MasterPiece Arms, the same people who brought you such awesomely useful firearms as the MAC-10 SBR in 5.7mm, have now decided to get into the high end rifle manufacturing business. Their first offering is a $4,000 .308 Winchester bolt action rifle, and I’m not feeling it. It might be that the barrel uses button rifling instead of the more precise cut rifling process that high-end rifle manufacturers use, or that the stock is basically a chopped up Magpul PRS, or that it looks as ugly as the rest of MPA’s line of firearms, I can’t put my finger on it. Press release after the jump.
MPA’s first bolt-action rifle, chambered in .308 is built on a MPA tactical aluminum chassis with a Remington 700 type bolt design with a Stiller’s Precision TAC Series action. This is the first MPA rifle incorporating a Spencer Precision barrel since MPA purchased the company in 2013.
The MPA chassis is produced from 6061 aluminum with a v-bedding system that is matched perfectly to the Stiller’s TAC series actions providing zero twist or distortion. The stock is a Magpul PRS stock with a custom adaptor. The .308 also features a front mounted bridge with Picatinny rail and a lower mounted Picatinny rail, plus a 20 MOA scope rail. The body is finished in a durable medium texture powder coat or ceramic finish. The MPA .308BA is compatible with any AICS type magazines.
The Spencer/MPA barrel is produced from 416 (Condition T) stainless steel and is precision gun drilled, reamed and honed. It is pull-button rifled using CNC produced twist guides to exacting and consistent twist control and stress relieved in a Cress Vacuum Furnace. The barrel is available in a straight or helical fluting version.
The Stiller’s Precision TAC Series premium actions, produced solely for MPA, have a bolt-to-action fit of .0005″ or less. The action is machined from heat-treated stainless steel and the face, tenon and lug abutment cuts are machined in a single setup, ensuring exact parallelism and perpendicularity for critical features that affect accuracy. The Stiller’s Precision TAC Series bolt, also produced solely for MPA, is a one-piece design with the bolt, lugs and handle machined from a single piece of 4140 heat-treated steel and all critical features and dimensions are finished on a CNC OD grinder. All bolts feature spiral fluting and are hand-lapped and fitted individually to each action. The bolts have a nitride or armoloy finish.
Additionally, the MPA .308BA rifle is available with a counter twist muzzle brake and a jewel or Timney trigger. The MPA .308BA (other calibers coming soon) retails for an MSRP of $3,475.00 and includes the tactical chassis and an AICS or Accurate International 5-round magazine.