Reviews on the MDT LSS

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Frontier Gear
    Warrior
    • Nov 2017
    • 772

    Reviews on the MDT LSS

    Anybody have any thoughts on the MDT LSS for the Mini Howa? Specifically, I'm wondering:
    • How is the mag release? It looks like it uses the factory mags and has the release in the front. Is that an issue like it is with the factory Howa stocks?
    • What is the weight of the stock compared to the factory Howa stock?
    • Did you have to do any bedding?
    Engineer, FFL and Pastor
  • usmcm16a2
    Warrior
    • Aug 2015
    • 538

    #2
    Frontier,


    No bedding, works with Howa mags, mag latch minor Achilles heel. Pin some of the time Works loose. Have 2 Howa Heavy Barrels in the chassis love it! A2

    Comment

    • Sticks
      Chieftain
      • Dec 2016
      • 1922

      #3
      Mine has minimal movement with the action screws loose enough to try. I will be bedding mine anyhow. Just pushing the action all the way to the rear before torquing would be enough.

      I can not comment on the mag release pin working loose, only 40 rounds fired.

      The new version is Mlock, much better, wish I had that one.
      Sticks

      Catchy sig line here.

      Comment

      • Stinky Coyote
        Warrior
        • Dec 2017
        • 640

        #4
        I weigh everything on my builds with a digital baby scale for sheep hunting gear etc. it's ideal for a sheep hunting gear junkie. I'm still waiting for my #1 contour grendel action to arrive but i do have the mdt lss chassis and have weighed it.

        1 lb 13 oz on the nose.

        Other weights as follows.

        mil spec carbine tube and castle nut was 4.0 oz.
        hogue overmold grip w/finger grooves 2.5 oz
        magpul ctr stock 9.0 oz

        so far i love how it feels but until i get an action in it i can't comment forsure, i am concerned that the trigger guard area doesn't step down in thickness enough and there are some sharp edges at the bottom of the trigger guard where interfaces with grip, i can see for the kids and even myself getting the grinder out and trimming and smoothing. I look at the howa chassis pics and it appears they've stepped the thickness down there but they have more meat up around the barrel adding weight. I'm going for a hunting build here that kids will use etc. so i'll be sticking with the mdt lss and i have no issues modding stuff like that myself. so take it for what it's worth.

        basically the chassis with those accessories installed came out 1 lb added, so 2 lb 13 oz altogether with mil spec tube/grip/ctr stock, i know my scale will round up or down only to the half oz.

        the barreled action is listed at 3.6 lbs, and i know talley lightweight rings which i ordered will land between 2 and 2.5 oz....so before scope i have it figured this little rig will weight about 102.6 oz.... 6.4125 lbs with rings. Which for a chassis build that can go say 800 yrds for fun/coyotes maybe and 5-600 on game i'll be thrilled...that's light.

        i've had thoughts of turning that chassis over to my machinest for a little slabbing and swiss cheesing also but that's if i decide i want a little mountain rig for myself on a chassis style build....so it is possible to do a hunt friendly, even mountain hunt friendly build with the grendel #1 in the mdt lss

        just to illustrate how a sheep hunter would really dream this grendel chassis build out here's what it would look like in my fantasy...stainless barreled action, then the slabbed/swiss cheesed mdt lss with my machinest working his magic, everything else is fine, i think i'm going to prefer a thinner more vertical grip too so looks like hogue has a nylon 15 degree under 2 oz and running a leupold fxII 6x36 with elevation target knob added at 10 oz i'd have easily get the scoped set up under 7 lbs, maybe as low as 6.5. Throw a titanium folding stock adapter into the mix and jam that little puppy in the pack for near perfection. did i say sheep hunters are obsessed? lol
        Last edited by Stinky Coyote; 02-07-2018, 03:59 PM.

        Comment

        • Frontier Gear
          Warrior
          • Nov 2017
          • 772

          #5
          Thanks guys.

