As the practical/tactical game has evolved, with low recoil and high accuracy becoming ever more important, many top competitors have moved to smaller cartridges such as the 6mm Dasher and its parent, the 6mmBR Norma. These cartridges deliver outstanding accuracy plus good barrel life. However, the “short, fat” 6BR/Dasher design doesn’t feed optimally in magazines designed for the .308 Win family of cases. Yes you can modify your own magazines (Mag Mod HERE), or buy a pricey conversion kit, but now there is a turn-key solution from MDT (Modular Driven Technologies).
MDT’s 6mm BR magazine fits the parent 6mmBR cartridge and all the popular varients including the 6 BRA, 6 Dasher, and 6 BRX. MDT says this new 12-round magazine is a “one-step solution [delivering] smooth, reliable feeding for the most popular rifle cartridges in precision rifle competitions.”
MDT built this AICS-pattern mag for PRS/NRL competitors and anyone wanting to run 6mmBR-family cartridges in mag-fed actions: “The limiting factor for competitors running 6mm BR variants has been feeding. Until now, the only option has been to purchase an AICS-pattern magazine plus an additional kit to make the magazines work with the shorter cartridges. This solution costs upwards of $100 or more and can require additional tuning to work in most rifles.”
The MDT 6mm BR mag has a maximum internal length of 2.580″, which accommodates pretty much any 6mm bullet you’d want to use. These MDT magazines are crafted from quality steel, nitride-treated, then black Cerakote finished inside and out. To reduce friction between cartridge and magazine body, MDT added two internal ribs which provide a smooth transition from double stack to single-feed.
Magazine Conversion — Use .308 Win Mags with Modified Followers
A decade ago we showed our readers how to modify .308 Win magazines to feed the 6mmBR cartridge efficiently. This procedure, explained by Texas gunsmith, Mike Bryant, is easy to do with simple tools. You can modify most standard magazines, both internal-style and detachable style. CLICK HERE for full, step-by-step magazine conversion article.
The basic procedure involves trimming the rear of the magazine, and creating a rear stop with a block from a Remington .223 magazine. Next the .308 Win magazine follower is shortened and beveled. Some guys tweak the feed lips a bit, but this may not be needed. Many of our readers have performed this simple magazine modification and report their rifles feed quite reliably. One reader, who converted a 7mm-08 hunting rig into a 22 Dasher varmint rifle, tells us his modified mag feeds flawlessly.
Three factory ammo types shot 0.53″, 0.55″, and 0.57″ respectively. That’s impressive.
Chassis rifles are hugely popular for PRS/NRL practical rifle competition. There are many good options for Production Class. You may not know that Weatherby, a company that built its reputation on hunting rifles, offers a great-shooting chassis rifle for PRS comps and other tactical disciplines.
Called the Vanguard® Modular Chassis (VMC), this rig has shown remarkable accuracy. Vanguard’s VMC features a Modular Driven Technologies (MDT) aluminum stock, Luth AR MBA-1 buttstock, and 22″ heavy barrel. The Weatherby Vanguard action is fitted with an adjustable 2-stage trigger. Priced at $1519.00 MSRP, this rifle can be campaigned in the PRS “Production Class”, which limits complete rifles to $2000.00 without optics. The rifle is offered in three chamberings: .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Winchester.
Weatherby says its Vanguard Modular Chassis tactical rifle is very accurate. To back that claim, Weatherby offers a SUB-MOA accuracy guarantee — Weatherby guarantees the rifle will shoot .99” or smaller 3-shot groups at 100 yards when used with Weatherby® factory or premium ammunition.
Near Half-MOA Accuracy with Factory Ammo (5-Shot Groups)
It turns out Weatherby’s accuracy claims are conservative. This tactical rifle is closer to a half-MOA rig than a 1-MOA gun. American Rifleman tested a .308 Win version of this rifle and recorded really stellar accuracy — close to half-MOA. What’s more, this rifle is not fussy — with a 1:10″-twist barrel it proved very accurate with six types of factory ammo, with three of types registering 0.57″ or better.
