Looking for guidance MPA Vanquish Chassis

TacticalChihuahua

Private
Minuteman
Nov 1, 2020
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7
San Diego
I know this is a relatively new chassis and I’m wondering if anyone has spent some time behind one or owns one yet and is able to compare it to the matrix pro 2.


I’m getting my first rifle for PRS and these are the two options I’m looking at. I will be getting it with the new competition lightweight stock that from what I’ve read seems to balance out the rifle better. Would love any insight that anyone has and your thoughts.
 
Skip the MPA and get a ACC elite. I have owned them all including latest gen matrix pro 2 and the ACC elite blows it out of the water from an ergonomic and weight balance perspective.

And if you need another reason, MPA has about 1400 different fastner sizes so you will need an entire toolbox to take one apart.
 
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Shoot see I would be totally down for that but the PMR rifle from MPA comes in at $3k and to recreate that on an a-la-carte pieced together MDT build would be at least $4k if not more…
This was the same process I just went through. After all of the research, I can’t find anything close to what you get for the money, turnkey. CdG, B&A, Vanquish. I just ordered last month and have zero regrets after looking around, post giving them my cash. In terms of value, I know a lot of ppl love the Solus, but I’ve been behind one and didn’t love it. And correct Vanquish is better balanced and not as wide as the matrix.

@DeathBeforeDismount is right that the MDT chassis is amazing, but my logic is given the amount of ppl/pros rocking MPA, sponsored or not, it was good for my par for the course kind of shooting. I also plan on that chassis living with the same barreled action, so changing stuff around won’t be as much of a thing for me.

I will note that MPA was super responsive, pre and post purchase and spoke with Keith there at length. Great CS there.

In terms of MDT, not a great experience online shopping during BFCM. Implied my cart was saved for X number of minutes, only to check out 6 different times building a chassis/accessorize for a Tikka and the products are sold out from under you. Yes, I know, first come first serve, but it takes a minute to gather all of the right goods and MDT is gonna sell them anyway. Why not give ppl 15 minutes to make up their mind and hold the SKU’s? More of a backend issue they could fix for ppl.

At any rate, I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but a full PMR build is a stellar deal.
 
You could order the MPA rifle. sell the chassis and replace with a MDT to offset the cost. Would come out less than $4K and still saving a good chunk of change. It wouldn't be production qualifying, but who cares about that anyway.
 
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I have owned them all including latest gen matrix pro 2 and the ACC elite blows it out of the water from an ergonomic and weight balance perspective.
I currently own both. I don't find the ergonomic differences that ground breaking. Oh boy, you have an m-lok thumb shelf and you can slide the grip a tiny bit on the MDT, not terribly earth shattering. As for weight balance, they were both dead easy with a 26" match barrel.


And if you need another reason, MPA has about 1400 different fastner sizes so you will need an entire toolbox to take one apart.
again, nope. 3 bits .. exaggerate much?
 
You’ll be fine with the MPA Vanquish. You aren’t losing anything between it and a MDT ACC at all. Just practice a lot and get comfortable with the stock. The PRS finale and season this year was won with an original MPA BA Comp. Consistency in gear and your process is the biggest thing and eliminating processes and gear that are costing you points. I can guarantee between the Matrix Pro, Vanquish and ACC chassis that none of those are going to cost you a point, its the nut behind them.
 
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I think stock/chassis selection is a very personal thing, no one can tell you what's best for you besides you, it's a "different strokes for different folks" thing (a great example is what @jthor mentioned, the new 2024 PRS champ Ben Gossett is still running an MPA BA Comp chassis, which hit the market in 2015). But, buying new today, the Vanquish is probably the safer bet over a Matrix Pro as it's the newer design.

Personally, I seem to dislike aluminum chassis' (or at least haven't found one I like), and after having tried more than a few, I always end up back with my Manners TCS that I've had for ~4 years now.

I'm probably one of the few who dislikes the MDT ACC Elite, as they're surprisingly rear-heavy. To get it to balance right for me, even while running a fairly stout 26" Proof Comp contour, I had to use all 5 internal weights and 2 sets of mlok weights as forward as possible on the rail to get it to almost balance how I like (and still wanted more weight up front to really get it where I wanted). But, at that point, I had a ~25+lb rifle when loaded (which is already heavier than I like). Then, there's the recoil impulse feel, the aluminum chassis' are the opposite of dead and don't soak up much, to me they feel like they transmit the recoil impulse to one's shoulder more directly than some other chassis' (for comparison, my TCS balances better and has a deader recoil impulse at ~22lbs loaded).

