Blog Post

Desert Tech MDRX

  • By Eric Smith
  • 16 Jan, 2020

Information on the new MDRx.

As soon as the announcement was made about the MDRx, I immediately started to receive emails and calls about what technical information I had on it. To make it simplier and to get this information out there, I decided to type up what I know.

In order to make sure that the aftermarket products that I make will continue to be compatible with the new system, I took a trip to Desert Tech and met with the engineer heading the MDRx project. I’m happy with the changes and looking forward to being to add a few new options to our own product line because of them.

There are now 2 versions of the chassis, Forward Eject and Side Eject. (also a compliant version that I wont go into)

The Forward Eject uses the same ejection system that the original MDR used. The changes made to the MDRx are 
-      an improved polymer that is more impact resistant.  
-      the trigger has had some geometry changes to the sears and transfer bar that has reduced the amount of creep as well as has lowered the pull weight. Also, when placed on safe, the trigger now has no movement.
-      the gas block has had a through hole added to where the piston goes in order to aid in removing water or mud from the gas block in the case of submersion.
-      the barrels are forward and backward compatible with the original MDR
-      the addition of the 6.5 Creedmoor as well as 20 inch barrels and a compliant package.


The side eject has some substantially different changes from the original MDR
-      the polymer, trigger and gas block changes are the same as the Forward Eject MDRx.
-       gas plugs have been changed to accound for the reduced pressure needed to operate the system.
-      the scissor panel and ejection chute have been replaced with a smooth panel that has a seal around it to prevent gas leakage and a window panel with a brass deflector like that of an AR-15.
-      the bolt has been changed to an AR-15 styled bolt head with a plunger ejector
-      a removable and reversable side panel has been added to the bolt carrier to seal the ejection port when the bolt is forward. The bolt carrier has a design change to allow for this, so it will not be compatible with the original MDR bolts.
-      the barrel extension has been changed to allow for a reversable side extractor. This makes Side Eject barrels specific to the Side Eject bolt. The original MDR barrels and Forward Eject MDRx barrels will not work.
-      currently this is only available in .223 and 300BLK. Including the 20 inch barrels and compliant packages.
-      to convert from Forward Eject to Side Eject will require a barrel assembly, bolt and carrier assembly, and the Side Eject panel and window.

I believe these changes both in price and with the updates are a great thing for this system. With the expected shipping being the end of SHOT Show, we will be taking orders through our online store. We also will continue to support this system with aftermarket barrels for the Forward Eject system as well as we will be working to get Side Eject barrels developed as quick as we can.

Orders can be placed through the links below.
Side Eject
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/MDRx-Side-Eject-Factory-p168878153

Forward Eject
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/MDRx-Forward-Eject-Factory-p168876076

 

 


By Eric Smith 01 Nov, 2019
We normally only run one sale or so a year. While trying to decide to have a Veterans Day Black Friday sale this year we decided just to have a sale go through all of November.
All our cut rifling prefit barrels and our MDR barrels and conversions will be 10% off this month.
Use the code "10off" during checkout.
 Products on sale are (Click for link):

By Eric Smith 31 Oct, 2019
After a much too short summer in Utah, the cold weather has hit hard. With the record low temps we have been forced inside and are back hard at spinning up barrels.

We are adding a few products to our lineup. The one we are most excited for is a limited run of X-Caliber button rifled barrels. By ordering in volume we have been able to get the price on these down to $675 for a completed SRS barrel up to 26 inches in length. While we placed a large order, once the caliber and twist blanks are gone, they are gone until we are ready for the next bulk order. So if you have are looking for a great value for a barrel, don't wait!
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/SRS-Conversions-Button-Rifled-p156753001

Also with the SRS we have added Proof Carbon barrels to the lineup. In order to keep prices on our carbon SRS barrels as low as possible, we are not going to keep blanks in stock. The cost to keep all the caliber, twists and lengths would cause us to have to increase the price to justify inventory. We will place the order with Proof Research for your blank upon you placing your order. They are currently running a 12 week turn around on barrels and then we will need 1-2 weeks to finish it. The expected turn around time for everything is approx. 16 weeks. If you have the time, these are a great way to go! 
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/Proof-Carbon-SRS-Conversions-p156705022

For the MDR we have recently introduced the 450 Bushmaster and 7.62 NATO to the lineup of barrels and are hopeful to be adding a few more calibers over the next several weeks. (Fingers crossed on the 350 Legend) These take a little longer to proof out before we release them, but keep an eye out on our Facebook page or in our online store for new offerings. We are also playing with longer barrel lengths to see how they hold zero over longer strings of fire. SBR configurations are also being worked on. We have also finally caught up on MDR barrel orders and should be able to have a much quicker turn around time now. 
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/ES-Tactical-MDR-Conversion-Barrels-p117204478

Not too much is new on the HTI offerings, but we have included the 338 and 375 EnABLR to the options. These cartridges were designed by Applied Ballistics specifically for Extreme Long Range shooting and competition. We have been very excited to hear how our barrels have been doing in the ELR world. Our cut rifle blanks are made by Ken at K&P barrels, and he is extremely well known and respected in the ELR and 50 Cal world. His barrels have not disappointed!
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/ES-Tactical-Desert-Tech-HTI-Barrels-Conversions-p117204504

If you are looking to pick up a new MDR/SRS/HTI then we have several different combo packages available to help save some money getting into them. If you don't see something you are looking for, please contact us and we will see what we can do!
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/Desert-Tech-MDR-Combo-Deal-p155966298
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/Desert-Tech-SRSA2-Combo-Package-p137535158
https://www.es-tactical.com/store1/Desert-Tech-HTI-Combo-Package-p125446617

By Eric Smith 06 Nov, 2018
Should I turn the necks of my brass?
By Eric Smith 06 Nov, 2018
How I reload my competition ammo.
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