Mack Brothers isn’t a family identify amongst hunters and shooters, however amongst discerning riflemen the corporate has a wonderful repute. Curiously, the model additionally has fairly a following amongst some shooters who’ve by no means heard of it. That’s as a result of for a few years Mack Brothers has produced top-quality actions for different gun makers, labeled with these corporations’ manufacturers, akin to Nosler and GA Precision.
Fortunately, the corporate is not hiding its mild below a bushel and is now advertising its actions and customized rifle builds on to the capturing world. When Mack Brothers introduced it was making rifles in 2023 I jumped on the probability to get a gun constructed to my specs.
What I ended up with is, to my mind-set, the last word crossover rifle for searching and NRL Hunter-style competitors: a light-weight 6.5 Creedmoor on a Manners MCH Professional Hunter inventory that’s optimized for sensible subject capturing with next-level accuracy, ergonomics, and reliability.
The cherry on prime is the inventory includes a distinctive tiger-stripe paint job, giving a customized twist to the customized package deal.
Picture by John B. Snow
- Motion: Mack Brothers Evo II two-lug bolt motion
- Inventory: Manners MCH Professional Hunter carbon fiber
- Barrel: Carbon Six 22-inch Sendero carbon fiber, threaded 5/8-24, 1:7.5 twist
- Backside Steel: Mack Brothers DBM
- Cartridge: 6.5 Creedmoor
- Capability: 5+1
- End: Smoked Bronze Cerakote (receiver), nitride (bolt)
- Weight: 7 kilos (measured)
- Set off: TriggerTech Diamond set to 1 pound, 5 ounces (measured)
- Size: 42 inches (measured)
- Worth: From $4,995, relying on choices
Key Options
- Takes both AICS or AW magazines
- ARCA rail in entrance of journal effectively
- Recessed Pic rail on fore-end to mount a bipod
- QD cup sling attachment factors
- 20 MOA full-length Pic rail on motion
- Modified M16 fashion extractor
- Toolless bolt takedown
Evaluate Highlights
- Light-weight, precision rifle with terrific accuracy
- Easy, dependable motion
- Wonderful ergonomics on motion and inventory
- Positive craftsmanship, and match and end
Picture by John B. Snow
Mack Brothers Customized Rifle Accuracy
The five-shot group common is .633 inches, representing 9 various kinds of ammo and 26 teams complete. The ten-shot common was .820 inches.
The rifle likes to be pushed aggressively and shot higher with agency stress, pulling the inventory again into my shoulder and average cheek stress on the comb. As at all times, taking the slack out of the bipod — loading it by leaning into the rifle and transferring it ahead till the bipod legs attain their pure restrict of journey — ensures higher precision, too.
Mack Brothers Evo II Motion
The center of the rifle is Mack Brothers’ Evo II two-lug bolt motion. This can be a Remington 700 sample system with quite a few upgrades which have grow to be de rigueur on high-end precision rifles.
These embrace: A self-indexing recoil lug, for repeatability and accuracy; streamlined exterior bolt cease; one-piece nitride bolt physique with weight-reducing cuts; 20 MOA Pic rail (on actions for removable field magazines); threaded and pinned bolt deal with; set off hanger; toolless bolt takedown; and M16-style extractor.
Mack Brothers makes the Evo II from both 416 stainless (28.5 ounces) or, at a 28 p.c discount titanium (20.5 ounces). Though I needed my rifle to be as mild as attainable — each for ease of carry and to assist it make the 12-pound cutoff weight for NRL Hunter matches — I opted for the stainless motion.
I went that route as a result of the stainless motion might be minimize to accommodate each AICS and AW fashion field magazines, whereas the titanium model can solely run AICS field mags. (The double-stack AW magazines are extra compact than the single-stack AICS mags, which might be a bonus in competitors when making an attempt to maneuver in tight areas or when the rifle is clipped right into a tripod.)
Additionally, chrome steel actions typically run extra easily than titanium, although the Mack Brothers titanium actions I’ve performed with are pleasingly slick and don’t stick or chatter.
