XLR vs MDT HNT26

[TradLife406]

My rifle has been sitting in an AG stock and I really like it. It fits very well and shoots great. But it's heavy for long walks up and down coulees.

I was looking at the base weight of what I have vs the lightweight chassis systems. Not much difference but then I started adding up the weight of bottom metal and the arca rail I have on it.

I could probably save a solid pound maybe more going to a chassis. Plus being able to fold the stock would be awesome. A lot of the time I hike to a vantage point in the dark then back out in the dark after an all day sit.

Seems the price with all the options is close between the two. And I think the weight is pretty close between the two.

How durable is the MDT. The carbon arca seems a little iffy having not seen it.

Right now my gun is about 13lb which is great for shooting but if I could get it down to 12 or a little over 11 that'd be slick.

 

[Dunky]

You can probably find it on here with a search or on the exo mountain gear blog, Mark@exo did a good write up comparing the two.

 

[sierracharlie338]

what bottoms metal and mags are you running and which xlr are you looking at?

 

[Team4LongGun]

I'd go XLR for sure. It's so well thought out and the folding stock is huge for just what you said-hiking in the dark etc. Built in arca is another great feature.

 

[Firestone]

The carbon has held up fine on mine. It's only 2 years old though. So not a real long time. I do like it though and don't plan on changing anytime soon

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

The HNT 26 is very durable, including the carbon Arca fore end. I beat the crap out of mine on several mountain hunts here in AK and have had no issues whatsoever.

 

[Juan_ID]

The HNT 26 is very durable, including the carbon Arca fore end. I beat the crap out of mine on several mountain hunts here in AK and have had no issues whatsoever.

Just curious, how long have you had your hnt26? I’m biased to the xlr just because I think I’ve used it for a while. Got a hnt before this falls hunts and wish I’d have spent more time tinkering with it and actually shooting it before I sold it. May try another at some point.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Just curious, how long have you had your hnt26? I’m biased to the xlr just because I think I’ve used it for a while. Got a hnt before this falls hunts and wish I’d have spent more time tinkering with it and actually shooting it before I sold it. May try another at some point.

18 months. Sold it to a friend as I just put together a custom Tikka. Purchased another and plan to use it for the foreseeable future.
I don’t like the feel of the XLR and much prefer the HNT 26. It’s a toss us between the Rokstok and the 26 as far as what I prefer.. but nice to have options.

 

[dirtytough]

I don’t believe the carbon Arca would hold up how I hunt sometimes. Nor having the chassis/forend being two separate parts. So I’ll stick with the XLR.

 

[Justin Crossley]

My rifle has been sitting in an AG stock and I really like it. It fits very well and shoots great. But it's heavy for long walks up and down coulees.

I was looking at the base weight of what I have vs the lightweight chassis systems. Not much difference but then I started adding up the weight of bottom metal and the arca rail I have on it.

I could probably save a solid pound maybe more going to a chassis. Plus being able to fold the stock would be awesome. A lot of the time I hike to a vantage point in the dark then back out in the dark after an all day sit.

Seems the price with all the options is close between the two. And I think the weight is pretty close between the two.

How durable is the MDT. The carbon arca seems a little iffy having not seen it.

Right now my gun is about 13lb which is great for shooting but if I could get it down to 12 or a little over 11 that'd be slick.

Both are great chassis options. The HNT26 will "feel" more like a traditional stock due to being carbon. The carbon arca rail does slip sometimes. The HNT26 typically costs just slightly more than the XLR.

I like the XLR for its versatility. You can set it up lightweight for hunting, switch out the buttstock, and add weights to set it up for competitions or target shooting.

XLR For Hunting and Competition

XLR Element 4.0 Review

 

[Marty]

I had an XLR and switched to HNT26.

 

[bojangles808]

Ive been going back and forth on this too. lots of dry fire to get a feel but only had rokstock and HNT26 at the range. took advantage of black Friday and built a ultradyne ud5/XLR buttstock folder combo. I did take the ud5 out for one hunt. I didn't want to wait for an XLR mg and the ud5 forend is shorter and only 3 oz heavier plus cheaper so I gave it a shot. also had a hnt 26 folder in the past but m ight stick with straight hnt26. I think a lot of it depends on the grip and intended uses.
my takes.

folder
I don;t think a folder makes sense for me. with a 20in Tikka In the sg rifle sling the rifle sits about the same height as the rifle folded in my nalgene pocket of my pack. I can also deploy my rifle out of the sg rifle carrier a lot quicker without taking off my pack if I kick something up out of its bed. if you are brush busting a lot or in the alders of AK a lot then I guess the folder might be worth it so your buttstock doesn't get caught up. But if you have been happy with a gun bearer or sg sling and don;t bust brush then I don;t think you are missing much. the aesthetics and novelty of the folder is pretty sweet though. it just looks cool.

With folder,
the XLR I like a lot better. its a lot quieter (if you have jumpy deer inside 200 I could see the hnt 26 clicking being a problem, although you can press while opening slowly to make it quieter but in the heat of the moment not sure I'd remember). and I like how it doesn't lock when folded too. tension adjustment is nice.

with an XLR style I picked up a tr 2 buttock along with the folder /ultralight XLR buttstock. It will allow my son to have a substantially more adjustability under 12 in lop with my 223 Tikka. hnt 26 you can only get as short as 12.5. I can also swap and use the tr2 buttstock on a cheap outlier chassis that I'm using on a beater savage. the swapability is nice. The HNT26 only folds parallel with the forend too so you can get the xlr a little more compact as it folds all the way past parallel.

