Desert Tech SRS for hunting

[bmicek]

Anyone hunt with a DT SRS? Picked one up this year. Love his compact it is. Plan to hunt with it this fall. Curious as to what others are using for a conversion kit and what you hunt with it. Bonus points for pics as well.

 

[AfterDark]

I hunt exclusively with mine. 300 WM, 212 grain ELDX bullets. Nightforce NXS scope, Thunderbeast Ultra 7 can and an Eberlestock pack for the long hikes. It gets heavy in the mountains but is still manageable. 1/4 mile shots are common where I hunt. I have put down a lot of elk with it.

 

[bmicek]

I hunt exclusively with mine. 300 WM, 212 grain ELDX bullets. Nightforce NXS scope, Thunderbeast Ultra 7 can and an Eberlestock pack for the long hikes. It gets heavy in the mountains but is still manageable. 1/4 mile shots are common where I hunt. I have put down a lot of elk with it.

What barrel length? Is it any shorter to cut back on weight?

 

[AfterDark]

I run the 26" barrel with a Thunderbeast brake and can and with all that end up at the length of a conventional rifle. The advantage of the design is to be able to use a long barrel and still maintain a compact package. Down the road I will look at a carbon fiber barrel conversion kit from Special Purpose Rifles.

 

[7.62 Gunner]

If only they could make a 7lb rifle..
Man that'd be an unbeatable suppressed hunting set up

 

[BallisticsGuy]

Mine is pretty heavy to be taking it for a seriously long walk even in its lightest configurations. The ergonomics carrying it sling-less are not overtly excellent but in some ways it's better than an un-slung conventionally arranged rifle. For example, the weight balance point is closer to the grip and it's a solid 6" shorter than almost any more conventional bolt action rifle of the same barrel length. My DT's barrels are done in pretty porky contours with two exceptions, my 26" .300wm and .338wm barrels, which are not all that heavy thanks to deep fluting and a more slender base contour than any of my other barrels. My .223rem barrel actually weighs more than my .300wm barrel. The 300wm & 338wm were specifically intended for hunting plains game in Africa and I don't have to walk all that far over there, there's usually less than a mile of walking before either spotting the target species or setting up an ambush site. I've done a fair bit of hunting with other heavy rifles like Accuracy International AT, chassis'd up Savage/Remington/Winchester/Howa rifles built for PRS shooting and such. They suck to walk with but the extremely high level of accuracy they all delivered made for high confidence. When I hunt with a dedicated hunting rifle that's really light by comparison I end up cutting the maximum range that I'll engage by a pretty substantial amount since the lighter rifles are easier to disturb.

One really damning element for me is I carry the rifle either with an open bolt or with the bolt closed on an empty chamber and cycling the bolt on a DT is loud as balls compared to something like a R700.

My conversion kits are from Short Action Customs (.223Rem, 6XC, .308Win, .338WM) and DT (.300wm, .338LM).

 

[bmicek]

Mine is pretty heavy to be taking it for a seriously long walk even in its lightest configurations. The ergonomics carrying it sling-less are not overtly excellent but in some ways it's better than an un-slung conventionally arranged rifle. For example, the weight balance point is closer to the grip and it's a solid 6" shorter than almost any more conventional bolt action rifle of the same barrel length. My DT's barrels are done in pretty porky contours with two exceptions, my 26" .300wm and .338wm barrels, which are not all that heavy thanks to deep fluting and a more slender base contour than any of my other barrels. My .223rem barrel actually weighs more than my .300wm barrel. The 300wm & 338wm were specifically intended for hunting plains game in Africa and I don't have to walk all that far over there, there's usually less than a mile of walking before either spotting the target species or setting up an ambush site. I've done a fair bit of hunting with other heavy rifles like Accuracy International AT, chassis'd up Savage/Remington/Winchester/Howa rifles built for PRS shooting and such. They suck to walk with but the extremely high level of accuracy they all delivered made for high confidence. When I hunt with a dedicated hunting rifle that's really light by comparison I end up cutting the maximum range that I'll engage by a pretty substantial amount since the lighter rifles are easier to disturb.

One really damning element for me is I carry the rifle either with an open bolt or with the bolt closed on an empty chamber and cycling the bolt on a DT is loud as balls compared to something like a R700.

My conversion kits are from Short Action Customs (.223Rem, 6XC, .308Win, .338WM) and DT (.300wm, .338LM).

I've always wanted a 223 conversion for mine, I keep looking for a used one to pop up for sale. I currently have a Kimber Montana for the long walks but I plan to use my SRS for about everything else. The 6"+ shorter package for these SRS's really does seem to allow you to carry it easier even if it's heavier than a standard rifle.

 

[mnshortdraw]

I have the Covert model with ES Tactical and factory barrels that I have hunted with for several years now. It is the SRS A1 model so it's a bit in the heavy side but it's incredibly handy and accurate. My most accurate barrel is a 20" ES Tactical barrel in 6.5cm and I used it at our local 200yd benchrest match once just for fun and shot a 248 11x with it.

 

[Dragoon300]

Here's my SRS A1 with a wood chuck.

I was doing some groups on my range when I spotted him by this old foundation. A little over kill, but got him with a 300 grain Berger OTM / 338LM.