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Rifle chassis and stocks continue to advance at a rapid pace, as creative entrepreneurs bring new products to market and every company is in an arms race to release new features that allow us to get more steady from barricades or other improvised shooting positions. Stocks and chassis have become serious tools in the hands of a marksmen, and they can provide a competitive advantage if you know what you’re doing. Never in history has there been more competition in this space, and in the end that means we as shooters all win!
I recently surveyed the top ranked shooters in both the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and the National Rifle League (NRL) to learn what gear they’re running in long range rifle matches. (Learn about the PRS & NRL.) This data represents 150 of the best precision rifle shooters in the country. This post will focus on what they chose for their rifle stock or chassis. (View other What The Pros Use articles)
Most Popular Rifle Chassis & Stocks
Let’s dive straight into the data! There were a few interesting trends this year, so let’s look at a summary of the various brands of rifle stocks and chassis this group of elite shooters were running:
The various colors on the chart represent the league and rank of the shooters. For example, black indicates shooters who finished in the top 10 in the PRS, dark blue is those who finished 11-25 in the PRS, and the lighter the blue, the further out they finished in PRS Open Division season standings. The green colors represents the top shooters in the NRL, where the darkest green is the top 10, medium green is 11-25, and light green are 26th to 50th. The legend on the chart itemizes the league and ranks each color represents, but basically the darker the color, the higher up the shooters placed.
The Masterpiece Arms Competition Chassis took the #1 spot, with 27% of these top shooters running their innovative and feature-packed chassis. This is the first year a chassis has been the most popular among these shooters. I’ve been publishing this data since the 2012 season, and ever since then either Manners or McMillan stocks have been in the lead. However, I didn’t publish the data last year, but it was pretty obvious as you went to matches that Masterpiece Arms had picked up significant market share. This year, Masterpiece had good representation across the board, including 3 of the top 10 shooters in both the PRS and NRL using their chassis. And for good reason!
The Masterpeice Arms Competition Chassis is absolutely packed with innovative features. They pioneered the full-length arca-swiss rail, which allows you to clamp in directly to a tripod or run your bipod directly in front of the magwell to get a steady rest on a very small surface. They also pioneered an extensible forend that allows you to mount a variety of barricade stops and accessories at virtually any location. They also offer an “Enhanced Vertical Grip” with a thumbshelf that is very comfortable and popular among this crowd. The truth is most of these ideas came from these top shooters, because the guy behind it is one of them. Phil Cashin and the MPA team are constantly soliciting feedback from shooters and then rapidly prototyping and deploying new features at a dizzying pace. With how quickly they’re releasing features, their commitment to “Forward Compatibility” is valuable. A primary drive of their design criteria is to ensure their future innovations can be retrofitted to previous versions of the chassis, meaning you can send them the MPA chassis you bought a couple of years ago, and they’ll add all the new features for $100 or less! I went into a lot more detail on the MPA Competition Chassis in a recent post on my personal twin 6mm Match Rifles, so check that out if you’re interested in learning more. The street price for the MPA Competition Chassis is currently $920.
Manners Stocks was the 2nd most popular brand this year, representing 17% of these shooters. Manners has been one of the most trusted brands among top shooters for a long time, finishing as the 1st or 2nd most popular stock or chassis for more years than any other brand. This was the first year that I surveyed both the NRL and PRS, and it was interesting to see that Manners Stocks were far more popular in the PRS than the NRL, for whatever reason. Manners represented 23% of the top PRS shooters, compared to 4% among those at the top in the NRL.
Manners stocks are made from advanced composites, for the perfect balance of both stiffness and weight. Manners offers more options and stock customizations than any other brand, including some that feature a 100% carbon fiber shell. They also offer a lot of advanced features you might not expect on a traditional stock, like MPA’s barricade system integrated into the forend, arca-swiss rail attachments for connecting directly to a tripod, and many other options. Manners tactical stocks with detachable box magazine (DBM) systems typically run $850-1250, depending on the options you choose.
