MDT HS3 chassis + V3 buttstock
Hi everyone,
I posted my recent experience with this set up over at the Canadian Gun Nutz forum and thought I would reprint my post here. I hope this doesn't conflict with forum rules:
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Ordered on a Friday, rec'd in Kitchener, ON the following Wed. Not bad at all. Also ordered 4 x .308 mags, a grip, and a 2.5" picatinny rail. Order arrived well-packed, complete, and the exact colours specified. My Savage 11 FXP Trophy installed in minutes per directions, no issues on assembly other than a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up a longer 5/32" hex key to tighten up the grip into the chassis frame. Quality of each piece outstanding. Extremely solid and tight. Total weight 11.1 lbs unloaded, with scope (Vortex Crossfire II 6x18 44 mm, Warne 1-pc base, Maxima low rings), and Harris 6" - 9" bipod. Bolt easily removed/replaced with buttstock in place.
One caveat: on sighting in I found it hard to get my eyes on target. The low Warne Maxima rings are great for typical hunting rifle stocks (like the plastic Savage stock with a lower comb), but the straight line of the AR style buttstock calls for at least medium-height rings. I verified this by simply removing the V3 adjustable comb and found that I could now easily get a good sight picture through the scope since I could place my cheek lower in the comb-less depression. I have a set of high Warne rings on order which should prove to be an easy fix.
The mags fed flawlessly my .308 reloads. Although very light in weight, they felt solid. Each magazine inserted positively and could be removed effortlessly. It'd be cool to have some kind of weighted base that could be screwed or bolted on. The follower springs are very firm. It took a bit of effort to squeeze in rounds past 6 or so. I didn't really load more than 5 rounds at a time into the mags while shooting from the bench, so I'll have to pursue this further.*
*EDIT: made 10 dummy rounds which all fit into a mag OK, albeit with a bit of firm thumb pressure for rounds 8 to 10. With the mag fully loaded with 10 dummy rounds a firm slap was required to slam the magazine into battery. All 10 dummy rounds cycled smoothly through the action with nary a hiccup.
Because of my difficulty in getting a decent sight picture, I opted to delay any performance evaluation until I get the scope re-installed with the new (high) rings to get a comfortable shooting position. I was pleased that for the initial 25-meter sight in that the last three zeroing shots cut a single hole through the bullseye. Not spectacular for such a short distance, to be sure, but it spells well for future 100 to 300 yard target shooting. Looking forward to my next range session!
