I’ve been called many things in my life, some of those titles I earned and others not so much. There is one label that some would consider an insult but its a badge I wear stress-free, that title is Bullpup enthusiast. My experience with bullpups is not unlike many others, the first time I was exposed to them was back in the 90’s when a friend showed me a hideous Mini-14 in a bullpup chassis. I was appalled by what had been done to the poor unsuspecting Mini-14, and I went back to gazing at the more conventional weapons like AR-15’s. Years would pass before I would again dabble in the occult realm of the bullpup, a friend of mine invited me to go shooting after work and he presented me with a Desert Tech SRS Covert to shoot. Within minutes I was absolutely addicted to the rifle and its impressive accuracy, and before we had even left that dry Montana hillside I swore I would get one of my own.
A man of my word, I kept that promise to myself. And it was the beginning of my trip down the bullpup rabbit hole. I am a gun nut in every sense of the word, I like them all as long as they serve a purpose. So having become a bullpup owner myself, my eyes were opened to the rest of this stubby bullpup community. After years of enjoying my SRS bolt-action precision rifle I jumped into the Desert Tech MDRX with both feet, this only deepened my affinity for these short and effective rifles.
In the term of a short few years, I had gone from a typical anti-bullpup traditionalist into a pure bullpup enthusiast. Having successfully navigated the rabbit hole I began shooting bullpups of all kinds, mainly to see what I liked or disliked about the different rifles. An Odd Bunch
There are bullpups from every corner of the firearms market, both big names and shops you’ve never heard of seem to have a bullpup model hidden somewhere in their lineup. FN has their FS-2000 which looks like it hit every branch falling from the space-gun tree, I guess there are plenty of people out there who like it but their reasons are known only to them. Perhaps the most well-known bullpups come from Steyr, their AUG rifle has been a stalwart movie prop and service weapon with its unique look for decades.
They continue to be popular with even those who mostly dislike the bullpup genre, but for me their mushy pushy trigger and unique magazine still keep them at arms length. You certainly couldn’t talk about bullpups in America without mentioning the lineup from IWI, they have become so popular that many gun owners are under the impression that “Tavor” is some kind of all-inclusive term for bullpups. I’ve been able to shoot several of IWI’s rifles and they are probably my first choice in autoloading bullpups after my MDRX. The X95 has an incredible amount of aftermarket support and accessories, caliber conversion kits, and triggers (a much-needed improvement in my opinion). The Tavor 7 308 caliber rifle brings similar operation and design to a bigger bullpup. The battle-hardened reputation of the IWI bullpups can be seen in militaries from Jerusalem to Bogotá where I last saw them.
Bullpup rifles can be found in military service all over the world, the Desert Tech HTI is a 50 BMG sniper rifle used in service in the jungle climate of the south China sea and in the current war in Ukraine.
Not all of these bullpup rifles are popular or serve in militaries of the world. But just because a rifle is put into service doesn’t make it superior, the SA80 family of British bullpups has been despised for decades by her Majesty’s finest soldiers. Many bullpup rifles enjoy a life free of military service but still filled with action. The Keltec RDB has been a very popular 5.56 bullpup with American gun owners, it is used for everything from hunting to home defense. And its larger caliber sibling offers 308 power to those looking for a bullpup.
So Why the Hate?
What is it exactly that most gun owners have against bullpups? I think there is a two-sided explanation, and I’ll start with the first half; The engineering required to position the magazine and the action of a rifle behind the trigger tends to get complicated. While this feat does greatly reduce the overall size of the firearm, there are many complications that come as baggage.
Bullpups often have complicated linkages to operate controls, and these systems can be messy depending on the dedication of those who design and build them. These linkage systems frequently add weight and play to controls reducing the quality feel and performance, and there is also the obvious problem of ejection systems that either hit you in the mouth as a lefty or add even more weight and complexity to circumvent the redecoration of your lips.