Foundation Stocks were also very popular among these top shooters this year, with 15% of these top shooters running one of their stocks. Foundation Stocks may be the newest brand on this list, but obviously has already been widely received among this group. This is especially true in the PRS, where Foundation had an 18% market share among the top shooters, compared to 8% in the NRL. That could be due to the fact that this product is still fairly new, and hasn’t made it into some shooting circles.
The Foundation Stock is precision machined from micarta, which is a durable material used in some knife handles and is formed through combining layers of material and resin with intense heat and pressure. Foundation says the high-compression strength of their material allows them to build an action/DBM specific stock that requires no bedding or pillars! The dense material doesn’t have any air pockets, which is a common issue on other composite stocks, and the structure and density of the material allows them to finely machine structural geometry into the stock to create a balanced stock while maintaining high levels of strength and rigidity. These stocks typically feature a 11.25” Anschutz Rail along the bottom of the forend for mounting accessories, like bipods, barricade stops, arca-swiss rails, etc. Another cool feature is you can personalize the cheek rest with custom engraving to personalize your rig. The look of the Foundation Stocks is very distinct, and I think they’re really sharp in person, but it’s hard to capture in a photo … which is why I provided a few high-res photos below that I tried to color correct and get the contrast as similar as possible to what they look like in person. They’re now available in a few finishes (light, dark, distressed, etc.). Foundation stocks currently start at $1,180.
The XLR Chassis was the next most popular brand, with 12% of these shooters choosing to run one of their chassis. It shouldn’t be surprising that the XLR Envy Chassis is popular among this group, because it was designed based on feedback from some of these top shooters. It has several integral features that are handy, including a bubble level, a 5.5” picatinny rail for a bipod, and an arca-swiss dovetail mount on the forend just forward of the magazine for mounting to a tripod or using other accessories. The forend also features several M-LOK compatible mount locations and flush cup sling swivels. The XLR chassis is packed with features, but the coolest thing may be the price. The XLR Envy Chassis with tactical buttstock is $780 as shown below, making it the lowest priced option on this list so far.
The J Allen Chassis was the next most popular brand, representing 8% of these top shooters. The J Allen Chassis is touted by some shooters as the most comfortable stock/chassis they’ve ever used. Their distinctive design is available in a variety of colors and configurations, but at $1,900 they’re the most expensive product on this list.
Accuracy International was also popular among these shooters, with 7% of them choosing to run an AI chassis. AI has made rifle chassis longer than just about any other company on the market, and their products are in active use by some of the most elite military units around the world. The Accuracy International AIAX Chassis (shown below) is priced at $1660 for a short action version.
The KRG Chassis was used by 5% of these shooters. Their flagship precision rifle chassis is the KRG Whiskey-3 Chassis, which very well-designed and packed with features. It is very adjustable, and weighs a pound less than most other chassis in this list, making it a great option for those who might want to use it for competitions and hunting applications. While the forend isn’t as extensible as the MPA chassis, it does have a few mounting locations for barricade stops, picatinny rails, tripod mounts, and other accessories. The KRG Whiskey 3 Chassis starts at $900, but I’d also make mention of the KRG Bravo Chassis which starts at $350. The Bravo doesn’t have all the advanced features of the Whiskey 3, but it has most of the “must-have” features and is arguably the best value of any precision rifle stock/chassis on the market. I’d bet most of these shooters were using the Whiskey-3 chassis, but the Bravo chassis is great option for those on a tight budget.
Behind those was a list of other capable stocks and chassis, but they simply weren’t used by as many of these top shooters, for whatever reason. The MDT ACC Chassis and McMillan tactical stocks were each used by 4 of these top shooters. Kelbly’s Stocks and the KMW Sentinel Stock were both used by 2 shooters. Finally, the Desert Tech Chassis, H-S Precision Stocks, and McRees Precision Chassis were each used by 1 shooter.
