Chad Wallace

September 13, 2025

Review, Gear

MDT LSS Gen 3 Chassis

Chad Wallace

September 13, 2025

Review, Gear

MDT LSS Gen 3

Chassis Review

I am not a super precision rifle type of guy, but I do see the benefits of having a chassis system. That is why I was excited when MDT recently brought out their LSS Gen 3 chassis system. I had recently picked up a Bergara for review and knew the MDT chassis would be a great fit. I opted for “The Tactical” pre-configured LSS Gen 3.

MDT has been updating chassis as the years go on. In fact, I have a LSS-XL Gen 1. Now they are on Gen 3 of the LSS chassis. What makes the LSS Gen 3 standout is its adjustability. Now you can purchase just the baseline chassis, with no buttstock and a small forend. Or, you can go all out and purchase different forends, different stocks, as well as pistol grip options. If you don’t want a stock, you don’t have to get one. The LSS Gen 3 is super customizable.

MDT also thought of something else with the LSS Gen 3. They have 3 pre-configured option packages: The Worker, The Tactical, and The Competitor. The Worker is the stripped down, lightweight version. The Competitor is the chassis you might want for shooting precision rifle competitions. Then there is the Tactical. I chose the Tactical for MDT to send out. It fits what I was looking for to install on the Bergara. So I will mainly focus on it, with some other stuff thrown in.

Before I start on the Tactical, let me intrigue you with all the options one can choose on the LSS Gen 3. As of now, you get two color options, Black or FDE. You then choose your rifle’s action, there are plenty to choose from. Next you get to decide your stock interface. This is the only option that you need to choose if just buying the chassis by itself. There are three options: XTN (essentially MDT’s interface), Pic Rail (for folding stocks), and Carbine (Standard AR buffer tube). Then you can choose your stock, if applicable. If MDT doesn’t have a stock option you like, the LSS Gen 3 can accept just about any stock on the market. After you decide if you want a stock or not, you can choose what forend you want. As of now there are only two, the tactical and the competition. Lastly you can choose a pistol grip. Again, if you don’t like the options, any AR style pistol grip without a beavertail will work.

Now let’s get into the MDT LSS Gen 3 Tactical. The Tactical version comes pre configured with certain parts that make it feel more like an AR than a competition rifle. These include the forend, stock, and pistol grip, more on those later. The main Gen 3 chassis is the same across the board. It comes with some small polymer handguards attached to it. These can be used by themselves or removed to attach one of the other forends. This main chassis also has a built-in barricade stop on the front of the magwell. The Gen 3 chassis uses standard AICS pattern magazines. If you have a rifle that uses a blind or hinged magazine, it will convert it to use those AICS compatible magazines. To remove those magazines, MDT installed an ambidextrous mag release. Just push it forward with your trigger finger and the mags drop free. The Tactical model also uses the Carbine buttstock adapter so you can mount any AR buffer tube style stock to the chassis. MDT uses their Elite pistol grip for the Tactical version. This is an angled AR style grip with a soft overmold.

The forend on the Tactical version has some great features. First up, it has M-Lok slots at every 45 degrees. It also has a top picatinny rail out at the end of the handguard. This rail can be used to attach extra optics like night vision or thermal. This handguard has a long cut out toward the receiver. I believe this is so that larger optics will not interfere with the handguard. At 13.7” long, the tactical handguard gives plenty of room for attaching accessories like a bag plate or bipod. Since the Bergara I attached the Gen 3 LSS to only has an 18” barrel, it compliments the rifles “tactical” looks.

Since the Tactical LSS Gen 3 uses a buffer tube style adapter, MDT supplies their top of the line carbine stock. The supplied stock is MDT’s SCS, or Skeleton Carbine Stock. This thing has more adjustments then I probably need, but they are sweet. On the SCS is an adjustable cheek piece that can quickly be adjusted with a thumb screw. The angle and location can also be changed by loosening some screws and re-tightening them. The actual buttpad interface has adjustments for the location on the buffer tube, as well as the angle, by also loosening screws. The buttpad interface is somewhat foot shaped with a flat bottom. It has an M-Lok slot at the bottom for attaching stuff. There is also a QD hole built into this foot for attaching a sling. Then there is a big thumb screw for quickly adjusting the length of pull on the buttpad. Along with the quick adjust screw, there are little thumb screws to lock this adjustment down. Then the buttpad itself can be adjusted up or down by loosening another little thumb screw. Even though there are a lot of adjustments with the SCS stock, it makes for a real nice interface between you and the rifle.

