Home-made "poor man's mini-FIX"

[BurnOut]

After seeing the mini-FIX (and getting in on the pre-order, only to cancel it because I misunderstood the pricing of the rifle), I became... inspired, I suppose you could say, and went about trying to figure out how I could build something that would offer similarly low weight and results on target, if not necessarily the refinement of a clean-sheet design. Here's what I'm thinking:

• Howa barreled mini-action in the chambering of your choice
• MDT LSS Chassis (you could even bond the action to the chassis if you were so inclined)
• MDT Skeleton Carbine stock w/ adjustable cheek piece
• XLR folding stock adapter (installed inverted to enable right-hand folding)
• Timney or Rifle Basix upgraded trigger

Sending the action out for a good barrel install (something like a Bartlein #2B or #3) and a bolt handle job wouldn't be THAT expensive...

Anyhow, the way I see it, by comparison to the mini-FIX, you'd be losing:

• The ability to run STANAG magazines (read: you'd be stuck with 5- or 10-round Howa magazines, depending on the chambering you choose)
• AR safety location/magazine release
• The ability to lock/retain the stock in the folded position
• The 45-degree bolt throw
• Several inches in forearm length
• A TON of rail space
• A degree of refinement/smoothness
• Aesthetics

Again, the goal wouldn't be to do a knock-off of the mini-FIX, so much as it would be to offer similar usability/performance at a lower price point... kinda like fixing up a Corvette to run with a Ferrari; the Corvette will never offer the Ferrari experience (in terms of integrated engineering, refinement, etc...), as it were, but it could replicate the results at a price point that's more obtainable for a larger segment of the market. What do you guys think?

 

[White Mamba]

Save your dollars , work a couple more hours and get what you really want (the mini fix)

 

[SRSDriver]

Flipping the folding stock adapter usually results in an interference problem with the stock and the bolt handle whenever I've tried it.

 

[BurnOut]

Flipping the folding stock adapter usually results in an interference problem with the stock and the bolt handle whenever I've tried it.

Yeah, the more I look at it, the more I'm convinced that the tube of the stock would hit the bolt handle...

 

[HayStax]

I was initially confused about the pricing as well, but I’m still in line.

Building a semi-custom rifle on a budget is harder than it looks, even experienced ‘smiths run into problems and time and money are usually the only answers.

The “John Hancock” is probably the best bet, but there are compromises there too.

 

[BurnOut]

I was initially confused about the pricing as well, but I’m still in line.

Building a semi-custom rifle on a budget is harder than it looks, even experienced ‘smiths run into problems and time and money are usually the only answers.

The “John Hancock” is probably the best bet, but there are compromises there too.

I hear ya... in my case, I'm already about $600 into it, because I bought a mini action from Cabela's about a year and a half ago for $350, have a Timney in it, a bolt handle job, and a rail. It's a 9-twist .223 in a light-ish barrel, and I've been wondering what to do with it. Sadly, leaving it alone just isn't an option for me...

What I'm leaning towards at this point is getting it re-barreled (and the bolt face opened up) to run 6mm Turbo 40 Improved (if THAT isn't a mouthful) and doing the bit with the MDT chassis and stock. The way I figure it, the money that I have in it is a sunk cost (I'd be lucky to get $400 out of it if I sold it), so the question is whether I move forward or continue to wonder what to do with it. I always have the option of dropping it in a Boyd's stock for considerably less money than the MDT setup...

 

[Evintos]

Wouldn't a straight pull AR15 basically be similar?