The rifle delivered near-half-inch 5-shot groups with two types of Hornady ammo along with Black Hills 168gr. The worst group of six ammo types tested, Black Hills 175gr, was 0.76″, still very impressive for factory fodder. With good hand-loads this gun could go well under half-MOA (for five shots).
Vanguard Modular Chassis FIVE-SHOT Factory Ammo Test Groups:
0.53 inches | Hornady 168gr Match BTHP (2718 fps)
0.55 inches | Hornady 155gr Steel Match (2612 fps)
0.57 inches | Black Hills 168gr BTHP (2608 fps)
0.66 inches | Federal Premium 168gr MatchKing BTHP (2659 fps)
0.70 inches | Hornady 155gr American Gunner (2697 fps)
0.76 inches | Black Hills 175gr BTHP (2603 fps)
NOTE: Group sizes are for 5-shot groups shot from bench at 100 yards with Caldwell pedestal rest and rear sandbag. Pentax Lightseeker 6-24x50mm scope. Velocities in FPS from PACT Chronograph.
The accuracy testing was done by gunwriter Mike Detty, who notes: “My single best group was fired with Hornady’s Match 168-gr. BTHP ammunition. Five shots measured just slightly more than a half-inch. Hornady’s 155-gr. Steel Match ammo wasn’t far behind with a group of .55″. Also accounting for the small groups is the VMC’s wonderful trigger. It is a two-stage affair and the first stage has about 3/8” take up with about a pound of pressure until it reaches the second stage where another 1 ¾ lbs. was required to break the shot.”
Vanguard Modular Chassis FEATURES:
Action with Fully Enclosed Bolt Sleeve, Integral Recoil Lug
CNC-machined, hard-anodized, 6061 aluminum chassis
Fully adjustable LUTH-AR MBA-1 buttstock
Adjustable 2-stage trigger with 3-Position Safety
PRS Production Class Cost Limits
Production Division combined rifle and scope MSRP as listed on the company’s website shall not exceed $3,000 USD, the rifle shall not exceed $2,000 USD and the optic not exceed $2,000 USD. [Editor: For example, you could have a $2,000 rifle with a $1000.00 scope or vice-versa. The total system cannot exceed $3000. Rifle alone cannot exceed $2000.00 retail sale price.]
Production Division rifles are not permitted to be altered or improved in any way from the original factory configuration.
Vu Pham takes a shot at the Snake River Sportsman Range in Oregon. Click image for full-screen version.
Vu Pham recently attended a great practical/tactical match, the Gem State Stand Off. This NRL-sanctioned match drew 113 shooters, including many of the best PRS/NRL competitors in the country. Vu says this was a great event: “The 220-round, 22-stage course of fire was fun, yet challenging. Every stage had a two-minute par time requiring 10 rounds fired at multiple targets. 113 competitors fired about 24,000 rounds without a single target failure.”
2019 Idaho Gem State Stand Off AAR
Target Distances: 300 to 1200 yards
22 stages/220 round Course of Fire
113 Competitors
Match Directors: Nate Lauerman & Seth Howard
Range Officers: 21 Precision Rifle Shooters of Idaho
Event Date: March 23rd & 24th, 2019
Location: Snake River Sportsman Range in Vale, Oregon
“With technological advances in equipment, training, and ballistics, plus increased opportunities for competitors to fine-tune their skills, Practical Precision Rifle competition has become a perfectionist sport. The constant evolution of this discipline never ceases to amaze me. With competitors and manufacturers constantly pushing to gain an edge… there is no shortage of innovation.” — Vu Pham
Gem State Stand Off — After Action Report
Report by Vu Pham, NorCal Practical Precision Rifle Club
I was fortunate enough to snag a last-minute slot for the 2019 Gem State Stand Off hosted by the Precision Rifle Shooters of Idaho Club (PRSID). This is one of 17 National Rifle League events where competitors will battle for points hoping to secure a slot for the 2019 NRL Championship. The Snake River Sportsman Range is a beautiful venue in Vale, Oregon, near the Idaho border.
