Long Range With The Lillys - NRL Hunter Builds - MDT Mentions

Long Range With The Lillys - NRL Hunter Builds - MDT Mentions

The brainchild of Scott Satterlee, the NRL Hunter League is a field-style shooting match that blends PRS-style competition with scenarios and skills found while hunting. Mike Lilly, from the Hunting With the Lillys YouTube channel, posted a neat video discussing his NRL Hunter rifle builds.

There are three "divisions" within the NRL Hunter League that separate competitors by their rifle setups. The three divisions are "Factory," "Open Light," and "Open Heavy." The Factory division restricts competitors to using factory original SKU rifle setups (with standard bolt-on accessories and optics). The Open divisions restrict rifles by weight, with "light" being 12 pounds maximum and "heavy" being 16 pounds maximum. The Open Light and Heavy classes are where we see the most high-end and customized rifles in the NRL Hunting League.

NRL Hunter stressed field positions and practical shooting skill. Photo courtesy of the NRL.

In Mike's video, he shows us his 14-pound "Heavy" and his 11.8 Pound "Light" 6.5 Creedmoor rifles. Both rifles in the video feature Lone Peak Fuzion actions, APA Fat Bastard muzzle brakes, Leupold MK5 5-25 PR2 optics, and Triggertech Diamond Triggers. You may be thinking something along the lines of, "well, they sound like the same build, right? How are they different?" The rifle Mike runs for NRL "Open Light" competitions is fitted with an MDT HNT26 Carbon Fiber Chassis. Mike says this chassis system is adjustable and shoots fantastically. While Mike was hesitant to chamber an 11.8-pound rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor, he claims the carbon fiber MDT chassis "just eats recoil."

The "Open Heavy" class rifle featured in Mike's video is equipped with an MDT XRS Chassis, which he says is one of the most "under-estimated, underutilized chassis out there." The XRS is described as absorbing recoil nicely and being highly customizable. Rounding out both of these rifle builds are MDT bipods to give them reliable stabilization at the lightest weight possible. Mike says he switches between his Ckypod and Double Pull Ckypods depending on terrain types and weight restrictions.

Mike Lilly, getting it done

Mike Lilly, getting it done. Photo courtesy of the NRL.

COMPETITION AND HUNTING RESOURCES FROM MDT

Ceck out the Hunting With the Lillys YouTube channel! Information about the NRL Hunter League can be found here. 

Related Posts

3 Great Calibers for New Rifle Shooters

Ammo may not be as cheap as it once was, but it's arguably more accurate than ever. Ammunition companies have been able to wring...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Sep 10 2026

Modern Day Sniper: Canyon Shots Demand Better Wind Calls

It's September, which means hunting season is upon us. And that means it's time to get our gear and our minds ready. In a...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Sep 09 2026

Lethal Corporation: Lucas Botkin Shakes Out the Bergara B14 and MDT LSS Gen3 Chassis!

Custom precision rifles are expensive. Full rigs can cost near five figures. And that's not attainable for very many people. In a recent video,...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Sep 08 2026

Baseline vs. Adaptive Shooting

Shooting techniques vary based on terrain, mission profile, equipment, individual capability, and environmental conditions. Among the many approaches to rifle employment, baseline shooting and...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Sep 03 2026

2WiLD Guns: A Budget Rifle in a Big Dog Chassis! Is This Overkill?

The MDT LSS GEN3 is a transformer for chassis systems. It can be easily adapted to fit any task at hand—which makes it a...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Sep 02 2026

The Five Children of the .308 Winchester

We've all seen it: as soon as a new cartridge becomes popular, experimenters start modifying the cartridge case to come up with new variations....
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Sep 01 2026

MDT Stalker Core Buttstock Now Available: Lightweight, Minimalist, and Modular

First unveiled at SHOT Show 2026, the MDT Stalker Core Buttstock is now officially available for purchase, bringing MDT’s minimalist approach to shooters seeking...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Aug 28 2026

5.56 Is Better Than You Think And Here’s Why

Every generation of soldiers complains about what they were issued. “Back when we had the good guns.” It happens every time. People from my...
Post by MDT Sporting Goods
Aug 27 2026