Chassis question

[SteveOak]

Is there ANY accuracy downside to a chassis?

Specifically, would an action such as a BAT be less accurate in a chassis then if the same action was properly mounted in a McMillan BR stock?

I am thinking about a new rifle and not sure what direction I want to go so I would like to leave some options open.

I would like to shoot at least 600 yards but I am not finding a place within an hours drive of home where I can shoot more than 200 yards. That doesn't look to be likely to change in the forseeable future so for the time being it is 200.

I'm thinking a BAT action, probably 6 BR although I am not ruling out 6 PPC.

Thanks!

 

[LVLAaron]

People will say it makes a difference… but there are some damn fine chassis guns.


Are you going to see a 1/4 MOA improvement? Nah.

 

[WSnyder]

I’ve put BAT’s in a chassis. I’ve got an Igniter that’s going into a KRG on the bench now. I don’t see a problem with it. XLR now offers inlets for Bumblebees and Vampires too.

 

[stavey]

I had the same question myself. After speaking with Jim Borden. I ordered a Borden mountaineer action and a MPA matrix pro chassis. Old Dominion is bedding the chassis and chambering a couple of barrels in 6br and one in 6ppc.

 

[LVLAaron]

One thing is that it seems like several popular chassis manufactures don't offer one for Bat actions. Seems like Bat actions aren't used much in competitions like PRS where chassis use is common.

Bat has several 700 footprint actions that will drop right in any 700 compatible chassis

 

[VA_XTC_Shooter]

I'm thinking a BAT action, probably 6 BR although I am not ruling out 6 PPC.

Thanks!

You should look at the Eliseo UMRS. I have one in 6BR and love this rifle. I have done very well in the sling world with it. Top it off, Gary is a stand up guy.

 

[SteveOak]

A friend of mine has an Elisio and it very pleased with it but that is not quite the question.

I am looking for input as to comparable accuracy between a chassis and a bedded McMillan stock.



If the components, as far as possible, were identical, and you bedded the action in a McMillan BR stock, would the accuracy be any better than if the action was mounted in a chassis?

 

[R.Morehouse]

I put a nice 300WSM in an MPA with the full modular weight system etc. It was a very accurate setup. I just didn't like the " feel" of the chassis and put the barreled action in a nice Manners & I shoot it better.....Most likely because I like it a whole lot more.....Happy Driver....

Regards
Rick

 

[Black Sheep]

I've been shooting F Open for a year with a Savage .223 in a MDT chassis with a prefit barrel. I've been shooting this not necessarily because I want too but because I've been trying for over a year to get two rifles built on BAT M actions. I've been competing at 600 yards and have shot several 198's a 199 and even a 200-12X on that chassis with my .223.

Bottom line is a good chassis will not be the limiting factor on your score.

Have a great one,
Chris

 

[VA_XTC_Shooter]

A friend of mine has an Elisio and it very pleased with it but that is not quite the question.

I am looking for input as to comparable accuracy between a chassis and a bedded McMillan stock.



If the components, as far as possible, were identical, and you bedded the action in a McMillan BR stock, would the accuracy be any better than if the action was mounted in a chassis?

I would think bedding vs no bedding, no bedding in a tube gun would be preferable. Like anything assembled/made, it can come undone or need maintenance to perform.

Let me caveat, I'm thinking from a sling perspective. I have no BR experience.

 

[SteveOak]

I think I have my answer, based on responses here and other places. The stock and bedding provides some damping of vibrations whereas a metal chassis does not and may add vibrations of it's own.

 

[moondog]

I think I have my answer, based on responses here and other places. The stock and bedding provides some damping of vibrations whereas a metal chassis does not and may add vibrations of it's own.

That's exactly what I was told by several smiths. Can I shoot the difference, No.
I had an Eliseo for a few years, it shot well. But like Rick said, I struggled to get comfortable with a chassis. I shot a buddies Foundation stock set up, talk about dead vibration sucking material, Wow. Can I shoot the difference, No.