The digital display carries ballistics info and elevation/windage tables from Vu Pham’s Kestrel. He says the unit really helps his performance.
From the hills looking down-range. Click image for full-screen version.
Hardware Report — Top PRS/NRL Gear for 2019
Modern Precision Rifle Comp Gear — Stocks and Chassis Systems
The traditional rifle stock we know has now moved to more modular and customizable designs. One product that caught my eye is the new XLR Industries Envy JV Heavy Fill Chassis system. After seeing a lot of competitors use them with good results, I think I will be giving one a try soon. Not being able to borrow a piece of gear because the entire squad is running ARCA can be a drag. Picatinny forearm rails have gone the way of the dinosaur with ARCA Swiss becoming the standard for attaching accessories.
Those like myself who may not want to give up their traditional-style stocks do have the option of modifying their existing stock with a universal ARCA rail from Henderson Precision. That company makes a variety of rails that fit a number of stock platforms.
Rifle Support Options — Bags and Tripods
Tripods are also used a lot as front and rear support by the majority of the field as well. Support bags now come in every shape, size, weight, and material imaginable. Even the fundamentals of driving your rifle is being challenged by the evolution of “free recoil”. Instead of counting the number of hits for the day, the top echelon shooters count the number of shots they dropped.
Calibers of Choice — Small is Big — the 6mms Dominate
6mmBR Improved cartridges (6mm Dasher, 6BR Ackley) and mid-sized 6mms (such as 6mm Creedmoor) dominate the field. In addition we are seeing some guys running the 22 BR and 22 BRA, which work surprisingly well. [Editor: Run the ballistics with a .22 Cal 80-grainer and you’ll see why.]
Wind Monitoring and Ballistics
Kestrel Environmental Meters with Applied Ballistics are “must haves”. I have found my Really Right Stuff tripod and Vortex 12×50 Razor binoculars extremely useful for locating targets and going through the target shooting order before it was my turn to shoot. Watching what the wind and competitor’s rounds are doing before you are on the gun is a huge benefit.
Great Match with Great Shooters
Tough Competition with a Field of Ace Practical Marksmen
The field of competitors at this match was stacked. I heard there were 20 competitors in attendance who have won national-level PRS or NRL events. 20 top-echelon competitors mixed in with a solid field of shooters made it a tough for anyone looking to finish at the top.
BREAKING NEWS 4/4/2019: The decision holding California’s ban on full-capacity magazines to be unconstitutional still stands. However Federal Judge Benitez has issued a stay on sales of full-capacity magazines in California, pending appeal. This STAY ORDER goes into effect April 5, 2019 at 5:00 pm. This will temporarily halt sales of magazines with 10+ round capacity, while his decision is under appeal. Those who ordered these magazines over the past few days will be able to take possession, but the doors are shut again for the time being.TEXT of STAY ORDER.
Full-capacity magazines are legal again in California. This is big news for the Golden State, where sales of magazines holding more than 10 rounds have been banned for nearly two decades. Why the change — why can Californians buy 20- and 30-rounders again? The answer is that the California mag ban was ruled unconstitutional by a Federal Judge on March 29, 2019.
In the Duncan v. Becerra case, Federal District Court Judge Roger Benitez ruled that the California laws banning full-capacity magazines were invalid under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Judge Benitez wrote “Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts,” and declared unconstitutional California’s restrictions on magazines holding more than 10 rounds. READ Full Opinion HERE.
As background, California has prohibited sales of full-capacity magazines since 2000. But citizens who owned mags with 10+ capacity were allowed to keep them — until recently. A new law required magazine owners to destroy or surrender their magazines. This prompted a new NRA lawsuit which resulted in the ruling by Federal Judge Benitez.
