Official (DTA) SRS, HTI, Covert, Hunter Thread

14ebdc4.png


The area I have in blue is solid on a gen1 set of skins. A dremel and 5 mins of your time and you can
make the notch for the feed ramp opening.


Thank you very much Jeff. That is very helpful. I am slow, but pictures i can do! Thank you
 
To whoever asked whether a gen 2 extension would work in a gen 1 rifle the answer is sort of. The notch in the gen 2 extension is much wider than the pin in the gen 1 rifle so the barrel has about 20 or 30 degrees of roll freedom. This means you've got to line up your bolt just right and lock down all the clamping screws and lock. So it will function but since you paid a few bucks for a quality accurate rifle I'm guessing your accuracy will not be as good with a barrel that doesn't go back to the same spot every time. Don't cheap out, buy the barrel extension you need for the rifle you have. Gen 1 extensions won't work at all in the gen 2 receiver.

I've been doing some barrels for a couple guys with gen 2's and mine is a gen 1 so I had the opportunity to find this out first hand. Thought having it in print might answer some questions.

Hope that helps.

Frank
 
To whoever asked whether a gen 2 extension would work in a gen 1 rifle the answer is sort of. The notch in the gen 2 extension is much wider than the pin in the gen 1 rifle so the barrel has about 20 or 30 degrees of roll freedom. This means you've got to line up your bolt just right and lock down all the clamping screws and lock. So it will function but since you paid a few bucks for a quality accurate rifle I'm guessing your accuracy will not be as good with a barrel that doesn't go back to the same spot every time. Don't cheap out, buy the barrel extension you need for the rifle you have. Gen 1 extensions won't work at all in the gen 2 receiver.

I've been doing some barrels for a couple guys with gen 2's and mine is a gen 1 so I had the opportunity to find this out first hand. Thought having it in print might answer some questions.

Hope that helps.

Frank

Frank, I asked that question, so thank you. My line of thinking was replacement barrels, be they stock or SAC, aren't exactly inexpensive, so I would need to find a VERY good deal on a gen 2 barrel to even consider it since I was planning to swap out the extension for a gen 1, but I figure at that point, I'd probably be in as much as the cost of a new barrel. I would need to find a tremendous deal before I even considered it.
 
We have several customers using gen2 extensions on gen1 chassis. Accuracy is unaffected, so long as they follow the same procedure every time they install the barrel. We don't stock gen1 extensions, so there is a bit of a delay in getting them, but it's usually fairly short if someone does want a gen1 extension on their TS Customs barrel.
 
And for the record, getting a Gen1 extension is no big deal. Most dealers that stock items will only have the Gen2 extensions, but I've gotten plenty of Gen1 extensions directly from Desert Tech.
 
Frank, I asked that question, so thank you. My line of thinking was replacement barrels, be they stock or SAC, aren't exactly inexpensive, so I would need to find a VERY good deal on a gen 2 barrel to even consider it since I was planning to swap out the extension for a gen 1, but I figure at that point, I'd probably be in as much as the cost of a new barrel. I would need to find a tremendous deal before I even considered it.

One thing to remember is that if you buy a barrel with a gen 2 extension you can replace it with the gen 1 and DT sells them. They have stated repeatedly that they will support the gen 1 rifles. Now having replaced the extension you are in possession of a valuable part which can be sold to help cover the cost of the gen 1 extension you had to buy. I think I'd much prefer to have the extension which fits the rifle properly than hack with one that needs special attention. I swap barrels frequently and it would be a pain to have to use special procedures. Others may think differently so do as you see fit. Enjoy your rifle, they are really a great unit.

Frank
 
can anyone tell me what is involved in adding a monopod to a a1 chassis, and where I can get parts necessary?
My A1 chassis came with a plug where the monopod goes if yours is like mine, all you need is the monopod. The monopod screws directly into the chassis. If you do not have the monopod plug you will need to either order a set of skins w/ monopod or cut your existing skins and order the monopod.

I ordered my monopod with Skins from EuroOptic then sold the second set of A1 Skins to recoup the cost.
 
Anybody running 300 Norma Mag on a covert? I'm looking at going with a 20" SAC barrel in a Covert chassis, looking for any feedback. Primary function is geared to big game hunting, but leaning toward a fast twist barrel 1:8 to be able to stabilize 230 Berger Hybrids.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Hey Orkan, Thanks for the TAB gear! It looks great. Thanks for working with me on the question with my HTI. I appreciate your insights and good advice about the Cheytac. Here's the group from 500yds before it all went to shit.


You can see one of the CE 352s still stuck in the plate where it is welded.

Will advise when I get it all straightened out. Thanks again.
 
