The Desert Tech SRS is a real multi-purpose precision rifle. It’s a switch-barrel bullpup system that lets the person swap configurations based mostly on their wants. For individuals who carry such rifles for work, the Desert Tech SRS may be outfitted to attenuate its visible and auditory signature by operating it with shorter barrels which are optimized for subsonic munitions, or it may be outfitted to take longer pictures with barrels and cartridges for that process.
For leisure shooters who’re intrigued by the Desert Tech SRS’s modular design and futuristic seems to be, the rifle is a enjoyable and succesful platform that may be expanded upon because the shooter’s need, and price range, permits. With the bottom rifle in hand, a shooter can add barrels and {hardware} for numerous pursuits, together with long-range capturing, big-game searching, predator management and normal plinking.
- Inventory: Chassis with integral monopod, adjustable LOP and comb top
- Cartridge: 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win.
- Journal: Single-stack six-round
- Motion: Six-lug (Two rows of three)
- Ejector: Single plunger
- Extractor: Modified Sako
- Set off: 2 lb. 10 oz. (measured)
- Total Size: 34.25 in. (6.5 CM); 28.25 in. (.308 Win.)
- Weight: 9 lb. 6 oz. (6.5 CM); 8 lb. 7 oz. (.308 Win.)
Desert Tech SRS Conversion Kits
My Desert Tech SRS got here with two barrels, one a 16-inch .308 Win. with a 1:8 twist to be used with subsonic ammunition and the opposite a 24-inch 6.5 Creedmoor. Each barrels had an acceptable size handguard. Whereas the stubby 7-inch guard that got here with the .308 barrel might be used with the longer 6.5 Creedmoor system, the reverse was not true.
If you get an additional barrel from Desert Tech, you don’t simply get the barrel, which is why the corporate refers to them as conversion kits. Along with the chrome steel barrel, you get a bolt meeting, bolt cease and {a magazine}. Whereas I might use the identical bolt meeting, bolt cease and journal for the 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win., since they’re each short-action cartridges that use the identical bolt face, if I have been so as to add one of many magnum calibers to my rifle, I’d have to swap out all of the items.
The usual calibers include 6-round magazines, whereas the magnum cartridges use 5-round magazines. A few of the magnum conversion kits embody both a two- or three-port Aftershock muzzle brake as effectively.
Listed below are the kits, and costs at present listed on Desert Tech’s web site. To seek out all of them you could perform a little digging below every of the three SRS fashions: The A2, the Covert, and the M2.
- 6.5 Creedmoor, 18-inch barrel, 1:8 twist ($1,700)
- 6.5 Creedmoor, 24-inch barrel ultralight ($1,700)
- 6.5 Creedmoor, 26-inch barrel ultralight ($1,900)
- 7mm Rem. Magazine., 26-inch barrel ultralight ($1,900)
- .308 Win., 16-inch barrel, 1:8 twist ($1,700)
- .308 Win., 26-inch barrel ($1,700)
- .308 Win., 22-inch barrel ($1,700)
- .300 Norma Magazine., 26-inch barrel ($1,900)
- .300 Rem. Extremely Magazine., 26-inch barrel ultralight ($1,900)
- .300 Win. Magazine., 18-inch barrel, 1:8 twist ($1,900)
- .300 Win. Magazine., 26-inch barrel ultralight ($1,900)
- .300 Win. Magazine., 26-inch barrel ($1,900)
- .338 Lapua Magazine., 26-inch barrel ($2,050)
- .338 Norma Magazine., 26-inch barrel ($2,050)
Compact Precision
In a bullpup design the rifle’s journal is positioned behind the set off guard, beneath the buttstock. This strikes the motion and barrel a number of inches rearward, considerably decreasing the general size of the rifle. Even with the 24-inch 6.5 Creedmoor barrel on board, the rifle is simply 34.25 inches in size. After I swapped that out and ran the 18-inch .308 barrel, the general size of the rifle dropped to twenty-eight.25 inches.
This makes the rifle helpful to maneuver in compact areas. It’s simple to know the attraction of the Desert Tech SRS A2 for army and legislation enforcement in city environments, and for many who should get out and in of autos continuously, or who’re making an attempt to create steady capturing positions in cramped quarters.
The bullpup’s cut-down dimensions don’t hinder the rifle’s precision in any manner. Desert Tech backs the SRS with a half-MOA assure when operating match ammo.
What that accuracy assure means in sensible phrases is up for debate. Are these three- or five-shot teams? Are they saying that it’ll shoot that tight each time? Or will it do it with seven teams out of 10 persistently? However with out getting wrapped across the axle with these specifics, the larger level is that the Desert Tech SRS A2 guarantees to be a shooter.
