I have been using Masterpiece Arms chassis systems for several years as the MPA BA Competition chassis was arguably one of the best chassis options on the market in the mid to late 2010s. While the BA Comp chassis had a lot going for it, I have always wanted to try the MDT ACC chassis system.
Just prior to SHOT Show 2023, MDT officially released the next iteration of the ACC as the ACC Elite, and renamed the original ACC as the ACC Premier.
I liked what I saw but did not buy an ACC Elite immediately as I did not have a priority for this chassis system. Fast-forward to 2024 and I noticed Brownells was having a 15% off sale on firearms parts. This sale in combination with Brownells’ already lower than MSRP list price for the ACC Elite prompted me to order one.
The vision I had for using the MDT ACC chassis system is with my Vudoo Gun Works V-22 Gen 1.2 that sat in the MPA BA Competition ever since it was originally built. It briefly sat in an MPA Matrix Pro II until I acquired a Vudoo Three 60, which is where my Matrix Pro II is being utilized.
My V-22 Gen 1.2 has a 20″ Bartlein barrel and never balanced to my satisfaction. In the MPA BA Comp, I maxed out all the forend weights and even with an MDT CKYE-POD Single Pull, the rifle was still slightly back heavy. The Matrix Pro II did not solve the issue for this 20″ barrelled action, either.
My belief is that the MDT ACC would be the best chassis for my 20″ V-22 because of the longer forend. The longer forend would allow me to place weights further forward and away from my intended balance/fulcrum point for better balancing and even possibly at a lighter overall weight.
Out of the box I immediately noticed a lot of small details on the ACC Elite that gives me confidence in the chassis construction. The chassis itself appears to have excellent machining and all the milling and Cerakote looks top-notch. The use of brass tipped set screws for the buttstock shows MDT is paying attention to details. The spring loaded knobs to adjust the comb and butt plate extension are also a great design choice.
The magazine latch is easily adjustable and can be critical for reliable rimfire functionality.
The magazine well has cuts for plastic dowels on the front, back, and each side. This is meant to allow the user to add the provided plastic dowels for a tighter fitment of the AICS magazine.
Depending on the action, magazine, and cartridge, the dowels in different positions may provide better fitment and feeding performance, and in other cases the dowels will make no improvement at all.
The grip itself can be moved fore and aft for different hand sizes in order to get the proper distance of the hand to the trigger.
The thumb shelf is a detachable accessory that can be put on either side. However, the chassis is not ambidextrous as the bolt handle relief cut only exists on one side. That being said, I feel most right-handed shooters will put the thumb shelf on the right side, which positions the hand for a straighter trigger pull.
The buttstock has quick adjustments for the buttplate length-of-pull and the cheek riser, and out of the box can be adjusted to a length of pull as short as 12.25″ to as long as 14.75″.
The MDT ACC Elite supports internal forend weights (flat weights on bottom) and external forend weights (MLOK attached). However, I was disappointed to discover that you must remove of the barrelled action to install/detach the internal weights which are secured with four screws per weight.
Any MLOK attached side weights can be used and install easily.
The length of the forend of the MDT ACC series of chassis systems is significantly longer than the forend of a Masterpiece Arms BA Comp (or Matrix Pro). As you can see below, I have the same Vudoo Gun Works V-22 20″ Bartlein barrelled action in the MPA BA Comp and MDT ACC Elite for a side-by-side comparison.
MPA lists the forend length of the BA Comp as 12 inches, while MDT defines the forend length of the ACC Elite as 19 inches. As you can see in the above photos, the ACC Elite chassis is nearly at the muzzle of the 20″ Bartlein barrel with around 1.5″ of barrel past the forend.
Furthermore, the bottom of the forend is drilled out for RRS-Lock clamps, which is the anti-slip mechanism made by Really Right Stuff for their latest SOAR clamps.
After shooting my Vudoo Gun Works V-22 Gen 1.2 in the MDT ACC Elite, I have a favorable opinion of the platform.
First off, the attention to detail in the chassis construction including the machining, the use of brass tipped set screws over pure alloy, and the inclusion of hand tools to assemble and adjust the chassis helps to convey that this is a premium chassis.
The grip is adjustable to fit my hand well and I like the feel in my palm and trigger finger.
The buttstock adjustments are extensive, especially with the buttplate vertical adjustment capability.
The minimum length of pull of 12.25″ is much appreciated for a small-frame person such as myself.
Then the big benefit I find in the MDT ACC Elite is the ability to balance a short(er) barrel rimfire rifle. I ended up installing three interior weights as far forward as possible with two exterior MLOK attached weights forward on the rifle. The overall weight without a bipod is 18 lb 14 oz and it balances right where I want it about a palm’s width forward of the magazine well / barricade stop. With a bipod, it will balance slightly front-heavy and is the effect I want.