Does anyone know when DT is going to offer the A1 handguard for individual sale? I assume they're caught up on the backlog they had.
I have had one on order for 4months through my CO dealer, I just asked about it last week and was told that I might see it by the end of the year because DT told them they are still behind. It's like putting together parts for one of my custom builds! Caught up on backlog you say....not in my opinion or they are just wanting to sell complete rifles. If it wasn't such a good system I would have bailed on DT 3yrs ago because their story hasn't changed IMO
 
Hmmm... I just ordered a covert A1 handguard kit for one of my customers, and was told it was in stock and ready to ship.

If you'd like, PM me what you're looking for specifically and I'll do some checking for you.

As for nothing changing at DTA in 3 years, I can't really agree. My experiences with them in 2014 reflect a company on the move. Far better experiences for both us, and our customers on both product delivery and customer service. I can only hope that the trend will continue. However, my views aren't important... It's your views that count. I have run into some dealers misinforming customers to save their own butts recently. DTA's past can make them an easy scapegoat. I hope that's not the case with your situation, but if you give me the opportunity to check, we can find out for sure! :)

WaltHer, that's a fine looking group there! If there's anything else I can do, just let me know!
 
I am finally putting together my SRS A1 and I have bought a Spuhr 4803b mount for my USO ER25. The problem is the front of the scope is touching the rail when mounted? I was under the impression that this combo would fit? What are my other options for a 40MOA mount and this rifle? I assume I can't do a riser or anything right? Will the DTA HTI mount fit with the ER25 and clear the rail?
 
The DTA mounts do not fit USO TPAL scopes. The turret housing is too wide by about .150" or so. (or the DTA mount is too narrow, depending on who you think is to blame) ;)

Just a heads up gentlemen; I did talk to DTA today about the Covert A1 and SRS A1 handguard kits. They have them in stock and ready to go, so if you need one, give me a ring and we'll get one drop shipped to you. :)
 
Oh yeah, I might as well post this up here too. I'd like to say they all looked like this but...........

Every dog has a lucky day!! 3 shots, 119 yards, 175gr Berger VLD .040" off the lands

254yjvr.jpg
 
Last edited:
There are some QD mounts that work. The ADM Recon-SW and Delta should have enough space in the middle. If you can measure how long your turret housing is, I can double check. USO has had quite a few different lengths of housings over the years. Some actually work in the DTA mounts, while others are too long.

I'm pretty positive that Bobro also has a mount that would work.

I know spuhr made a mount that fit USO's, but I am at a loss for the model number. I'm pretty sure Mile High had them when they were selling USO's. As they stopped selling USO's, I'm not sure if they would have one anymore, but it might be worth a try.

They are out there, but the best way to find out is to measure your housing, add a little for clearance, and look for a mount with that minimum inside ring spacing.
 
There are some QD mounts that work. The ADM Recon-SW and Delta should have enough space in the middle. If you can measure how long your turret housing is, I can double check. USO has had quite a few different lengths of housings over the years. Some actually work in the DTA mounts, while others are too long.

I'm pretty positive that Bobro also has a mount that would work.

I know spuhr made a mount that fit USO's, but I am at a loss for the model number. I'm pretty sure Mile High had them when they were selling USO's. As they stopped selling USO's, I'm not sure if they would have one anymore, but it might be worth a try.

They are out there, but the best way to find out is to measure your housing, add a little for clearance, and look for a mount with that minimum inside ring spacing.

Thanks Orkan, I have the TPAL specific Spuhr mount. It fits the scope fine, its just that the objective of the scope is touching the rail in the front. This mount is 1.46 inches tall. I am sure if I was mounting it on a regular bolt rifle it wouldn't be an issue and probably be even too tall. I am pretty annoyed my $400 mount doesn't work as I was told it would.....
 
Well guys, I just received my gen 1 chassie from "tactical textiles". I must say he was excellent to deal with.
Now im going to order my conversion kit in either 6.5x47 or 260. I cant decide between the two. I have a bunch of 140amax's so a 6.5 it will be. Any pro's or con's with this system between the two I should know before I order, IE, feeding/ejection, accuracy? I know they are both excellent rounds.
Thanks, Ollie
 
Part of the reason why I want one of these is to explore some wildcats.

Something like a .588 rim short action based off of a 338 lapua, or 338 norma, with a fat body. Hmm possibilities.

The closest thing I found to what I have in mind is the 7mm fatso.

Though I wonder what one could do trying to keep pressure down similar to the 6.5 SAUM.
 
6.5x47 generally feeds fine from an SRS. We've chambered a few. They can have hiccups once in a while, as they are pretty short. Really the only reason to have one is if you are looking for lapua brass. Personally, I hate dealing with small rifle primers, so I don't like them.

260's run great, but I hate how deprecated the case design is. Its longer, and has more brass growth than it should. Lapua brass is also an option here. 260AI's are mean machines, but the regular 260rem shows its age. If a guy's not already invested in it, I'd move past it.

My favorite for a nice medium speed 6.5 is the 6.5CM. Very tame cartridge to work with. Faster than a 6.5x47, has a large rifle primer, is just as fast as a 260, and behaves itself after multiple firings. Downside: Hornady brass.

