Looking for an ergonomic and affordable chassis system for your next tactical or hunting rifle? Consider the new ORYX chassis. It’s available now starting with a $399.00 MSRP. That’s less than half the price of many popular chassis systems. The fully adjustable ORYX modular aluminum chassis system has versions to fit Remington 700, Savage, Howa, Ruger American, and Tikka T3 actions.
Legacy Sports International is now shipping the new ORYX Bolt Action Chassis Rifle Stocks by MDT. The solid aluminum chassis can replace your standard rifle stock, providing a more versatile, modern, and ergonomic shooting experience.
ORYX stocks are offered for Howa’s Mini Action, Short Action, and Long Action. In addition, ORYX Chassis systems are available for Remington 700 Short Action, Ruger American Short Action, Savage 110 Short Action, and Tikka T3 Short Action models. This affordable, aluminum chassis is compatible with AICS mags. LOP adjusts from 13.25 to 15 inches, and there is an adjustable cheek riser. The ORYX chassis features a contoured fore-end grip and overmolded pistol grip designed to fit hands of all sizes. ORYX chassis MSRP is $399.00 from Legacy Sports International.
The ORYZ is “Drop in Ready” — simply remove your action from your original manufacturer stock, drop it into the ORYX chassis system, and you are in business in less than 10 minutes. There are three color panel options available to go with the black aluminum chassis frame; OD Green, Flat Dark Earth, and Gray. The MDT ORYX Chassis is offered for all these action types:
Howa Mini Action
Howa 1500 Short Action and Long Action
Remington 700 Short Action
Ruger American Short Action
Savage Model 10 Short Action
Tikka T3 Short Action
6.5 Guys Review Howa Rifle with ORYX Chassis
At SHOT Show 2019, the 6.5 Guys visited the Legacy Int’l booth. There they checked out Howa’s new tactical rig with MDT ORYX chassis and Howa 1500 barreled action. The 6.5 Guys were able to shoot this rig during media day and were quite impressed.
Complete M1500 Rifle with ORYX Chassis for $1059.00 MSRP
Legacy also offers the Howa M1500 ORYX rifle model, starting at $1059.00 MSRP. The M1500 ORYX comes in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win, .300 BLK, .223 Rem, 7.62×39, and 6.5 Grendel. Howa also offers a long-action model in .300 Win Mag. Color options are: OD Green, Flat Dark Earth and Gray. You can also purchase a version with Nikko Stirling 30mm 4-16x44mm scope.
Are you a PRS shooter or tactical competitor who may have to leave cartridge brass on the ground during a match? Or are you a varmint hunter who may need 1000+ cases for a big varmint safari? Here’s a deal for you — 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel brass for under forty cents ($0.40) per case. Right now Midsouth is running a big sale on bulk-bag, Hornady-brand 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel brass. The 6.5 Creedmoor is $194.99 for 500 cases, while the 6.5 Grendel is $184.99 for 500 cases. Either way you’ll pay less than $40 per hundred. Compare that to $110+ for some premium brands of brass for these cartridge types.
“Wait a minute”, you might say, “why would I want Hornady brass — shouldn’t I be using Lapua brass instead?” Well yes, in most situations you should use Lapua brass — you get what you pay for. Premium Lapua brass will deliver better ES/SD, better accuracy, and last longer (a LOT longer).
However, there are situations when you cannot recover your brass during a match or the range does not allow you to retrieve brass. Rather than leave precious Lapua brass on the ground, this cheap Hornady brass is a cost-effective alternative.
Likewise, if you need hundreds (or even thousands) of cases for a varmint hunt, where sub-MOA accuracy will suffice, you may want to buy this Hornady brass to get more quantity for your money. With this deal you can get FIVE HUNDRED cartridge cases for less than you’d pay for 200 premium 6.5 CM or 6.5 Grendel cases. That makes a difference when you may prepare 1000+ rounds for a multi-day varmint safari.
Our friend Dennis Santiago was recently conducting training for a Southern California Police Department. During a training session one of the unit’s AR15s stopped functioning. The problem — the bolt in the AR rifle broke in half. Dennis states: “They ran the gun dry, broke for lunch, shot it again. They don’t like that. I personally like to flood the bolt wet with lube on training days. It prevents stuff like this. Given that, it’s a simple remove-and-replace fix.”
Here are some of the more interesting comments about this parts failure — an AR bolt that literally sheared in half:
“If I was a betting man [the steel] wasn’t made by Carpenter Steel. They are one of the few companies that use the correct [milspec-steel, C-158] called out on the drawing which they coincidentally developed. Most of the other companies that make [AR Bolts] use different steel with the same heat treat specification as what is called out which gives them the potential of being a little on the brittle side at the upper end of the tolerance. When it comes to the AR platform, bolts are probably the only part of the entire gun where I must admit to being a little bit of a brand snob.” David O’N.