How The Desert Tech SRS A2 Shot
With the 6.5 Creedmoor barrel, the SRS A2 shot persistently effectively. As at all times appears to be the case, some hundreds outperformed others. The one that actually stood out was Sig Sauer’s 130-grain Elite Hunter. 5 shot teams from this ammunition averaged .657 inches.
Different 6.5 Creed hundreds have been persistently sub-MOA with 5 shot teams, too. Since it is a precision rifle, I spent extra time ringing metal on long-range targets than punching paper at 100 yards. On 1- to 2-MOA metal the rifle had no difficulty making hits out to 1,100 yards. The targets 800 yards and in have been like clockwork as soon as I received attuned to the wind.
None of this shocked me within the least with the 6.5 Creedmoor. I used to be extra curious to see how the .308 Win. barrel, with its quick 1:8 twist, would fare.
Testing With .308 Win.
I ran six totally different .308 hundreds by means of the rifle, together with two subsonic hundreds. The quick twist fee on the barrel is supposed to assist stabilize heavy subsonic rounds, which don’t often shoot effectively from normal twist (1:10) .30-caliber barrels.
The outcomes of my capturing have been attention-grabbing. The quick .308 barrel was one of many extra finicky barrels I’ve ever evaluated, with a pair hundreds doing extraordinarily effectively, whereas others struggled to group.
First, let me be clear that I don’t fault rifle or barrel for this efficiency. A 16-inch, fast-twist .308 is already a little bit of an odd duck, and subsonic centerfire ammo is just not identified for its means to group persistently. And with a .308 barrel with a extra normal size and twist fee, I’m positive a number of the different hundreds would have executed higher as effectively.
Subsonic .308 Win. Masses
Of the 2 subsonic hundreds, Winchester’s 168-grain OTM did one of the best. Of the three 5-shot teams I placed on paper, two of them appeared to stabilize effectively. They measured 1.435 and 1.775 inches. A 3rd group opened to three.282 inches and the bullet holes within the paper have been barely rectangular, indicating a good quantity of yaw within the projectiles.
The opposite sub-sonic ammunition was a 220-grain load with a polymer case that’s now not produced. These didn’t group effectively in any respect. The five-shot teams ranged in measurement from 2.5 to 2.9 inches with all of the pictures creating asymmetrical holes within the paper, once more indicating points with projectile stability.
The barrels on the Desert Tech SRS A2 come threaded 5/8-24 within the .30-caliber chamberings and smaller. With an Elite Iron STFU connected noise signature from the sub-sonic hundreds was negligible. If you happen to have been doing night-time shut vary predator management or hog searching, the Winchester 168s wouldn’t be a nasty alternative.
Customary Velocity .308 Win. Ammunition
With the usual supersonic hundreds I examined there was additionally a good bit of variance within the efficiency. The 2 highlights have been Federal’s 175-grain Sierra Matchking, which has been the most effective and most constant manufacturing unit .308 hundreds for a very long time, and Federal’s 175-grain Terminal Ascent. The Terminal Ascent is a brand new long-range searching bullet that’s been growing a very good status for accuracy and terminal efficiency.
My common group measurement with the Terminal Ascent was .643 inches, with one of the best group measuring .578 inches. The Sierra Matchking’s finest group was .707 inches, with a median group measurement of 1.059 inches.
Apparently, the opposite 175-grain load I examined within the rifle—Barnes 175-grain OTM—didn’t cowl itself in glory, handing over teams that averaged 2.145 inches. I received one other shock with Hornady’s 178-grain ELD-X ammunition. Usually, the ELD-X bullet in Hornady’s Precision Hunter line shoots extraordinarily effectively, however on this rifle the teams averaged 2.135 inches, and the goal indicated some points with bullet stability as effectively.
This simply goes to point out you the way vital it may be to shoot all kinds of manufacturers and bullet types when attempting to get one of the best from a rifle.
Desert Tech SRS A2 Ergonomics
The designers of the SRS A2 did an excellent job with the rifle’s ergonomics. With a bullpup, the buttstock must accommodate the journal, the biking of the bolt, and it’s the place the rounds are fed into the motion. This places some critical constraints on the power of the inventory to regulate to suit the shooter. Regardless of this, Desert Tech managed to create a inventory the place the size of pull (LOP) and comb top may be simply altered to the shooter’s choice.
Inventory Changes
The cheek piece on the rifle is held in place by two fasteners, and when loosened they permit for .37 inch of vertical journey. That doesn’t sound like a lot, however it was loads for me to get my head aligned behind my scope, which had a 56mm goal lens.
The LOP is even simpler to regulate. My rifle got here with two ½-inch spacers that clip in between the recoil pad and the inventory. These polymer shims may be added or eliminated shortly with out instruments. Taking the recoil pad and spacer meeting off the inventory can also be the way you take away the bolt and bolt cease from the rifle for upkeep and when swapping calibers.
