MeatEater: The Ultimate Mountain Rifle - MDT Mention

MEATEATER has become a trusted brand and source of information for enthusiasts and ardent professionals alike. In that fashion, the MEATEATER website is an excellent source of educational materials. MEATEATER recently published an awesome article by Jordan Sillars, who discussed The Ultimate Mountain Rifle.

The idea of a specific “Mountain Rifle” is a misnomer. The phrase formulates the idea that a specific type of rifle must be used to hunt in mountainous terrain. However, the same rifle you use to hunt in the woods or the plains will work. What the phrase means is tailoring a rifle system to a specific environment where ounces matter, and accuracy must be exact because shots rarely present themselves. To fill this niche, Sillars chose a Tikka T3x Lite and married the barreled action to an MDT HNT26 chassis.

At 5lbs, 16 ounces, the rifle is light, like really light. But how light a rifle is doesn’t mean the rifle is good. It’s where and how the weight is saved that matters. “Any gun can become ‘ultralight’ by shortening the barrel,” stated Sillars, “skeletonizing the stock, and otherwise cutting material that may or may not be important. But a short barrel reduces bullet velocity, a minimalist stock sacrifices comfort, and losing material from the action can be unsafe.” A balance must be struck between weight and function. Tikka does this by using a slim profile barrel, fluted bolt and barrel, as well as trimming the barrel length to 20”, even though it sacrifices 2-4% in muzzle velocity. However, the ergonomics and shootability of the rifle come from the chassis. When building a “mountain rifle,” many companies use carbon fiber to construct a lightweight stock. MDT, instead, uses magnesium for the heart and carbon fiber for the forend, pistol grip, and stock. This gives the chassis strength and rigidity while maintaining a svelte 26-ounce weight (thus the name HNT 26). Furthermore, “the HNT26 isn’t just another metal skeleton–meaning, it doesn’t throw comfort to the wind to shave pounds. It includes an adjustable cheek riser, a swelled pistol grip, and a substantial recoil pad.”

With optics this rifle weighs sub 7 lbs! All photos courtesy of MeatEater.

What does this all add up to? For the chassis, nearly $1400. That’s a big ask for many. But you get a chassis that scalps weight but maintains all the features you desire. The good news is that a T3x light base rifle runs under $1000. Combine that with the HNT26, and you have a build that still falls under or right at most manufacturers’ dedicated “mountain rifles” but with a gun with better ergonomics and modularity.

For his build, Jordan started his hunt with a Tikka T3X LITE ROUGHTECH. Photo courtesy of Tikka.

As for the Tikka rifle, look around online at other reviews and accuracy testing. They are the hidden gem of the gun world. Well then, how did the rifle shoot for Jordan? Check out his article to find out. I have a feeling you’ll start pursuing your local gun shop for a Tikka to start your own mountain rifle project!

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