Zealot Rifle Chassis by KMW

[Terry Cross]

KMW’s Zealot - LE rifle chassis was shown in the wild for the first time at the 2021 Precision Rifle Expo in Blakely, Georgia this weekend.

This chassis design reflects the same philosophies that I embodied in the very successful SENTINEL Combat Stock plus a few more that I could not execute in a fiberglass stock.

The Zealot places your barreled action lower in the stock than any other chassis while delivering totally new design features that no other existing chassis or conventional stock has.


FEATURES:

Z-LatchTM locking hardware - Totally new locking system for LOP and Cheek Rest adjustments. No tools needed. No loose and rattling components. Nothing sticking out to snag on gear. Nothing to loosen. Will not accidentally disengage during movement or while on the gun.

Captv-MagTM – This integrally machined feature is the same already proven feature in the new KMW DBM bottom metal. The Captv-MagTM system prevents AICS style magazines from over-traveling into the bolt path and binding the gun.

New Split Hemisphere forend design provides a totally enclosed handguard easy installation and removal of your barreled action into chassis while retaining the lowest CG of any chassis on the market.

I wanted to avoid any proprietary accessory attachment requirements so I chose to include the proven M-LokTM slot standard to allow you to configure as needed from the huge selection of M-Lok accessories on the market.

Main chassis body is one piece/monolithic to maximize rigidity and strength while avoiding a bunch of fasteners to hold the forend in place like others.

The forend is wider and blended to be more friendly to your hands while also sitting in and riding through bags.

A lot of chassis on the market look like the pistol grip was simply stuck there as an afterthought by leaving a lot of square edges and lines that are very unfriendly to your gun handling and comfort if you are on the gun for extended periods.
A good bit of thought and work went into the area where the grip merges with the Zealot chassis to insure your best hand position and comfort even if you add another aftermarket grip*.
*Accepts any M4/AR pistol grip including the excellent MDT vertical adjustable grip.

Accepts all Accuracy International AICS style magazines and AICS clones.
*Will also accept AW style magazines

Short Integral ARCA rail just in front of magazine well fits RRS Anvil and similar clamps.
I purposefully avoided an integral ARCA extending down the bottom of the forend. Future "competition" version may include one.

5 flush cup locations on back half of stock that feature GrovTec’s proven limited rotation, stainless material and black oxide finish. Much better long term wear than flush cup points machined into an aluminum chassis body. Two MagPul flush cup mount points with M-Lok anchors allow you to place front positions where you want.


SPECS

Chassis weight: 4.7 pounds

L.O.P. Range: 12.8” – 14” *

Folding Butt Stock on the L.E. model. Folds over most bolt handles.

Forend Length: 13.75”

Forend Width: 2.25”

Everything except the top hemisphere of handguard (6061-T6) is machined from 7075-T6

First offering will be Short Action (Rem700 and customs on same footprint) – Right hand. Next will be left hand/S.A. then Long Action Magnums.

Colors: Matte Black, O.D.Green or FDE hardcoat anodized.


More photos and information will be on the KMW website (www.KMWLRS.com) and KMW FaceBook page later this week.

Pricing will be announced within the next couple of weeks.

The Zealot – L.E. chassis should be available for ordering and shipping Q1 of 2022 which is getting here quickly!

./

 

[Winny94]

no thumb shelf?

 

[Terry Cross]

no thumb shelf?

No. Not on this model on purpose.
Plenty of places to put your thumb.

Also no full length integral ARCA on purpose. (*Edited to add: See post #84 below for explanation) You can add all want via M-Lok.
Also no easy attachment points to add 78 pounds of weight on the rear/butt on this model on purpose.
Also no adjustments on butt pad for vertical or angle on this model on purpose.

A pure competition version will follow behind this model.


./

 

[Long Range 338]

Very nice execution of features Terry.

 

[b6graham]

No. Not on this model on purpose.
Plenty of places to put your thumb.

Also no full length integral ARCA on purpose. You can add all want via M-Lok.
Also no easy attachment points to add 78 pounds of weight on the rear/butt on this model on purpose.
Also no adjustments on butt pad for vertical or angle on this model on purpose.

A pure competition version will follow behind this model.


./

it's almost as if you designed a chassis that was for work and WASN'T meant for PRS competition

 

[Terry Cross]

it's almost as if you designed a chassis that was for work and WASN'T meant for PRS competition

Yes sir. Good catch! LOL.

The features on this one will still excel at PRS/NRL type shooting but the bloodline stayed true for work guns, thus the "LE" suffix.
The "Comp" will have all the associated features needed.