We've sold barrels in all of them, and everyone is happy... so it's really just a personal choice.
 
6.5x47 generally feeds fine from an SRS. We've chambered a few. They can have hiccups once in a while, as they are pretty short. Really the only reason to have one is if you are looking for lapua brass. Personally, I hate dealing with small rifle primers, so I don't like them.

260's run great, but I hate how deprecated the case design is. Its longer, and has more brass growth than it should. Lapua brass is also an option here. 260AI's are mean machines, but the regular 260rem shows its age. If a guy's not already invested in it, I'd move past it.

My favorite for a nice medium speed 6.5 is the 6.5CM. Very tame cartridge to work with. Faster than a 6.5x47, has a large rifle primer, is just as fast as a 260, and behaves itself after multiple firings. Downside: Hornady brass.

We've sold barrels in all of them, and everyone is happy... so it's really just a personal choice.

+1 for the 6.5 Creedmoor, I have one in a Ruger #1 varminter of all guns and it shoots great! Seeing as I just got my SRS in .338 Lapua Once I can afford a 6.5 Creed Barrel the Ruger will be retired.
 
Does anyone else's .308 seem to really hate Amax bullets? I had about 200 178 gr and about 100 168 gr and I can't seem to get anything better than 2" groups at 100 yds. I load up 168 gr SMKs or 168 Hornady BTHP and I can shoot groups that are consistently under 1". I went to the range yesterday and shot three 5-round groups with the 168 Amax and the smallest group was 1.82". I load up the 168 SMKs and my largest group was 0.79". At first, I thought it was just me, but it can't be, right? I can shoot sub-MOA with one type of ammo, but some kind of wild shitshow with another??
 
Does anyone else's .308 seem to really hate Amax bullets? I had about 200 178 gr and about 100 168 gr and I can't seem to get anything better than 2" groups at 100 yds. I load up 168 gr SMKs or 168 Hornady BTHP and I can shoot groups that are consistently under 1". I went to the range yesterday and shot three 5-round groups with the 168 Amax and the smallest group was 1.82". I load up the 168 SMKs and my largest group was 0.79". At first, I thought it was just me, but it can't be, right? I can shoot sub-MOA with one type of ammo, but some kind of wild shitshow with another??
This is not unheard of. Some barrels simply do not like certain bullets/loads. Switching to a different powder will often resolve the issue, yet sometimes certain bullets just will not shoot in some barrels.

Listen to your rifle, and move forward. :)
 
Just a heads up gentlemen; I did talk to DTA today about the Covert A1 and SRS A1 handguard kits. They have them in stock and ready to go, so if you need one, give me a ring and we'll get one drop shipped to you. :)

You sir have just earned any future business of mine when I need something for sure. Enjoyed the conversation and your attention to detail, Thanks for your help, Be looking for an order very soon!
Sully
 
This is not the first time we've helped a disgruntled customer being fed a line by that particular dealer.

Not disgruntled... but I needed some parts, and contracted another DTA dealer, and asked about the parts, the reply was 'we don't have that in stock'... end of email, no offer to check with DTA to get what they didn't have.

Email to Greg... several hours after normal shop hours, and he replied to me that night. Let me know he did have some of what I needed, and said I'll call DTA in the morning and check availability for what I don't have in stock. Just a few hours into the next day I had a quote for everything I needed.

An example of one vendor who wants to acquire new, and keep existing customers, and one that does a bit less good of a job taking care of the customer.

Folks the DTA product is the same regardless of who you buy it from, but the vendor can make a big difference in the buying experience.
 
I always make sure to put a light coat (very thin) of CLP on the barrel extension and shank before installing my barrel. This keeps things from rusting. Otherwise, a light coat of CLP on the bolt, grease on the lugs, and nothing to worry about. I've had my DTA under water a few times. Nothing noteworthy to report in the corrosion department. If you're going to make a habit of shooting in the pouring rain, I'd put a full bolt strip and cleaning operation into my maintenance schedule.

Worse than the rain, is going out shooting in the sub-zero SD winter temps, and then bringing the rifle inside. Every surface of the rifle, internal and external, will condensate. This can cause massive problems on the barrel shank/chassis area. Not so much now with DTA's new coatings/treatments on the A1, but with the Gen1's you'd pull the barrel out after a day and it would look like a cat crapped on your barrel shank/extension. ;)
 
Range result 200yards 260 rem dta A1. .020 off the lands. 1st row lapua scenar 139, second row 140 amax and 3rd row 142 sierra. I used H4350 for all 3 bullets. Best group was with sierra 142 bullet 0.697in center to center. What should I do next?? Should I play with bullet seating? I was getting 2789 velocity with SD of 10. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408236728.464731.jpg
 
I'm going in the morning to pick up my new A1. Pretty excited! I have my scope in the mount, ammo loaded, and the bipod sitting on the counter ready to run out the door in the morning. Then it's off the range, if the weather isn't to bad