          Stinky Coyote,
          We are thinking along the same lines. I was debating on the light weight barrel and cutting it down to 16". Then possibly have parts of the chassis Rhino lined for winter hunting (along the sides and under the fore arm). It would make a nice and light 400 yard hunting gun. Kind of like a brush gun, but with a lot more reach.
          Engineer, FFL and Pastor

          Comment

          • Stinky Coyote
            Warrior
            • Dec 2017
            • 640

            #6
            i like it

            i'd have leupold throw an lr duplex in a vx3 2.5-8 and zero at 200. Then learn the two dots at 8x would be close-ish to 300 and 400 and you know you would also have another 100-ish yards more hold over for a coyote or fun where the post thickens back up under the second dot. Or you could just work your way back from 400 yards? Zero that second dot at 400 and work your way back to see where the 1st dot is and your zero ends up. Could be like 175 zero and 275 1st dot sort of thing? you'd have the distance capability your after in a scope that weighed 10-11 oz. Those are my main scopes, vx3 2.5-8 either with standard dial up target knob that i end up matching the load to speed dial turret or i have them put in the lr duplex reticle. The other one is the fxII 6x36 that i'll configure the same, that scope is 10 oz whether you put a standard elevation knob on it or not, my scale still shows 10 oz. As a minimalist the leupy's offer the most per oz going for 0-600 yrd hunting duty imo. When i need to go further then i like the vx3 or mk4 4.5-14 30mm side focus with standard windage knob and the target elevation knob....or the vx3 6.5-20x40 version...same knob configurations....low profile windage, target elevation w/dust caps. They again can't be beat for the weight/performance ratio for sheep nuts.

            I'd like to see you build when done, so get crackin.

            i'll be posting my cz and howa mdt lss builds before summer so stay tuned
            Last edited by Stinky Coyote; 02-07-2018, 08:03 PM.

            Comment

            • jason miller
              Warrior
              • Dec 2016
              • 182

              #7
              For reference, the standard stock on mine was 973 grams, or 34.32 ounces. I spent a few hours on it and got it down to 820 grams after paint and clear coat, which is 28.92 ounces. I also whittled the stock on my .223 Mini down to 747 grams(26.35oz) after paint and clear coat, which is about as light as one could possibly go without shortening the length of pull.

              Talleys weigh 62 grams, or 2.19 ounces. The barreled action on my 20" heavy barrel Grendel is 1881 grams, or 66.35 ounces. The barreled action on my 22" standard .223 is 1709 grams, or 60.28 ounces.

              I don't know that I'd want to put a 20" lightweight barreled action into a chassis for balance purposes, personally. I've lately been wishing I would have gone with the 22" standard on my Grendel instead of the 20" heavy. Having a .264" hole through the middle of it instead of a .224" hole would probably take another 2-3 ounces off the weight, and it would be possible to get very near 5.5 lbs with a sanded factory stock. And the .565" muzzle diameter of the standard 22" barrel is already a pretty thin contour.

              My .223 is 102.43 ounces, or 6.40 lbs, with a Leupold 2-7x33 on it. It would probably be right at or just under 100 ounces if it were exactly the same except a Grendel instead of a .223. Even with the heavy barrel and the stock not being sanded as much, my Grendel would be 110.54 ounces, or 6.91 lbs if I were to swap the Talleys and 2-7 over to it.
              Last edited by jason miller; 02-12-2018, 05:32 PM.

              Comment

              • jason miller
                Warrior
                • Dec 2016
                • 182

                #8
                Also, fwiw, that Leupold 2-7x33 is 281 grams. The 6x36 I used to have was in the same ballpark. So was the Weaver 6x38. The Leupold 3-9x40 I have is 310. The 2.5-8x36 I used to have was 323, I think. The 4-12x40 I have is 336, and the Mark AR 3-9 is 344. There are 28.35 grams in an ounce.

                And I have a scale that weighs to the gram because I used to be kind of obsessive about tennis racquets. I'm no sheep hunter. Although I did manage to climb twenty-some of Colorado's "14ers" while I lived there. About half of which were with a 40ish pound kid on my shoulders in addition to my pack with clothes, water, and snacks. I can only say "40ish" because he was growing and my digital scale only goes up to about 5 lbs.
                Last edited by jason miller; 02-12-2018, 06:28 PM.

                Comment

                • Stinky Coyote
                  Warrior
                  • Dec 2017
                  • 640

                  #9
                  Right on! An obsessed gear junky! I'll be referencing some of that data for sure, thanks.

                  Balance i think will be very good with the light action but won't be able to tell until that action shows up. I can report final weights for the cz as i'll build it. The warne med rings finally showed up, and as far as i know they are the lowest option for the cz's but they are pigs at 5.5 oz for the pair. Same as the factory cz rings. The leupold rings which middle in height between the two are 4.5 oz. Talley please hook the cz crowd up with some alum. options! The clearance on the bolt and scope is perfect. Around 1/8" with the fxII 6x36 with standard target elevation knob installed...it's 10.0 oz. Total weight is 7 lb 2.5 oz. I'm really happy with the set up. That's the right scope height etc. Took a bit of work and running around to do a cz 527 up right but what a sweety now, can't wait to finish the set up, collect the drop data for matching speed dial turret and final zero etc. and spend the rest of days hunting.