 

[urbanrifleman]

A friend of mine has an Elisio and it very pleased with it but that is not quite the question.

I am looking for input as to comparable accuracy between a chassis and a bedded McMillan stock.



If the components, as far as possible, were identical, and you bedded the action in a McMillan BR stock, would the accuracy be any better than if the action was mounted in a chassis?

Not better. Probably the same.

Of course, to ask a bunch of gunsmiths whether an unbedded chassis will shoot with a bedded stock, seems kind of like asking a bunch of Republicans if they like CNN.

I stopped shooting bedded rifles. No need any more.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I think I have my answer, based on responses here and other places. The stock and bedding provides some damping of vibrations whereas a metal chassis does not and may add vibrations of it's own.

Of all the things I never considered while selling literally hundreds and hundreds of stocks and chassis systems was "vibration damping".

I suppose in the very tiny group of long range benchrest that's a thing. Who knows...

 

[Alex Wheeler]

The outside of an action is not a critical dimension. They do vary from one action to the next. Theres many reasons why, from tooling wear and changes to how much each individual bar of steel warps as its machined. Typically the more machining required the more that action will warp. If you have ever put an action in a stock that was bedded for the exact same model of action but not the exacts same action and measured the stress in the bedding you will know exactly what Im saying. Thats why you never bed a stock with any action other than the exact one that will be going in the stock. So with a chassis, you have a v block. Thats ok so long as the action is straight on the outside. Most are not. So you will be flexing it when you torque it down. If I was forced to use a chassis and could not bed it, I would want an action that was OD ground.

 

[VA_XTC_Shooter]

The outside of an action is not a critical dimension. They do vary from one action to the next. Theres many reasons why, from tooling wear and changes to how much each individual bar of steel warps as its machined. Typically the more machining required the more that action will warp. If you have ever put an action in a stock that was bedded for the exact same model of action but not the exacts same action and measured the stress in the bedding you will know exactly what Im saying. Thats why you never bed a stock with any action other than the exact one that will be going in the stock. So with a chassis, you have a v block. Thats ok so long as the action is straight on the outside. Most are not. So you will be flexing it when you torque it down. If I was forced to use a chassis and could not bed it, I would want an action that was OD ground.

So with an Eliseo, there are no V blocks. The action, at least in the UMRS and some others, are glued in the tube, then the barrel hags off free floated. Would that not be a good thing?

 

[SKWERLZ]

Of all the things I never considered while selling literally hundreds and hundreds of stocks and chassis systems was "vibration damping".

I suppose in the very tiny group of long range benchrest that's a thing. Who knows...

I shoot mostly using a chassis but I will admit wood and laminate do have a bit more muted recoil impulse.
That said I prefer the attributes of a chassis more for my normal shooting scenario.

 

[urbanrifleman]

These new custom actions sure look pretty darn straight to me.

We used to have this thing that was used for quality checks when I worked for Fujikoki We made aluminum condenser blocks for Toyota vehicles. They would put it inside this machine and it would touch about 10,000 different places and tell you how close the part was to spec. We used to hold tolerances on the critical dimensions to something like a tenth of a micron.

I would really like to have one of those and I cannot remember what the heck it's called. Then I could take all these parts and measure them and tell everybody what is straight and what isn't straight.

As far as I can tell from reading a lot of the posts in gunsmith forums, is that the only straight parts are the ones that come from the gunsmith themselves. Every other part is pretty much crooked until it leaves their shop. But that's just my observation.

 

[WSnyder]

I cannot remember what the heck it's called.

Perhaps a CMM=coordinate measuring machine

 

[Alex Wheeler]

So with an Eliseo, there are no V blocks. The action, at least in the UMRS and some others, are glued in the tube, then the barrel hags off free floated. Would that not be a good thing?

Yes, It is.