MDT DRT Chassis: 3.2 lb Magnesium Chassis for Night Hunting

The MDT DRT Chassis System is a $2,249.99 magnesium bolt-action chassis built around clip-on thermal and night vision. It weighs 3.2 lb with its NV bridge and grip installed, folds over the bolt handle, and carries a full-length ARCA rail, M-LOK slots, and an offset Picatinny rail so a tripod, rangefinder, and IR laser each get their own mounting space.

MDT showed the DRT at SHOT Show 2026 as a predator-hunting chassis, then spent the rest of the year finishing it. Show attendees struggled with the prototype's double-press folder, so MDT spent 30 to 60 days redesigning it to release with a single press and still close over the bolt handle. A launch planned for early summer then slipped after a machine fire at MDT, and retail sales opened on September 18, 2026.

The DRT started as an ACC Premier GEN2 machined out of magnesium to see what would happen. MDT says that first prototype shot like its rigid aluminum ACC chassis at the weight of a magnesium competitor, and the production DRT keeps that idea: a competition chassis's adjustability and rigid forend, with the night vision mounting designed in rather than bolted on. The engineer who designed the original ACC Premier calls it the result of seven to eight years of ACC development.

The DRT's defining feature is a skeletonized aluminum night vision bridge that is part of the chassis, with a 13 in, 20 MOA forward rail. A clip-on thermal or night vision device mounts on that rail directly ahead of the day scope, and because the bridge and the rigid forend carry it, the clip-on stays in line with the scope reticle under bipod, tripod, or bag pressure.

That bridge sets real requirements for the rest of the rifle. MDT specifies a muzzle diameter under 1.1 in, a barrel longer than 15 in so the muzzle clears the end of the bridge, a 20 MOA scope base or integrated rail, and scope rings at least 1.5 in tall. The included spacer kit opens the barrel channel to a 1.25 in straight contour, but with the spacers installed the bridge rail no longer lines up with the scope base, so MDT does not recommend that setup for night vision or thermal use. Heavy-contour match barrels and a clip-on are a poor pairing in this chassis.

If you are still choosing the device itself, our thermal clip-on vs scope guide covers when a clip-on ahead of your day scope beats a dedicated thermal riflescope for coyote hunting.

The DRT is built for Remington 700 short-action clone actions with an integral recoil lug under 3/8 in tall. MDT names Defiance, Impact, Terminus, Curtis, and Lone Peak as examples, and bedding compound grooves are machined into the chassis to support the action during installation.

Factory Remington 700 and Bergara actions are a different story. MDT's SHOT Show 2026 launch notes say those actions need their recoil lug modified to fit the DRT. The compatibility tab on the product page shows MDT's broader Remington 700 short-action list, which includes factory Remington and Bergara B-14 models, so if your rifle is a factory action, confirm it with MDT before ordering.

MDT also lists which of its own accessories carry over: MDT NV bridges, grips (excluding the connector bar), length-of-pull spacers, the vertical buttpad base, and the MDT Elite Bag Rider. To plan the scope, rings, and support gear around the finished rifle, start in the rifle builder.

Choose the HNT26 over the DRT if the rifle is a daytime mountain gun. It starts at 26 oz on a magnesium base with a carbon fiber forend and buttstock and costs $1,399.99. Choose the ACC Premier GEN2 at $1,099.99 if the rifle lives on barricades and weight tuning matters more than carry weight. Our bolt action chassis rankings compare the full MDT lineup against KRG and MasterPiece Arms.

MDT put four or five prototype variants in the field before launch. A professional guide ran one on predators and hogs in Texas, testers took the DRT after red deer in Scotland and after roe deer, muntjac, and red fox with thermal in rural England, and MDT worked with military and law enforcement snipers looking to cut weight from increasingly heavy rifle systems.

Field feedback shows up in the details. M-LOK slots on the side of the magwell hold a pressure switch for a rifle-mounted laser rangefinder, so the shooter can range without breaking position. The forend sits higher than on other MDT chassis, which MDT says keeps recoil straight back so the shooter can spot the impact. The magazine release lock keeps a paddle release from dumping a magazine when it snags on a belt or chest rig, and the folder's tension adjusts with two screws.

The DRT also fits hunter-class and field matches, where rifle weight is capped or carried all day. MDT says field testing showed the traits that suit night hunting, such as rigidity, modularity, manageable weight, and accessory space, carry over to hunter-style matches and divisions where weight matters.

MDT staff shooters compare it to shooting an ACC Elite in a much lighter rifle, and point it at pursuit matches, NRL Hunter, PRS Sportsman class, and rucking matches where the rifle rides on the shooter's back. A prototype DRT has already been through a match. Martien Knoops, an MDT-supported shooter, ran one at the 2026 Real World Sniper Challenge with teammate Diego Guit and finished 8th, on an Impact Precision action with a 26 in Bartlein barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor. The integrated barricade stop locks into a support bag without pressing on the magazine, and the lockable, adjustable magazine latch keeps a loaded magazine seated through movement. For the rest of a match rifle, our PRS rifle build guide covers actions, barrels, and optics.

The MDT DRT costs $2,249.99 in Black (115750-BLK) or FDE (115750-FDE). The box includes the magnesium chassis with its integrated folding buttstock, the Gen 2 carbon fiber vertical grip, the aluminum ARCA rail, the aluminum NV bridge with optional spacers, the offset Picatinny rail, an adjustable M-LOK thumb rest, a length-of-pull adjustment knob, four magwell dowels, grip tape, and the installation hardware.