California’s State Attorney General will appeal Judge Benitez’s decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, known for its left-leaning bias. But in the meantime, the doors are open. Full-capacity magazines are now legal to purchase and own in California.
According to ABC News in Fresno, CA: “Ammunition stores are eagerly welcoming back California customers after the state’s nearly twenty-year ban on high-capacity magazines. The ruling has prompted a massive shipment of high-capacity magazines to California.” And yes, Californians can now buy full-capacity mags from online vendors. This notice recently appeared on Brownells.com:
On the 6.5 Creedmoor Facebook page we found an eye-catching Savage Model 10 BA Stealth. Rifle owner Derek P. has done some important upgrades, starting with a wicked, spiral-fluted McGowen barrel with red-painted flutes. The red theme was carried over to the chassis which combines fire-engine red with matte black in the middle. The scope rings and even the magazine were painted red to match as well. The whole effect is very striking, as you can see.
The barrel is a 29-inch 1:8″-twist McGowen. The optic is a 4.5-27x56mm Vortex Razor HD GenII with sunshade. That supper-stable rear sandbag is a Protektor DR Bag, one of our favorites. The front sandbag is also a Protektor. The front Rest is the new Protektor Aluminum Rest with Mariners Wheel. Look carefully and you’ll see a flat 2.5″-wide block on the underside of the forearm. That improves stability and tracking.
What we really like is the upgraded rear buttstock section. This is NOT standard by any means. Rifle owner Derek has fitted an aftermarket XLR Tactical Lite Buttstock that sits properly in that Protektor DR rear bag. This unit combines an adjustable buttpad with a nice cheek-rest (with upgraded pad from Tactical Works). And, very importantly, the XLR can be fitted with a “tactical bag rider” or you can easily make your own bag rider.
As the Savage 10 BA Stealth Comes from the Factory
This video shows a box-stock Savage 10BA Stealth. Note how different the stock buttstock/cheekpiece assembly is compared to Derek’s Red Hot Savage.
Do you need a quality, affordable lower for your next black gun build? Here’s one of the best deals we’d found. Palmetto State Armory (PSA) now has stripped AR15 lowers for just $49.99. With this lower as the core, you can build up your AR for any discipline you choose: 3-Gun rifle, competition service rifle, varmint rifle, or even “race gun” for the popular PRS Gas Gun Series (see below).
These forged PSA lowers are quality-made using 7075-T6 Aluminum. Finish is Black Hardcoat Anodized per MIL-8625 Type 3 class 2.
PRS Gas Gun Series — What You Need to Know
PRS Gas Gun Series Basics — How to Get Involved
Capitalizing on the success of the bolt-gun competitions, the PRS runs a Gas Gun series for semi-auto rifles such as AR15s and AR10s. The inaugural 2017 PRS Gas Gun Series competition took place February 17-19, 2017 at the CORE Shooting Solutions range in Baker, Florida. Now there are PRS Gas Gun Matches around the country.
PRS Gas Gun Series Rules
For the new PRS “Gasser” Competition, the PRS developed rules on gun types, scoring, match timing, penalties, safety and other key topics. CLICK HERE for Full PRS Gas Gun Series Rules.
Open Division: The Open Division rifles will not exceed a caliber of .30 or a velocity of 3,200 fps. A match DQ will result any rounds over the speed limit of 3,200 fps (+/- 32 fps for environmental factors and equipment discrepancies). Match Officials may request at any point during a match that a competitor fire their rifle through chronograph. If the bullet exceeds the 3,200 fps speed limit, the shooter will receive an automatic match DQ.
Tactical Light Division: Intended to allow competitors the opportunity tocompete using traditional military and law enforcement caliber. This promotes Active Duty military and law enforcement competitors use of their Service and Department-issued rifles. Tactical Light Division rifles are restricted to 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington calibers only. Bullet weight cannot exceed 77 grains and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 3,000 fps.
SSUSA: What will be the format of the PRS Gas Gun Series matches?