I proceeded to mount up the MDT LSS Gen 3 Tactical to my Bergara Ridge SP in 308. I knew this would be the perfect platform. The Ridge only has a 18” barrel which makes it the perfect length for the Tactical chassis. Installation was pretty easy, just follow MDT’s instructions and use a torque wrench. Once installed I proceeded to take it to the range. Does the rifle shoot better because of the chassis? I couldn’t tell as this rifle shoots sub MOA with match ammo. But I do know that having the action sitting in a stable platform, like this chassis, will help with consistency. One advantage of the Tactical chassis, over the Bergara’s stock, is that the chassis won’t flex. I noticed this when trying out the built in barricade stop. The stock rifle didn’t even have one, but the MDT’s built in stop seemed to work pretty good. I also stuck on a bipod using one of the bottom M-Lok slots. The M-Lok slots are very useful, as is the top pic rail. To round out the handguard I installed some FDE Nile grip panels from Walker Defense. They match well, but more importantly is that they give a great grip to the smooth handguard of the Tactical chassis. My only complaint about the chassis is its weight. This could be a plus or minus in your mind. Heavy is better for a precision rifle, but light is better for a tactical rifle, at least in my opinion. Since this is labelled as “Tactical”, I was hoping for a pound or two less. However, If I were to just put a standard AR stock on it, it would lighten it up a bit. But then you would lose all the adjustability in the great SCS stock. So choose for yourself what you want, which is really the best feature about the LSS Gen 3.

If you are thinking about getting a chassis for your rifle, MDT makes some of the best out there. The LSS Gen 3 makes it possible to get just what you want, or don’t want. You get to choose. Or if you just want a pre configured chassis, like The Tactical, they have that too. I have been very pleased with the MDT LSS Gen 3 Tactical chassis. It makes the rifle look and shoot great. Go take a look at it over at MDT.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Configurable chassis

Target Market:

Those wanting a precision chassis that gives them options

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

5.74 pounds complete for “Tactical” version
2.2 pounds chassis only
Interchangeable Forends
Customizable Buttstock Interface
Interchangeable buttstocks
AICS Magazine Compatibility
Ambidextrous Magazine Latch
V-block bedding
Barricade stop
Compatible with AR-15 style grips
Compatible with M-LOK thumb shelf
Action stays in chassis when changing forend & stock, maintaining zero
6061 aluminum construction
Cerakoted Black or FDE
1.25” barrel channel

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Also can be had in basic black, but the options are too many to list

What others are saying?:

Nothing found as of publishing

Our Rating:

Pros:

Configurable aluminum rifle chassis
Ways to mount just about any buttstock
Interchangeable forends
Uses AR pistol grips

Tactical Kit Pros:

Multiple M-Lok slots
Multi-adjustable stock
AR style buffer tube adapter

Cons:

Can be heavy (Good or Bad depending on set up)

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link: Gen 1 LSS XL Chassis review

Chad Wallace

July 4, 2025

Review, Guns

Bergara B-14 Ridge SP

Chad Wallace

July 4, 2025

Review, Guns

Bergara B-14 Ridge SP

Review

Years ago I had a 308 varmint rifle that weighed a ton. I even took it deer hunting. So since then I have been looking for something shorter, and lighter, that still has the accuracy I got out of the varmint rifle. Bergara had exactly what I was looking for in their Ridge line of rifles. That rifle is the Ridge SP in 308 winchester.

The Ridge SP is a shorter version of Bergara's standard Ridge line. The SP stands for “special purpose”. I think they intended this rifle for police snipers, but I can’t be sure. Really, the special purpose could be mid range hunting, or just someone wanting a bolt action performance rifle that doesn't weigh a ton. The only real difference between the .308 Ridge and the .308 Ridge SP, is that the SP has an 18 inch barrel instead of the standard 20 inch.

When you first look at the Ridge SP, it looks like most “hunting” style rifles. It has the normal looking American style stock with a hinged floor plate. The stock is a black polymer style with grey speckles. Bergara finished the stock in some sort of a semi-grippy coating. It is not smooth, but not sticky either. It gives a really good balance of grip if your hands are wet or muddy. It also has some diamond texture on the pistol grip and forend. There is also a nice soft buttpad. The buttpad probably helps more on the larger calibers, but it is really nice on the 308. To round out the stock, it has front and rear sling swivel studs and free floats the barrel.

Bergara is known for their barrels. Their barrels produce some good accuracy. They even have an accuracy guarantee. It is “Sub MOA at 100 yds with 3 shot groups of available factory match grade ammunition”. They recommend a few loads in 308 that should work. Those are: 168 gr Federal Gold Medal Match, 175 gr. Federal Gold Medal Match, Berger 175 gr OTM. I didn’t have any of these on hand, so I used some Norma 175 gr Golden Target and some 168 gr reloads I had made up. I was able to get 3 shot groups under 1 MOA fairly easily with the Ridge SP. I even have some 5 shot groups that measure under 1 MOA. All my accuracy testing was done at 100 yards. The barrels on the Ridge line are also threaded in the standard threads for whatever caliber they are chambered in. This gives the ability to put on any type of muzzle device, including suppressors. As a FYI, I broke in the barrel following the procedure in the rifles manual.

