A new segment in the shooting world has been gaining traction lately and it’s easy to see. More manufacturers are starting to pop out bolt action rifles in metal chassis setups. These builds are tuned for long range shooting rather than for hunting or field use and are often quite heavy. It’s very common to find them adorned with little knobs and throw levers and skeletonized aluminum parts which can make them look a little crazy. Typically they feed from “AICS” magazines and shoot whatever tiny groups at over a thousand yards with 30+ MOA sight mounts.
It’s an expensive following but it left me wondering. Would it be possible to dip into this segment without spending thousands of dollars?
My original plan for a “budget” chassis rifle was grounded from the start as most chassis stocks alone will run you a grand or more, plus the cost of the rifle. This changed up my gameplan from the start as I didn’t want nor need something capable of delivering accurate fire a mile out. All I was after was a fun and nice looking modernized bolt gun.
Between aftermarket options and chassis rifles offered directly from gun manufacturers options for a sub-thousand dollar setup were limited. Aesthetically I thought that a lot of them were rather ugly and awkward looking, too. Many of them utilize standard profile AR-15 grips but at awkward looking angles and with sharp angles around the web of the thumb, they really don’t look comfortable to me.
Additionally, because these chassis are milled out of chunks of aluminum the handguards always seem to be bare metal. I’ve never been a big fan of metal forends because they catch and retain heat.
These concerns kept me searching until discovering a new product from one of the more recent Shot Show events. Modular Driven Technologies is a company which makes some very high end chassis for various rifles but they decided to try something different. From this the “Oryx” brand was born with just one chassis being offered to start. Their bragging rights are that the Oryx is complete and ready to go for a penny shy of four hundred dollars.
Not only was the Oryx at an obtainable price point but it was also one of the nicest stock setups I’ve seen. It trims off a lot of the extra bells and whistles for a simple and rugged setup which still packs in desirable features. For me, the better selling points were that it had a comfortable and natural AR grip angle with plenty of contour for the web of the thumb and a polymer shell around the forend. No more holding onto bare metal!
With a chassis now in my sights it opened the next question: What rifle to drop into the darn thing? As the months carried on Oryx expanded their lineup with more supported makes and models. Waiting a while definitely expanded my options.
The three major features I was looking for were price, weight, and a threaded barrel somewhere in the low 20″ range. In addition, I wanted to find a 6.5 Creedmoor. This caliber has quickly become the round of choice for accuracy and oomph out of a short action and so far I have not spent any quality time with the “Creed” family. Word is that the 6.5 will burn out a barrel in three to four thousand rounds but they’re also based off of the .308 cartridge. If I managed to cook out a barrel I could always switch out to a .308 and be good to go, same mags and same bolt.
The decision for a shorter barrel mostly came down to weight saving. The 6.5 seems to be quite happy in barrels within the low 20’s range, from what I’ve read there isn’t much lost compared to a 22 or 24″.
With the criteria set two models caught my attention. The Thompson Center Compass II and the Ruger American series. The Ruger won out and the Compact was the model chosen for being the closest fit. 6.1 pounds, threaded 20″ barrel, very comfortably priced. The American rifles are good value and focus on what I want without adding extra bells and whistles, exactly like the Oryx.
The Ruger American Compact comes with a black stock (most of the American lineup are in green or tan for some reason) which is one inch shorter than standard. It came with a Picatinny rail mount installed (Ruger’s website does not seem to mention what MOA it is and most pictures show it with a two piece mount.) All American rifles come with adjustable triggers from 3 to 5 pounds. This one also came with a flush fit 4 round polymer magazine and a 5/8″-24 threaded cold hammer forged barrel. The bolt has a 70 degree throw and has dual cocking cams to smooth out the action.
For the price I knew some corners had been cut and the stock is definitely one of those areas, it’s very light but felt flimsy. Right out of the box the forend on mine was slightly warped and may have been making contact with the barrel. I have read that this is somewhat common with the American rifles but it doesn’t seem to affect their performance. Still, no worries here! This particular stock was always destined for the parts bin.
The action plunked right into the Oryx chassis nice as you please but there are some peculiar issues with the American rifles. One of the two bolts holding the action into the V-block bedding happens to be right underneath the magazine release tab. If you ever install or remove this chassis you’ll have to muck about with a spring, a tab, and a pin. Don’t lose the retainer pin, you’ll be glad to have it on hand.
In addition, the bolt catch is held into the receiver by a small spring loaded metal tab. In order to work in the Oryx the factory pin needs to be wiggled back out and replaced with a longer one provided by Oryx. The bottom of this pin rests against the top edge of the chassis and stands out as a bright silver line amidst a sea of black.