The second half of the anti-bullpup phenomenon is based almost entirely on appearance. Most gun owners see an AR-15 or AK-47 type rifle and see a near-perfect visage of what an autoloading rifle should be. The same thing could be said about a bolt-action M-24 clone, it has nearly everything a bolt-action guy could want. And when these people see a bullpup, with its weird configuration and often goofy controls they are just immediately turned off.
The complaints about performance and design can be validated against some bullpup models, but there are others that work as good as any conventional rifle. The looks of some of these rifles is a more subjective topic. If a gun looks goofy, then no matter how functional it is many people wont want it. And for that there is no excuse, some bullpup designs are just hideous and can only be mocked from a safe distance. Continue Reading Here…
I have long enjoyed an affair with precision rifles, and one of them in particular. I fell in love with the Desert Tech SRS many years ago now, it has been through several generations since, and the latest generation is the SRS A2.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the SRS family, it is a detachable box magazine-fed, bolt action bullpup, with the added advantage of being a multi-caliber rifle. A bullpup means that the rifle’s action is behind the trigger, and against the shoulder. This design has been tried many times over the years, in order to shorten the overall length and portability of the rifle. The SRS has all of the advantages a bullpup was designed to bring to the table, as well as the quality and a stellar record of performance sought by both law enforcement, military, and devoted precision shooters. And the icing on the cake is the multi-caliber capability.
The SRS A2 follows the long celebrated A1 model, from which it evolved. The SRS features an all-aluminum receiver, that is sandwiched between two polymer skins that comprise the pistol-grip, and magazine well. The receiver is split down the middle, and has four clamping screws down the side, together these features allow one of the SRS’s strongest assets. All SRS barrels have a shank at the breach that fits very snuggly into the receiver and is then clamped in via those four screws. Barrels are slid into the chassis from the front and seated against a steel feed ramp that doubles as an index point. The unique barrel clamping system also allows the SRS to return to zero, guaranteed every time you install each barrel, it will return to shoot the same point of impact every time. Bolts are slid into the breach by easily removing the recoil pad from the back, I say bolts because with differing cartridges you may require at least a couple of them. Anything from 223 Remington all the way up to 375XC, most options from the factory are your well-known bestsellers such as 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Win, and 338 Lapua Magnum. The SRS has a large following with a multitude of aftermarket barrel manufacturers, allowing users to customize these factory-built rifles in whatever caliber they desire.
What’s New:
The evolution of this precision bullpup has brought several advantages to the system. One of the first notable differences of the new rifle is the M-Lok handguard, the more popular mounting system replaced the pic rail design from prior generations. The next most obvious change is the rifle’s weight, the A2 was put on a healthy diet. This new revision has the rifle weighing 2.1 pounds less than its predecessor, through various cuts and shaving material where possible.
The trigger also received an upgrade, a new design they call a “field match” trigger. This new trigger is adjustable from 1.5 to 7 pounds.
The SRS A1 featured a built-in retractable monopod in the bottom of the butt-pad, many users found this monopod to be a very valuable tool because of its quick deployment, and both coarse and fine adjustments. The A2 model was designed to be lighter, and the monopod was then made optional equipment instead of standard. That also helped lower the overall weight of the rifle.
The new M-Lok handguard is also interchangeable. The A1 handguard was difficult to swap between different length handguards, and it required a proprietary tool from Desert Tech. The new SRS A2 handguard is user-replaceable using only a Hex Key wrench, this allows users to easily swap between the standard length (longer) handguard, and the shorter length (Covert) handguard. Desert Tech sells the separate handguards as a kit for end-users to install, so they can enjoy the benefits of either configuration.
In addition to the new rifle chassis, Desert Tech will be releasing a few new calibers specifically marketed towards big game hunters. These newer barrels are chambered in popular cartridges such as 300 RUM, 300WM, and 7MM Rem Mag with more to come. A lighter contour barrel also helps lower the overall weight of the rifle. With a lighter rifle, the SRS is now even more appealing to those of us that would like to hunt with it, so these new offerings are a welcome development.
