I am standing on the edge of the DTA SRS cliff... Somebody push me off!!

[BigCheese1]

As I was adding up my projected expenses to build up my first custom rifle, it occurred to me that for roughly the same price, I could purchase a DTA SRS system that will allow me to shoot almost any caliber I desired. The system is obviously robust and very popular! I LOVE the look of it and the compact design.

I am about to abandon building my dream Rem 700 in favor of a DTA. I HAVE READ A LOT of info, forums and articles about it AND I have gone through the sticky and many Youtube videos. I have some specific questions that I hope you guys can answer!

1.) Would YOU opt for a multi- caliber system in a bullpup design such as the SRS over a custom built and trued Rem 700? Please explain why!
2.) (NOT that you should) BUT if you did happen to drop either one off a cliff... which one would still be in tact and functional? - My plan was a McMillan A5 stock, Bartlein barrel, DBM, and all that fun stuff.
3.) I have seen pictures showing the 'skins' on the DTA being very chipped and worn out, mainly where the mag well is. It almost looked chinsy and cheap! For that kind of money, I expect nothing to be cheap and 'plastic' about it. Please chime in on the ruggedness of the plastic skins, and if it has ever needed replacement!
4.) The bolt knobs look breakable! This is a big concern!
4.) I am sold on the fact that I will only need ONE high $$$ scope. I am enthralled about the bullpup design and the multi caliber option. I suppose my biggest concern is the ruggedness and overall durability of the SRS weapon system. I am itching to spend some money, or save some more, to get the best.

I am sure these have been answered elsewhere, but as I was about to click "complete transaction" for my Bartlein Barrel, it dawned on me that the SRS is really badass and that I needed to look into it some more!

Please let me know whats up! Thanks a ton for answering these stupid questions.

 

[lanwickum]

I have a gen 2 covert in 308 covert, 7WSM, and a SAC 338LM. Just got the 338LM, may sight it in tomorrow. The 308 covert and 7WSM are some of the best shooting barrels I have ever owned. Repeat zero every time I change barrels. I have or had 3 other custom built rifles. I couldn't say any of them shoot better than the DTA. I have thrown my DTA off a 5' deck just because to show it won't hurt it. It never. Then again, any good custom tactical rifle should be able to hold up to this. They are rugged. Biggest problem I have ever had is dirt in the lugs galling things up. DTA has changeable bolt heads. barrel extensions change lugs. Well that is covered. I had the old style bolt, switched to new style. No change in zero with the different bolts. That was with both the 308 and the 7WSM. BTW, I still have the old style bolts if anyone is interested in buying them.

 

[lanwickum]

Also, I have a S&B scope on it. Zero is not the same on all. Not a problem. I have applied ballistics software. My zero changes with barrel I choose. I do have the 100 yard zeros on my rifle just in case.

 

[vinsonr]

1. I have an SRS with a .308, 300win mag, 338 lapua, and .260 on order
2. not concerned about that possibility
3. The skins are quite rugged and not flimsy at all
4. No concerns about the bolt or knob breaking.

You should get behind one if you can. I did not and ended up loving it.

 

[BigCheese1]

It sure sounds great. This is a tough call! Got any pictures you can share???

 

[BigCheese1]

1. I have an SRS with a .308, 300win mag, 338 lapua, and .260 on order
2. not concerned about that possibility
3. The skins are quite rugged and not flimsy at all
4. No concerns about the bolt or knob breaking.

You should get behind one if you can. I did not and ended up loving it.

I will try! Only met one guy at the range who had one. Did not know what it was at the time. Next time I will ask!

 

[11B-B4]

i was extremely skeptical before i pulled a trigger on the DTA. I thought the bullpup design would have a shit trigger.... it does not. I'll actually be showing a DTA off at shot show with one of our cans on it. They are very very nice....but a bit expensive. Honestly worth the money if I didnt have so many custom guns allready I would buy one. But it would be too much stuff to sell.

Awesome guns, havent met an owner that isnt happy

 

[PRDRIVER]

I have been shooting a DTA SRS for a couple years. I have not had any chipping on my stock panels and the bolt handle is stout. My SRS has been my tactical comp gun for the past two years. It has been very reliable and extremely accurate.

I would take one over a built 700 for a number of reasons.

1. It is a full foot shorter than a 700 with comparable barrel length.
2. It's bullpup design allows it to hide its weight much better when shooting unsupported.
3. The ability to switch calibers makes it the ideal all around rifle. I can shoot 22-243 for varmint hunting, .243 or any of the hot 6.5 caliber rounds for comp work and hunting, and can go all the way up to 338 LM for extended long range shooting.
4. I can make this rifle shoot pretty much any caliber that I am interested in now or will be in the future.
5. It allows me to use one great scope for all of my different calibers. i us a Premier Heritage on my rifle.

