ORYX FOR ORYX

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was submitted by Fabio De Rubeis. Have a story of your own to share? Send it to story@mdttac.com with at least 500 words and five photos. If we publish your story, we'll send you a custom code to use in the MDT store as a thank-you for sharing your experience with us.

For the past ten years, I have returned to Namibia every year to hunt the great antelopes. Last year, Andrew, my Professional Hunter, asked me not to bring my .416 Rigby bolt-action rifle. In his opinion, it was simply too exuberant for antelope hunting. I had an old Remington 700 chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum. "It's perfect," he told me. "Bring that one."

The Remington already had a Timney trigger, muzzle brake, solid scope, and BDL conversion with a synthetic stock. I thought that was everything I needed. But the range told me a different story. Now and then, the groups weren't as precise as I wanted. At 100 yards, they were still within the vital zone, but not with the consistency I expected.

My conclusion was simple: I needed a truly rigid stock. With an eland, I wanted to rely on a precise, surgical shot and, above all, repeatable accuracy, with the 7mm Rem. Mag., I did not want to leave anything to chance. So I started looking at aftermarket stocks.

That was when I came across the MDT ORYX Chassis. Made from aluminum, rigid as a rock, fully adjustable, and designed to provide a solid interface between the action and chassis, it immediately caught my attention. My first impression was simple: the rifle would become one solid unit. I could also adjust the rifle to my needs and achieve the precision and repeatability I had been looking for.

After testing the new setup, my conclusion was equally simple: with the rifle configured this way, I could shoot with complete confidence. The pictures tell the rest of the story.

Of course, you can improve the mechanics, trigger, optics, and everything else that goes into a precision rifle. But I have learned that without a truly solid stock or chassis, it is hard to achieve the accuracy and consistency you expect. The rest was written in Namibia. Today, I have only one regret: my magnificent Sako 85 Finnlight in 6.5×55 SE, which I use for roe deer hunting in Hungary, cannot have an ORYX Chassis. It is not in the catalog. Thank you anyway, MDT, for the magnificent ORYX.

Never shy of a challenge.