With the previous Masterpiece Arms BA Competition chassis, the same rifle weighed 19 lb 3 oz and was still back heavy. The long 15″ forend of the MDT ACC Elite does wonders to create a better fulcrum to balance the rifle with less additional weights.
The MDT ACC Elite has a lot going for it. But no chassis is perfect and the ACC Elite is no exception.
As mentioned earlier, I was disappointed to discover the interior weights could not be installed without removing the barrelled action from the chassis. The prior ACC chassis allowed for a cap to be removed from the front of the forend to allow the interior weights to be slid in (and secured from the bottom using the screws). I am not sure why MDT deviated from this design feature with the ACC Elite, but it would have been nice to have this capability.
Another oversight is the omission of a bag rider. The bottom of the butt stock can ride on a bag if needed, but is not ideal. There is a single MLOK slot on the bottom surface which can be used for such an attachment. It appears MDT does make an MLOK attachable bag rider for an additional $49.95 USD (MSRP).
Based on my experience, the magazine well still has the same nuances with rimfire actions as all other chassis systems. Vudoo Gun Works billet aluminum magazines fit snug and any pressure on the magazine does not affect feeding of rounds into the action.
However, Vudoo Gun Works polymer mags are not as snug, particularly front and rear so it does rock and pressure against the front of the magazine will affect feeding. I tried using the aforementioned polymer dowels but they did not help to mitigate the movement of the Vudoo Gun Works polymer magazines (and made inserting billet aluminum magazines impossible).
So while there is a decently sized barricade stop surface for the front of the magazine well, there is the potential to press the magazine rearward if jamming the rifle up against a larger bag.
Anyone wanting to use the MDT ACC Elite with a rimfire action may want to use a long bag stop device such as the one by Gray Ops CNC.
This segues into the next downside and that is the high price. The MDT ACC Elite currently (April 2024) has an MSRP of $1599.95 USD. This is at the top tier of pricing when it comes to chassis systems. However, this does not take into account the cost of the accessories that most people will be buying such as the interior and/or exterior weights (forend and buttsock), the control or night vision bridge, etc.
The MDT ACC interior weights have an MSRP of $169.95 USD (5-pack) while the ACC Elite Control Bridge have an MSRP of $119.95 USD each. Considering I bought a set of interior weights and two Control Bridges, that added an additional $409.85 USD (MSRP) to the cost of the ACC Elite chassis. This doesn’t take into account that I also added two exterior MLOK attached weights. MDT branded MLOK weights are $59.95 USD per pair, but I utilized existing MLOK weights I have on-hand.
Using MSRP for all items, the total cost of my MDT ACC Elite chassis system as configured would have been $2069.75 USD (chassis, 2x control bridge, interior weight set, external weight pair).
This is quite a chunk of change.
Would I recommend the MDT ACC Elite chassis?
Yes, I feel that the MDT ACC Elite is a fantastic chassis system. It has build quality and a feature set that you would expect from a premium, top tier chassis system. The buttstock and grip provide a plethora of adjustments and allows it to fit a wide range of body types.
While any configuration will be subjective to the specific person, I believe the MDT ACC Elite should be considered by anyone willing to invest in a well-designed, well-built chassis system for competition or range use where they want the system to perform in all types of positional scenarios.
Keep in mind that while I would recommend the MDT ACC Elite chassis system for consideration, there are other top tier / flagship chassis systems (e.g., Masterpiece Arms Matrix Pro II, Kinetic Research Group C-4, Spuhr Ideal Chassis System) that should be looked at before making a decision.
For more information on the MDT ACC Elite chassis system, visit the MDT website at https://mdttac.com/.
People who follow my YouTube channel and social media have asked me, “Which is better: Masterpiece Arms Matrix Pro II or MDT ACC Elite?”
This is a very difficult question to answer and each has its own strengths. If I had to choose between the two, I would lean towards the Masterpiece Arms Matrix Pro II. While the MDT ACC Elite is well designed and the quality control and finish of the chassis reflects the premium price, the Matrix Pro 2 with the quick adjust bag rider height sways me towards the MPA product. This one feature along with the replaceable magazine well attachments (e.g., barricade stop, mag blocker) give the MPA Matrix Pro II the edge as a pure shooter’s chassis.
The MDT ACC Elite buttstock adjustments are better designed and executed than the MPA Matrix Pro 2. Had MDT implemented a quick adjust bag rider height mechanism, that would have made the ACC Elite a clearer choice over the Matrix Pro II.
However, if you have a shorter barrel platform, which is most likely going to be 700-pattern rimfire applications, then I feel the MDT ACC Elite chassis system is the better option. The 19″ long forend is going to be the only way to effectively balance a 20″ or 22″ MTU barreled action.
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