 

[BillyGoatMachine]

The DTA SRS has only one fault, and it only applies to a very small number of people out there. The ergonomics. Some people just can't quite get used to the design and how it fits them while shooting. I've got a Gen1 since the beginning an am thinking about selling it to a friend. It's really hard to explain but I am just more comfortable behind a traditional stock design. But holy shit does it shoot accurately. I'm still on the fence about it. Chances are you will love it, but if you can, get behind one and see how it feels.

 

[vinsonr]

This is it in its initial config. It now has a Premier 5-25 on it.

 

[sib1948]

OP from your comments, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. I had the same issue when I began researching these after Shot Show this year. I had never seen one in person, much less held or shot one. I found someone local, who even let me shoot it. I ordered a new DTA SRS A1 with 22" 308 barrel the next day the first of March and still waiting.

Found one for sale here on the Hide and got it the first part of August and have never looked back. Ergonmically the most comfortable rifle for me. Have 22" 308, 26" 260 and 26" 338LM barrels and love the all. Very comfortable rifle to shoot. Could shoot any caliber all day without issues. Topped with Vortex Razor HD 5-20 with 10mil turrets and EBR-2B reticle.

Still waiting for my second DTA to arrive and have been selling my redundant precision rifles and scopes. My TBAC BA suppressors just arrived at my FFL this week and now the 9 month wait to pick those up!!!

I'm in Scottsdale, AZ and if you're near you can try mine. PM me. Otherwise, find someone in your area. I'm sure they'd let you try theirs out. Good Luck

PS If you do decide to order one, I would recommend you start looking for magazines and other accessories you will need when your rifle arrives. So many of these on back order and conversions come with only one 5 or 6 round magazine.

 

[BigCheese1]

Hey All... really appreciate the responses!!!! To be honest, I have no concerns about the ergonomics. Just looking at it makes me comfortable. I may be wrong but I really do not even think I need to get behind one. I have little experience behind a more traditional tactical stock and always wished for a pistol grip chassis or design. This will really be my first precision/ long range weapon so I am not really that used to the McMillian A5 designs or the like. There is hardly a transition for me ergonomically so this is likely my smallest concern. As such, it sounds like this is the way to go.

I am 99.99% I want a DTA SRS A1. Because of this recent change of heart, I will need to save up some more dough. The Rem700 route was great for me because I was going to by parts here and there 'till it was finished, so that I never had to drop a huge chunk of change.
Feel free to post all the pictures you want here! We can never have too many DTA SRS pics!

 

[BLDTYLRY]

I have a DTA SRS-A1 Covert and it's a beautiful system. The 16" 308, 26" 300WM and 338LM, and a SACS 28" 260Rem and all balance well on the Covert chassis. From the design of the chassis to the magazines the SRS are very well thought through.

 

[flatland1]

I'd been shooting McM A5 stocked rifles for almost 10yrs before getting my DTA SRS, so there was a transition issue in my case. I got the 6.5x47 bbl with my chassis, and had problems finding loads that would shoot as well as those I'd been using in a couple of conventional prone rifles I've built myself in the same chambering. Odd & not what I'd expected, though I finally did get IMR4007SSC & S123MKs to shoot well.

Have done a couple of Bartlein blanks for my SRS - one in the DTA contour in 6x47, which hammers with DTAC 115s, and one in SAC's heavy contour in straight 284, which is also a very good shooter, and not picky about loads. I had to modify 308 DTA mags to work with the 284 - seemed strange to me that they couldn't supply the bodies w/o the spacer, but then, a lot of the stuff that DTA does & doesn't do seems a little odd to me. I put 30BA brake/mounts on both these bbls to work with my TBAC 30BA can, and love how compact the rifle is with can, even though I left both bbls at 28". Zero shift with can mounted is very similar with both bbls - 1.25 MOA low & 1 MOA left. Odd, as shift on a M700 260 Imp 30* with the 30BA is about 1/2 MOA low, with no windage shift.

Whatever - I have no issues with the quality & durability of the SRS chassis, and it's nice to be able to quickly change calibers. But like skkeeter stated, I still seem to be able to shoot a conventional stocked rifle more consistently. Not sure what's up with that - maybe shooting the DTA more often and the A5 stocked rifles less would help. I've given some thought to recouping my investment in the DTA by selling it, but just can't get past how compact it is with a can mounted.

 

[sendit101]

I've got the DTA SRS in 308 with the 300 WM on order. Vortex PST on top and it easily holds .25 MOA at 100 yards with factory Federal match ammo. I've got the standard brake on my .308 and with it, you can keep on the target and see what you hit. Without, it bumps me off and I cannot see the hit through the scope. Awesome rifle, you will quickly adapt to the bull pup design, you may even start to like it better? My range is out to 600 yards and it really make the shooter look good!

Get one as soon as possible.

