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

I just got the Hoptic Quiver for the DT, On my Covert I only have 1 screw hole available before the side front pic rail, where I believe the Quiver is meant to mount. I saw some pictures online of guys with the Quiver and Pic rail installed on a covert, any advice? Did you guys just tap a new hole and if so can someone tell me what size. Thanks a lot!
 
I've been running a 6.5X47 Lapua for a few years now with 142gr Sierra matchkings. Haven't had much luck with the 140 gr types but the 142's are doing very well. The round feeds from the 308 factory mags with no issues and ejection is positive and reliable too.

I have had a few minor issues with the 338 BR and the long 300 gr matchkings feeding. Nothing a short stop doesn't fix. Its not a round I'd be doing any rapid fire with anyway. With the shorter 200 gr supersonic loads it seems to feed very well with none of the issues the longer subsonics have had. Ejection has been pretty reliable with this round though you do occasionally get one dropped in the magwell.

Frank
 
I just got the Hoptic Quiver for the DT, On my Covert I only have 1 screw hole available before the side front pic rail, where I believe the Quiver is meant to mount. I saw some pictures online of guys with the Quiver and Pic rail installed on a covert, any advice? Did you guys just tap a new hole and if so can someone tell me what size. Thanks a lot!

I'd like to know this as well
 
Anyone shooting Hornady 140 ELD Ammo through their 6.5 DTAs? If so what kind of groups are you getting, what's your estimated accuracy? I have not been able to get under 0.7 MOA.

Mine shoots the Hornady factory Match 140 eld ammo so well, I sometimes wonder why I bother to reload for it.
I attached a few samples. However, I'm not running the factory DT barrel. I got a 26" Benchmark from FireGuyTy.


 

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Mine shoots the Hornady factory Match 140 eld ammo so well, I sometimes wonder why I bother to reload for it.
I attached a few samples. However, I'm not running the factory DT barrel. I got a 26" Benchmark from FireGuyTy.

Ah, could be the barrel. Thanks for the pics, nice shooting for sure!!!!! I may look into another barrel, FireGuy Eh!
 
I just got the Hoptic Quiver for the DT, On my Covert I only have 1 screw hole available before the side front pic rail, where I believe the Quiver is meant to mount. I saw some pictures online of guys with the Quiver and Pic rail installed on a covert, any advice? Did you guys just tap a new hole and if so can someone tell me what size. Thanks a lot!

Yes, very easy.
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I need some help guys. I have the opportunity to get into a gen 1 308 at a reasonable price. I've been looking into getting a DT recently but have little knowledge and zero experience. I'm not sold on the 308 cartridge at all , I currently shoot 6.5x284, 7 SAUM and 300 WM in traditional bolt rifles. However, the price is right, can anyone tell me the real world difference between the gen 1 and the others? I'm having a hard time spending the money on something I've never seen , shot or handled . Thanks guys .
 
Not a month goes by that I don't talk to a guy with a gen1, wishing he had an A1. At least once a month if not five. A lot of guys that think they are getting "good deals" find out later it wasn't so much. So be careful.

If you'd like to give me a call and talk it over, just give me a ring. I'll take you through the positives, negatives, and tell you whether you're actually getting a good deal on this gen1.
 
I've been running a Gen 1 since 2010 and love it. Don't let these guys tell you there is something wrong with them. The upgrades on the gen 2 are only upgrades to some folks. I don't like the soft buttpad but its a "feature" that is supposed to be so much better. The adjustable cheekpiece is another "feature" a lot of guys can't do without but most I know never adjust them.
If you can get a reasonable deal on the gen 1 rifle its worth buying. You can do any barrel that the gen 2 guys can, mags are the same for both and if you don't like the solid buttpad you can add a bag or pad to it. I'm running or have built for customers - 6.5X47 Lapua, 260 Rem, 26, nosler, 7 rum, 308, 300 win mag, 338BR, 338 Lapua Mag, 12.7X48 and I'm not sure what else...
I've done all of the above plus a few forgotten in both gen 1 and 2. The only difference is the barrel extensions. The gen 1 rifles can use either the gen 1 or 2 extensions though with the gen 2 you have to align the barrel properly before locking it down. With the gen 2 extension the barrels can rotate a little and the bolt won't line up right if you don't adjust as needed. With the gen 1 extension is plug and play.
Hope that helps