Grip Profile and Set off
The pistol grip is skinny on the high and sweeps again making a hand-filling profile. It’s cleverly formed in order that the set off finger can simply attain the set off whereas the majority of the grip helps the decrease portion of the capturing hand.
The set off has a vertical shoe permitting the set off finger to relaxation flat towards its floor and press in a straight line backward for glorious set off management. The set off on my pattern broke at 2 kilos 10 ounces with a small quantity of takeup that made it nearly really feel like a two-stage set off. The break is exceptionally crisp, which is usually a disadvantage of bullpup rifles because the set off is often related to the sear by a protracted switch bar that degrades the standard of the set off pull.
Security and Monopod
The rifle comes with a easy two-position security positioned simply above the set off. It’s ambidextrous and toggles ahead to fireside and slides again to go on “protected” and may be manipulated from both aspect of the rifle. When within the protected place the set off is blocked and unable to maneuver to the rear.
One very cool function on the Desert Tech SRS A2 is the integral monopod within the inventory. It has a spherical base with texturing across the rim, and when rotated it extends beneath the inventory to kind a rear assist. It deploys pretty shortly and has about 3.25 inches of journey.
Operating the Desert Tech SRS A2
To stop the rifle from changing into awkward to run, the bolt deal with is connected on the entrance of the bolt physique, simply behind the bolt head. The bolt knob continues to be a bit farther again on the rifle than you’ll expertise with a daily bolt gun—by about 4 inches or so—however the outsized knob and longer bolt arm provide you with loads of leverage to cycle the motion.
The motion on the rifle runs pretty easily and the rifle feeds very reliably. The one-stack journal is simple to load and I by no means skilled any sort of failure with the feeding of rounds into the chamber from the journal.
Single rounds tossed into the chamber once I had run the rifle dry chambered effectively more often than not, although every so often some cartridges hung up within the motion, which isn’t unusual.
Whereas I by no means had a failure to eject, the brass doesn’t kick freed from the rifle with any sort of authority. The empties form of flopped out in an detached method.
The inventory has journal launch buttons on both aspect for ambidextrous operation. Although the area below the inventory is cramped when capturing susceptible, I used to be capable of maneuver magazines out and in of the rifle fluidly.
Whereas the rifle is compact, it’s nonetheless pretty beefy. Unscoped and with the journal out, the 6.5 Creedmoor’s base weight is 9 kilos 6 ounces. With the short-barreled .308 Win. that drops to eight kilos 7 ounces. However with the scope—and granted I used to be operating a hefty Nightforce 7-35×56 ATACR—the rifle tipped the scales at 12 kilos 4 ounces.
That was nice for mitigating felt recoil and for recognizing hits and misses, however for a searching rifle it limits its utility. Nonetheless, due to its compact dimensions, the Desert Tech SRS A2 would make a hell of a beanfield rifle for southern deer searching the place you gained’t have a serious hike to get to the stand however may have to make a protracted shot from cramped quarters.
Switching Barrels
To alter barrels on the Desert Tech SRS A2 you flip a selector on the left aspect of the rifle 180-degrees from “lock” to “unlock” utilizing a 5mm hex head. Then you definately loosen 4 captured screws on the appropriate aspect of the rifle with the identical bit. With that executed you’ll be able to slide the barrel free from its recess within the receiver and substitute it with a unique one.
If you’re switching to a cartridge with a unique total size, or one which makes use of a unique sized bolt face, you’ll have to swap out the bolt, journal, and bolt cease too.
This isn’t troublesome both. After eradicating the recoil pad and LOP spacers from the inventory—which is finished by squeezing a small tab on the underside of the recoil pad meeting and sliding it free—the bolt cease and bolt come proper out. You drop the brand new bolt into the receiver, put the brand new bolt cease in place, reattach the recoil pad, and also you’re good to go.
Desert Tech says this may be achieved in below a minute. I used to be by no means in that a lot of a rush, however even at my extra leisurely tempo this solely took a pair minutes from begin to end.
When snugging up the 4 fasteners that clamp the barrel into place you employ the T-handled 80 in.-lb. torque wrench that Desert Tech sells. When correctly torqued Desert Tech says the rifle’s zero gained’t shift while you take away a barrel and reinstall it. Throughout my testing, this was the case. There’s little doubt that the engineering behind the design is stable.
Switching {Hardware}
One caveat to the speedy barrel-swapping capabilities of the Desert Tech SRS A2 is when you could change out the handguard to accommodate a shorter barrel, as was the case once I went from the 24-inch 6.5 Creedmoor to the 18-inch .308 Win.