Assembling the chassis gave me an appreciation for MDT’s build quality even in their lower priced option. The Oryx has a matte anodized aluminum body and removable polymer panels for the forend and the stock, quite handy for those interested in touching up their rifles with some Cerakote. A single row of M-Lok slots at the 6 o’clock position and the facility for a factory sling stud provide options for accessories. The anodizing is rough to the touch and will easily mark from contact with skin, fingernails, or ear protection, but these marks can be buffed out.
When making adjustments to the factory American trigger some attention must be paid not to back it out too far or the back of the receiver will not drop into the Oryx. Just give it a little turn in and keep trying until the two pieces drop together, there shouldn’t be any resistance here.
The biggest issue with dropping an American rifle into a chassis is the tang safety. It’s set in the center like a double barrel or Mossberg 500 series shotgun and swept downward to match the traditional stock contours. Because it’s an angled control trying to sit within a level housing it can be both awkward and difficult to disengage. I would love to see a third party make an extended safety to address this.
Now comes the frustrating part. I did a fair bit of reading before starting this project. First, it seems that a lot of these AICS magazines are really finicky with the 6.5 Creedmoor. Second, it seems that a lot of these AICS magazines are really finicky with tri-lug bolts. This Ruger American happens to have both of these features. Ho boy.
First I looked into Magpul AICS mags. They claim that the new five rounders with brown followers are guaranteed to work with the 6.5 but the old ones with grey followers and their ten round mags won’t. For the life of me I cannot get these mags to cycle anything but the very last round. Time after time rounds would nosedive into the chamber face and refuse to angle up enough to feed. This seems to be a common issue with chambering the 6.5 in general, bolt guns and AR-10 platforms alike.
MDT makes several of their own AICS style magazines. I tried some of their Gen2 all polymer ten round mags and one of their polymer/metal hybrid mags. Both have a very tight front to back fit but like to wobble side to side, particularly when the bolt is open. The all polymer mags fed quite smoothly when loaded to eight rounds but adding a ninth or tenth could cause some hangups and may require a more decisive throw of the bolt. The hybrid mag seemed to fare better in the feeding department but due to the metal over polymer build this mag was particularly finicky to remove from the chassis. Still, these mags work much better and seemed to smooth out some with use.
By far the best magazine I have found out of these four is made by Bergara. These all polymer five round mags feel nice and sturdy, fit snug all around without being tight, and feed all five rounds smooth as silk. Because they’re quite short they also work wonderfully while shooting from a rest. For the least frustration and the best chance of success I will always go for the Bergara mags first.
With everything built and an old Leupold 1″ 3×9 scope pulled out of the parts bin I spent some time at the range, and yes. I know I’m doing it wrong. A Creedmoor at 25 yards is laughable but I work with what I’ve got! With this setup the first five rounds out of a cold bore all went through the same hole.
My first trip had been with a bare muzzle and the 6.5 still had enough oomph to make the bipod hop off the bench even with all of the weight it had put back on. Less than a box of rounds in and I could already feel it in my shoulder. After some hunting around I settled on a “Pegasus” tanker compensator from Ultradyne. While they have a 6.5 specific brake I went with a .308 to keep my options open, it may lose a little compensation but it still does an amazing job of taming the Creedmoor. Way more pleasant!
The trigger pull did feel a touch gritty to me but the range of travel is so incredibly short that it didn’t seem to matter. With a trigger pull likely hovering within 3 to 3.5 pounds I was quite pleased with it. If you want to go lighter you could always look into a Timney trigger, the American rifles are supported.
Also worth mentioning, after a box of twenty rounds I was definitely happy to have a polymer wrapped forend. Even with a medium profile barrel it got HOT, probably enough to have burned if touched. I wasn’t willing to find out!
The Ruger American rifle is exactly what I would have expected from the company: An affordable firearm which is perfectly serviceable right out of the box. Rugers are priced well and the American and Precision Rifle series have growing aftermarket support. If a chassis isn’t your choice then Magpul makes an AICS pattern “Hunter” stock for the American and other third party offerings can also be found.
When it comes to chassis rifles you absolutely could spend more (sometimes way waaay more…) to get a complete package from another manufacturer with extra features thrown in but these days you have another option. The Ruger American is simple, rugged and effective, and so is the Oryx. Together they become amazingly fun to shoot and have way more accuracy potential than what I can provide.
UPDATE 8/25/20: The 5 round Magpul magazines do feed correctly.