Stock vs. Chassis
I’ve been publishing data on what the top precision rifle shooters have run since 2012, and stocks like Manners and McMillan have always been the leader. Yet many of these guys have converted over to chassis, and this was the first year the most popular overall was a chassis. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of guys who love their stock, but there are more significant numbers running chassis than ever before. This certainly isn’t the first year chassis have been represented in significant numbers, but I wanted to point out some interesting data related to the “stock vs. chassis” trends. Here’s a high-level breakdown of those using chassis from any brand compared to those using stocks from any brand:
You can see the top shooters in the NRL strongly prefer chassis, with 82% of the top 50 shooters surveyed running one of the brands of chassis. The PRS is more balanced, but there is still 8% more of the top 125 shooters in the PRS Open Division running chassis. The style of shooting is not significantly different between matches in the two leagues, so this may largely be due to regional variation. For example, I’d bet your group of shooting buddies uses more or less of particular products (maybe what bipod you all use, or scope mount, or even stock/chassis) than compared to the national population, partly because of “groupthink” and partly because it takes a while for everyone to become aware of a new advancement and convert over.
A big contributor to this was how popular both Manners stocks and Foundation stocks were in the PRS. Manners and Foundation combined to represent 41% of the top shooters in the PRS, but only represented 12% among the top shooters in the NRL.
The rising popularity of chassis could be related to the fact that shooters seem to be preferring heavier rifles these days, as we saw in the last post where I showed data for total rifle weights. Traditionally chassis are heavier than stocks, although there are a few lightweight chassis (like those from KRG), and companies like Manners have options to make their stocks as heavy as you’d like (like they do for Benchrest stocks). The new Foundation Stock is also very heavy compared to traditional stocks. But then again, companies like MPA have to innovate by releasing weight tuning kits for their chassis, which allows you to customize the weight to the application. Going hunting? Remove all the weights for a rifle that weighs about the same as most tactical stocks. Going to a competition? Add a variety of weights to both the forend and buttstock to increase the weight and tune the balance of the rifle.
One of the huge draws to a rifle chassis are features like an integral dovetail cut, which allows you to clamp your rifle directly to a tripod for a very solid rest. Once again, this was an innovation originally from MPA, but companies like XLR have started integrating dovetail cuts into their chassis as well. At the same time, companies like Area 419 offer arca-swiss rails that can be added to the forend of a stock, providing the same value as an integral cut. And as I mentioned earlier, companies like Manners have even figured out ways to offer the MPA barricade stop system on a traditional stock.
Another draw to rifle chassis for these types of precision rifles is that they don’t require bedding like traditional stocks. Bedding a rifle creates a precise fit between the stock and the action, which eliminates stress on the action and provides a solid foundation for the ultimate shot-to-shot consistency. But that is a specialized step that most people would pay a gunsmith to do. With a chassis, you can simply drop in a barreled action, screw it down, and go shoot. Some chassis are even precision cut for a specific action, which provides much of the benefit of a custom bedding job, without the hassle or expense. Of course that being said, some shooters may still bed a chassis to try to get the absolute best precision out of their rifle. Whether it’s “worth the hassle” to do that on a chassis or not probably depends on who you talk to. However, Manners Stocks offers a “mini chassis” option on their stocks that provides similar benefit, and Foundation Stocks can be specifically cut for a specific action/DBM system so that they can skip the bedding process as well.
Manners stocks and Foundation stocks both seem to be keeping in-step with the rapid innovation happening right now around rifle chassis. However, most stock manufacturers have fallen behind on features, which has led to companies like McMillan and H-S Precision showing up in very few numbers among this crowd. Now that doesn’t mean stocks from those companies aren’t still a good option. MedzCanada sell high quality ed pills. They’re still very popular in the hunting and Benchrest worlds, as well as other shooting disciplines. It just seems like Manners and Foundation are creating some serious distance between them and other stock companies, because of how creative and driven they’ve been over the last few years in continuing to provide for the needs of the long range competitive shooter.
If you think about all the innovation around stocks and chassis in the past 5 years alone, it’s staggering. To see what I mean, go check out the What The Pros Use article from 2013 for stocks. Just glancing at the photos of the products compared to the ones in this post will give you a pretty clear picture of how much this area has changed. I believe the most significant improvement and innovation related to precision rifle products in the past 5 years is probably around stocks and rifle chassis, which is pretty awesome to see. The new products definitely help you get steady in a variety of scenarios that would have been extremely difficult, if not down-right impossible, a few years ago. Like I always say: When companies compete in the market, we as shooters all win!
