Stocks vs. Chassis

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

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My cheek piece looks like yours now as that was a quick pop on for comfort but wrapped it soon after. The T2A works well too on a match rifle. My TCS should be here this month and I will move that stock to my Vudoo.

Great looking RIG!!!!!!!!

 

[mudflap621]

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This a stock or chassis? I just don't know anymore lol. To add to my previous statement, I personally am finding that even for prs I prefer the softer feeling of a stock and I do prefer the aesthetics. It is a little harder to get things like balance and ergonomics where you like them but with experience you will learn to build them to your liking.

Thanks so far I'm pleased the way it came out. Still breaking it in. Got 100 fireform rounds down the tube and another 200 loaded up. My 6 year old is a little ****ed he won't be able to go to college now but i told him he could have it when the barrel was burnt out.

 

[TX Badger]

I am new to assembling custom rifles. I just finished a .223 recently with a McMillan A5. I am now working on a 7 SAUM for the range. I greatly prefer the looks of a nice stock such as the A5, but I see the majority of long range shooters using chassis systems now. Why exactly is that? I may be able to be talked into a chassis, but I just don't love how they look.

Lots of talk in this thread about lightweight, but you don't mention weight concerns here. Maybe I missed where you injected that later on. If not, I really like my krg bravo. It's a chassis with a skin that makes it look more trad. It's not as fancy as a lot of the options mentioned here. But it won't break the bank, is super solid, is moderate weight, and mine shoots great.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I have determined, for me and the shooting I do, I do not like a chassis.

 

[mfran615]

I am not

Lots of talk in this thread about lightweight, but you don't mention weight concerns here. Maybe I missed where you injected that later on. If not, I really like my krg bravo. It's a chassis with a skin that makes it look more trad. It's not as fancy as a lot of the options mentioned here. But it won't break the bank, is super solid, is moderate weight, and mine shoots great.

I am not concerned about weight. When I say "range gun" I mean I will primarily be using it for fun at the range. I have a 700 yard range nearby and also a 1 mile range less than 2 hours away. I don't have any plans on doing any matches as I do not have enough time to get into another hobby at this stage of life. I have had a KRG Bravo, and I did not love it. While they do work just fine, I did not enjoy the plasticky feel. I've grown to love my A5 stock, and I believe I will be going that route with this rifle. I've been looking around at all the chassis suggestions here, and I'm just not loving them. Many seem to like the looks of a chassis, and many don't care how they look, but I do.

 

[25-06Stick]

Not sure what you think a trad stock weighs but there a multiple chassis at 2.5 and less pounds. Even in this thread there is info about it. The xlr, if you wish to go non-folder is well under 2 lbs. I think it is 1 lb 10 ounces. Pretty close to 1.5 lbs. My point is that there are options now for those who want to hunt with chassis and not sacrifice weight. MDT hunter chassis is at the 2lb mark I believe as well.

My normal hunting stick is a Styer Mountain Rifle in 25-06 with a 3-12 50mm optic. It is right at 7lbs. That's a fairly light rifle for a long action and a large optic. I also hunt with an old 03A3 that has been sporterized, and is also about a 7lb rifle. I have no doubt that there are several chassis options out there that will fill that bill, but I wonder how much a chassis rig like the MDT weighs with a 700 LA and sporter barrel with optics? Or, do you have to have a Proof carbon fiber barrel spun up to keep that weight down? Additionally, my rifle was about $600.00 new, not including optics. How much is an MDT chassis? How much is Proof barrel chambered and fitted? Does it do a bunch of stuff that you really need a hunting rifle to do? Maybe it does, and maybe I'm just old fashioned and behind the times, but then again, maybe I'm just pragmatic and have a hard time justifying the purchase of a firearm that doesn't really outperform my traditional firearms to the point that they justify their substantial cost. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and my above comments and musings are not meant to be incendiary or provocative. It is simply my perspective imparted to the readers of this thread.