I think for bang for the buck the Vanquish production rifle is pretty sick and worth a try. Its Vanquish chassis is MPA's new hotness and the new rear design looks promising as far as not having to load it down with weights out front to get it to balance right. Since it's new on the scene, if you don't like it and want to try something else, you'll have a good barreled action and trigger and the chassis will be easy to flip as it won't last long in the PX.
 
The ACC elite is one of the lightest rear ends out there. That is the benefit. It's way lighter than a foundation or matrix/pro 2. It requires less weight up front to balance. Having owned them all side by side and spent untold money on weights it's very clear who comes out on top. The tcs has its own set of issues, it's was my first high end PRS stock years ago. Lack of adjustable mag latch being the big one.
 
All of these companies know how important balance is. I guarantee you they have some aggregated data on what most are using these chassis for. If a 26” barrel necessitates that amount weight, there is no way they missed that in R/D.

If Users are willing to splurge on a spendy chassis, they know they are going to accessorize as necessary to make it perfect. In other words, more printer ink sales for the company.
 
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The ACC elite is one of the lightest rear ends out there. That is the benefit. It's way lighter than a foundation or matrix/pro 2. It requires less weight up front to balance. Having owned them all side by side and spent untold money on weights it's very clear who comes out on top. The tcs has its own set of issues, it's was my first high end PRS stock years ago. Lack of adjustable mag latch being the big one.
Tomato, tomaaahto... I've owned or shot all the ones you've mentioned too, and liked the ACC Elite the least and wasn't fond of all the things that could come loose (especially the single bolt holding the buttstock onto the rest of the chassis), the TCS is far from perfect (and could use an update at this point honestly), but it is still what I like best.
 
All of these companies know how important balance is. I guarantee you they have some aggregated data on what most are using these chassis for. If a 26” barrel necessitates that amount weight, there is no way they missed that in R/D.

If Users are willing to splurge on a spendy chassis, they know they are going to accessorize as necessary to make it perfect. In other words, more printer ink sales for the company.

Yep, and weights aren't cheap lol!
 
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Tomato, tomaaahto... I've owned or shot all the ones you've mentioned too, and liked the ACC Elite the least and wasn't fond of all the things that could come loose (especially the single bolt holding the buttstock onto the rest of the chassis), the TCS is far from perfect (and could use an update at this point honestly), but it is still what I like best.
You mean the massive bolt that gets torqued down with the giant US made wrench? That is the last thing that will come loose on any chassis. The matrix has a vastly inferior lockup not to mention MPA uses dogshit Chinese fastners that strip super easy and rust. MDT uses stainless us made fastners or coated us fastners made of superior steel. I have lost more points at matches due to MPA chassis failures and weaknesses than any other piece of equipment.

If you had considerable time shooting and maintaining them...and every person I know who does....has moved to the ACC elite and it's a huge upgrade. A bunch of shooters switched to MDT after being longtime MPA shooters for this reason.

I think the foundation is a better system than the TCS but it's way to slick and the weight options suck. Same with the TCS. At least you can run custom bottom metal with adjustable mag catch. TCS would be better with the internal mini chassis so you can run MDT bottom metal.
 
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You mean the massive bolt that gets torqued down with the giant US made wrench? That is the last thing that will come loose on any chassis. The matrix has a vastly inferior lockup not to mention MPA uses dogshit Chinese fastners that strip super easy and rust. MDT uses stainless us made fastners or coated us fastners made of superior steel. I have lost more points at matches due to MPA chassis failures and weaknesses than any other piece of equipment.

If you had considerable time shooting and maintaining them...and every person I know who does....has moved to the ACC elite and it's a huge upgrade. A bunch of shooters switched to MDT after being longtime MPA shooters for this reason.

I think the foundation is a better system than the TCS but it's way to slick and the weight options suck. Same with the TCS. At least you can run custom bottom metal with adjustable mag catch. TCS would be better with the internal mini chassis so you can run MDT bottom metal.
I'm really surprised they'd use fasteners prone to rust. That said, even my cheap firearms are gonna get a wipe down if needed before they're thrown in a case/vault. Why would you let any rifle get to a point where you're getting rust? But I hear you and if they are cheap zinc fasteners, that would suck. What does a US made wrench have to do with anything? The China thing at this point is a social construct (although I fully support getting everything we can back over here). Point is there is just as much garbage made here as much as there is good overseas (as I type on my Chinese apple product).