What’s the same:
The SRS A2 being a direct descendant of the A1 means that it inherited some of its best traits. The barrel mounting system is the same, which means that the barrel collection most SRS owners enjoy, can be used in the new A2 chassis as well. Bolts, barrels and magazines are also interchangeable between the two rifle chassis. This is a very welcome feature to SRS aficionados, as barrel kits can cost anywhere from 800 up to 2000 dollars.
The barrel clamping procedure remains the same, there is a barrel lock on one side of the receiver and four clamping screws on the other. The barrel lock rotates 360 degrees, but has a detent on the lock and unlocked positions. After installing the barrel in the chassis, the barrel lock is rotated to the lock position which rotates a cam to hold the barrel in place. The four clamping screws are then torqued down to 80-inch pounds.
The SRS A2 Covert with my 18” 6.5 Creedmoor
The A2 maintains both standard length and Covert models as was the A1, the Covert model allows for using shorter barrels like the very popular sixteen-inch 308 Winchester. The longer standard handguard, allows for further forward bipod mounting, as well as clip on night/thermal optics.
The adjustable comb height adjustment stays the same, as does the spacer system to adjust the length of pull. These features are easy to adjust and allow you to fit the rifle to you.
On the Range:
Being quite familiar with the SRS platform, I found almost everything about it to be very recognizable. All the same functions I was used to, I tried several of my older conversion kits in it with great success. One thing I didn’t miss at all was the weight, the couple pounds lost make the rifle noticeably lighter. And the new hunting profile barrels are lighter than I was used to, making the whole kit seem more friendly to hiking hunters.
Clockwise: The new Field Match Trigger, fluted bolt body, M-Lok handguard with QD sling receivers, handguard mounting screws.
Desert Tech claims the A2 to be even more accurate than its precedent platform, this was a claim I wanted to see for myself. The SRS has always been a very accurate rifle in my experience, half MOA groups are expected and even guaranteed by Desert Tech when using match grade ammunition. The accuracy guarantee for the A1 SRS was half MOA, I was surprised to find that the A2 did not come with a better guarantee according to Desert Tech’s 36% better accuracy claim for the A2.
Shooting the SRS A2
I shot several different barrels in the A2 while at the range, among them were 6.5Creedmoor, 308 Winchester, 300 Remington Ultra Magnum, and 300 Winchester magnum. The new hunting calibers were all the lighter contour, this made the felt recoil a little more aggressive than I was used to, but with muzzle brakes installed the recoil was very manageable. Accuracy was everything I expected it to be from the SRS platform, typical groups were half MOA. Ammunition types gave wildly varying results, some of them did not even shoot MOA, while others easily shot sub half MOA. I can’t say for sure if the lighter barrel contour had anything to do with it because when they had the right ammo they just shot great.
A typical five shot group from the SRS A2
My fourteen-year-old son also shot the rifle a bit and carried it around, he too seemed pleasantly surprised by the rifle’s easy handling and modest recoil. As usual, the rifle shot better when the sound suppressor was installed. The Desert Tech suppressor mounts directly to the muzzle brake and provides hearing safe shooting with enhanced accuracy. Another moment the bullpup platform shines is when a suppressor is installed, the SRS A2 with a suppressor mounted is still shorter than comparable rifles without one.
Whether shooting inside a 100-yard underground tunnel or shooting 1200 yards across a breezy mountain ridge, the SRS A2 tackled targets with great ease.
Detractors
The only problems I found with the SRS A2 were not so much problems as they were questions. Previous generations of SRS rifles had fully adjustable triggers that were serviceable in the field with a simple Allen wrench. The new trigger requires disassembly of the chassis to complete the adjustment. While an infrequent necessity, it is still an unwelcome one.
Final Thoughts
The SRS A2 is a pleasant breath of fresh air that I didn’t even know I needed. It appears Desert Tech has listened to consumers and delivered a better bullpup, my A1 wont be going anywhere soon, but it definitely needs an A2 to go with it.