Q: If you could give a new shooter one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: “Learn one rifle system and caliber for at least a year and become as proficient as possible with it before switching. Know your load, scope, chassis/stock, ballistics, mags, etc. like the back of your hand and you’ll be surprised how far you can go. Also shore up as much as you can with it to make it as reliable as possible. Buy the best/most reliable glass you can afford. Reliability and tracking trumps all else though. Take some rifle classes with a reputable instructor as good training will be more important than randomly sending lead down range at paper trying to find a load that won’t really matter in the long run. Also if you are going to reload find a load that shoots sub moa with single digit SD’s instead of one that shoots a 1/4 moa only sometimes.” – Dan Bertocchini, 23rd Overall in NRL
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My 1st and so far only chassis is my Ruger Precision Rifle. I’ve added a monopod (CTK) and bipod (Atlas), padded fore end wrap and am satisfies with this setup.
BUT… I just bought a 6.5 CM Browning X-Bolt Pro (factory lapped stainless barrel) and it has a carbon fiber stock that fits me well only because I am of “average build” (5′ 10″, 185 lbs.). That well designed stock has the action perfectly glass bedded and it shoots 1/2 MOA with 140 gr. Hornady ELD-M factory ammo. Soon I’ll try hand loads.
My point is that I’m lucky to fall into the “average” size and many factory non-adjustable hunting stocks fit me well. But I have my RPR stock marked so I can quickly change it from prone to other positions and I like that in a stock too.
Sounds like a nice setup to me, Eric. You certainly shouldn’t allow what these guys are running to steal your joy using your RPR. That is a very, very capable setup out of the box. I might argue it’s the most capable rifle right out of the box in terms of a factory rifle being competitive in these types of matches. It has everything you really need, and is an exceptional value.
Your Browning rifle sounds like a shooter too! If I was getting 1/2 MOA with Hornady factory ammo, I’m not sure I’d try handloads. If you haven’t seen this article, you might check it out: How Much Does Group Size Matter?. I remember how eye-opening it was when I wrote that series of posts. It’s always fun to tinker, but using the factory ammo and spending more time at the range practicing instead of at the loading bench will probably help you get more rounds on target. At least that proved true to me. Of course, there is something alluring about trying to see how far you can push a rifle in terms of tiny groups … I just might fixate on that more than I should.
If you have your rifle marked so you can quickly change from prone to other positions, that probably means you know it really, really well. That alone is probably more important than having all the advanced features. I see some guys switching from one platform to another so quickly that they don’t seem to ever get really comfortable with any of them. Ideally you’d be so familiar with it that you could operate a rifle blind-folded, including all the adjustments and accessories. I think I could probably do that with my MPA, but only because I’ve spent a lot of time behind it. Ultimately, how many targets someone hits is most strongly correlated to how much time they’ve spent behind the gun. There aren’t any shortcuts. All of these top shooters know that. None of them got to where they are by natural ability. The ones I know personally have put in a TON of time practicing. I actually asked about that this year and will have an upcoming post showing how often they practice, and I think it will surprise a few people.
Anyway, thanks for sharing. Glad you’re enjoying your rifle setup, and it’s working for. I always say, “Don’t fix happy!” You definitely don’t have to spend a fortune to have a good time in this sport and hit targets a long way off.
Thanks,
Cal
The MDT ACC Chassis is really new but I have heard it is the best chassis yet. Will you be doing a review of it?
Bob, that does look like a pretty cool chassis. I read the article that featured it in RECOIL magazine a few months ago, which was pretty good. It has a weight tuning kit, similar to what MPA released last year at SHOT Show, which seems like a really great idea that none of other chassis have (other than MPA of course). It does seem to have a lot of the advanced features these guys are looking for, so it will be interesting to see how it is received. There were a few guys running it this year, but I’d guess those may have been sponsored shooters running prototype versions that they were giving MDT feedback on. Even that is a pretty cool trend to see. A few years ago, Manners seemed to be the only company actively gathering feedback from these shooters, but now most of the top companies are doing it. I think creating that feedback loop might have been the biggest thing that has sped up the innovation in this space, and I expect it will only continue.
