MDT Tactical LSS Remington 700 Chassis System ReviewEverything seems to snowball for me and this is what happened when I started looking at Remington 700 Short Action Chassis Systems, so you can now expect a string of reviews featuring and reviewing all the various Remington 700 aftermarket chassis I have amassed for testing. My hope is to work through all the reviews and then deliver a final buyers guide with all my condensed finding and perspective on pros and cons of each chassis.
The main question everyone will ask is why go to the trouble and expense to move from a factory stock to a billet chassis system like this MDT LSS or a premium target stock? The answer is usually consistency and improved accuracy due to a platform which is not affected by weather and humidity, and provides the same positive and precision grip/bedding on the action from shot to shot. These higher end chassis also free-floats the barrel for the best possible accuracy from your Remington 700 barreled action and in most cases feature positive mechanical bedding which further increases accuracy and negate the need for the mess of resin or epoxy bedding the action. Some of these stocks also deliver integrated AICS style box magazine compatibility which saves you around $200 for a “bottom metal” magazine adapter for your factory stock. If you want the best accuracy possible from your Remington 700 Action and additional features, then it makes sense to look at one of these chassis systems.
I am starting my chassis testing adventure with the MDT Tactical LSS (Light Sniper System) for the Remington 700 Short Action. It is simple and easy to install and about as minimalist as it get for the shooter wanting to improve accuracy over a standard factory stock without the bulk and weight of traditional “match grade” stocks and chassis. In fact the MDT LSS is one of the lightest billet chassis on the market at only 1.6lbs and may even be lighter than your factory stock when fully accessoried. The MDT LSS delivers a very light chassis for the shooter who wants “sniper grade” precision accuracy in as light a format as possible. One feature MDT offers which most billet sniper chassis manufactures do not, are models for many other firearm brands including Tikka, Howa, Weatherby, Mossberg, and Savage. If you have something other than a Remington 700, MDT gives you some options.
FIT, FINISH, FEEL, FEATURES, & FUNCTIONSIn my case I have the Remington SPS Tactical .308 Short Action rifle which featured a Hogue stock from the factory. Its a good entry level stock, however the SPS can certainly benefit from a more rigid, less flexi, and more adaptable stock. Installation is as simple as removing two screws and reattaching the MDT LSS chassis to your barreled action. No need to remove anything other than the bolt to install this chassis.
MDT offers the modestly priced $399.99 LSS chassis in left or right handed models and a choice of FDE, ODG, or Black for chassis colors. The buyer supplies the AR15 buffer tube, castle nut, stock and “non-beavertail” pistol grip of their choice thus allowing an almost unlimited amount of customization depending on the wants and needs of the buyer. I used a commercial spec buffer tube with a Rogers FDE stock and standard MilSpec grip on my stock. I do highly recommend the Rogers stocks for this application simply because it has a cam lock system which locks down the buttstock tight and effectively provides the feel of a fixed stock without any wiggle. According to MDT, other “Sniper style” rifle length buffer tube stocks will work on this chassis, however the intent of this chassis was to minimize weight. Those heavy sniper stocks can be made to work with an adapter, however they go against the design goals of this stock and may not provide the adjustability required to get a proper stock length. Screw on your stock and grip of choice and you are ready to hit the range.The Type III Milspec anodized finish and fit of the MDT LSS Remington 700 chassis are superb and the machining is all well thought out with an obvious attention to maximizing strength while reducing as much superfluous weight as possible.
Most people want to move away from the reliable but limiting hinged floorplate magazine in favor of a AICS box feed magazine. The MDT LSS Chassis features an integrated magazine well and latch which supports all AICS .223/.308 style magazines such as those made from AICS, Ruger Gunsite (steel only), Magpul’s AICS PMag, Alpha Double Stack (the shortest overall magazine), and even MDTTAC’s own $40 308 AICS style mags. Feeding is the same as with the factory floor plate magazine, but now you have the ability to just do a quick mag swap when you want to clear the gun or need more ammo. Considering most “bottom metal” runs around $200, this $400 chassis starts looking like a steal.
A few other features I like about the MDT LSS stock is that it features a mechanical bedding system which MDT claims to be as good as resin bedding. The open top of the stock does not require the need for a special scope base or extended high scope rings like some chassis I have tested. If your rifle already has a great scope, leave it on and it will fit without interference on the LSS chassis. For some other chassis designs, the scope based and optic rings do need to be moved or raised due to handguard interference.
MDT includes a front swivel stud which can be positioned at several points along the bottom rail or you can mount a standard Magpul 7 or 11-slot picatinny rail to the underside of the chassis instead. Overall the LLS packs a lot of features into a chassis which is one solid piece of billet aluminum into a price which will likely be the least expensive of the chassis systems tested.Of note the MDT LSS chassis did seem to move the needle when it comes to accuracy. The accuracy improvement was the same as any of the other chassis I am currently testing which equated to about a 15% improvement in my accuracy over the factory Hogue stock. This basically pushed my best .65”ish groups to just over .5” and my more typical .8”-.9” groups down to the .7”-.75” mark. Not transformational, however it is an improvement. I can only speculate based on my experience, but this stock in combination with a match trigger upgrade could increase accuracy by as much as 30% depending on your trigger.
THIS BUILDRemington 700 SPS Tactical barreled action, xTreme Hardcore Level Scope Based and Rings, Lucid 4-16x44 Crossover Optic.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The MDT LSS (light Sniper System) Chassis is light trim and customizable based on the needs of the shooter all with top notch quality and machining and finish in a price point that anyone can swallow. For $399, this is one of the easiest, simplest and least expensive options to get all the features and enhancements people want for very little cash.
SPECS
The LSS supports bolt-on MIL-STN-1913 accessory mounting rails on the bottom of the fore-end. Mounting holes are spaced for Magpul style L5 (11 slots) and L3 (7 slots) rails (1.600” / 3.200”). Maximum length of rail that can be used is 6.5".
The LSS chassis is engineered to minimize warping and distortion. The rifle receiver only makes contact with the LSS chassis on it's V shaped bedding and recoil lug area ensuring the best accuracy and repeatability. The fore-end's generous clearance allows OEM standard and Bull barrels to free float up to 1" Diameter.Supported Remington Models:
Remington Model 7 using .223 or .308 magazines.
Remington Model 700 Short Action using .223 or .308 magazines
Remington Model 700 Long Action using .300WM or .338LM magazines
Remington Model 783 - Short Calibers, using .223 or .308 magazines,
Weight: 1.6lb - 1.7lb
Designed for AR-15 collapsible butt-stocks. Optional adapter can be purchased for fixed rifle stocks
Accepts most AR-15 grips. (We recommend Hogue or Ergo Grips)
Fits AICS / AM Magazines in .223 and .308 (SA), .300WM and .338LM (LA)
Cerakote Finish in Black or Flat Dark Earth (FDE) and Olive Drab Green (ODG)
Also available for Savage, Tikka T3 and Mossberg MVP
SOURCES
MDT Tactical - http://mdttac.com/chassis-systems/
Other Products Featured
Remington - http://www.remington.com/
Lucid - http://www.mylucidgear.com/
xTreme Hardcore Gear - http://xtremehardcoregear.com/