Am I the only one who was surprised by the rapid and exhaustive penetration of the 300 Blackout into the shooting world? I mean, I’d like to think that I had a grasp on what the hip kids shot. At first glance it didn’t even seem worthy of a second look. Sure, if your an AR guy and wanna spend a lot of time and money going movie quiet, then great, this slug’s for you. But what did it do for a guy with a serious precision rifle infatuation? Time would soon tell…
The guy that built my first custom rifle back around the turn of the century, was the first to mention it to me. He called it a Whisper, which is basically the same thing. I disregarded it as gun room talk, you know, two guys pretending to know a lot by saying things the other guy hopefully doesn’t know about?
Years later, as the blackout continued to gain market share, I found myself asking why people were building 300blk bolt guns. I had long since tailored my own sub sonic 308win loads, and to my simple mind, it didn’t make sense. A 30 caliber bullet going 1000FPS doesn’t care who pushed it there. And since the .308 had the added benefit of shooting bullets almost three times that velocity, it seemed silly to leave money on the table with the little blackout. Unless of course you were running an AR15 platform.
Fast forward to the era of my Desert Tech SRS, a rifle that most of you know dominates my trigger time. The compact and accurate SRS fit my needs like no other rifle can, and its ability to swap barrels has literally left thousands of gun collections collecting nothing but dust. I can run an abundance of calibers, both factory and custom, almost anything a guy can dream up from short action to long.
One of the last barriers in this overabundance of options for the SRS, was broken by Short Action Customs LLC a few years ago. Mark began a project that would eventually become a complete 223 conversion kit for the SRS. And before he could even sell the first one, the black plague was inquiring if he would also make a 300blk conversion kit as well.
Perhaps it was my skepticism of the blackout, that influenced his decision, or perhaps my mediocre street cred’s. But whatever the reason, Mark sent me a 300blk conversion kit to test out. A 16 inch 300blk barrel that would mate right up to the .223 bolt I already had, and a billet aluminum magazine with some slightly different cuts to it. Testing loads
I am a sucker for load development, it’s like an attention deficit disorder. Regardless of what I’m doing, if there are empty cases on my bench, my mind wanders, considering what powder’s, what bullet’s, and the circumstances of their arranged marriage. I wasted no time getting deep into the black magic of loading this mysterious little cartridge.
Any writing about the 300blk would be incomplete without discussing its true purpose. As hinted by its name, the blackout is built around stealth. When loaded with heavy for caliber bullets, at sub sonic speeds, its sound signature is comparable to a pellet gun. The bullet is launched just below the speed of sound (a speed that varies depending on atmospheric characteristics) which in my neck of the dark woods is around 1000 fps. The slow speed of the bullet allows it to travel through the air without breaking the sound barrier, and the accompanying loud crack that some of us are familiar with. When a suppressor is added to the rifle, the report caused by rapidly escaping gasses, is also withdrawn. All that is left, is the sound of that gas escaping from the muzzle, resulting in a nearly unnoticed hiss.
In order to realize this secretive squall, quick burning pistol powders in small amounts are used. I had chosen the Hornady 195 BTHP, for many reasons but the most important one was that I was showing a large surplus in nothing else. After trying a few different loads, I found one that worked quite well. Using a mere 5 grains of Hi Skor 700X, the 195’s were hushing along just shy of the speed of sound. 700X may not be the ideal powder for the blackout I know, but when you have fifteen pounds of it, you have to find a way to make it useful. The small case of the blackout yielded more consistent velocities than .308win based sub sonic loads.
In no time at all, I found myself chuckling at the range. The incredibly quiet blackout was refreshing, and to my surprise it was pretty easy to get it to shoot well. I found myself calling cease fires, just so everybody could not hear the shot, followed by the distant metallic ping. Even my sub sonic loads had SD numbers in the low double digits. With practically no load development, I was shooting near sub MOA 5 shot groups. And the supersonic loads (150gr Hornady BTSP’s) shot at almost 2000fps were even better (all accuracy testing was done at 100yds). The recoil, or lack of it was extremely satisfying, I could many times see my own bullets flying in the air on their way to the target. Like every other Short Action Customs, LLC barrel that I own, this one shoots with meticulous repetition. The accuracy, recoil, and cheap plinking fun that I have had with this little kit has certainly changed my perspective on the blackout. 100 yard 5 shot sub sonic groups, the top impact on both groups was 1st shot
With a covert ability to engage targets with the utmost concealment, this conversion kit would be perfectly suited for removing varmints from the barnyard. I suppose that LE and Military could use it for the same thing if they needed to quietly escalate something. At the same time, when loaded supersonic with lighter bullets, the blackout would also make a good short range plinking/hunting cartridge for game such as deer or hogs.
