Traditions Rifles Reviews

[Ogier Dudley]

Thelast couple of years I have done a couple reviews of composite stocks. These being the Grayboe Ridgeback and McMillan Game Warden. In addition to examining the specific brands and models of stock involved, much of the function of these reviews was to discuss what composite stock technology does best and why. This year I wanted to take a look at a chassis in the same way. The timing of this is not coincidental. For a number of years, I have watched the development of precision rifle chassis. There was a time when the iconic AICS 2.0 was pretty much the only player, really brought the idea of a chassis to our industry, and, most importantly, gave us the AICS magazine standard. Now, chassis systems are probably more common than stocks and the number of makers defies my ability to keep track of them all. During this development period, precision rifle stocks have somewhat recapped the development of 3-position smallbore rifle chassis I watched years ago with respect to their adjustability,and I think the recent popularity of PRS / NRL has really driven this trend. The reasons for this are obvious. Both sports are competitions and the drive to win generally overcomes the tendency towards inertia. Both sports also involve using the rifles with less than optimal or no external support. The less external support, such as bags and bipods that you have, the more the fit of the human interface matters, and the primary solution to fit is adjustability. The big advantage of aluminum chassis systems that led them to dominate 3-position is just how easy it is to add adjustability to them.

Recently, a few chassis systems have finally added adjustable or swappable grip systems more involved than just using an AR-15 grip attachment. Last year, MDT added an AR-15 grip adjustable for LOP and with improved geometry for precision rifle shooting that I briefly mentioned in my SHOTShow 2019 report on their ACC stock. This year, their new XRS has a swappable grip system that is right up alley and is a good part of why I chose to review it.

On the minimal end of the chassis concept, you have a Manners Mini-Chassis system which, basically, just substitutes a machined aluminum block for the customary aluminum pillars, bedding, and bottom metal in what is otherwise a composite stock. This minimal use of the Chassis derives the minimum benefit from the concept while incurring only a minimal drawback. To whit, you get the benefit of a ridged aluminum interface for your action to get you good results without bedding and one you can therefore easily use with several different actions. The only penalty you incur is a small amount of the extra weight typically associated with chassis systems.

The MDT XRS comes boxed for retail in a nicely branded box with a slip-sleeve identifying the particular chassis. The box is a good bit longer than this chassis, so I expect the pattern is to use the same box for all their chassis with product specific slip-sleeves. Inside the box, you have the stock, alternate grip, sticker, chamber flag, LOP spacers, and mini manual.

The Chassis itself looks very clean. The plastic moldings have good definition and the color on all the plastic moldings and the cerakoted aluminum match. The inlet for the action is massive and, I expect, will accommodate any Rem-Clone with or without trigger hanger, oversized trigger, or thick-ass recoil lug. The stock also does not come up to the ejection port, so receivers with a longer port will not have a problem either.

Lastly, the XRS has a simple replaceable grip system which comes with two separate grips. The smaller of these grips is angled and would accommodate those with massive hands. The vertical grip is a better fit for those of medium to merely large hands, and I expect most people will choose to use that one. It is a better fit relative to average hand size than most composite stocks come with, but small-handed people will probably still find it a stretch. Hopefully, more grip options will be forthcoming, as I think this replaceable grip system is a huge selling point for the XRS. For my part, I molded my own grip using polymer clay in the manner described in my grip build out article for a perfect custom fit. The XRS makes a fantastic platform for adding a molded grip, as the threaded attachment points are already there and a relief exists in the stock which allows you to make your molded grip fit quite seamlessly.

Like the aluminum backbone, the plastic parts of the stock are also modular. The M-LOK slots in the sides of the stock are on plastic scales, whereas the bottom slots are directly in the aluminum extrusion. The trigger guard is also a plastic molding with a metal catch and is held to the aluminum backbone with machine screws. The bulk of the buttstock consists of two plastic moldings that have steel inserts in them for the sling stud and buttpad. These sides are held to the aluminum backbone in the grip section with four machine screws plus another four that will also hold on the grip. They are further held to each other with five nut and bolt combinations.

My bugaboos with the XRS were that a rear flush cup should be included where it was clearly meant to be, a bit should be included that works with the unusual captive action screw arrangement, the recoil pad should be more absorbent, and the magazine latch / magwell should be tweaked such that it is easier to blindly insert a mag.

In practice I found the MDT XRS to feel comfortable, solid, and ridged: a real pleasure to shoot. With its long, stiff, low, flat, and M-LOK equipped forearm, I think it would serve pretty well as a chassis for a comp gun. The plastic cladding of metal parts and relatively moderate weight should also allow it to serve well in a hunting role. At $500 the XRS is also not going to break the budget.

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