                  Comment

                  • Stinky Coyote
                    Warrior
                    • Dec 2017
                    • 640

                    #10
                    Howa action as landed.

                    3 lb 10 oz including the plastic bottom metal that doesn't transfer to the chassis.(maybe an oz?)

                    With the previously mentioned carbine mil-spec tube/castle nut, mdt lss chassis, magpul ctr stock, hogue finger groove rubberized grip, and the howa grendel 20" #1 we are sitting at exactly 6 lb 5.5 oz...it fluttered between 5.5 and 6.0 oz so it's wanting to round to the nearest half oz. When i weigh the talley rings for example it rounded down to 2.0 oz but when you add the rings to the rifle it rounded up to 6 lb 8.0 oz and when i added the 10.5 oz leupold vx2 2-7x33 with elevation target knob it was exactly 7 lb 3.0 oz. So both the cz and the howa as set up before scope were identical in weight...the weight is in different places of course but they came out even. The cz barrel runs measured 23.5" and the howa measured 20". The cz oal is 42.5" and the howa can strink down to 36 3/4". If i put the folding stock adapter on then oal folded equaled 30.5".

                    The weight creeps up fast on the chassis when you add folding stock adapter, cheek riser piece, different recoil pad etc. so luckily the low talley rings don't require a cheek riser and this gun doesn't need any other additions. Want to keep it light and minimal for the kids so if anything i'll drop another oz off it by switching to the 1.8 oz(vs 2.5 oz of rubberized) polymer hogue 15 degree grip.

                    Without going to skeletonized actions and fluted pencil or carbon wrapped barrels this is about as light as you'll go on a chassis build as far as i can tell with whats available on the market.

                    So recap. The cz finished at 7 lb 2.5 oz with a 10 oz scope and the mdt lss as spec'd above finished at 7 lb 3.0 oz with a 10.5 oz scope. Identical before scope weights.

                    If you add 20 moa rails and heavy rings to the chassis and all the other little typical ar accessories then the weights will climb fast. So to go minimalist in lightweight i believe i've done it the only way before it starts to get expensive with custom machining/actions/barrels etc. For a straight throw together in your underwear chassis build that will likely go 600 yards no sweat and the kids can handle...this should do the trick.

                    Will need time to get the rounds and breakin identical to the cz and then i'll do some comparisons and chrony work etc.

                    Comment

                    • Frontier Gear
                      Warrior
                      • Nov 2017
                      • 772

                      #11
                      Thanks for the detailed report.
                      Engineer, FFL and Pastor

                      Comment

                      • Stinky Coyote
                        Warrior
                        • Dec 2017
                        • 640

                        #12
                        To MDT...pretty happy with the chassis for sure. Here's my one complaint. Its the transition area from the metal to the grip at the trigger guard. If you one hand the chassis to maneuver it say on shooting sticks to pivot on a coyote or simulate this you will find the chassis will cut into you and be quite uncomfortable. I will grind this one down and shape myself, find some paint and touch it up.

                        For prone traditional target work i doubt this an issue people notice as the rigs are too heavy to even attempt one handed handling but this set up is light enough to run as a hunter and that thickness and those edges at that area need attention. I'm sure you can throw one together and see what i'm saying, you'll feel it immediately.

                        Also, even with the 20" lightweight barrel i think the xl's extra few inches to the forearm would be nice option too. I can see the xl being popular even for the mini-action. Overall though i like the heck out of this set up so far.

                        Comment

                        • Stinky Coyote
                          Warrior
                          • Dec 2017
                          • 640

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Frontier Gear View Post
                          Thanks for the detailed report.
                          Anytime and the plastic latch that came with the action plastic bottom metal seemed easy to hit and released easy. The mdt chassis is more solid, metal, and protected. I wouldn't worry about it tripping in the field. Mdt chassis greatly improves on this part imo.

                          Also, with a 9-13 swivel harris bipod on the front it swings/handles/holds freehand like a champ. I really like it without also, quick handling for sure but still feels good to me and feels like it will be great on coyote stands with or without a bipod hanging off it.
                          Last edited by Stinky Coyote; 02-22-2018, 07:05 PM.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X