The 300blk conversion kit is a completely turn-key system, like any other conversion kit for the SRS. You simply drop the barrel in, torque it down, and swap either the bolt or bolt head depending on the configuration you have. The 10 round magazine fits right into the magwell like any other DT magazine. My kit came threaded for a suppressor, I assume they all will be unless ordered otherwise. But shooting this conversion kit un-suppressed would be silly in my opinion, as its entire enterprise is based on silence. I did experience a significant cold bore shift, whether this is a blackout thing, or a sub sonic thing, I dont know. But it is something to keep in mind for sure, when those hits have to count.
I used both a 308 suppressor, and a 338 suppressor on the little blackout, I didn’t notice any significant difference between them. But since the SRS is prone to multiple calibers, if I had to pick, I’d go with the 338. I wonder if a shorter barrel, would help lower SD numbers even further. A 10 inch blackout seems like it would be perfect, if it didn’t want to put my Covert on some NFA black list.
For those of you who are familiar with the 300blackout, you probably have experienced the same silly grin when you hear bullets thumping targets, as birds chirp nearby. For those of you who haven’t yet fallen under the spell, it shouldn’t take much.
I wont speculate as to when the complete blackout conversion kits will be available to order, but I believe the good people at Short Action Customs are working hard to get them ready. If you are interested a blackout conversion kit, shoot Mark an email at: mark@shortactioncustoms.com
(Dont call him and waste time because there are a lot of fine rifles being cranked out of that shop every day, and I dont need you slowing him down 😀 ) Visit http://shortactioncustoms.com/ for more information. photo credit: Ben Hetland
-CBM
Many of you are aware of my deep and committed love for my Desert Tech SRS A1 Covert. For many years now I have been terrorizing the hills and peaks of these Rocky Mountains with the surplus of barrel options it gives me. For so long, I thought that there was no way it could possibly get any better. To put it very simple, I was wrong.
I have always loved my SRS, from the first time I shot one, till at least yesterday when I shot it last. The ergonomics of the rifle seemed to fit me perfectly, and operating it became second nature in no time. The benefits offered by this rifle fit my shooting style, its short and compact. Great for packing around, but its also extremely accurate, which is helpful for trigger jerkers like me. Add to that the ability to change untold numbers of barrel combinations makes it the only rifle I’ll ever need. I only say that because though I still have a few other nice rifles, they have barely left the safe since the SRS came home, and even when they do, it’s to let someone borrow it.
So it may come as a surprise to you, as it did to me, that my humble little SRS could be easily upgraded. That is when the brilliantly creative fellows over at Short Action Customs, LLC come in. Mark and I met long ago when I first got my SRS, he was destined to sire several Bartlein’s for me and my rifle. At the moment, I have a 7SAUM, a 300Blackout, and a 223 Remington all built by Short Action Customs. Three of my favorite barrels, all because they are extremely accurate, and repeatable enough to give me the confidence to take a cold bore shot on an elk at 970 yards.
Mark and the guys have been busy making Ohio and the world a better place, and my SRS has benefited directly. Dan Calala of Short Action Customs and the proprietor of Desert Tech Solutions contacted me some time ago about an idea he had to make the SRS even better than it already was. After I got over the initial shock of blaspheme, I tuned into Dan’s soothing voice, and I thought surely there was some good reasoning behind his idea.
All these years I had thought that my SRS had fit me perfectly, well I come to find out that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t very picky. Now I may be the kind of guy to walk two miles with a rock in his shoe, but it never occurred to me that I wasn’t picky about my rifles. At least not until Dan sent me his invention.