Be safe sir.

./

 

[308pirate]

No. Not on this model on purpose.
Plenty of places to put your thumb.

Also no full length integral ARCA on purpose. You can add all want via M-Lok.
Also no easy attachment points to add 78 pounds of weight on the rear/butt on this model on purpose.
Also no adjustments on butt pad for vertical or angle on this model on purpose.

A pure competition version will follow behind this model.


./

Can you educate me on why the highlighted is not a desirable feature on a working precision rifle? I find the ability to change pad height invaluable, particularly in prone.

 

[Terry Cross]

Can you educate me on why the highlighted is not a desirable feature on a working precision rifle? I find the ability to change pad height invaluable, particularly in prone.

It is just my own personal philosophy and decision.
Anything that can be adjusted will certainly become "un-adjusted" at the wrong time.

All vertical adjustable buttplates just create another snag point sticking out while some also expose sharp edges when moved from the neutral position.

A vertical adjustable butt will add Length to the butt I don't want on this model.

A vertical adjustable butt will add weight and cost to the chassis I don't want on this model.

This chassis already places the recoil pad higher on the shoulder than the majority out there and in testing has shown the current config to work across a lot of body styles and all positions pretty well.

I very consciously kept it off of this model.
The comp model will have it and at that time, I'm sure there will be people swapping parts over to some of these.

Just like the SENTINEL stocks, this chassis was designed to be pretty good at everything instead of a specialty stock that was really good at one thing and sucked at others.

./

 

[kthomas]

This seems like a very well thought out chassis, and aesthetically pleasing to boot! Not an easy task to accomplish.

Well done! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for the competition oriented chassis.

 

[SFree]

Plus, how often are guys going to be in a full prone position? I would bet not nearly as much as you think…

 

[spife7980]

it's almost as if you designed a chassis that was for work and WASN'T meant for PRS competition

Well what about those of us who dont work?!!!


Looks great Terry!

 

[ohiofarmer]

Terry, this looks to be a winner. On the non-folding version, will the buttstock be separate from the main chassis and attached, or, a continuation of it / one monolithic piece?

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

It was a pleasure to speak with you about this chassis and to handle it. This is a bad ass chassis and I can't wait to see the comp version. For the guys who want to do "one gun to rule them all" this is an ideal set up, and of course for the operators and LEO it's absolutely perfect. The thought that went into it with all the little things is really impressive.

 

[D_TROS]

Awesome well thought out stock. Cant wait to see one in real life.

I will nvr sell my Sentinel I bought in 2011 ish. Great company and great people!


Regards
DT

 

[Redmist]

Dare I ask

Left handed version timescale (asking for friend - genuinely )

 

[LawnMM]

Nice job. You put a lot of thought into it and kept it sexy looking at the same time, others have tried and failed at the same.

I like how deep in the chassis you kept the stock. Is that a quick change barrel screw/access on the right side near the front?

 

[Terry Cross]

This seems like a very well thought out chassis, and aesthetically pleasing to boot! Not an easy task to accomplish.

Honestly sir just like the SENTINEL stocks, this one was "born" off of literally a list of things I wanted the product to accomplish.
So it was just going to look however it was going to look and I wouldn't care as long as it did its job well.

Besides, we all know that just like with girl friends, puppies and trucks, opinions on "looks" can vary wildly and still nobody is wrong.

Thanks and have a safe week.

./

 

[308pirate]

Plus, how often are guys going to be in a full prone position? I would bet not nearly as much as you think…

I'm not going to debate how others would use it. I'm looking at it from my POV and user experience (going back to the early 2000s) with fully adjustable stocks.

To me, a height-adjustable buttplate is a non-negotiable. I have seen excellent and poor executions of that feature.

Others see it differently and that's fine.

 

[Terry Cross]

Nice job. You put a lot of thought into it and kept it sexy looking at the same time, others have tried and failed at the same.

I like how deep in the chassis you kept the stock. Is that a quick change barrel screw/access on the right side near the front?

Thank you sir.

No sir. That is a high carbon steel, nitrided target for the magnet in the butt stock.

./

 

[Terry Cross]

I'm not going to debate how others would use it. I'm looking at it from my POV and user experience (going back to the early 2000s) with fully adjustable stocks.

To me, a height-adjustable buttplate is a non-negotiable. I have seen excellent and poor executions of that feature.

Others see it differently and that's fine.

No worries.
The decision was driven not just from my own thoughts and user experience but input from several dozen others I respect that are retired or current long time work users.

Again, just a difference in philosophies that I now know will cost me at least one customer.

