Our Match Rifles: 2016 Update

Just like many other competitive shooters, we upgrade our gear based on innovations and trends and also to try out new equipment. In January 2016 we upgraded our equipment in preparation for the 2016 season. In this article and accompanying video, we will discuss some of the drivers behind our decisions and how our RBros Rifles have been performing in the first few months of the season.

Steve made some of the more significant changes, so we’ll start with his rifle first:

Steve’s Rifle

Steve wanted to reduce the weight of his rifle and that dictated his overall build philosophy. Steve decided to go with the XLR Evolution Carbon Fiber chassis to save weight and also decided to go with the 6XC (105 Berger Hybrid bullet) for ballistic performance and recoil reduction. He’s using a 24″ medium palma contour Broughton barrel (again to save weight) with 1-8 RH twist. He also switched to the APA Little Bastard brake. The rifle sports the RBros Rogue action which is made by Defiance Machine and is very similar to the Deviant action.

Steve is using the Extra Tall American Rifle Company M10 scope rings as they give him the required scope height to clear the barrel shroud. Steve continues to run the Nightforce BEAST scope. Steve noticed that he barrel shroud helps reduce mirage. Steve continues to use a Huber Staged Break trigger as well as the Atlas 8.1 bipod with Tactical Supply feet and ADM 170S quick disconnect lever.

Other enhancements include the Sidewinder Industries Python DOPE card holder and SS Loophole sling. Steve also added Velcro to the side of his magazines to accommodate the two round carrier.

Steve will continue to evaluate the performance of his current configuration and may make some additional changes. Like Ed, he likes the Manners T2A stock and may switch back. One of the reasons he went the chassis route was the wait times associated with the Manners stocks. Steve will also see if the 6mm lives up to its purported advantages.

Ed’s Rifle

Ed’s rifle is essentially unchanged from the 2015 season: RBros Left Hand Rogue action, 6.5×47 Lapua, Broughton 26″ palma countor barrel with 1-8 RH twist, Manners T2A stock, Seekins bottom metal, Jewell trigger set to 14 ounces, APA Little Bastard brake, Vortex HD Gen II scope with Seekins 1″ height matched rings. However, Ed did try out the XLR Element Chassis before going back to the Manners stock.

While a number of top shooters have done well with the XLR Chassis (Jake Vibbert is one of them), it presented some challenges for Ed. As the cheek rest is wide, it tended to push Ed’s head out to the side and he found himself struggling to maintain proper sight picture. One could rotate the cheek rest to address this issue, but it would create problems when shooting weak side. Ed can center the cheek rest on the Manners stock and it works for both strong side and weak side. Ed also noticed that the AW double stack magazines did not perform reliably in the XLR chassis. However, this problem can be remedied by contacting XLR industries and requesting a release paddle that holds the magazine a bit closer to the receiver (thanks to George Gardner for that tip).

Another consideration in remaining with the Manners stock is hand position. Ed found himself torquing the XLR chassis with his thumb which resulted in some errant shots. Ed found that the design of the Manners stock just accommodated his hand better. In addition, Ed really missed the sloped rear end of the Manners stock which allows for finer elevation control.

While trying out the XLR chassis, Ed sent his stock back to Manners for some enhancements. He had flush cups installed front and rear on both sides and also had the adjustable butt plate installed. The side mounted flush cups just work better with slings similar to the Armageddon Gear and Rifles Only slings. The adjustable butt plate also allowed Ed to add a bit of desired length to the stock.

Ed also attached an ADM 170S quick disconnect lever to each of his Harris Bipods and installed a pic rail section to the bottom of his stock. In discussions with Tom Manners at SHOT Show 2016, Tom indicated that they are now reinforcing the front sling studs of their stocks upon request. However, the installation of a pic rail section transfers the load across the two sling studs in which case reinforcement is not required.

Like Steve, Ed will run the Sidewinder Industries Python DOPE card holder and SS Loophole sling. Ed will also add Velcro to the side of his magazines to accommodate the two round carrier.