When the package showed up, I was impressed by what was inside. It was a fully adjustable recoil pad for the SRS. I had always thought the standard recoil pad fit me just fine, that’s not to say it wasn’t comfortable, but this new one began to grow on me before it was even installed.
Dan had fashioned a piece of aluminium that is attached to one of the Desert Tech recoil pad spacers. An XLR recoil pad was attached to the back of it, its broad and soft texture was very appealing, and I couldn’t wait to get it on my gun.
It snapped right on, as though it was just another Desert Tech part, and after a few minutes playing with it, I soon found out just how convenient this thing was going to be. The recoil pad has a row of threaded screw holes drilled down its center axis, and screwed into the holes was a short aluminum dowel. Recoil pad can be raised or lowered by moving the aluminum dowel up or down (red). The cant of the recoil pad is adjusted by loosening the side 5mm screw (blue)
The same tool used by SRS owners to change barrels can be used to adjust and disassemble the recoil pad.
Machine screws are threaded through the dowel, and into the front side of the recoil pad. The row of screw holes bored from top to bottom allows the user to adjust the height of the recoil pad. The aluminum dowel is received into the back of the recoil pad spacer, where there is a reciprocating bore for the dowel pin. This allows the entire recoil pad to be canted 360 degrees by the user by simply loosening one 5mm hex bolt on the right side of the spacer, the same screw is used to disassemble the unit.
It literally took me a couple minutes to get the recoil pad perfectly fit to my shoulder, and it was only then that I realized that the standard SRS recoil pad wasn’t as comfy as I had previously thought. This became more and more evident as I took the rifle out for a quick hike up my canyon.
The new adjustable recoil pad was also a bit “stickier” than the standard one, this helps keep the rifle in place when running the bolt in awkward positions. And it’s new angle, slightly canted, made the rifle more comfortable than ever. Best of all, it made it much faster to get settled in properly on the rifle.
I found that my level of comfort on the rifle was much better, particularly when shooting the larger calibers like 338LM. But it helped across the board as far as making the rifle become and extension of me.
Its been a great season of shooting with this new product, it has enhanced somewhat my shooting ability, and made it even more pleasant than before. If I had to say something negative about it, I guess it would be the added weight that it brings to the rifle. I haven’t actually weighed it, but it feels about like a pound. For me this isn’t a big issue, my gun is a pig, and always has been. So whats an additional half pound here or there.
I hunt quite a bit, and the added comfort and stability of this part has given me a little more edge in my game. After a whole season of chasing everything from squirrels to elk, you wont see me changing back anytime soon.
-CBM
For many years now, a new rifle platform has been thriving both here in the free world, and in the competition, military, and law enforcement communities. A stand alone and one of a kind weapon that in the author’s opinion, has near perfected a design that shooters have long sought after.
The company is Desert Tech, (formerly Desert Tactical Arms)of Salt Lake City Utah, and the rifle is the Stealth Recon Scout (SRS). My love affair with this system began several years ago, at the end of a dirt road in the foothills below Montana’s Bear tooth Mountains. A friend of mine introduced me to a rifle I had seen and heard of before, but whose unconventional looks and impressive price tag had driven it far from my psyche.
That all changed in a moment, as soon I put this extremely compact and precise instrument to use. The metallic snap of the bolt locking into battery, and the crisp break of the trigger just felt perfect against my cheek weld. Before I left Montana, I had set my mind to own one of these beauties, even should it cost me my modest gun collection. Not quite a year later, I stood in a local gun shop, filling out the transfer paperwork. It was love at first sight.
I wasted no time familiarizing myself with Mark Gordon at Short Action Customs (SAC) in Wellington, Ohio, who in a short time had already built quite a reputation in aftermarket DT barrels as well as a quality builder of rifles in general. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the SRS, it is a detachable box magazine fed, bolt action bull pup, with the added advantage of being a switch barrel rifle. A bull pup of course meaning that the rifle’s action is behind the trigger, and against the shoulder. This design has been tried many times over the years, in order to shorten overall length, and portability of the rifle. The SRS as I mentioned earlier has all of the advantages a bull pup was designed to bring to the table, as well as the quality and prestige of a very high end weapon. And the icing on the cake is the switch barrel capability. Allowing the shooter in as short as a minute, to go from a short action 308 family cartridge, to something like a 300WM or even the .338LM, and thanks to Mark and his ingenuity, SRS owners will soon be able to shoot .223 family cartridges as well.