./

 

[Terry Cross]

Dare I ask

Left handed version timescale (asking for friend - genuinely )

Yes sir.
LH and Long Action coming as soon as we are flying fast with this iteration.

./

 

[Terry Cross]

Terry, this looks to be a winner. On the non-folding version, will the buttstock be separate from the main chassis and attached, or, a continuation of it / one monolithic piece?

I have two models to decide from.
One will have a movable buttstock to allow cleaning while retaining the high butt plate in relation to the bore and the other will rely on the vertical adjustable buttplate feature to get the plate/pad out of the way for cleaning. The later would have a one piece design on the main body.

./

 

[st1650]

Nice chassis.

I’ll never understand why not all chassis maker have anti-binding/over travel magazine latch system.

I still think it’s not necessarily a bad idea to have 2 threaded screw holes for a thumb rest like the XLR elements. If you want a shelf install one, if you don’t - then don’t.

 

[chutinlead]

Nice looking chassis with a lot of thought put into it. Could you make it 2lbs lighter tho

 

[Threadcutter308]

Beautiful Terry, well done !

I particularly like the latch mechanisms for the LOP and the Comb. Uhhh, are the springs in those mechanisms "special", or can they be "sourced" via "other channels" ?

 

[B4Maz]

The Zealot places your barreled action lower in the stock than any other chassis while delivering totally new design features that no other existing chassis or conventional stock has.

Great design Terry! What is the distance from the center of the bore to the bottom of the forend?

 

[short_mag]

Fantastic design. Very intentional and purpose built.

 

[Terry Cross]

Beautiful Terry, well done !

I particularly like the latch mechanisms for the LOP and the Comb. Uhhh, are the springs in those mechanisms "special", or can they be "sourced" via "other channels" ?

Thank you.

Everything in the Z-Latch system is 100% KMW.

Was a gamble to see if the idea would work as I wanted and it has surpassed all expectations.
All components machined from my CAD and custom torsion springs from DFW via my CAD.

./

 

[anon]

It's nice to see the butt behind the bore. I really prefer the recoil impulse of a rifle set up that way. Good job.

 

[Terry Cross]

Great design Terry! What is the distance from the center of the bore to the bottom of the forend?

Thank you.

Should be about 0.920"


./

 

[Terry Cross]

Nice looking chassis with a lot of thought put into it. Could you make it 2lbs lighter tho

LOL. . . . . Yes. . . . . Could.
First thing some are going to do is hang 47 pounds of weight on it anyway.

Wanted the user to be able to fall down the stairs on it and not break it I so stopped cutting weight where I did.

./

 

[J-Ham]

First, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Cross this past weekend in Georgia... He certainly lived up to his reputation! We had a great conversation about this chassis & he was generous with his time for a nobody like me, so thank you.

Second, as you can see here the chassis is exceedingly well thought out. So much was done right on it & I didn't even realize until Saturday that I needed a new chassis, haha!

Terry, it was a pleasure talking with you. Thank you for all you've done for this community.

 

[Terry Cross]

First, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Cross this past weekend in Georgia... He certainly lived up to his reputation! We had a great conversation about this chassis & he was generous with his time for a nobody like me, so thank you.

Second, as you can see here the chassis is exceedingly well thought out. So much was done right on it & I didn't even realize until Saturday that I needed a new chassis, haha!

Terry, it was a pleasure talking with you. Thank you for all you've done for this community.

Thank you very much.

This chassis project has been on my hard drive and in my head for years so making the decision to move on it was scary for me.
It is easily the most complex and expensive project I have ever attempted just to see if some of my ideas would work!

It was a pleasure meeting you and talking about stuff we love.
You and yours have a safe week and I hope we cross paths again soon.

Be safe.
T.

 

[Terry Cross]

Awesome well thought out stock. Cant wait to see one in real life.

I will nvr sell my Sentinel I bought in 2011 ish. Great company and great people!


Regards
DT

I appreciate you sir.
Be safe.

./

 

[Steel head]

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

I have two models to decide from.
One will have a movable buttstock to allow cleaning while retaining the high butt plate in relation to the bore and the other will rely on the vertical adjustable buttplate feature to get the plate/pad out of the way for cleaning. The later would have a one piece design on the main body.

./

So you can't have the folder if you have the movable butt-pad/plate?

 

[RFutch]

I saw this chassis last weekend at the Expo and it is bad ass.

Also Terry took the time to go over every little detail and answer all my stupid questions even with me being a nobody. Class act for sure, thank you Sir.

 

[Terry Cross]

I saw this chassis last weekend at the Expo and it is bad ass.