Also hard to imagine the way the Matrix/Vanquish are a closed design buttstock (or whatever you want to term it behind the grip) that it doesn't lock up well; lots of surface area. Guess I'm gonna find out! Why not thread lock everything you aren't planning to take a part anyway? Worst case scenario, if it's disappointing I'll swap it out, but I honesty can't imagine having that many failures you mentioned. But hey, I'll give my balls a tug! 🤣
 
I'm really surprised they'd use fasteners prone to rust. That said, even my cheap firearms are gonna get a wipe down if needed before they're thrown in a case/vault. Why would you let any rifle get to a point where you're getting rust? But I hear you and if they are cheap zinc fasteners, that would suck. What does a US made wrench have to do with anything? The China thing at this point is a social construct (although I fully support getting everything we can back over here). Point is there is just as much garbage made here as much as there is good overseas (as I type on my Chinese apple product).

Also hard to imagine the way the Matrix/Vanquish are a closed design buttstock (or whatever you want to term it behind the grip) that it doesn't lock up well; lots of surface area. Guess I'm gonna find out! Why not thread lock everything you aren't planning to take a part anyway? Worst case scenario, if it's disappointing I'll swap it out, but I honesty can't imagine having that many failures you mentioned. But hey, I'll give my balls a tug! 🤣
Because we compete in remote areas where we don't have time to clean everything before we get home and many times you have to tear everything down to get to all the nooks and crannies. Kinda hard to clean a gun after shooting 2 days of rain storms in the back of a truck when you and all your gear is soaked and covered in mudd and you still have a 3-10 hour drive home. And the last thing you want to do when you get home is clean your gear and shit when you have to get a shower and get to bed for work the next day.

A US made wrench like the US made hex wrenches they also include with your chassis and using US made fastners mean they are using vastly superior products that cost more because they are quality. Bolts that don't strip or snap off. Threads that don't run. They include all the tools to assemble the chassis, which is kind of unheard of. It would be like IKEA putting wera or snap on wrenches in your new bookshelf kit for you to use. Ever stripped or broken those cheap zinc pot metal fastners putting something together? That is what MPA fastners are like. Every single exposed Bolt on both my chassis eventually rusted....including the steel spigot that had to be stripped a repainted a few times a year to keep the rust off.

Chinese fastners fucking suck...even grade 8 and grade 9. US made grade 8 are the tits...but can be hard to find and are much more expensive. The cost difference between a HK US bolt and a no name chicom can be 2-5x. But when you need something not to fail you...what's the real cost?

It's a sign of high quality and thinking things through long term. It's a sign of a company not cutting corners and looking for the best user experience. It's a sign the company takes feedback and improves their products continuously based on real work testing and use.

Most of the room temp IQ people reading this don't get it. But there is a difference.
 
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What is the weight?
No idea off top of head. But I had to rip all the hardware out and install the pro 2 kit parts to get it as light as possible and then add full internal and external weights to get the gun to balance with a MTU barrel. The same barreled action in the ACC elite requires only the internal weight to balance and dropped like 1.75-2lbs from the total gun weight. So a lighter gun that handles better and is easier to shoot with better ergonomics. It's not even close.
 
So you can't really say it's the lightest out there, just lighter than the Matrix Pro 2. Gotcha.
I was asking because both the XLR and Falkor rears are incredibly light (comparatively) and balance well. The XLR is a little harder because the forend is shorter so you need more weight vs the longer forend chassis out there.
I haven't owned the ACC Elite but did have the Premier and thought it sucked. Crazy ass heavy, required front weights to get rid of tuning fork sound.
 
So you can't really say it's the lightest out there, just lighter than the Matrix Pro 2. Gotcha.
I was asking because both the XLR and Falkor rears are incredibly light (comparatively) and balance well. The XLR is a little harder because the forend is shorter so you need more weight vs the longer forend chassis out there.
I haven't owned the ACC Elite but did have the Premier and thought it sucked. Crazy ass heavy, required front weights to get rid of tuning fork sound.
No body uses that shit. XLR is pretty much dead in competition world and falkor...no one cares. The premier had a bunch of shortcomings that were fixed. I was not a fan of it either.

The ACC elite backend is lighter than every matrix iteration, foundation and TCS with its weights. The only other chassis you really even see is the vision and krg but I don't know how they compare. Alot of guys like the vision and them and compare them to the elite. Having owned a bunch of krg stuff in past...no thanks. They are also much more expensive fully outfitted.
 
No body uses that shit. XLR is pretty much dead in competition world and falkor...no one cares. The premier had a bunch of shortcomings that were fixed. I was not a fan of it either.

The ACC elite backend is lighter than every matrix iteration, foundation and TCS with its weights. The only other chassis you really even see is the vision and krg but I don't know how they compare. Alot of guys like the vision and them and compare them to the elite. Having owned a bunch of krg stuff in past...no thanks. They are also much more expensive fully outfitted.
XLR and KRG almost have the same amount of users. And Vision has about a third of either of them.
That's the plus side of the PRS survey. Takes out the regional biases.
 