 

[lanwickum]

I had someone ask about my old style bolts I mentioned. Sorry, to insert this in here. I seems that I can not respond at the moment to his PMs. I have 308 and 300win mag bolts. Gen 1 with round bolt handle knobs. $200 each. They are quicker than swapping heads, but am preferring to keep my kit small. I use all 3 heads now. Give me 6 months and may have a 338 Lapua mag barrel for sell also. I also have a DTA barrel on order. I just didn't want to wait 6 months so I ordered one from SAC. Got it with in 1 week.

 

[biffj]

I've got a fairly early Gen 1 in 338LM to which I've added a few cals. I built a suppressor for the .338 which works on 2 of the other cals and I don't shoot anymore without it. Much better than a muzzle brake for recoil reduction and the sound reduction makes shooting more pleasant. I built barrels in 12.7X48 which is equivalent to 510 whisper. It shoots .50 BMG bullets or lighter weights as well with the primary intent of shooting big heavy bullets subsonic and very quiet. I had to build a suppressor just for this one because the bore diamter is so much bigger than any of the others. I also built a .338BR which is primarily a subsonic 300 gr .338 launcher and with the suppressor is the only truly hollywood quiet rifle I've ever fired. Lastly I did a 6.5X47 lapua barrel and it will also use the .338 suppressor. What I've got now is basically 4 different rifles that fit in one case with only one expensive scope, one trigger and cheekweld to learn and about 1 minute or less to swap between. I swapped out the long SRS handguard because I wanted to fit shorter barrels with suppressors and the handguard interfered. It doesn't now and the long 338 and 6.5 barrels don't have any issues with the short handguard. I also added the monopod which I should have bought originally. It has made a huge difference and is a wonderful accessory.
I've got a few remingtons but they tend to get sold to others that don't want to spend what the DT costs initially. I've built and sold enough rems to some of these guys to pay for a couple DTs and conversions but what the hell....its their money.

Frank

 

[STR]

Let me help..... Do it. I personally don't care for it looks, however it is an awesome system that's hard to beat. I have shot a freinds a couple of times, and it feels very good. Worst case is you don't like it, which I doubt, and you sell it.

 

[cypriss32]

I bought one, Gen 1. I haven't spent anytime with it as its in 10day waiting jail CA "cooling off" period. So far I liked it.

 

[shedhorn]

Has anyone used one in snow and ice? I would be concerned that the bolt area could fill up with snow and then you have a single shot. Other than that I like them.

 

[Ring]

4.) I am sold on the fact that I will only need ONE high $$$ scope. I am enthralled about the bullpup design and the multi caliber option. I suppose my biggest concern is the ruggedness and overall durability of the SRS weapon system. I am itching to spend some money, or save some more, to get the best. .

did you price extra barrels? or the bolt swap parts?...

 

[vinsonr]

Has anyone used one in snow and ice? I would be concerned that the bolt area could fill up with snow and then you have a single shot. Other than that I like them.

Then you drop the butt pad off and pull the bolt out, clearing the channel. It would take 10 seconds.

 

[BigCheese1]

did you price extra barrels? or the bolt swap parts?...

A new conversation kit seems to run at about $1,500+/-

I do not know many rifles that will deliver the same performance for that price. I prefer custom built over factory so every rifle will probably be well over $1,500.

The DTA SRS is the more economical choice for those who spend more than $1,500 on their rifles. And it is safe to say that most guys on this site spend above and beyond $4K on their builds.

 

[PRDRIVER]

BigCheese - I will be getting some rifles from DTA this week. I have some that are not spoken for yet. PM me if you are interested in one.

I have been shooting a DTA rifle for a couple years. I have sold off a number of my rifles because they became safe queens after buying my DTA and I will probably sell a few more rifles when I do a couple custom calibers this year. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have about them.

I have used mine in the snow/winter. I never had an issue of a bolt getting frozen or being unable to be cycled fully. Like Vinsonr said, if you happened to fall in the snow and fill the action full of snow/ice, you could easily take off the butt pad and pull the bolt out to remove any excess snow from the bolt channel.

 

[Dogtown]

As a single rifle, it's an expensive choice. But if you think of it as a system of many rifles, it's actually much cheaper in the long run. I have one chassis and five conversions now topped with a single, top quality optic. It's basically like have 5 rifles, all quite different I might add, each with a top-end scope.

 

[gorillamotors]

I bought a DTS SRS Gen2 last Dec and received mine in Jan. I bought the 308 and 338LM conversions. I later bought a 6.5CM conversion from TS Customs. All of these barrels repeat zero every time I change them. My suggestion is to buy the 308 conversion from TS Customs or SAC because the threaded portion does not have the standard 5/8x24 threads for a silencer. I had to have my 308 barrel rethreaded. The 6.5CM from TS Customs is a tack driver at 500-1000 yards. The 338LM is just plain fun to shoot and is extremely accurate as well. I had to replace my factory skins twice (no cost to me) because they cracked easily. The new skin is from a different contractor with a better plastic. I don't know about hunting ruggedness because I mainly shoot at ranges.

Jim