Frank
 
Early DT's were plagued with QC issues. When we first became a dealer, warranty issues were one of the most common things we dealt with. I bought my first DT in 2009 or so, and had 5 gen1's myself at one point. All had issues of some kind. Early rifles were notorious for light strikes/misfires, feeding issues, and parts that didn't fit. Coatings and treatments being used then were changed many times, and some parts from back then will rust if you look at them funny. We spent more time dealing with issues than we did selling them. We still have issues when guy's with gen1's order conversions and the new bolt doesn't fit right because their chassis was out of spec slightly. Works fine with Gen1 parts, but the new stuff into the old can and does present issues.

The SRS-A1 made that problem ancient history. Now we have a warranty issue creep up maybe once every 6 months. ... and I talk to people all the time that were convinced by someone there was nothing wrong with the old models. They regret it. Every single one of them I've spoken to. So if you like risk, buy an old one. If you want a sure thing, give me a call. If you can get a gen1 for $2500 or less for barrel and all, and you aren't going to shoot much, that's probably an OK deal. Any more, and you're wasting your money.

If you get a gen1, and need warranty help... you might find yourself out of luck, as it isn't as if you can just swap parts natively with new rifles. There are more than a couple recoil pads out there that have no tabs on them anymore.

The fit and finish on the A1's since 2014 is what cemented DT's success. We've chambered more different cartridges in DT's and have more experience with them than any company in existence. Take it for what it's worth, but I'd think awfully hard before I spent my money on old stock. Think about it; if there was nothing wrong with the gen1, why did the gen2 and SRS-A1 get built? Because DT likes throwing money away at R&D for no reason?

I think not.

The SRS-A1 is better than Gen1's in every way. ... and I'd like to stop hearing sob stories from people that have been duped into buying old rifles. There's the truth of things for those that want to know it.
 
There are also the guys making money by promoting their own agendas and don't like people buying stuff from others. Having been around the DT rifles since almost their beginning I'd agree that the early rifles had some issues but not extensive or excessive. Read through the whole series on the rifles from the beginning of the threads...the old ones are archived I believe. You'll see what guys who had rifles really thought, problems they had and what was going on at the time. Helping guys with Gen 1 rifles update their rifles I've found that parts fit hasn't really been a problem and the reliability has been excellent. I'm not saying the gen 2 and A1 rifles aren't good....just that there is really no reason not to buy a gen 1 if you can get it for a reasonable price. I personally wouldn't waste $5 to have the soft buttpad or cheekrest but some think its important. I've never broken a locating pin for the barrel extension and in 7 years I've replaced only one for a customer. The only light firing pin strike issue I've had to deal with was due to an improperly assembled bolt....by the customer.
Difference of opinions.....yep.

Frank
 
The vast majority of DT owners don't post on forums.

Obviously you didn't have the sales volume to see the problems. I did. A nice benefit of telling people the truth. The TRUTH is my agenda. ... and the truth is unless someone can get a gen1 for $2500 or less, they are better off buying a new rifle and experiencing the full weight of DT's ability to support the product.

Otherwise you can put your money where your mouth is, if you like. I have a customers Gen2 chassis with unfired brand new 338LM conversion installed, and he'd like to sell it. How much will you give him for it?
 
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The vast majority of DT owners don't post on forums.

Obviously you didn't have the sales volume to see the problems. I did. A nice benefit of telling people the truth. The TRUTH is my agenda. ... and the truth is unless someone can get a gen1 for $2500 or less, they are better off buying a new rifle and experiencing the full weight of DT's ability to support the product.

Otherwise you can put your money where your mouth is, if you like. I have a customers Gen2 chassis with unfired brand new 338LM conversion installed, and he'd like to sell it. How much will you give him for it?

