It’s built like a tank, maximizes accuracy, is modular, uniquely mitigates recoil, and if looks could kill there’d be no need for a barreled action in it. It is the Cadex Defense Strike Dual chassis. Yes, I know, it sounds like propaganda. But seriously, when we set out to transform Grandpa’s Gun into a tactical long range precision rifle capable shooting wild hogs and other game at 1000+ yards, we asked “What does it take to do it right, to take this project as far as we can go with it?”
We chose parts that we think you’d want to use, and went from there. Starting with Part 1 of this Grandpa’s Gun Reborn project, you’ve already read about our selection of a Timney Trigger and Nighforce Scope. Now it’s time explore the Strike Dual Chassis from Cadex Defense.
Some context is in order at this point. This chassis wasn’t really dreamed up for revamping neglected old guns. U.S. Military Sales Manager for Cadex, Glenn Williams, tells me the Strike Dual Chassis was designed and built for professionals. Yes, it’s true that manufacturers in the firearms and related industries all seem to have consulted with Special Forces personnel on every tactical product known to man. This seemingly includes everything from rifles to tactical bungee cords. I have little reason to doubt the integrity of most, but in the case of the Strike Dual chassis, its pedigree is obvious.
Cadex Defense worked with Remington to develop the chassis for the U.S. military’s XM2010 project, the replacement for the M24 sniper rifle. The various requirements resulted in a chassis for that platform. Remington won that contract which led to it’s current Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR). Our Strike Dual chassis is the latest improvement on those designs, and is currently utilized by militaries around the world.
One of the key improvements made to the Strike Dual was to make the numerous ergonomic adjustments easy to manipulate without tools. This is fantastic in my book, given the variety of lost small tools that seem to have mysteriously walked off the job in my world. This means fast, easy, tool free adjustments of the cheek piece (or comb on a traditional stock), the recoil pad height, and the length of pull (LOP). Unlike the XM2010 and MSR’s knobs, the Strike Dual uses paddles and levers to facilitate quick adjustments.
The end result gives the ability to rapidly adjust the chassis ergonomics to multiple shooters or changing scenarios like shooting upwards or downwards. Internationally renowned Bill Davison at Tac Pro Shooting Center was particularly pleased with the simplicity and speed these tool free adjustments bring to the chassis. Those adjustments are solid, too. They lock up tightly, and thanks to their large surface areas, can be manipulated while wearing gloves.
Moving forward from the buttstock, we find the large hinge and latch that facilitate folding and locking the buttstock. Locking and unlocking is simple, solid and fast. To transition from the folded position, simply push the unlock button and unfold the buttstock to its full length. To fold, just pull on a heavily sprung lever and swing forward. The folded buttstock captures the bolt of the rifle, preventing inadvertent unlocking of the bolt during uncased transport.
Below the hinge is the pistol grip. The Strike Dual Chassis allows for the use of any standard AR-15 grip. No doubt, this was a cost saver for Cadex, yet it’s still a huge plus for the end user. If you don’t like the over overmolded Ergo pistol grip that comes with the chassis, just find your favorite one and install it.
Forward of the trigger guard is a magwell that accepts Accuracy International (AI) magazines. As of this publication date, AI does not make a .30-06 magazine, and our Remington 700 is a .30-06. It’s been suggested that we could modify a .300 Win Mag AI magazine to work, but since we’re headed for a .300 Win Mag build, we’ve just operated the rifle as a single shot during this stage of the project.
Forward of the magwell, the chassis attaches to the fifteen inch free float tube. As with many smooth sided hand guards for AR-15 rifles now on the market, you can attach sections of picatinny rail to mount bipod, laser, etc. This tube is a lot heavier and more robust than what you’ll find for AR-15s. Like the rest of the chassis, the tube is super strong, machined from 6061-T6 aluminum billet. The attachment points from the tube to the chassis are remarkably rigid, essentially creating a solid single piece system from the several modular parts.
