two, no matter what brand of gun stock you choose. However, if you’re restoring or upgrading any milsurp rifle, this should be something you expect along the way, so don’t let this put you off.

If hard work is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of modern actions that are very uniform and require little-to-no work to customise. Thankfully, Boyds makes stocks for those rifles, too!

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I’ve found (once again) that the Boyds product is a substantial improvement on the original stock that came on the gun. Not only this, but dollar for dollar, I can’t imagine another aftermarket stock coming close.

The customisation options offered by Boyds are a real bonus for anyone looking to increase the appeal of their old shooter, and the standard options are plenty for those who don’t like drawing too much attention to themselves or those who are watching their budget.

Would I buy it again? Yes. And I guess that’s the highest recommendation someone can give after thoroughly testing a product.

Author: Geoff