Test: Mauser 18 Long Range Chassis, a match rifle in .308 Winchester calibre with MDT Oryx aluminum chassis

Mauser M18 Long Range Chassis, a high-precision sporting variant of the Mauser M18

© Mauser

Thanks to the infinitely height-adjustable comb, the Mauser M18 LR Chassis can be adapted to the shooter. Length of pull can also be adjusted by means of spacers.

Based on the Mauser M18 hunting rifle, the M18 Long Range Chassis offers everything the sport shooter needs. The main component here is the individually adjustable Oryx stock, which has been further optimised for this Mauser M18 by the Canadian stock professionals at MDT. Thanks to the infinitely height-adjustable comb, the rifle can be adapted to the shooter to enable faster target acquisition on the one hand and to bring the rifle into an absolutely steady shooting position on the other. 

Length of pull can also be adjusted by means of spacers in the butt plate area. There is a short Picatinny rail on the underside of the buttstock to which a rear monopod can be attached if required. A bipod adapter, M-LOK interface and QD sling attachments are located on the fore-end.

The standard equipment includes a Picatinny rail with 20 MOA forward tilt for optics mounting, removable sling swivels and a 10-round magazine. The aluminum chassis has a robust matte black hard anodised finish.

Caliber selection for the Mauser 18 Long Range Chassis

© Mauser

The MDT Oryx Chassis System is the main feature of the  Mauser M18 LR Chassis rifle, here seen from both the left and right sides.

For the Long Range version, the manufacturer offers a choice of four calibers: .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester, 6XC and 6.5 Creedmoor. In this sporting rifle, the manufacturer combines the rugged and proven Mauser 18 three-lug bolt and the two spring-loaded ejectors with a 62 cm long, cold-hammer forged match barrel and packs the whole thing into an adjustable MDT Oryx aluminum chassis. The 22-mm match barrel is screwed directly into the receiver. It has a 1-11" twist and is M18x1 muzzle threaded.

The M18 Longe Range Chassis comes with a single-stage trigger. The measured trigger pull weight here was around 1,200 grams on average. Above the trigger with its practical, crisp characteristics, a three-position safety is positioned to the right of the rear end of the receiver, which acts on the trigger. The fact that the safety can be activated and deactivated quietly with sensitive actuation is largely irrelevant for a match rifle, but points to the hunting origins of the M18 model family.

Accuracy test of the Mauser 18 Long Range Chassis in .308 Win.

To see how accurate the Mauser M18 Long Range Chassis is, we took it to the 100-m range and shot 5-shot groups with a total of 8 different factory loads in .308 Winchester caliber, including both hunting and match cartridges. We sat at the firing table, where the gun was supported at the front by a Harris bipod, while a rabbit ear bag at the rear provided the necessary stability. A Minox ZP5 5-25x56 served as the scope. The bullet weights of the test ammunition were between 147 and 180 grs. The best results were achieved with the 147-gr Norma Jaktmatch FMJ and the 180-gr Sellier & Bellot HPBT Match, both of which achieved a grouping circle of 11 mm, followed by the 155-gr BTHP Match from Hornady's American Gunner line, which at 17 mm was one millimeter closer together than the 155-gr ELD Match load from the same manufacturer's TAP line.

Mauser 18 Long Range Chassis specs and price