The top rail provides space to mount a night vision clip on device like the TNVC WASP. That top rail joins a 20 MOA inclination creating twenty inches of continuous rail space. The 20 MOA section mounts to the rifle action’s scope mount holes. The result is that the chassis is securely attached to the barreled action from both the top and the bottom, leaving the barrel completely free floated, maximizing accuracy.
The chassis further enhances mechanical accuracy without bedding. A precise roll pin mounting system fixes the action solidly in the chassis. Properly torqued, the action sits on bearing pillars machined down to 1/1000 of an inch. Some might find it hard to believe that the desired accuracy would be achieved without traditional bedding, but Jordan King of King’s Arsenal is convinced. He’s built a highly accurate .50 BMG on a Strike 50 chassis (same as ours, but bigger) without bedding. Using the Strike Dual chassis, he has also built rifles in .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnums and .308. Bedding with the chassis is simply unnecessary time, materials and expense in his experience, but there are pre-drilled holes under the action if bedding is desired.
So, where does this put us in the Grandpa’s Gun Reborn project? Currently configured with the Nightforce NXS 3.5-15 scope and some short rail segments, our tactical precision rifle build now weighs in at 14.5 pounds and is 41.5 inches long with the LOP minimized. That’s an increase of just over five pounds from the factory Remington stock. That will help offset some recoil when we get to the .300 Win Mag conversion using a barrel from Proof Research, but the weight now becomes a real consideration when heading off to the field for a hunt. Of course, shooting pigs or other targets at serious long range more accurately and more comfortably is what we get in return.
As you can see in the pictures, a whole lot of CNC machine time is spent to create the Cadex Denfese Strike Dual chassis. Billet aluminum is super strong, and expensive. Combine the material cost and machine time, and the chassis isn’t cheap. MSRP is $2500, though it can be found for less. The good news is, you save money on your precision build by skipping the glass bedding…
We used the Remington 700 Long Action Strike Dual for .300 Winchester Magnum. It also accommodates the Remington .338 long action, McMillan TAC-338 Long Action, PGWDTI Timberwolf Long Action, Stiller Long Action, X-Treme Long Action, Sako TRG-42, Long Action, and Surgeon Long Action. Cadex also sells a Short Action chassis for .308 and a .50 BMG Strike chassis. In addition to our tan finish, you can get yours in black, a couple of shades of green, or even pink.
Regardless of your barreled action choice, the chassis uniquely mitigates recoil. Shooting is believing, but here’s the scoop directly from Serge Dextraze, President of Cadex: When a gun is fired, a variety of harmonic vibrations are produced. Cadex Inc. has an impressive history of developing testing systems for shock mitigation assessment. They used specialized sensors mounted to chassis prototypes to measure the harmonic resonances that impact the shooter. They then adjusted the geometry of the chassis to reduce the peak frequency that is transferred to the shooter in recoil. They also utilized a strong nylon reinforced fiberglass plate under the recoil pad, further reducing the harmonic vibrations we feel and refer to as recoil.
Yes, before you post in your favorite forum or on our Facebook page, we acknowledge that our uber tactical precision rifle build looks a bit goofy at the moment with the original barrel and blade front sight still in use. But this is a great .30-06, and accuracy continues to improve. Off our Alamo Four Star tripod, it now shoots a little better than 1 MOA with DRT Ammo, pretty impressive for a factory action. We’re hoping to cut that in half when we have the Proof Research barrel and the rest of the .300 Win Mag conversion complete. And if looks matter, just imagine how sweet it will be once SWR’s 762 Specwar is mounted on the end! More on that soon, so keeping checking back here at Special Hog Weapons and Tactics™ and subscribe to our free newsletter.
Read the rest of the story!
Part 1: Conception – From Dust Collector to Long Range Precision Rifle
Part 2: Trigger Time with Timney Triggers
Part 6: Proof Research – Carbon Fiber-Wrapped Precision on Our Long Range Rebuild
Part 7: Long Range Rifle Precision Rifle Boss – Building with King’s Arsenal
Part 8: SWR Silencerco Specwar 7.62: Quiet Roar for 300 WIN MAG
