I ordered the new MDT Field Stock for the Ruger 10/22 over Black Friday. They released it the day before they went on sale so figured it was a great time to try one out. Some of you know that I'm a fan of MDT even though I don't run any of their chassis anymore. I've had an Oryx for my 10/22 and an ACC for my Vudoo and 223 R700. I am familiar with their quality, designs, and features.
I'll start off by saying I am probably not the typical 10/22 shooter so take what I value with a grain of salt. I'm an NRL/PRS guy who enjoys positional shooting. I don't shoot bench rest (outside of ammo testing) and I don't do a lot of off-hand rimfire shooting. That being said, I've been looking for a decent stock option for my 10/22 that would allow me to shoot it like my NRL/PRS guns (Vudoo 360 and CZ 457). I will probably never compete with the 10/22, I just like the idea of being able to and shoot those types of courses for fun.
TL;DR - I picked up the new MDT Field Stock for the 10/22. I shoot NRL/PRS. That's the style of shooting and features that are important to me, so my review/impressions are based on that.
First Impressions:
Design seems robust and has a good feel to it. It definitely feels more solid than most composite stocks I've held. It does not feel like other MDT chassis I've handled (duh), though it might be similar to the XRS. Not a bad thing, just don't expect that normal heavy duty MDT feel of an ACC or Oryx (again, duh).
The quality for a polymer stock that retails for $300 (I paid $210 on Black Friday) is quite good. I've had a factory Ruger 10/22 stock and a Victor Titan in the past. This feels way higher quality; both in how stiff it is and how solid it feels. Gives a nice deep tone when you knock on it and doesn't sound like a toy.
Key Features & Pros:
Inletting - Aluminum Inletting gives the receiver a solid surface to mate to. Similar to having a Mini Chassis or V-Block bedding.
Rear Anchor - Having a rear anchor system is really nice for performance. The system they developed for this stock is an idea I’ve heard kicked around for a while. It doesn’t seem like the most secure method, but it is better than nothing. You can see they use a plastic/polymer buffer bar that is longer than normal to attach the rear anchor. The buffer is also held in place by the stock when installed.
M-Lok Forend - One of the biggest challenges with a 10/22 is getting it to balance for positional shooting. Most 10/22 stocks and chassis have shorter forends. This is probably because the majority of 10/22s come with 16 inch barrels. There are a handful of options that can balance out with a good amount of weights added (Kidd Precision Chassis, Grey Birch La Chassis, and maybe the KRG Bravo).
I’m not actually a big fan of Aluminum Chassis, I just don’t like the feel. So when the Field Stock became available with all these M-lok slots I got excited. I added an Area 419 weighted ARCA Rail to it already and it almost balances out perfectly. I think a few extra M-Lok weights and it’ll be perfect. Yes, I know you can balance a 10/22 more easily if you’re okay sitting it on top of the magwell, but I like my magazines changeable when it’s on a bag. Another plus, the forend bottom is flat unlike the Oryx. While you could still get an ARCA Rail to mount on the Oryx, the options were much more limited. You either had to flex/bend a thin one or use the MDT one made for it.
Adjustability - The LOP can be changed with the spacers & hardware they include and the cheek comb is adjustable using a thumb screw (toolless).
Cons:
Rear Anchor - MDT missed out on a big opportunity to make another stock that is compatible with the Kidd Rear Tang. This is probably where they will lose some market share as a lot of people run Kidd (or Kidd Style) Rear Tangs/Anchors or plan to run one in the future. The system works fine, but it inherently doesn’t seem as secure/solid as the pinch system on the Oryx or a true bolt down anchor like the aforementioned rear tangs. Maybe MDT can comment on this as they designed it and I’m not an engineer.
Cheek Comb Riser - I understand why they used this design. It is very cost efficient. However, the system is not great at staying in place. The thumb screw can only go so tight without pulling out pliers and the cheek riser will still move with a moderate amount of force. Not that I usually press on my cheek comb hard, but I also don’t usually expect it to move if I put a bit more than normal cheek pressure on it. The cheek riser is also quite narrow so not the most comfortable.
My fix for both of these issues were pretty simple. I added a little bit of stick on rubber to the inside of the riser pillar and it seems to work. Had to get the placement right as going too low it would just get stuck. I also added some foam padding to the cheek comb to make it more comfortable and a little wider.
Minor Grips that aren’t really cons:
LOP Hardware - MDT was nice enough to include the spacers. A lot of their stocks don’t come with them, though I’d take $30 off the price to not have them. The stock comes with a 14 inch Length of Pull with a single spacer installed from the factory. I pulled this 1/4 in spacer out to get a 13.75 in LOP. The gripe is about the hardware they include and use to secure the buttpad. The phillips head screws are in there super tight and it’s hard to not strip them while removing them. Hex screws would have been much nicer. Also, the longer screws they include for increasing LOP are not the same thread pitch. They’ll work since they’re just screwing into plastic, but how hard would it be to just use the same type of hardware?
Instructions - MDT still hasn't put a note on their instructions for rimfire applications. You are supposed to use your Factory Turque Specs for rimfire actions. I set mine to 25 in-lbs.
Conclusion/Summary:
For the price, I think the MDT Field Stock is a great stock option for the 10/22. I would choose this over the Victor Titan and several other options. However, is it a better option than the KRG Bravo? That’s the real question and I actually really want to do a side by side comparison now. The KRG Bravo retails for a very similar price (almost the same if you have to add on the LOP spacers). The main thing I can say I know I like better about the Field Stock vs the Bravo is the longer forend (about 2 inches longer). The Bravo is very short overall.
I plan to take the new setup out to the range this weekend so we’ll see how it feels to shoot. Overall, I’m happy with the purchase and think MDT did a good job. Maybe they’ll see this and consider making changes to the rear anchor in the future. I think it would be worth the effort.
