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
Link to other reviews:
Price point:
MSRP = $459.90 - $1509.75
Retail = $1059.75 as shown in Tactical Kit
I need it now! Availability:
MDT, MidwayUSA, or OpticsPlanet
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