One of the reasons this rifle is so quickly gaining fame, is the capabilities, accuracy, quality, and utility it gives to its user. It is much shorter than its competitors, even when wearing a suppressor, the SRS also delivers consistent accuracy, regardless of caliber. And its wide array of barrel possibilities, both from DT and aftermarket companies like SAC are top of the line. I have found the rifle to be very useful in competition, practical shooting, and hunting. One of the most common lines you will hear from SRS owners is that since they started shooting it, the rest of their guns gather dust in the safe.
The topic of this article is to discuss this newly developed prototype .223 from SAC, I could go on for pages about the features and adventures of the rifle itself. But, this new conversion kit (as barrel, bolt, and magazine are called) deserves all my attention here.
Mark and I first made contact when I purchased a barrel from him shortly after I became a DT owner, and luckily he approached me about testing one of these new kits when they were ready. The added advantages that a .223 barrel would afford me were very appealing to say the least. Having a very inexpensive cartridge like the .223 in my barrel collection would make great for training and plinking purposes, and at my average density altitude here, the .223 is no slouch. Making it a shoe in for all my varmint hunting adventures. Surely I am not the only DT owner to consider all these tantalizing new opportunities Mark’s venture would bring, and I’m sure they will start lining up as soon as production begins, which at this writing, could be as soon as June 2015.
I’ll move forward under the assumption that the reader is at least rudimentarily familiar with the SRS, in the interest of time. There is much to discuss. For those of you interested, there is a companion YouTube video to this article that can be found here:
When I first opened the freshly packed box from Ohio, my impression was typical to Mark’s customers. Even the packaging shows attention to detail, and required a clever approach to unwrap and remove each piece of the kit. . It was like Christmas again, inside was a 22” Bartlein, 7.7 twist barrel, threaded with a break installed and timed. I continued opening and found the bolt, and the magazine, both proprietary from SAC. The magazine was as stout as anyone could hope, I felt like I could hitch it in the end of an axe handle and split firewood should the need arise. Built from billet aluminum, it fills the size of the original DT magazine, even though it only uses a small portion of that space for its payload. Two halves held together by machine screws, with a nylon follower. And I was happy to see as I eagerly stuffed it full of cartridges, that it has room stacked for ten. Not just ten standard .223 rounds, but my long range load using 80gr Sierra Match Kings seated much longer than standard loads (2.515coal). My attention then turned to the bolt, at first glance it seemed the same as any other DT bolt. But I soon noticed a significant difference. Normal DT bolts have two sets of three bolt lugs, this new design of Mark’s had only one set of bolt lugs. I then returned to the barrel, and sure enough, the barrel extension was different as well, made to accept only three lugs. So part of Mark’s solution to chambering such a petite round in an action made to handle up to 338LM, was to shorten the distance traveled from feed lips, into battery. By removing the second (stacked) layer of bolt lugs bringing the front of the bolt and the rear face of the barrel closer, sooner. All of which required manufacturing a new barrel extension and matching bolt head.
This was one of the newer style DT bolts, with the interchangeable bolt head. I assume that production conversion kits will have an option of purchasing just the bolt head, or a complete bolt. Depending on a customer’s needs. Much work has been put into this small bolt head. To fit ejector and extractor into it, and still accommodate for all the other functions it does must have been some feat. We went through several revisions of the bolt-head in order to ensure perfect function. With the bolt also came a new bolt stop plug, to shorten the bolt’s rear travel to the shorter length of the .223. This makes for a short and smooth stroke, making rapid shooting faster even than before.
The whole kit just screamed “shoot me”, and like a badger with a fresh can of Spam, I descended into my cave to fit this new system to its host.