Also Terry took the time to go over every little detail and answer all my stupid questions even with me being a nobody. Class act for sure, thank you Sir.

Thank you.

BTW, You and a couple of others (@J-Ham ) need to know I certainly don't look at you guys as "nobody".
My business is built on and is sustained by people like you at the end of the day.
I'm from the same clothe you guys are cut from so no "high brow" shit from me ever.

Besides even if I didn't think the above my Mama, rest her soul, would beat my ass if I didn't at least try to treat everybody right.

./

 

[_Windrider_]

@Terry Cross, might have been asked and i missed it. I know its a R700 footprint, but will that include clearance for 3 lug 60 degree throw actions or will only 2 lug 90 degree clear?

 

[Terry Cross]

So you can't have the folder if you have the movable butt-pad/plate?

The L.E. model will not have a vertically adjustable butt pad as issued.
Anyone owning an L.E. model will later be able to purchase and install the adjustable butt pad as designed for the Comp version once it is in production.

Not going to predict the when the vert. adj. butt will be available. I don't even have the above version of Zealot shipping yet, so first things first.

./

 

[Terry Cross]

@Terry Cross, might have been asked and i missed it. I know its a R700 footprint, but will that include clearance for 3 lug 60 degree throw actions or will only 2 lug 90 degree clear?

I think so but no guarantee yet.
I could only access some rough measurements and did not have access to any 60* lift actions.
Part of it will boil down to semantics of each bolt handle design. I'm thinking OK but will not commit until one is tested.

I will contact a couple of makers tonight to request a sample loaner to drop in and check.

./

 

[1moaoff]

Terry,

First I hate you right now.. it takes alot for me to change out chassis because I like them(all of them to be the same)
Second can I get 2 in blonde, 2 in brunette, 2 in red head, and 1 in a punk rock pixie style??

 

[_Windrider_]

I think so but no guarantee yet.
I could only access some rough measurements and did not have access to any 60* lift actions.
Part of it will boil down to semantics of each bolt handle design. I'm thinking OK but will not commit until one is tested.

I will contact a couple of makers tonight to request a sample loaner to drop in and check.

./

Let me know if you can’t get a terminus. I can send you one for a short bit

 

[Winny94]

No. Not on this model on purpose.
Plenty of places to put your thumb.

Also no full length integral ARCA on purpose. You can add all want via M-Lok.
Also no easy attachment points to add 78 pounds of weight on the rear/butt on this model on purpose.
Also no adjustments on butt pad for vertical or angle on this model on purpose.

A pure competition version will follow behind this model.


./

I wasn't asking about any of the other features mentioned, nor was I under the assumption this was a "prs chassis". Simply looking for clarification on the thumb shelf or lack thereof.

 

[Terry Cross]

I wasn't asking about any of the other features mentioned, nor was I under the assumption this was a "prs chassis". Simply looking for clarification on the thumb shelf or lack thereof.

Understood.

The additional explanations were merely meant to clarify previously unspoken points for any others following along.

The photos already posted were pretty straight forward and revealing.
They show exactly how this chassis version is going to fly.
Per the above images, there will be a lack thereof.


./

 

[brianf]

Saw this chassis first hand…let me tell you it’s great.

Well thought out

Overly Practical…which is what we all want

Very innovative buttstock with great features

It’s like a chassis evolution of the sentinel

These will be hard to keep in stock…guaranteed.

Great job mr. cross

 

[Evintos]

Is there enough clearance for barrel nut setups?

 

[308pirate]

No worries.
The decision was driven not just from my own thoughts and user experience but input from several dozen others I respect that are retired or current long time work users.

Again, just a difference in philosophies that I now know will cost me at least one customer.

./

Please don't take any of my comments in a negative way. My preferences are no more valid than any other consumers'.

As a manufacturing professional of 26 years, I think your design and engineering appears impressive to say the least.

 

[J-Ham]

I think so but no guarantee yet.
I could only access some rough measurements and did not have access to any 60* lift actions.
Part of it will boil down to semantics of each bolt handle design. I'm thinking OK but will not commit until one is tested.

Let me know if you need an ARC Nucleus... I doubt there's any difference but just in case, it's an option.

 

[Terry Cross]

Saw this chassis first hand…let me tell you it’s great.

Well thought out

Overly Practical…which is what we all want

Very innovative buttstock with great features

It’s like a chassis evolution of the sentinel

These will be hard to keep in stock…guaranteed.

Great job mr. cross

Thank you sir. Appreciate the feedback and nice to meet you.

./