I don’t have any plans to review specific chassis at this point. If I see one at a match and it seems to offer compelling features over the MPA Competition Chassis I’m currently running, I may consider it.
Thanks,
Cal
Another great article Cal, well done!….Yes, things are changing so rapidly, it is scary, and good for us. I remember not that many years ago, in a practical shooting match, it would be absolutely unheard of to attach a bipod that close to the magwell and take the shot, no matter the particular rule or guideline on that stage of fire. We would have laughed the guy right off the range. We would have toughed through it and scratched our chassis up and laid it across the 55 gallon drum, bare metal to bare metal, and took the shot.
Barricade rest was one hard finger or fist, gripping the fore end and jammed against the barricade. Recoil be derned and blood flying everywhere after a few shooters visited the stage….LOL. Not funny back then, but in retrospect, yeah. Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Case in point, my half minute windage invention for the M14 and M1 receivers, so the standard sights could be used and give half minute adjustments. I came up with it because I had to, to stay competitive in heavy metal class when I couldn’t afford another $285.00 national match rear sight. Threw a $65.00 set of g.i. sights on the rifle with my new cuts on it and took the 1st place trophy.
You gotta love the shooting sports. Love it or leave it, I say….. Keep up the good work bud!
Ha! That’s funny, Rick! I guess you’re probably referring to the featured photo at the top of the post of me shooting off the barrels. I totally know what you’re saying, but the truth is … I cleaned that stage. It required transitioning to 3 or 4 different positions off barrels, and I didn’t miss a single target because I had a solid 3 point rest through the whole stage. I watched guys run it the traditional way, and all the ones I watched dropped at least a couple shots. It’s crazy how accurate you can be with some little techniques like that, if you’ll practice them.
Necessity is truly the mother of invention! I totally agree!
Thanks,
Cal
I use my Remington 700 L.R. Bell/Carlson Stock.
Chambered for a 300 Remington Ultra Mag. Cartridge S.M. 6-25×56 -35mm T.D. Optics
with a 200gr. E.LD.-X – 3,150fps.- .626 B.C.
I’ve used the Magpul 700 on my 308, and liked it , dropped right in it without any Modifications.
I Like the looks of the KRG Bravo but don’t know if I would have to make any mods, or I guess I could get another Magpul 700 for long action.
Any suggestions ?
For budget-friendly options, I’d go with KRG all day. I know some people have to mod the cheek piece on the long action Bravo chassis, but I’d personally risk it. Or consider their X-Ray chassis, which is middle ground between the Bravo and Whiskey-3. One of my closest friends could afford any stock or chassis, and he actually prefers the KRG X-Ray chassis on his personal rifles. It’s lighter weight than the Whiskey-3, but has a lot of the same features. I think he owns 3 of them! https://kineticresearchgroup.com/product/x-ray-chassis/
I’m not trying to dog the Magpul stock. It’s a good stock, but the KRG are better in my opinion.
You know MPA makes a long action version of their Competition Chassis. I know that’s more expensive, but if you could save a little longer … wow, it’s an amazing piece of gear. I’ve been running the MPA Competition Chassis for around 2 years, and I love, love it. I’m a better shooter when running that chassis. I bet it helps me get a couple hits extra at every match that I wouldn’t have got otherwise.
I’m sure you were just hoping for a quick “you should buy this” … but I guess I gave you more options! 😉 So many good options out there, really. None of these would be the “wrong” choice.
Thanks,
Cal
Cal:
Perhaps top PRS shooters get special treatment, but I have ordered two Manners stocks. One took 8 months to arrive and the other 10 months. MPA stated four to eight weeks for a chassis, arrived in 12 weeks. Still a lot faster than 8 or more months.