Grip is huge and might make or break ffor a lot of people. if you can feel these up somewhere or at shoot I think you definitely should before purchasing. ( I wear a large glove fwiw) The hnt26 carbon MDT pistol grip with the palm swell is perfect for me. it also has a notch on the chassis for your thumb which is much comfier than the UD5 chassis. The XLR looks similar to the UD5 and although you can put a thumb rest its not as inline with the hnt 26 is with the notch. I used the non carbon HNT26 pistol grip with the UD5 for the palmswell and it only weighed 2 oz on my scale. The carbon smoke grip for XLR is only 1 oz and 180$ without the palm swell so it didn't seem like a good use of funds. B5 P grip 22 is also another cheap option that's 2 oz that would work with ultradyne/xlr. The rokstock grip feels much more natural than both though imo. I also like the bravo grip over both ud5/hnt26 as well but that's more a chassis issue vs specific versions.

Carrrying.
the HNT26 definitely carres better in hand. especially with the 3rd flush mag. (3rd flush mag does not work in ud5 but I wouldn't carry it over mag anyways like I can the HNT26). note I have the non arca hnt 26 version and will be putting a small arca rail in the second mlok spot. still plenty of room for my hand. the carbon also doesn't get hot or cold and its rounded forend feels better. The ud5 and xlr foreends are similar with a more squared forend that doesn't carry as nice imo. .In a pack in the sg rifle carrier, neither had issues deploying quickly however in the heat of the moment the XLR seems more snaggy.

weight
The hnt26 is a lot lighter. hnt 26 is about 30 oz including spacers for a 13.5 -14 lop. and ounce or two more with folder. with the ud5 I'm giving up maybe 10-12 oz but the ability to use the tr2 buttstock along with the folder is the tradeoff. My current setup Sans barreled action/scope weighs 42 oz. With the 20 in 223 Tikka, to84 rings, bubble and 20 oz SWFA 3x9 Im at 8lbs 9oz (no mag). in the Hnt26 no spacers I had it at 7lbs 11 oz (no spacers). In the XLR weight calculator on their site with folder, 12.5 carbon buttock/ bag rider, mg Tikka SA chassis, smoke grip it says lightest you can get it is 38 oz (no mag). still heavier than hnt 26.

comparison with rokstock.
I've been behind the chassis a lot to dial in lop and dry fire and the rokstock just feels so much more natural to get behind for me. I've admittedly not had a lot time behind the chassis but between thumb on side with chassis I prefer the thumb in line with bore like on RS. the rokstock grip is also perfect for me. it took some spacers to get the lop dialed with my cheek wield but how it feels is just excellent. factory mags is also better imo than dealing with aics mags plus its half/a third of the price. recoil management better too with rokstock however in smaller bores might not matter. with muffs I do better with a chassis as the negative comb on RS slightly interferes with cheek weld. The hnt 26 buttpad also sucks but I'm giving the obi cush pad a try. I would definitely like

hope that helps someone. in short its a lot like boots or packs, try before you buy if can. application also key. if you have kids the XLR adjustability might trump the heavier weight. if shooting comps and hunting that also might push you in favor of a chassis over a rokstock where you can add weights or change buttstocks depending on purpose. if hunting thicc stuff. folding might make the chassis more appealing. but if you are on a budget the rokstock still excellent value and for me the more comfortable shooting experience of the 3 with a better price and similar weight. cant fold though and no full length arca if you like to shoot off a tripod. I got another Hnt26 folder on the way bc I thought I'd like it more than the straight but probably will let it ride with these 3 for now(they all have things I like) until I come to anymore realizations.

 

[SamsonMan22]

I have had a few of the hnt26 and only one xlr for a short time. If your primary use is to strap the rifle to the pack and then clip into a tripod for shots then the xlr makes alot of sense. For off hand shooting or carrying the rifle in hand any length of time I much prefer the hnt 26. I can’t comment on the durability side of the mdt carbon arca setup but the one solid piece of metal on the xlr was just more appealing for arca use. Carrying the rifle and shooting off hand in the cold would suck without gloves with that all metal chassis.

My xlr folder had more play than the mdt, the mdt locked up tight like it was one solid piece where the xlr had a little bit of slop. I tried to adjust it out but was never able to remove it totally. I like the sleek smooth design of the mdt especially in brush, the forend design was great for shooting off a single trekking pole from seated or kneeling too.

Overall I would pick the mdt over the xlr, I like its butt stock and forend configuration better. The mag release on the mdt was nicer to me as well, I did like the carbon grip of the xlr better than the mdt but that was all that really stuck out to me as being better on the xlr. I never weighed them both but going by the advertised weights they are supposed to be close in weight, my xlr felt quite a bit heavier than the mdt to me at least.

 

[TradLife406]

what bottoms metal and mags are you running and which xlr are you looking at?

Be the short action with the ai wsm mags.


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[TradLife406]

That Rokstock fits a model 70... I've got a model 70 that needs a stock...

Thanks guys