Very nice entry level precision chassis, but... - MDT Howa 1500 Oryx Rifle Chassis

TL/DR: Solid entry level chassis system that has everything you "need", but not everything you want. Upgrades and add-ons add up quickly to where you might be better off buying another chassis system. Unless you have the same situation as me where the only one available for the 10/22 is the Oryx. I'd get the XRS Chassis if it is available for your action.

Full Review:
I'm a big fan of MDT and their products. I think the quality is great and the designs are insightful. They also produce a ton of great teaching content for precision shooting beginners like myself.

I started building my 10/22 after getting into rimfire with my brother. We started out with a Savage MKII and I wanted to build something fun and reliable that wasn't a bolt action since he is the bolt action fiend. I also just wanted to build a 10/22 because it seemed like a cool/fun experience. There are a ton of stock and chassis options out there for the 10/22, but I really wanted to try MDT out because I'd like to use one of their chassis for a long range precision rifle build in the future. The Oryx seemed like a good option because it is budget friendly, was available for the 10/22, and looked pretty cool compared to most other options (IMO).

PROS of the chassis (IMO)
- Full Aluminum Chassis
- Feels very solid and sturdy
- Good weight for a precision rifle
- Adjustable Cheek Rest
- Adjustable Butt Stock
- Interchangeable grips

Pros Summary: Lot of great features and feels solid

CONS of the chassis (IMO)
- The stupid slope on the bottom m-lok rail means at least one of the slots is useless. Also means you need to use MDT’s Oryx ARCA rail that fits it or you need to bend and modify a normal ARCA rail (I chose this route).
- No place for weights aside from the bottom m-lok rail. I understand it's an entry level chassis, but they could have put some extra m-lok slots at the front and shortened the plastic covers. I might just have to make some weights that fit in the plastic covers at the front. I’m sure there are other ideas that wouldn’t have added much or anything to the manufacturing cost.
- Accessories Add Up: The grip that comes with the rifle is okay, but the vertical grip is way better. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade, but it's something else to buy. ARCA Rail as I mentioned earlier will cost you almost $100, but there are other options for a bit less. There are also not a ton of bag rider options. I custom mounted an XLR Bag Rider with some new bolts and M-Lok nuts, but they could have easily integrated one into the butt stock. It is nice to have the option of picking something yourself, but it would be nicer if there were more good options. Other little things like cheek pad adjustment knobs are nice to have and cheap, but still add to the overall cost.
- Branding: Not really a big deal but a little annoying. They went to great lengths to not have MDT anywhere on the chassis. Even their much cheaper Field Stock and slightly more expensive XRS chassis have MDT logos on them. Maybe the Oryx is going to evolve into a sub-brand, but if you’re spending money on MDT, you kind of want it to say MDT. Being cool is half the fun.
- Action mounting instructions: While this is pretty straight forward, there is one thing they don’t mention that confuses some people (as I found it asked on forums). There are little nylon pillars in the chassis right by the front action screw. These are for helping center the action, but they don’t tell you that. You basically use the action screw to pull the action into them and form it. Works great, but a little note saying that’s the proper procedure would be nice.
- Barricade Stop: A nice feature to include, but it’s so small (at least for rimfire models) that it won’t really work if you add an ARCA rail. They may not have planned for many people to add this, but an extra half inch here would be great.

Cons Summary: Lack potential upgrade options for scaling later. Accessories add up to where I’d buy the XRS Chassis if it’s available for your action.

OVERALL - I’m still happy with my purchase and glad they had an option for the 10/22 action. I plan to change over to a Volquartsen Summit toggle action at one point and will keep the chassis. It looks pretty cool and feels great. I would just go with the XRS for a similar price point, more included features, and more options for it to scale well for more serious precision shooting in the future.