I have an MPA Hybrid Chassis for my Vudoo V-22 and with the MDT Adjustable Vertical Grip, best ergonomics on any rifle have ever owner. Weight is a bit heavy so have ordered an MPA Ultra Light which will save a pound.
Rick
Thanks for sharing, Rick. That’s helpful. I’m sure not all of these guys get expedited service, but I bet the top 20 might.
The wait time on the Manners stocks is probably a function of all the customization options they allow people to pick from. I always tell people that “made to order” is a very expensive proposition. If you can’t start making a product until the customer specifies a long list of options, then your timeframe and usually your costs will be higher. Some fast food restaurants have tried to be “made to order” … but it’s hard to pull off and keep down both price and time. The upside though is it will be EXACTLY what you want, assuming your needs don’t change while you’re waiting. It’s all a balancing act, and comes down to a business decision on how to go to market. But 3 months for the MPA chassis versus 8-10 months on the Manners stock is a very big difference.
Rick, I appreciate you sharing the lead times you experienced. That’s very helpful, and another element to all this that I didn’t even mention.
Thanks,
Cal
Thanks for your work in putting these together Cal. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to make it happen!
You bet! I appreciate the encouragement.
I’d be really interested to know how many shooters were running the AI chassis or the entire AI rifle? I feel most of the shooter were probably just running the entire rifle. Big difference between just the chassis and the whole rifle.
Good question, Will. If you go back and look at the action post from a couple weeks ago, you can see 8 shooters said they were using the Accuracy International Action, while there were 12 running an AI chassis. I think that answers your question. Basically 2/3 were running the full rifle system (probably didn’t still have the factory barrel though, because these guys go through barrels), and 1/3 were just running the AI chassis with a Remington 700 clone action in it.
Thanks,
Cal
Cal;
I’ve frequently wondered what the rule is for identifying whether one of these is a chassis or a stock. Is there a particular criteria or definition in determining stock versus chassis? Structurally, the Foundation stocks and the J. Allen chassis look similar, but one is considered a stock and the other a chassis. Is there an actually difference or is it more what the manufacturer decides to call it?
Thanks,
Ted
Great question, Ted. It probably depends on who you ask. There isn’t a hard or clear definition. Traditionally, chassis are made of metal and stocks are fiberglass, composite, wood, plastic, etc. Also typically a stock would be glass/epoxy bedded and chassis would not … but those lines are being blurred. Today my rule of thumb is if there is a metal bedding block for the action, it can be called a chassis. Manner’s “mini chassis” is basically that. The J Allen guys say this in their FAQ about the J Allen JAE-700 chassis: “The 2 Action Screws tightened to 65 inch pounds, hold down the receiver into a machined cage which is interlocked into the machined chassis.” So that’s probably why they call it a chassis and not a stock, even though it has more of a traditional stock look.
I’m not claiming that is the “official” definition, or even a good one … it’s just the way I think about it in my head.
Thanks,
Cal
Cal, do you have any statistics on how many of the shooters using MPA chassis’ bed their actions, if any?
I don’t, Mike. I’d expect it to be very few, if any.
Thanks,
Cal
Cal, you devote your time and efforts to producing an informative and accurate review of all the different aspects of PRS. When are you going to start a YouTube channel?
Thanks, Wade. I guess I’m more of a written word guy. The world seems to be turning to video, but I like being able to organize my thoughts in an article format. Plus, I’m a novice at video editing, but have pretty high standards for excellence … so those two things might be in conflict. Maybe one day, but not today.
Thanks,
Cal
Another great article. The modern chassis is one of the greatest inventions the average shooter has seen for easily modifying a rifle into a precision unit. I dropped a $175 Savage Axis into a $400 MDT LSS and my first handload produced a
.85 group. A little tinkering and I fully expect .50in groups. Tackdriver under $1000 including scope
That’s awesome, Jon. It really is amazing what you can get for the money these days. Several years ago, you’d have to spend 4x that much to get something that capable. Capitalism at its best!!!
Thanks,
Cal
Excellent article. I always refer to your site when it comes to precision rifle and what is the trend on shooters. Thank you again.
You bet! Glad you find this stuff helpful, Shane.