[Editor’s Note: Actually Carpenter Steel does not make AR bolts. They are a steel supplier, and yes Carpenter did develop the original C-158 steel for AR bolts. Here is a contrary view, claiming that AISI 9310 Steel is actually stronger than milspec Carpenter C-158: 9310 Steel for AR Bolts.]
“Dry bolt and carrier shouldn’t cause that. Looks like a big pressure spike. What kind of ammo…?” Guy G.
Reply from Dennis: “55gr factory ammo.Piles of it.”
“Is that the new two-piece bolt everyone’s been talking about LOL?” — Darren R.
“Let me guess…the PD called you in cause they didn’t know why it stopped going ‘pew pew’?” — Jim O.
Reply from Dennis: “I was there today for qualifications. It broke during the rifle phase. Simple enough to fish the bolt parts out of the action. The training didn’t miss a beat. I have an armory full of the things.”
PRS and NRL fans — and really anyone interested in “move and shoot” type competitions — should definitely watch this video. It’s excellent. No hype folks — this Editor has watched dozens of PRS/tactical videos and this is one of the best filmed and edited. You get a real feel for the competition — the challenges, the gun-handling, the hardware, and, of course, the camaraderie.
GREAT VIDEO — WATCH PRS Finale Down Under in Australia:
NOTE: Click Speaker Icon to play audio.
This video covers the 2018 Vortex Season Finale in Buchan, Victoria, Australia. This was the culmination of the Australia Precision Rifle Series (AUS PRS). To say it looks like fun is an understatement. We wish we could have participated.
More Aussie PRS Matches in 2019 Starting This Month
There are more Aussie Matches in 2019, starting with a Victoria match at the end of this month, on March 29-31, 2019. So far, FIVE matches are locked in for the 2019 season, with another TWO being planned:
March 29th – 31st | SSAA Mildura, VIC
May 10th – 12th | Pracitcal Shooting SA (Monarto, SA)
CLICK HERE for Full Review of Ruger Precision Rimfire by True Pearce of GunsAmerica.com. This particular rifle shot dime-sized groups at 50 yards with CCI Mini Mags and Federal AutoMatch.
Affordable, Versatile, Chassis-Style Rimfire Rifle
There has been a lot of interest in the Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle, particularly among PRS shooters looking for an affordable, chassis-style cross-training rig. Ruger Precision Rifle owners also favor the .22 LR rimfire “baby brother” because it shares similar ergonomics with the bigger, centerfire RPRs.
Shooting USA will broadcast a great episode today, February 27, 2019. There are three segments worth watching. First the TV show spotlights the popular GAP Grind, a Pro-Am PRS event at the K&M Precision complex in Tennessee. Then this episode covers Hornady’s Zombies in the Heartland multi-gun match. This popular event, hosted in Nebraska every year, is one of the biggest three-gun shoots in the nation. Finally there is a historical feature on the 7-barrel Nock Volley gun from the late 1700s.
SHOW TIMES: This Shooting USA Episode airs February 27, 2019 (Wednesday) at 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific; 8:00 PM Central.
PART ONE: GAP Grind Feature on Shooting USA
Lots of Action, with 20+ Stages
The GAP Grind is a notoriously challenging, “high tempo” match with minimal down-time between stages. Over the course of 20+ stages, competitors will fire 200+ shots at a variety of steel, paper, moving, and reactive targets out to 1,200 yards. Targets vary in size/difficulty based on the shooter’s position, distance, and time allotted. Most stages include “stressors” — i.e. time limits or required movement(s).
The GAP Grind is held at the impressive K&M Shooting Complex:
Lots of Action, with 20+ Stages
The GAP Grind is a notoriously challenging, “high tempo” match with minimal down-time between stages. Over the course of 20+ stages, competitors will fire 200+ shots at a variety of steel, paper, moving, and reactive targets out to 1,200 yards. Targets vary in size/difficulty based on the shooter’s position, distance, and time allotted. Most stages include “stressors” — i.e. time limits or required movement(s).
Josh Temnnen Facebook photo.
GAP Grind Hardware
You’ll find the latest and greatest PRS hardware at the GAP grind. Notable this year was the fact that many top competitors “stepped down” from the 6.5/6mm Creedmoor to the smaller, more efficient 6mm Dasher (and other 6BR Improved) cartridges. The Dasher offers excellent accuracy with less recoil than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Also, many top shooters are now running Kahles optics. Photo by Shelley Giddings.