Wiseman: The matches will be a two-day format with 8 to 10 stages per day. There are three Divisions: Tactical Light for 5.56x45mm NATO/.223 Rem. rifles; Tactical Heavy for 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Win.; and Open for everything else up to .30 cal. The maximum distance will be 800 yards.
SSUSA: What guns do you expect to be popular?
Wiseman: In the Open Division, I expect to see a lot of 6.5 Creedmoors for two main reasons; it’s an inherently accurate cartridge and Hornady makes great ammo for the folks that aren’t into reloading. I think the Tactical Light Division will probably be the most popular. It is hard to say specifically what rifles will be the most popular but there are a few AR companies that are known for the accuracy. Armalite, GA Precision, LaRue and Seekins will all be very popular rifles in this Series. I think we will continue to see high-end optics with 5X to 6X zoom range on the rifles. Bushnell, Kahles, Leupold, Nightforce and Vortex will continue to be the most popular.
A while back, Machinist/gunsmith Paul Fakenbridge (aka “Boltfluter” on our Shooters’ Forum) upgraded his favorite 22BR varmint rig with a new skeletal stock. This rifle, Paul’s “Rock Chuck Killing Machine”, was originally fitted with an HS Precision fiberglass stock. Now Paul’s 22 BR sports new hardware — a sleek Eberlestock M2 Cobra Chassis in “Dry Earth” color. The $995.00 M2 Cobra is a one-piece metal stock system that mounts a Rem-700 type action in a V-block. The cheekpad height and LOP are adjustable via spacers. The M2 Cobra uses AICS-type mags and can fit Picatinny rails on the side. Weight of the Cobra chassis alone is 4 pounds. READ SPECS.
Check out the “Before” and “After” photos below…
Boltfluter Likes His Eberlestock M2 Cobra
Paul tells us the stock upgrade was a success: “I got the urge to try something different as far as stocks go. I went from the HS stock to an Eberlestock M2 Cobra. The vertical grip feels quite good and is very easy to shoot. And with this upgrade I finally got the chance to flute and coat my own bolt!”
Paul, who runs Pro Precision Rifles, specializes in bolt fluting and barrel fluting (and he also does bolt knobs, coatings, and other gunsmithing work).
Set aside some TV time tonight folks. There is a great episode of Shooting USA on the Outdoor Channel. Over the course of tonight’s hour-long broadcast there are FOUR notable features well worth watching. Show times are 8:00 pm Eastern and Pacific; 9:00 pm Central.
1. AR-Platform 6.5 Creedmoor Precision Rifle. In this segment John Scoutten works with JP Enterprises on a 6.5 Creedmoor semi-auto precision rig using JP’s LRP-07 components. This sequence showcases the AR10-type platform’s abilities with mid-sized cartridges.
2. Fort Benning Multi-Gun Challenge. This is one of the best 3-Gun events of the year. If you like fast action, with rifles, pistols, and shotguns, you’ll love this Shooting USA sequence. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Georgia hosts one of the toughest and most challenging multi-gun matches. Watch top competitors move through difficult stages that test strength and agility as well as marksmanship.
Multi-gun competition tests shooters’ skills with rifle, pistol, and shotgun, running stages “on the clock”. You must be fast AND accurate to successfully complete a course of fire.
3. Classic Arms — The U.S. Army’s Model of 1917 Rifle. The Model 1903 Springfield is perhaps more famous, but more Model 1917 rifles were actually issued to American troops in World War I. This sequence covers the history of this important American battle rifle.
4. Rimfire Challenge World Championship (RCWC). This is a great family event. The Rimfire Challenge is a timed, short-range event for .22 LR handguns and rifles. In recent years, the RCWC has been held in Alabama with 16 stages, 8 for rifle and 8 for pistol. This major match attracts hundreds of competitors from around the nation. It’s fast and fun with instant feedback from ringing steel plates. The RCWC is family-friendly event that’s great for all skill/experience levels.
