During my 2025 SHOT Show adventure, Modular Driven Technologies or more commonly known as MDT, is a regular stop for me and the first thing that caught my eye at the MDT booth is the second generation of the ever popular Send iT level.
For those not aware, the Send iT level was originally designed and sold under the LRA (Long Range Arms) name before LRA was bought by and merged into MDT. The original Send iT level was modified with a third-party aftermarket ocular accessory made by Brandt Built Concepts. The Brandt ocular accessory plugs into the Send iT to place lights at the ocular bell of the scope for better visibility of the level LEDs.
With the Send iT Gen 2, MDT is taking this concept and making this standard with the level and also shrinking down form-factor of the Send iT level body.
The new design is noticeably smaller when it comes to the body of the Send iT level, the footprint that is taken up by the level on the rail does not appear to be reduced to any effective degree as it still takes up space on a Picatinny rail.
Note that in social media posts at the 2025 SHOT Show of the display at MDT, some were misled thinking that there was some sort of wireless connection between the ocular LEDs and the Send iT level.
In the above photo, there are actually two of the Send iT Gen 2 levels on this scope display. One with and one without the ocular LEDs. As you can see above, the ocular LEDs are plugged into a Send iT level tucked in behind the rear scope ring.This is just meant to show you possible mounting options.
I did not get a look at one that was not mounted and am curious is MDT will release mount adapters for MLOK and Spuhr interfaces (assuming it does not use the same mounting system as the original generation model).
I honestly do not see any reason for someone who already has a Send iT level to buy the Gen 2, especially if they do not need the ocular LEDs. However, it is my understanding the Send iT Gen 2 will be the same price as the current Send iT level at $229.95 USD. If that is the case, anyone who is shopping for a Send iT level should get the Gen 2, unless the Gen 1 price is lowered. A price change for the original/current Send iT level is not known, but I anticipate that will happen assuming the Gen 1 is not discontinued.
The other new items at MDT that caught my eye are the Backcountry and Mountain bipods.
Before you think these are new bipods, these are actually bipods that were already made and produced by a company called MTNGear out of New Zealand and MDT just happened to acquire the company.
These are designed specifically for hunting with weights of 5 ounces and 5.6 ounces for the Backcountry and Mountain bipods, respectively. They have a Picatinny clamp while the Mountain can be configured with an Arca clamp (which pushes the Mountain bipod to 5.9 ounces).
Both the Backcountry and Mountain bipods use a push button to swivel the legs from the folded to deployed positions and twist locking collars to extend the legs (much like a tripod).
The one odd aspect of the MDT Mountain bipod is that MDT claims the Mountain does not have a pan feature even though the MTNGear Mountain bipod does have 360 degree pan with a pan lockout. I am not sure if the MDT Mountain bipod is redesigned from the MTN Gear version.
If MDT did make changes to the Backcountry or Mountain bipod designs after the acquisition before selling under the MDT name, one may want to wait for the MDT branded bipods.
The MDT Backcountry bipod should have a price of $300 while the MDT Mountain bipod should be of $450 (which is what the MTNGear Backcountry and Mountain bipods currently sell for). The MDT Backcountry and Mountain bipods are expected to be released in Q1 2025.
These bipods will likely become more popular in the hunting community because of the MDT name.
MDT also came out with a backpack that was referred to as the Match Backpack or online as the Champion Backpack.
This pack is designed for PRS matches and has a rigid nylon design (likely with some internal structure) so that it sits vertically. MDT wants it to act as a ‘workstation’ to operate out of so the flap opens up in a manner to give access while vertical and not spilling contents out.
There was no listed specification on the pack volume. It looks relatively deep but it also feels somewhat heavy likely due to the type of nylon used.
The pack is expected to run for $299 which is not too expensive, but not inexpensive either. This may appeal to the PRS shooter, although I feel like lightweight hunting packs may be more useful and better to carry if having to walk to multiple stages.
I will briefly mention the MDT CRBN chassis, which was announced well before the 2025 SHOT Show (October 2024).
This is MDT’s most recent new stock/chassis system built on a magnesium frame surrounded by a foam-filled carbon fiber shell for a very lightweight design.
It accepts Badger M5 footprint bottom metal and MDT has their own in-house hunter and PRS oriented bottom metal options, both of which are AICS compatible.
I was eager to handle these as they are still very new and impossible to obtain right now (backordered). I really like the feel of the MDT CRBN and does feel stiffer in the foreend area compared to the MDT HNT26, which is expected. The CRBN does tip the scales a few ounces more than the HNT26 at roughly 30 and 31 ounces with the hunter and PRS bottom metal, respectively. Given the problems the HNT26 has with the foreend, the additional weight may be something people will accept.
For me, the primary negative is the minimum length of pull is just a little bit long at 12.75″. I usually go with 12.5″ if not a little shorter (12.25″) depending on how I have the rifle configured. But that quarter of an inch is not a deal breaker for me.
The MDT CRBN is not exactly cheap, though, with a $1299.95 base price without bottom metal. The MDT hunter and MDT PRS bottom metal are an additional $299.95 and $279.95, respectively.
I stopped by the Magpul booth even though they tend to be more packed that other booths due to their rabid fanbase.
The main new item at the Magpul booth that I saw and was not aware of before hand is the Remington 700 Hunter Lite stock.
This is Magpul’s attempt at a lightweight stock for 700 pattern actions. The 700 Hunter Lite is cited to weigh 2.4 lbs (~38.4 ounces) with a length of pull of 13 to 15 inches.
It supports AICS magazines and will work with barrels up to a medium palma contour.
It does feel relatively lightweight and it handles like most other polymer hybrid chassis-stock designs. I will say that the 700 Hunter Lite has a Magpul feel to it. That is to say, it does exude a plastic / polymer feel to it.