PART TWO: Zombies in the Heartland
Pandemic: Zombies in the Heartland
Every year Hornady hosts the very popular Zombies in the Heartland event. This “Pandemic” 3-Gun fun match, one of the biggest three-gun shoots in the nation, was hosted by Hornady this past summer, June 1-3, 2018 at the Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island, Nebraska. The Pandemic featured a rich prize table worth over $150,000. Prizes include pistols, rifles, shotguns, scopes, AR uppers, gun parts, and gear of all kinds.
The Pandemic is a veritable theme park for shootists, with many fun stages and innovative targets. Many unique, reactive zombie targets have been developed specifically for this match. The use of paper targets has been minimized — so it’s mostly “bang and clang”.
There were ten multi-gun stages this past year. Rifles, pistols and shotguns are used on most stages. There were also fun side-matches. We highly recommend you watch the video below to see highlights from a past Pandemic.
2017 Zombies in the Heartland Highlights Video. Guys, this well-made video is WORTH WATCHING! This video offers Shooter’s POV views of many stages including full auto:
Berger Bullets has created some impressive solid bullets for Extreme Long Range (ELR) shooting. These ultra-long, lathe-turned solids were unveiled at SHOT Show 2019, and they should reach Berger dealers by Mid-April this year. To test their consistency and develop refined BC numbers, the Applied Ballistics test team has braved cold winter weather to test Berger’s new 379 grain solids. The results have been impressive.
The Applied Ballistics testers have loaded the new Berger solids in an innovative .375-Caliber cartridge called the .375 EnABELR. This is slightly shorter than a .375 CheyTac so it allows the round to mag-feed. The brass is made by Peterson. The testers report: “We’ve been loading and shooting a pile of .375 EnABELR this month. The Berger 379gr Solids are proving to be incredibly consistent. Here’s a 10-shot string for one of our guns, shots number 931-940.”
The .375 EnABELR is achieving impressive velocities — 2990 FPS — with the 379-grainers from a 30″ barrel. The test team states: “We’ve been shooting [a 30″-long] 1:7″ twist which works good, but are going to try some 1:8″ and 1:9″ also”.
The .375 EnABELR Cartridge — Big and Fast
The .375 EnABELR cartridge was designed to offer .375 CheyTac performance in a slightly shorter package: “The problem with the .375 CheyTac is that, when loaded with the highest performance .375 caliber bullets (379-407 gr Berger Solids, and the 400-425 grain Cutting Edge Lazers) the round is not magazine feed-able in any action that’s sized for CheyTac cartridges.
“Knowing the .375 CheyTac produced substantial performance, and that it was just too long for magazine feeding, made it easy to converge on a design for the .375 EnABELR. We just had to make the case short enough to achieve magazine length with the desired bullets, while adding a little more diameter to keep the case capacity similar to the .375 CheyTac. The resulting basic shape is quite similar in proportions to the successful .338 Norma Magnum Cartridge which, interestingly, was selected as the cartridge for General Dynamics Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG).”
Brass Source — Purchase the Peterson-made .338 EnABELR and .375 EnABELR brass through the Applied Ballistics WebStore. Price for both .338 EnABELR and .375 EnABELR is $125.00 for 50 cases.
File photo showing Kestrel 5700 Elite. See video below for 6.5 Creedmoor rifle.
It’s not easy to place a first shot on target at 1500 yards. You must measure the wind speed with precision, know your exact muzzle velocity, and have a sophisticated ballistics solver. In this short video from Ryans Range Report, the shooter manages a first-round hit on a steel silhouette at 1500 yards. He used a Kestrel 4500 NV Weather Meter with Applied Ballistics software to figure out the trajectory for his 6.5 Creedmoor rounds.
The Kestrel recorded a wind velocity, and the internal software calculated a solution of 17 Mils elevation (that’s 928 inches of drop) with 2.5 Mils windage. “Bang” — the shooter sends it, and 2.6 seconds later “Clang” he had a hit (flight time was 2.6 seconds). Bryan Litz observes: “This is the science of accuracy (in the form of an Applied Ballistics Kestrel) being put to good use at 1500 yards”.
Later in the video (1:05-1:15) the shooter places three rounds on steel at 1000 yards in just 10 seconds. The three shots all fall within 10″ or so — pretty impressive for rapid fire. The shooter reports: “[In my 6.5 Creedmoor] I’m using a 136gr Lapua Scenar L. This bullet has impressed me. It screams out of my barrel at 2940 fps and holds on all the way out to 1,500 yards.”
The rifle was built by Aaron Roberts of Roberts Precision Rifles (RPRifles.com). Chambered for the 6.5 Creedmoor, it features a Leupold Mark VI 3-18x44mm scope.