 

[BrentM]

My normal hunting stick is a Styer Mountain Rifle in 25-06 with a 3-12 50mm optic. It is right at 7lbs. That's a fairly light rifle for a long action and a large optic. I also hunt with an old 03A3 that has been sporterized, and is also about a 7lb rifle. I have no doubt that there are several chassis options out there that will fill that bill, but I wonder how much a chassis rig like the MDT weighs with a 700 LA and sporter barrel with optics? Or, do you have to have a Proof carbon fiber barrel spun up to keep that weight down? Additionally, my rifle was about $600.00 new, not including optics. How much is an MDT chassis? How much is Proof barrel chambered and fitted? Does it do a bunch of stuff that you really need a hunting rifle to do? Maybe it does, and maybe I'm just old fashioned and behind the times, but then again, maybe I'm just pragmatic and have a hard time justifying the purchase of a firearm that doesn't really outperform my traditional firearms to the point that they justify their substantial cost. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and my above comments and musings are not meant to be incendiary or provocative. It is simply my perspective imparted to the readers of this thread.

Sporter barrels and carbon barrels generally weigh the same or close to it. The advantage of carbon is the fact you have a much more rigid barrel that doesn't walk when heated up, can handle heavy muzzle devices, and doesn't rust. It's not a requirement at all unless running a suppressor or brake. You have to have at least enough material to thread the barrel.

Chassis vs tupperware or wood stocks. Rigid is the name of the game. Most factory rifles sport a cheap plastic stock that is super light. Some shoot and some don't. This is why there is a pile of high end stocks developed with rigidity in mind for accuracy. Same as pillars, bedding, etc. Wood stocks can be an issue in extreme temp and moisture changes which is why synthetic stocks are generally accepted as better for bad climates. A chassis deals with all that crap like a champ. Rigid, light, doesn't need bedding, adjustable.........

Performance: Very subjective. This is a long range hunting page. Most LRH folks are not looking at a traditionally acceptable hunting range rifle. They are looking for ultra high precision long range rifles for extended ranges. People spend countless hours fine tuning hand loads, using high end glass, cool tech and gadgets, etc to shoot tiny groups way beyond traditional hunting range. Can all this be done with a oem cheap rifle...... Yep. Been there, done that, still have them in the safe.

The issue being brought up is that chassis in the past were pretty heavy. Most were 4-6 lbs when all set up. As a result people strayed away from chassis for hunting even tho that is the direction they went for ultra high precision rifle shooting. Seems very counterintuitive to me anyone excepts less accuracy out of their hunting rifle then they do a comp rifle. I want my long range rifle to be ultra precise since I plan to make 1 clean shot at hella long ways. As a result I hunt what I train with and I prefer a chassis. I have zero issue shooting a trad stock as well, just have my preference for how I set up for shots, how far I pack a rifle, and how far I generally shoot. So in the end I can stick a remington barreled action in a chassis that doesn't add much if any weight over a cheap oem stock. Which I mentioned 1.5-2lbs. Many of the stocks I have replaced that are el cheapo crap are close to 2 lbs with bottom metal etc. So, if a person wanted a chassis but thought they were too heavy, times have changed. Don't want one, don't need one, don't get one.

 

[TXTrained]

well said and explained. I agree 100%

A chassis works out better when you're running PRS/NRL type courses and that format seems to be dominant these days and since that's the dominant sport the marketplace and fashion is dominated by what they want. In PRS/NRL you need to attach and remove all matter of things like barricade stops and bipods and bags to it and the combinations change with each stage. You also want the whole thing as slender and rigid a thing as you can put your gun in and still have the barrel free float while being able to hang stuff off of the thing. Also all the chassis that I've ever seen allowed simple bolt in of the action without needing a bedding job. A fiberglass stock needs to be thicker to be as resistant to flex while allowing you to hang crud off of it and you'll want it bedded properly. Most PRS/NRL shooters end up wanting their rifle to be pretty darned heavy, even adding gobs of weight, to help reduce rifle movement under recoil. A metal chassis weighs a ton upside a fibreglass stock. There are some ultra lightweight chassis systems out there. I prefer a proper pistol grip and built in rails and the ability to drag it over a rock without taking a gouge out of it. I hunt a lot with chassis guns but I don't have to walk a very long way with them. If it's going to be very much walking then I'll take a conventionally stocked rifle over a chassis any day. I've done PRS matches with conventional fiberglass and wood stocks. It wasn't a major handicap in most cases but it was really seriously a problem in a few.