I see no need to argue with you. Your opinions and mine don't coincide on this and probably never will. I don't need your customers gen 2 so I won't offer anything for it. I'm happy with my gen 1.
In addition you have no idea what work I do, how many people I deal with and what my experience is. My customers do. I'm not in sales, I don't advertise on this board or any other and I'm not pushing my business here. I do discuss the rifles and other stuff of this sort and have been doing so since the early days of the rifles. You can find my posts in the archives along with those of other owners.
I do know that a lot of DT owners have posted on these boards through the years that the rifles have been available, lots of the issues have been discussed over time and solutions have come about or not.
I won't belittle you or your business here or elsewhere. You obviously serve a purpose to the board users even if you don't always agree with me.....it would be pretty boring if you did.

Frank
 
Numbers = experience. Time is a variable... but rarely the most important one in determining experience. Exposure... numbers... that's what's important. The larger the sample size, the more qualified one is to discuss trends.

When it comes to DT or Tangent Theta, I go to great lengths to ensure I have enough experience to provide the truth to customers about the products we carry. I'm not shy about any of that, because when it comes to handing out advice... I expect to have to prove my level of experience to anyone that questions it at any time. I expect others to be able to prove theirs if they want to claim their opinions should take precedent over mine. Unless their experience proves greater than mine, then their opinion will be less valuable than mine to anyone but them. That's the way the world aught to be, and that's the way it is. Everything else is just hot air and artificial positioning.

I have around 8 chassis in various configurations of my own, personally. All in constant states of testing and development. This doesn't include the 3-4 customer rifles I'm working with in any given time. I can confidently say there is no one out there that spends the kind of time and round count I do with these rifles. That has been the case for quite some time. As is customary, and will always be the case, I can prove what I say.

The DT portion of my rack. Couple are elsewhere for various reasons right now. :)

BJLxy0ul.jpg
 
I see no need to argue with you. Your opinions and mine don't coincide on this and probably never will. I don't need your customers gen 2 so I won't offer anything for it. I'm happy with my gen 1.
In addition you have no idea what work I do, how many people I deal with and what my experience is. My customers do. I'm not in sales, I don't advertise on this board or any other and I'm not pushing my business here. I do discuss the rifles and other stuff of this sort and have been doing so since the early days of the rifles. You can find my posts in the archives along with those of other owners.
I do know that a lot of DT owners have posted on these boards through the years that the rifles have been available, lots of the issues have been discussed over time and solutions have come about or not.
I won't belittle you or your business here or elsewhere. You obviously serve a purpose to the board users even if you don't always agree with me.....it would be pretty boring if you did.

Frank

This is a respectful response I can get behind. Thanks for sharing your experience, Frank, and emphasizing that agreement from all corners of conversation isn't actually that valuable. In fact, it can be dangerous.
 
I need some help guys. I have the opportunity to get into a gen 1 308 at a reasonable price. I've been looking into getting a DT recently but have little knowledge and zero experience. I'm not sold on the 308 cartridge at all , I currently shoot 6.5x284, 7 SAUM and 300 WM in traditional bolt rifles. However, the price is right, can anyone tell me the real world difference between the gen 1 and the others? I'm having a hard time spending the money on something I've never seen , shot or handled . Thanks guys .