In this Gear Update the 6.5 Guys take a look at the Vudoo Gun Works V-22 rimfire repeater rifle. The action has the same footprint as a Remington 700 so it is compatible with a wide variety of Rem 700 chassis, triggers, and rifle accessories. This allows you to have a rimfire trainer with near-identical ergonomics as your centerfire match rifle. Rimfire training provides valuable trigger time with dramatically lower ammo costs. Additional magazines for this rifle system are available from Vudoo Gun Works for $39.95. Vudoo also sells many other products and accessories through its website: VudooGunworks.com.
Why Train with a .22 LR Rimfire Rig?
Frequent practice, particularly live fire sessions with your match rifle, is the standard prescription for success in the PRS/NRL game. However the cost of shooting thousands of rounds of ammo and the inevitable wear on precision rifle barrels can become cost-prohibitive. Rimfire training allows needed trigger-time while conserving precious centerfire barrel life. Rimfire cost per round might be 12 cents compared to 80 cents (or more) for centerfire.
The Vudoo Gun Works V-22 rimfire repeater action, arguably one of the best tactical rimfire actions available, owes its lineage to the respected Remington 40X action. Many rimfire matches have been won with 40X actions, so we understand why Vudoo chose that design for a starting point. Vudoo then added some important enhancements.
Seen at the WSC: Vudoo Gunworks Tactical .22 LR Rimfire Rifles
The 2017 NRA World Shooting Championship (WSC) included a side-match featuring Vudoo Gunworks .22 LR rimfire tactical rigs. Shooters were impressed with the V-22 rifle, which looks and feels like a centerfire rig, but with a rimfire repeater action running full-size mags.
Vudoo states: “Our V-22 also runs a full-size short action bottom metal (DBM) and our V-2210 magazine has a [full-size] AICS form factor. The V-22 is the only controlled-round-feed .22 LR receiver out there. The bolt has full capture control of the cartridge from the time it leaves the magazine until it ejects the spent round out the ejection port.” That means the round never touches anything during feed travel so the bullets won’t be nicked/dented during rapid cycling.
This very thorough video explains how to clean a .22 LR Vudoo Rifle:
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing(Barrett) has been awarded the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) ASR (Advanced Sniper Rifle) contract for with its MRAD (Multi-Role Adaptive Design) rifle system. The SOCOM ASR contract is worth nearly fifty million dollars. The ASR contract was announced by the U.S. Dept. of Defense on March 11, 2019.
Guns.com reports: “The $49.9 million five-year, indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract announcement is slim on details other than that is for the ASR program. The program itself was identified in SOCOM’s FY19 budget justification book as part of an effort to continue ‘development of enhanced capabilities to improve performance’ of ‘individual sniper weapons to engage out to 1500 meters’.” A key requirement was the ability to shooter multiple calibers and cartridge types.
USSOCOM announced in 2016 it needed a modular, multi-caliber bolt action sniper rifle capable of converting between 7.62x51mm, .300 Norma Magnum (NM) and .338 Norma Magnum (NM). The gun needed to be able to change barrels easily in the field with minimal tools. The Barrett MRAD is designed with precision and modularity in mind. As produced for SOCOM, the MRAD will be designated the Mk21. The new MK21 MRADs will be built at Barrett’s Christiana, Tennessee factory, with production to be completed by March 2024.
Interestingly, this is the first time in U.S. history that both a father and son have designed an official military-commissioned rifle system. Father Ronnie Barrett developed the successful .50-Caliber M107 and now son Chris Barrett has succeeded with the Mk21 MRAD.
“This feels like the highest honor I could ever achieve professionally — to have a rifle adopted by the U.S. military, and especially USSOCOM,” said Chris Barrett. Father Ronnie Barrett added: “I remember Chris telling me that ‘this is what all precision rifles will look like one day!’ and he was right. However, aesthetics is not all that makes this rifle. As his development persisted, he was able to achieve more than I ever thought possible. I genuinely believe this is the most accurate [multi-caliber sniper] rifle in the world.”