The 12.5-inch handguard that pairs with the Creedmoor was too lengthy for the .308 barrel, which wanted the stubbier 7-inch handguard. The handguard attaches to the receiver with eight fasteners—4 on the highest and 4 on the underside. There’s additionally one fastener that pins the 2 sides of the polymer decrease that goes by means of the underside of handguard—so 9 fasteners in whole.
The 4 fasteners up high and the crossbolt fastener are uncovered and simple to get to. However the 4 fasteners on the underside of the handguard that screw into the receiver are hidden below the polymer decrease. Eradicating the clamshell decrease to get at these fasteners is a chore and a half. Simply be sure to have a clear work floor while you do that as you could take away a couple of dozen fasteners to perform the job.
The handguards on the A2 model have M-Lok slots machined on all of the flats so there are many methods to mount extras on the rifle should you need.
Desert Tech SRS Ecosystem
Given the modular design of the Desert Tech SRS, it isn’t stunning that while you go to order the rifle you have got a bunch of decisions to make. The bottom rifle consists of the inventory fashion, the colour sample, and the caliber choice. From there you’ll be able to add conversion kits to run totally different calibers and a complete host of goodies.
Primary Construct
The bottom price of the common A2 chassis is $3,849 and the price for the barrel and different items of the conversion equipment is $1,700 to $2,050 relying on the cartridge you select. With an additional conversion equipment and the torque wrench the rifle involves about $7,400. Additional magazines for the usual long- and short-action cartridges are $90.
Past these fundamentals you have got a bunch of equipment to select from. Desert Tech takes pains to be a one-stop store on this regard. They promote two varieties of bipod mounts which have a swivel stud for Harris-style bipods, one which is a QD mount ($80) and one which clamps on completely and prices much less ($21.75). In fact, you’ll be able to order Harris bipod similtaneously you navigate by means of the rifle builder.
Scope Mounts
In addition they have three one-piece scope mounts. All are for 34mm scopes, which has change into essentially the most prevalent tube measurement for the type of precision optic that shooters utilizing a Desert Tech SRS are prone to make use of. You’ll be able to order the mount with three totally different tapers—20, 30, and 40 MOA—relying on how a lot declination you need in your scope. The fee for every is $365.
They’re pretty minimal for any such mount, utilizing one fastener on the entrance and one other on the rear to clamp on to the rail. The rear of the mount incorporates a bubble stage so the shooter can right for rifle cant with out lifting their head off the inventory.
Instances and Instrument Kits
Desert Tech additionally sells some good circumstances and power kits for his or her rifles. You will get a mushy case by itself or with a tough case that it slides into. These circumstances aren’t low cost, however they’re among the many finest methods I’ve seen supplied with a rifle. The mushy case for the SRS is $295 and when paired with the locking exhausting case is $527.
The mushy case folds open and accommodates an additional barrel and hand guard and has loads of storage for instruments and different gear. When totally deployed it lays flat and has a padded flap that folds ahead, extending the size of the case in order that it may be used as a capturing mat.
You should buy instruments for the rifle as effectively. One is an entire upkeep equipment that features a torque wrench, Allen key set, and numerous cleansing provides like bore snakes, solvent, brushes, cleansing patches, lens brush, lens pen and so forth. It prices $345. Or you’ll be able to simply buy the 80 in.-lb. torque wrench, which you’ll have to swap barrels and {hardware}, for $145. Personally, I’d simply buy the wrench and use a portion of the additional $200 that the total upkeep equipment prices to purchase the opposite stuff.
Professionals and Cons of the Desert Tech SRS A2
Professionals
- Superb accuracy
- Compact, ergonomic design
- Useful in tight quarters
- Swap barrel functionality
Cons
- Costly
- Pretty heavy
- Swapping handguards is cumbersome
Remaining Ideas
Probably the most interesting sides of the Desert Tech SRS A2 is the cool issue. It’s a candy trying rifle that’s enjoyable to shoot. Is it one of the best precision rifle on the market? I don’t suppose it could make that declare, however it shoots effectively sufficient to hold with the massive canine in that world. Is it a very good searching rifle? In some area of interest circumstances, sure, it is vitally succesful however for many searching eventualities it in all probability isn’t the primary gun you’ll pull from the rack.
Learn Subsequent: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Precision Rifle Scope
However by way of being a blast to shoot, it doesn’t have many equals. Sure, it’s an costly system, however for anybody who’s thrown down cash for a bass boat, a jacked diesel pickup, or a tricked out Harley, the Desert Tech SRS A2 scratches that very same itch. There are many worse methods to spend your children’ inheritance.
We might earn income from the merchandise obtainable on this web page and take part in affiliate applications. Study Extra ›