I can only speak to my experience with a Gen 1, so that's a sample size of 1. I had never shouldered a Desert Tech rifle prior, but I did spend the time to read all 300 or so pages on this thread. It took a while but I learned a lot and got a real-time history lesson. I ended up buying a used Gen 1 in 308 with about 500 rounds on it. I feel I got a good deal, right around $3k with a case, scope mount, and about 150 new rounds and extra brass. Later I ended up with a couple of other barrels for it with Gen 2 extensions. The bullpup design did take some getting used to, but only took a couple of range trips before it was second nature. It stayed second nature because I started selling some of my other rifles since they were no longer needed. Not having an adjustable cheekpiece on the Gen 1 wasn't an issue for me, and getting the Gen 2 barrel extension to line up in the Gen 1 chassis took an extra 3-5 seconds or so. With the 1.5" tall scope mount, my face lined up perfectly to give me good view through the scope.
About a year or so later I talked myself into buying a used SRS A1 from another member here only because I wanted to try the monopod (shallow, I know). It wasn't a need, it was a want. So with both chassis in hand to compare, I ran them side by side for a few months. A good friend of mine wanted to buy one of them, so I gave him the option of which one he wanted to buy since both worked fine for me, and I didn't really use the monopod as much as I thought. He opted to buy the Gen 1 only because I obviously wanted more money for the SRS A1.
The only issue I had with the Gen 1 was the barrel index pin; I thought I broke it off so I ordered 3 more from Desert Tech. When I took the skins off to replace the pin, there the pin was, still in place, but it had slid down in the chassis just enough so I couldn't see it from the top side. I ended up replacing the pin anyway, but that's the only issue I had (if you call that an issue). My buddy hasn't had any issues with it.

I can only speak to my singular experience with a used Gen 1. It was a good experience overall.

I did have to have my SRS A1 cheekpiece replaced by Desert Tech though, but that's a well documented issue with a simple fix, since Desert Tech sent me a new one at no charge (including shipping).

If you put out a feeler, you never know; there may be someone in your local area that may be willing to meet you at your local range.
 
There are also the guys making money by promoting their own agendas and don't like people buying stuff from others. Having been around the DT rifles since almost their beginning I'd agree that the early rifles had some issues but not extensive or excessive. Read through the whole series on the rifles from the beginning of the threads...the old ones are archived I believe. You'll see what guys who had rifles really thought, problems they had and what was going on at the time. Helping guys with Gen 1 rifles update their rifles I've found that parts fit hasn't really been a problem and the reliability has been excellent. I'm not saying the gen 2 and A1 rifles aren't good....just that there is really no reason not to buy a gen 1 if you can get it for a reasonable price. I personally wouldn't waste $5 to have the soft buttpad or cheekrest but some think its important. I've never broken a locating pin for the barrel extension and in 7 years I've replaced only one for a customer. The only light firing pin strike issue I've had to deal with was due to an improperly assembled bolt....by the customer.
Difference of opinions.....yep.

Well said.

In a general sense with any interaction, I have found it beneficial to consider motives of the one talking when considering the message. It is nieve to think that everyone has your best intrest at heart over thier own.... Then, with the message in the propper context, consider it's value.
 
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Ok I sold my SRS A1 and now I will be ordering a new DT. I am sad now that I have sold it so I need to make up my mind if I want the covert or the a1. Oh it will start out as a 308. But who knows what it will end up as. And by the way don't price something unless you are ready to sell because someone will take it.
 
I don't see a mad rush of sales on the A1 for him just because of him pointing out a few issues on a gen 1 lol.

Agreed, appzrently the thousands of dissatisfied A1 customers suffering through warrenty claims aren't rushing to the classifieds to sell thier G1 to replace it with a G2. Go figure. Makes one wonder: Why could that be? That's some funny stuff...
 
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Orkan, Sir you seem like you work close with DT have you or do you know of any new mods coming on the current SRS A1? Or are they going to stay with the same?
 
Ignore him. Rockfish dave is just being a stalker. He's been going and "disliking" all my past posts today like a little child.

"oh no, please don't take away my imaginary internet points!!!!" ... wow some people are losers for life.

FYI: Your post appears to be in violation of forum rules... below are the relevant portions of the rules incase you missed it.

Sniper's Hide Forum Rules, we consider this the first warning and enforcement may come with no second warning.
1.Exercise common sense and be considerate toward your fellow users. Diversity of opinion and intelligent civil discourse is encouraged; by the same token, Personal attacks, rudeness, flaming, baiting, insults to others, or arguments will not be tolerated. Challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Any member who threatens anyone on the forum, via PM, instant messengers, or Email, will be banned immediately without notice.
2. Do not post off-topic. Please keep your comments consistent with the subject and purpose of the conversation thread. Deliberate disruption -- such as consistent off-topic commentary -- will not be tolerated.