The action on the Ridge SP is fantastic. It is super smooth to operate. For being a factory, mass produced rifle, I don't think you will find a smoother action, especially in the under $1000 price range that the Ridge SP falls into. Now that that is said, the action also feeds extremely nice out of the 4 round internal magazine. The large textured bolt handle tends to give you a good feel for what you are doing. It is also large enough to help with fast follow up shots. Something I couldn’t say about that varmint rifle I had.

On top of the Ridge SP’s action is a 20 MOA picatinny scope rail. I believe this is because it is the SP line and Bergara doesn’t mention that it comes with one. If you want to change the rail or put normal scope mounts on the Ridge SP, it uses standard Remington 700 bases. I mounted a 4-16 Lucid on it when I first received the SP. Shortly after that I received a SightMark Presidio 5-30x56 and installed it. Yes, it is overkill for a rifle of this type, but I like it. One of my only complaints, with the scope rail, is that it gets in the way of loading the internal magazine.

The Bergara Ridge comes with an adjustable trigger. For a “hunting” style rifle, the trigger is fantastic. It’s a typical Remington style 700 trigger and can be replaced with any of the aftermarket triggers for that style of rifle. The trigger is a single stage, curved, and has zero take up, a short crisp break, and a little bit of over travel. I really like this trigger. The Ridge’s trigger is also adjustable for pull weight, from around 2 pounds up to 5 pounds. This one came from the factory at 3 pounds. I adjusted it down to about 2-¼ pounds and it works really good for me. If I were carrying it around in the brush, I personally would probably adjust it to 3-½ pounds or more. An aftermarket trigger, with the same pull range, would be hard pressed to be better.

I have been really liking the Ridge SP. Granted I am not going to put thousands of rounds through it for a review. But I do have enough different types of ammo through it to know how well it works. I am well past 300 with about half that being some sort of match ammo. The match ammo does shoot better, but the new precision style hunting rounds are pretty good too. Now onto other stuff. I really like the texture of the stock. It is smooth but grippy. I’ve been told it feels weird, but then they shoot the Ridge SP with the stock and forget about it. My biggest complaint about the Ridge SP is the small loading/ejection port. This makes it harder to load the internal magazine. Add in the 20 MOA top rail, and it is even harder to load the magazine. For a hunting rifle this isn’t a deal breaker, but it is annoying. Speaking of that 20 MOA rail, I was thrilled that it came already installed. Even if you are only using the Ridge at 100 yards, a 20 MOA rail just makes sense. Did I mention the barrel is threaded? I did use it with a suppressor. The Ridge SP is a great suppressor host. The shorter barrel makes it so the overall length isn’t terrible with a long suppressor hanging off the end. The Ridge SP is just a great all around rifle.

If you are in the market for a short, handy rifle, the Bergara Ridge SP would be a great choice. It has great accuracy, is super smooth, and doesn’t weigh a bunch. It really doesn’t matter if you are using it for hunting or anything else, it just works. The Bergara Ridge SP is also reasonably priced for what you get. If you want a quality, shorter barreled hunting rifle, definitely check out the Bergara Ridge Line. Especially the Ridge SP.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Shorter barreled hunting or precision rifle

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a shorter barreled performance bolt action rifle

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Caliber: 308 Win
Capacity: 4
20 MOA picatinny mount included
Stock Material: Synthetic
OAL: 37.50"
Hand: Right Hand
Barrel Finish: Graphite Black Cerakote
Barrel Material: 4140 Steel
Twist: 1:10"
Receiver Material: Stainless Steel
Safety: Two-Position
Stock Type: American Style
Threaded: ⅝-24
Barrel Length: 18"
Receiver Finish: Graphite Black Cerakote
Trigger: Performance adjustable 2-5 lbs
Weight: 7.20 lbs
Stock Finish: Black / Gray Speckled

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

A ton of different calibers in the Ridge line. Only 6.5 Creedmoore and .308 Win in SP line with 18” barrel

What others are saying?:

Jamie P at Sportsmans Warehouse

Ridge SP

This is a great rifle and accurate! Great everything rifle. I like the 18" barrel. Georgia Woods Hunting mostly some open field 300 yds shooting. Great action and the Ridge SP is very balanced and is comfortable to carry with a sling.