Roberts Precision Rifles
19515 Wied Rd. Suite D
Spring, Texas 77388
Phone: 281-651-5593
Email: rprifles @ gmail.com
No personal rifle collection is complete without a .50 BMG — the big boy. The single-shot, bolt-action Noreen is one of the most affordable Fifties. This 32-pound beast boasts a 34″ barrel with a massive muzzle brake. Simple and bomb proof, what more could you need? The .50 BMG Noreen Ultra Long Range (ULR) rifle features a single shot bolt action, 34″ barrel with 1:15″ twist, Noreen collapsible stock, A2 pistol grip, timney adjustable trigger, and Noreen muzzle brake with 1.25-12 thread. NOTE: The photo above shows one version with a custom camo paint job. You’ll have to do that yourself. The gun is available from EuroOptic.com at this $2149.00 price only with a matte black finish.
The Noreen’s bolt is stout, sporting a large diameter bolt body. This jumbo-sized rifle comes with Timney trigger and AR-type pistol grip (which can be exchanged by purchaser). The wide bipod is included with the rifle. EuroOptic now offers the Noreen .50 BMG in Matte Black for $2149.00 price. Heck you could pay that much for a puny little .22 LR Anschutz. So go BIG instead — be the first on your block with a .50 BMG! You can also purchase this rig directly from Noreen Firearms, with a choice of four calibers: .338 Lapua Magnum, .408 CheyTac, .416 Barrett, and .50 BMG.
About the .50 BMG Cartridge
The .50 Browning Machine Gun (.50 BMG, aka 12.7×99mm NATO or 50 Browning) is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. Under STANAG 4383, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. John Browning had the idea for this round during World War I in response to a need for an anti-aircraft weapon, based on a scaled-up .30-06 Springfield design, used in a machine gun based on a scaled-up M1919/M1917 design that Browning had initially developed around 1900. According to the American Rifleman: “The Browning .50 originated in the Great War. American interest in an armor-piercing cartridge was influenced by the marginal French 11 mm design, prompting U.S. Army Ordnance officers to consult Browning. They wanted a heavy projectile at 2700 FPS, but the ammunition did not exist. Browning pondered the situation and, according to his son John, replied, ‘Well, the cartridge sounds pretty good to start. You make up some cartridges and we’ll do some shooting’.”
Every year our friends Ed and Steve, aka the 6.5 Guys, produce informative SHOT Show videos. These two hard-working dudes visited dozens of product booths during SHOT Show 2019, producing over 40 video interviews for 65Guys.com. Ed and Steve roamed the Expo Center finding the latest and greatest rifles, stocks, optics, and accessories. Here are five 6.5 Guys Videos about new rifles and chassis systems. Next week we’ll feature more 6.5 Guys videos covering new optics. You can see all 42 SHOT Show 2019 videos from Ed and Steve on the 6.5 Guys YouTube Channel.
Modular Driven Technologies
Modular Driven Technologies (MDT) produces impressive chassis systems with innovative features, including modular weights. MDT is now a top choice for the PRS/NRL tactical disciplines. Steve was quite impressed by the new MDT ACC. See more at MDTTac.com.
Accuracy International — Mile High Shooting Accessories
One of the most impressive rifles at SHOT Show 2019 was the massive Accuracy Int’l Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) at the Mile High Shooting Accessories booth. The Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) will be submitted for SOCOM’s multi-caliber rifle program. It is offered in a $19,544 deployment kit with three barrels: (.308 Win, .300 Norma Mag, and .338 Norma Mag).
Seekins Precision — Complete Rifles and Actions
Seekins Precision showcased some impressive custom actions plus complete rifles for both tactical competitors and long range hunters. We were impressed with the build quality of the Seekins precision rifles. We liked the new Seekins Havak Bravo, and the Seekins action has some interesting features, such as four locking lugs with 90° bolt throw. Full Seekins Havak Bravo Review.
Gunwerks — Long Range Precision Rifles
Gunwerks is more than a builder of expensive (some say over-priced) rifles. It also sells branded electro-optics, and suppressors. Gunwerks also runs shooting clinics, and has hundreds of training and hunting videos on the Gunwerks YouTube channel. We like what Gunwerks is doing in the media space. Here the 6.5 Guys showcase some of the latest rifle and stock options from Gunwerks. Steve said he liked the adjustability and ergonomics on the Gunwerks stocks.
Legacy Sports International (Howa)
Legacy Sports Int’l (LSI) offers a variety of hunting and tactical rifles featuring the smooth-running Howa actions from Japan. At SHOT Show 2019, Legacy previewed a new tactical rig featuring a modular MDT Oryx chassis and Howa 1500 barreled action. The 6.5 Guys got to shoot this rig during media day and were impressed. This will be offered for Howa Short, Long, and Mini Actions.
Pandemic: Zombies in the Heartland
It’s not easy to place a first shot on target at 1500 yards. You must measure the wind speed with precision, know your exact muzzle velocity, and have a sophisticated ballistics solver. In this short video from 
