Posted by MDT on 2023 May 30th
Anthony Amantine - Custom .223 Bolt Rifle - MDT Mention
Anthony Amantine's YouTube channel, A. Amantine, is loaded with intriguing firearms, hunting, and night vision-related content. Anthony, a former college athlete, is an expert and cultural leader in the world of night vision and thermal hunting. Anthony currently works in the night vision industry and hunts almost every night. When you hunt 300+ days a year, rifles become a consumable item. Anthony details his rifles on his channel and recently posted a video about his recent .223 build.
Anthony starts out by discussing the "why" behind his .223 build and notes that this rifle is his first bolt-action .223 rifle. After introducing his rifle setup, Anthony dives into his build and discusses the chassis. The rifle is equipped with an MDT XRS Chassis with a small ARCA plate near the magwell, and a small picatinny rail section near the end of his forend. The stock of the MDT XRS chassis is equipped with a drop-in Wiebad cheek pad. Rounding out the chassis attachments is the MDT .223 magazine that, according to Anthony, operates flawlessly.
Anthony chose TriggerTech and Impact for the trigger and the action. Anthony opted for a separate Impact Action tab on the side of the action that allows him to release the bolt without touching his trigger after explaining his trigger and bolt-release setup. Anthony explains why he went with the Impact Precision two-lug action and Christensen Arms 20-inch 1:7 twist carbon fiber-wrapped barrel. This choice of action allows Anthony to quickly swap his triggers if necessary in the field and during competitions. Anthony chose the barbell bolt handle because it feels best and noted that the spiral-fluted action has been getting smoother the more he shoots it.
Anthony has a custom 308 hunting rifle that sits in an MDT XRS Chassis System. Details of the build can be found here.
At the end of the barrel is the Otter Creek Labs Polonium suppressor in FDE, which Anthony says suppresses noise well. Rounding out the rifle build is the InfiRay Outdoor Th50C 640 3.5x14 thermal optic. Amantine finishes off the review and breakdown section of his video, speaking on the importance of shot placement over caliber choice for hunting, saying not to question .223 for hog hunting as it is more than capable of taking down hogs effectively.
Here is a neat video that highlights the InfiRay Outdoor Th50C 640 3.5x14 thermal optic.
The end of this video showcases some of Amantine's thermal hunting footage with his .223 rifle build. Anthony says he has had a great time shooting this specific build and that he will not be getting rid of it anytime soon. The hunting footage shows successful hits on hogs from various distances. Here we are able to witness the capability of Anthony's rifle build paired with an experienced hunter and state-of-the-art thermal technology.
COMPETITION AND HUNTING RESOURCES FROM MDT
- Mastering The Mental Game Of PRS: An Easy Way To Achieve A Higher Score
- A Shooter's Checklist - Delivering The Perfect Shot
- Beginners Gear Guide for Precision Rifle Competition
- Expert Gear Guide for Precision Rifle Competition
- How Professional Shooter Allison Zane Sets Up Her Rifle
- Dry Fire Drills With Pro Shooter Allison Zane
- Tips For A Successful Antelope Hunt
- Analysis: Long-Range Hunting
- MDT Field Report - Why The Triple Pull CKYE-POD is a Guides Best Friend
- Hunting In Inclement Weather
- Hunting With The MDT XRS Chassis System
- Maximize Performance with Mental Imagery