XLR is dying and KRG is PNW heavy. Those numbers are also dated as most people don't update their stuff and it's years old. I know a bunch of people still listed as shooting XLR and krg who have switched in the last year or 2 and never updated it. This is why you don't take data at face value..
 
Because we compete in remote areas where we don't have time to clean everything before we get home and many times you have to tear everything down to get to all the nooks and crannies. Kinda hard to clean a gun after shooting 2 days of rain storms in the back of a truck when you and all your gear is soaked and covered in mudd and you still have a 3-10 hour drive home. And the last thing you want to do when you get home is clean your gear and shit when you have to get a shower and get to bed for work the next day.

A US made wrench like the US made hex wrenches they also include with your chassis and using US made fastners mean they are using vastly superior products that cost more because they are quality. Bolts that don't strip or snap off. Threads that don't run. They include all the tools to assemble the chassis, which is kind of unheard of. It would be like IKEA putting wera or snap on wrenches in your new bookshelf kit for you to use. Ever stripped or broken those cheap zinc pot metal fastners putting something together? That is what MPA fastners are like. Every single exposed Bolt on both my chassis eventually rusted....including the steel spigot that had to be stripped a repainted a few times a year to keep the rust off.

Chinese fastners fucking suck...even grade 8 and grade 9. US made grade 8 are the tits...but can be hard to find and are much more expensive. The cost difference between a HK US bolt and a no name chicom can be 2-5x. But when you need something not to fail you...what's the real cost?

It's a sign of high quality and thinking things through long term. It's a sign of a company not cutting corners and looking for the best user experience. It's a sign the company takes feedback and improves their products continuously based on real work testing and use.

Most of the room temp IQ people reading this don't get it. But there is a difference.
Yep, gotcha. Makes sense. But, I think you think we're in a debate. We are not. I was in prod dev for years so understand this vs that regarding components, R&D, etc. It'll be interesting running this Vanquish for a while. I really think I'm gonna like it, but I'm not really a brand loyal anything with the exception of Toyotas. They just won't die. :LOL: Maybe I'll try an Elite on the next run.
 
Yep, gotcha. Makes sense. But, I think you think we're in a debate. We are not. I was in prod dev for years so understand this vs that regarding components, R&D, etc. It'll be interesting running this Vanquish for a while. I really think I'm gonna like it, but I'm not really a brand loyal anything with the exception of Toyotas. They just won't die. :LOL: Maybe I'll try an Elite on the next run.
Hey ps. Seems you've ran a lot of different chassis. Any suggestions for a lightweight backcountry folder for a Tikka?
 
To each his own, there's no wrong answer here, if it works for you and you like it, then it's fine.

I don't think one's choice in a particular rifle stock/chassis has to be the new hotness or the same as everyone else, it's what you touch and interact with the most, so I don't find it surprising at all that different guys are going to prefer different shit.

I tend to look at a lot of rifle gear as analogous to how different guys choose guitars... some guys want all the bells and whistles, and then some guys want something more stripped down. There will always be some guys who want the newest thing or whatever their favorite guitar hero plays (thinking that's what's been holding them back from making it big, and if they use the same thing they'll finally make it). But, just like in the late '80s when most of the crowd were donning flashy axes with multiple pickups with multiple switches to do 20 different tricks with whammy bars and everything else... along came some guy named Slash playing a boring old Les Paul.

The PRS champ this year won using a chassis from 2015 and the guy who won last year (Kahl Harmon) did it with a Frankenstein XLR (apparently he didn't know that brand was dead/dying or just didn't care lol).
 
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To each his own, there's no wrong answer here, if it works for you and you like it, then it's fine.

I don't think one's choice in a particular rifle stock/chassis has to be the new hotness or the same as everyone else, it's what you touch and interact with the most, so I don't find it surprising at all that different guys are going to prefer different shit.

I tend to look at a lot of rifle gear as analogous to how different guys choose guitars... some guys want all the bells and whistles, and then some guys want something more stripped down. There will always be some guys who want whatever their favorite guitar hero plays (thinking that's what's been holding them back from making it big, and if they use the same thing they'll finally make it). But, just like in the late '80s when most of the crowd were donning flashy axes with multiple pickups with multiple switches to do 20 different tricks with whammy bars and everything else... along came some guy named Slash playing a boring old Les Paul.

The PRS champ this year won using a chassis from 2015 and the guy who won last year (Kahl Harmon) did it with a Frankenstein XLR (apparently he didn't know that brand was dead/dying lol).
Dude I’m with you. I know we’re both musicians; analogy spot on!
 
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