As I slid the new barrel into the chassis, its weight was manifest when it bottomed out perfectly in its keyed bore. I installed the barrel as I do any other, bolt and magazine followed. The shortness of the newly married combination was very impressive, I had yet to install my suppressor on the system just to test for balance and handling. It was heavy, heavy as any other barrel I own. But with a similar contour and such a small bore, I guess that should have been expected. (My next .223 barrel will either be fluted, or a lighter profile) This could also be considered a good thing, if one intends on using the barrel as a trainer, since it maintains the rifle’s weight and handling. As I worked the new bolt, and tested its operation, I was reminded why this rifle is such a joy to shoot. The SAC .223 conversion was just as smooth and crisp as every other bolt/barrel combination I had used. I could hardly wait to get it to the range.
I am a glutton for punishment, and a reclusive one at that, so my first trip to shoot the SAC kit was not to the local rifle range, but to my favorite field shooting spot, high above the city in the mountains above my home. It was there, on a sunny and dry fall day, at about 5500ASL that I broke paper. I had brought along a box of some Federal factory loaded ammo, as well as some hand loads I had very high hopes for. I started at 75yds, only to re-zero my rifle. Each barrel can have a slightly different zero from another, in my experience it’s usually not far (+/- 1MIL in any direction). In this case, the SAC .223 barrel was .4MIL lower than my regular zero. The good news is, it’s always the same with each barrel, no need to re-zero every time you switch barrels. I have since had it in and out many times, and it is always exactly zeroed when I install it. Within two or three shots, I had the new barrel zeroed. I ran half a dozen handloads over the chronograph, and was very happy to see 2880fps as an average. My load being 23.5gr of ARcomp under an 80gr SMK seated at 2.515”. In typical SAC fashion, the barrel shot much tighter than I can hold. I am terrible at shooting groups, but when I manage to hold properly, this thing easily put five Match Kings though a 3/8 inch hole. All the squirrel’s and magpies within earshot must have questioned my sanity as I chuckled like Yogi Bear while shoving more rounds into the magazine. But they know me, and know when to stay the hell out of sight, so my reputation maintained its place at the top of the food chain. Never satisfied with a hundred yards, I decided to push the limits of this new kit. And with the west side of the Rocky Mountains at my disposal, I had plenty of room to do it. I hit all my usual targets, ranging from three hundred out to nine hundred and fifty yards. The beauty was, this load/barrel shot way better than my ballistic computer had projected. And at nine hundred and fifty yards, I was a whole MIL high. I dropped it down to 7.4MIL and pummeled a target measuring roughly 18″h by 10″w for about six rounds. It was a beautiful feeling to have such accuracy and power from such an inexpensive cartridge. I was so excited to get home and share my results with Mark, I almost left without all my gear, but I quickly gathered it up, and continued my Yogi Bear chuckle all the way back down the trail to the truck.
I’ve been back to the mountains, and out to the desert, I’ve put over five hundred rounds through it already, and I can say with conviction, I LOVE this 223. I have always been a big fan of the cartridge, but it only gets better in the DT chassis. I have used it to plunder several dogtowns, many vermin, and even managed to take the first big game ever with a .223 SRS, a Wyoming Pronghorn all handily, and with a sense of confidence that’s unexplainable. I’ve stretched it out to 1035yds so far, and as long as conditions are calm, I think I’ll push it a little farther.
All in all, this prototype gets about a 9.5 out of 10 from the coldbore panel of judge, it fits into a niche that has needed a resident for some time. With almost no felt recoil, it is a fun way to train, a cheap way to practice, an efficient way to hunt, and a particularly humiliating way to smoke your buddies in a match. If I was to change anything about it, it would only be this; a lighter barrel, either in contour or fluted. Both of which should not be a problem as SAC thrives on customizing their customer’s request’s.
I am very far from being done with this kit, I see a long future filled with stacked pelts and shiny steel targets. For the many of you one rifle Desert Tech guys who have been wishing for a 223 for your counterpart, the day will soon come, and Short Action Customs will bring it to you.
Testing loads
100 yard 5 shot sub sonic groups, the top impact on both groups was 1st shot
Coldboremiracle 