 
Agreed, appzrently the thousands of dissatisfied A1 customers suffering through warrenty claims aren't rushing to the classifieds to sell thier G1 to replace it with a G2. Go figure. Makes one wonder: Why could that be? That's some funny stuff...

Why would there be thousands of dissatisfied A1 customers? The A1 is the newest version. Apparently you aren't even aware of that. ... and yes, there are plenty of Gen1 sale ads... yet NONE of them are trying to replace them with a Gen2... they are replacing them with SRS-A1's. Why would they be looking to sell and outmoded piece to replace it with a different outmoded piece?

Do you even have a clue about the various Desert Tech models? It sure doesn't sound like you know what's going on.

The Gen1's haven't been produced since 2011 time frame. So why would there be a warranty rush now, on something that's been out on the market for a minimum of 7 years? All the warranty issues with them were handled back then, as I said.

I didn't violate forum rules. You're exhibiting the behavior of a stalker. Following me around, disliking my posts. Going back through my post history and disliking everything. That's the kind of thing an ex-girlfriend does.

Your little timeout must have really got to you huh Rockfish? Want another one?

Sure feels like that stalker vibe to me....

zyLnPG2l.jpg
 
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Lol, looks like we got a rat. Crap, did I just violate the rules as well?

Anyway, getting my 338 DT tomorrow! Super stoked!!! I can pretty much guarantee DT will be coming out with a newer SRS. Every time I finally pull the trigger to buy something I've been holding out for a newer model/version for; they always announce/release a newer model/version :(
 
Why would there be thousands of dissatisfied A1 customers? The A1 is the newest version. Apparently you aren't even aware of that. ... and yes, there are plenty of Gen1 sale ads... yet NONE of them are trying to replace them with a Gen2... they are replacing them with SRS-A1's. Why would they be looking to sell and outmoded piece to replace it with a different outmoded piece?

Do you even have a clue about the various Desert Tech models? It sure doesn't sound like you know what's going on.

The Gen1's haven't been produced since 2011 time frame. So why would there be a warranty rush now, on something that's been out on the market for a minimum of 7 years? All the warranty issues with them were handled back then, as I said.

I didn't violate forum rules. You're exhibiting the behavior of a stalker. Following me around, disliking my posts. Going back through my post history and disliking everything. That's the kind of thing an ex-girlfriend does.

Your little timeout must have really got to you huh Rockfish? Want another one?

Sure feels like that stalker vibe to me....

zyLnPG2l.jpg

Lol that's quite a list you have there. I'm starting to think i must work with that guy from the way he's acting hahah
 
Lol, looks like we got a rat. Crap, did I just violate the rules as well?

Anyway, getting my 338 DT tomorrow! Super stoked!!! I can pretty much guarantee DT will be coming out with a newer SRS. Every time I finally pull the trigger to buy something I've been holding out for a newer model/version for; they always announce/release a newer model/version :(

Sir,
What color did you get?
 
Sir,
What color did you get?

Black/FDE 26" 338 conversion. Ordered on Nov 27th, so about 3 week delay. Fedex says I'll be here tomorrow. Was really on the fence about the Covert. I'll be ordering the covert upgrade after Xmas for sure. It's going to be a great Xmas.

Kinda wishing I had got the FDE/FDE color, they look good considering all the added black components being added.
 
Black/FDE 26" 338 conversion. Ordered on Nov 27th, so about 3 week delay. Fedex says I'll be here tomorrow. Was really on the fence about the Covert. I'll be ordering the covert upgrade after Xmas for sure. It's going to be a great Xmas.

Kinda wishing I had got the FDE/FDE color, they look good considering all the added black components being added.

I too was on the fence about the color. I think I will be going with the FDE/FDE as well. Just sold a SRS A1 and now I want it back. But thats ok I will get a new one. I looked at the covert and like you I think I will get the conversion later. Got a new US Optics B25 to go on top.