It looks to be an inexpensive option at $219.95 (expected MSRP) for anyone who could use a lighter stock. It is heavier than the MDT CRBN stock (31 ounces with DBM bottom metal), but a one-seventh the cost ($219.95 vs $1579.95).
I will admit that I am a fan of the Magpul DAKA grid as I have one for a Harbor Freight Apache 9800 (which is the internal clone to a Pelican 1750). Magpul is going hard with the DAKA grid, expanding beyond Pelican case compatibility, and is now adapting them to other cases as well as producing their own Magpul hard cases.
Magpul is also expanding DAKA grid support to non-firearms applications like archery.
There is just too many new options for the DAKA grid to list, not to mention Magpul is releasing a universal kit that the user will cut to fit whatever hard case they have.
With that said, Pelican has finally responded to the Magpul DAKA with the Pelican Reset system.
This system is designed around using foam cylinders that fit into a square system, acting like pegs, which can be depressed into the square grid at different depths for the given gear loadout.
The Reset system will be sold as an add-on to existing Pelican cases, starting with the 1700-series (e.g., 1750) and the price is TBD (look for something in the mid-$200 USD range).
The Pelican Reset actually seems like a decent design but I see some drawbacks. The smaller pegs means there is a tighter fit of accessories (finer adjustments). However, the smaller cylindrical pegs may not have the same strength as the DAKA dividers. Furthermore, smaller pegs means more grid squares and lots of pegs to keep track of.
I feel that while the Reset is a necessary product by Pelican as there is a demand for it, it is unfortunate that Pelican didn’t realize that an adaptable and ‘resettable’ foam system is needed by firearms owners with hard cases before Magpul released the DAKA. The Magpul DAKA has been on the market for a couple years now and has already become a well-known system. Furthermore, the fact that Magpul has a universal kit on the way to free form for any hard case shows how behind Pelican is.
I feel like the Magpul DAKA is the better system, especially when you factor in the price of the Magpul DAKA (DAKA for Pelican 1750 is $159.95 USD). The DAKA grid not only has dividers, there are also DAKA bins that fit into the DAKA panel adding more storage options in a DAKA configured case.
Granted, I would need to actually use the Pelican Reset to have a more informed opinion, but Pelican has a long road to catch up with Magpul in this regard.
I rolled by the Capstone booth to inquire about the reasoning behind the recently announced Lapua MaxRange Target Bullets, specifically the option in 6.5mm.
The Lapua MaxRange Target bullets are Lapua’s next generation of bullets to improve about the venerable Scenar-series of bullets. However, the oddity of the Lapua MaxRange Target 6.5mm bullet is the weight: 144gr. On paper. the Lapua MRT 6.5 144gr has a G7 BC of .335, which is the same as the Berger Bullets 6.5mm 144gr Long Range Hybrid Target. Berger Bullets and Lapua are both under Nammo.
In discussion with a Capstone representative, I was told that Lapua designed the MRT 6.5mm from scratch and since they are on the metric system, designs using grams. So when they arrived at the final design it coincidentally wound up being 9.3 grams or 144.521 grains.
If that were the case, you figure Lapua could have just rounded up to 145 grains to differentiate the bullet from Berger’s 144 LRHT.
In any case, the Lapua MaxRange Target Bullets look like an interesting new bullet to try out, especially since Lapua does make excellent projectiles with a high degree of quality control. I have always thought the meplats of the Lapua Scenar bullets were the most clean and consistently cut/formed. I may actually try the Lapua MaxRange Target 6.5mm 144gr in 6.5 Creedmoor, as I use the Berger 144 LRHT currently.
The one other interesting thing I saw at the Capstone booth is the new Lapua brass.
6mm Dasher is a little out of frame in the above photo and that should some people excited. But the new 7mm PRC brass offering from Lapua should create some buzz. While ADG and Peterson make quality brass for 7mm PRC, Lapua entering the arena will attract a lot of the reloading 7mm PRC users.
I will end Part 2 of my 2025 SHOT SHOW After Action Report with a mention of SIG Sauer who returned to SHOT Show after going MIA for a few years.
For those unaware, SIG Sauer was one of a few companies (e.g., Vortex Optics, Leica) that decided to stop exhibiting at SHOT Show in 2022 (SHOT 2021 was cancelled at the height of COVID-19). There was a bit of controversy regarding this decision. But SIG as well as Vortex Optics figured that consumer facing shows were more beneficial to their public-facing operations.
Anyway, I felt SIG Sauer needed to get back into SHOT, especially with regards to their electro-optics division, as competition in this space is increasing in recent years. SIG does not have the same stranglehold on consumer laser range finders as other companies are catching up.
I did get to see the new SIG ROMEO8T-AMR.
The ROMEO8T-AMR is a red dot optic with a 1MOA dot and a 40mm lens and night vision capability. SIG claims a 50,000 hour battery life on a single CR123 battery. While this is not all that exciting, what is interesting is how the ROMEO8T-AMR functions with the JULIET3T-MICRO 3x magnifier.
Without the magnifier, the ROMEO8T-AMR can be configured to show a large circle reticle with single dot in the center. If the magnifier is flipped in-line with the ROMEO8T-AMR, the ROMEO8T-AMR will detect the magnifier can change the reticle instantaneously to multiple dots for a holdover system (for longer distance shooting) as well as change the brightness.
The SIG JULIET3T 3x magnifier has been out for a few years and can be obtained for $200 or less from retailers, while the SIG ROMEO8T-AMR has yet to be released and will have an expected street price of $599.99.
This wraps up the second part of my 2025 SHOT Show After Action report. I still have more products and topics to cover so stay tuned for Part 3.
Comment on this post