MeatEater: Building the Ultimate Lightweight Magnum Rifle

Every rifleman's dream is picking out the best components and assembling a truly "awe-inspiring" rifle. Add hunting into the mix, and the rifle transcends into something else entirely. Matt Miller of MeatEater set out to do that in his latest article. In it, Miller lays out the rifle's goal, "This rifle is designed with hunting in mind, first and foremost–think bear, moose, elk, etc. I wanted it to be lightweight, exceptionally accurate, and capable of extreme long-range (ELR) shooting at inanimate targets past a mile." Here's how Miller accomplishes this goal.

Defiance Machine means something if you are in the precision shooting world. They are one of the OGs in the custom action game and are still regarded as one of the very best. Miller turned to them and their anTi-X action for the heart of this rifle. The name implies a play on words. The action is light, like titanium, but is instead made of steel. To generate its nimble weight, Defiance Machine uses clever machining techniques and lightning cuts to trim off unnecessary fat. Hung to the bottom of the action is a TriggerTech Diamond trigger. These triggers have become a gold standard amongst precision shooters. To aid in the svelteness of the rifle, Miller went with a CarbonSix barrel. They are the only carbon-barrel manufacturer with a .5 MOA guarantee. This model measures 20", has a 1:8 twist, and is in CarbonSix's magnum contour.

For caliber, Miller chose Hornady's stellar 300 PRC. The cartridge, loaded with Berger's 245-grain EOL bullet, is devastating to game animals. Some may wonder if performance would drop with a shorter barrel, but Miller ensures that with his handloads, the gun will maintain a minimum of 1,000 ft/lbs of energy out to 1,700 yards.

In selecting a caliber, Matt compared the 300 PRC to numerous calibers.

Tying the whole package together is MDT's HNT26 chassis. Miller noticed the chassis in action at a local NRL hunter match, where he was struck by how light and cool the chassis was. Unfortunately, a lightweight magnum has drawbacks, such as increased felt recoil. To mitigate this, Miller turned to Back Stop and one of their 3D-printed recoil pads to replace MDT's factory offering. The recoil was tamed to a push rather than a harsh kick.

Hunting in mountainous terrain comes with challenges. The weather doesn't cooperate, nor is the environment relenting. Matt needed an optic to stand up to this arena. Nightforce is known for incredibly reliable and durable optics. This reputation led Miller to them and their NX8 line of riflescopes. The 4-32 variant with the MIL-XT reticle was selected and mounted in a set of Nightforces's ultralight rings.

What a rifle. But what are the results? The numbers come in at 8.2 lbs and measure 31" with the stock folded. And yes, it shoots as good as it looks—sub .5 MOA groups. But to find out Matt Miller's final thoughts on this project and what's next for the gun, visit MeatEater.com.

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