Evo II Motion Operation
The bolt on my Evo II glides backwards and forwards in an nearly easy trend. Regardless that there’s a little play within the bolt when it’s pulled to the rear of the receiver it doesn’t bind up or hesitate within the slightest regardless of how a lot lateral stress I exert on the bolt deal with.
The cocking movement is clean as effectively. The power required to raise the bolt deal with and cock the motion stays constant by way of its 90 levels of journey, making for an excellent, predictable motion.
This refined design enhances the rifle’s shootability and reliability. Whether or not operating the rifle unsupported or off a capturing bag it’s straightforward to cycle the motion and keep heading in the right direction.
Picture by John B. Snow
Push-Feed Design
Like a standard Remington 700, the Evo II is a push-feed system. However in contrast to an old-school 700, which has an extractor that sits throughout the bolt head and is supported 360-degrees round, the EVO II has a protracted and sturdy M16-style extractor that lies inside a minimize within the bolt head.
Some folks gripe concerning the previous 700 extractor design, faulting it for being too skimpy. I’ve by no means had any critical points with the 700s I’ve owned and shot through the years, however in case you aren’t satisfied, chances are high you’ll love the beefy EVO II extractor.
One other factor to love concerning the EVO II’s extractor is its simplicity. It acts as its personal spring, eliminating a possible failure level in a standard M16 design.
In any occasion it has functioned flawlessly for me, as has the only plunger ejector, which kicks empties out of the motion with reassuring power.
Picture by John B. Snow
Servicing the Bolt
Eradicating the bolt from the receiver is simple. The bolt-stop tab is low profile and doesn’t require a lot effort to depress, letting you pull the bolt free.
The firing pin meeting might be faraway from the Evo II with a robust twist to the bolt shroud, which disengages the lugs that maintain it in place. The quantity of effort to undo mine was substantial, so when you’ve got a troublesome time eradicating yours simply twist more durable.
This offers entry to the firing pin, firing pin spring, and the inside of the bolt physique for cleansing and upkeep.
You too can take away the extractor by leveraging it up with a flat screwdriver bit and sliding it ahead. When doing this you must flex the extractor sufficient in order that the nub on the extractor clears the recess it sits in. Additionally be sure the bit you employ is narrower than the minimize in bolt face the place the extractor sits otherwise you received’t have the ability to raise it excessive sufficient to perform the duty.
Eradicating the extractor allows you to clear out bits of brass shavings and fouling that may accumulate below the extractor blade and across the case head. To reassemble, put the extractor in its slot and slide it again till it clicks into place. This takes important power, so you’ll have to push it in opposition to a bench or different floor. I counsel dabbing a drop or two of gun oil on the extractor to assist it on its approach.
Journal Versatility: AICS or AW
My rifle got here with a low-profile Hunter journal from Hawkins Precision. It’s a center-feed journal that holds 5 rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor and extends only a third of an inch under the journal effectively. Like all Hawkins’ choices, it’s effectively constructed and enticing.
Placing 5 shells in it made for a good match and induced a little bit of bolt drag, however I used to be nonetheless in a position to load the gun with out issue.
For primary vary work and searching this journal is ideal, however the backside steel, which is Mack Brothers’ personal design, is ready to accommodate each AW and AICS magazines too.
These are excellent for competitors the place you may need 10 or extra rounds in a stage. I used magazines from a number of corporations — MDT, Magpul, Accuracy Worldwide, Correct-Magazine — and didn’t have hassle with any of them.
I particularly admire with the ability to run the 10-round AW magazines within the rifle since they’re unobtrusive, feed nice, fully bombproof, straightforward to load, and straightforward to service.
Picture by John B. Snow
There are quite a few types of backside steel for removable field magazines with many alternative journal catch techniques. The Mack Brothers DBM is about essentially the most elegant of the lot and is ideal for a crossover hunter-competition rifle.
It operates a bit like a standard paddle launch, besides the wings of the paddle don’t lengthen exterior the set off guard. As a substitute, they’re built-in into the set off guard and sit flush inside it. It offers the underside steel and set off guard a clean, clear look.
The spring within the launch is stiff sufficient that it’s going to by no means transfer by itself however might be simply actuated with the set off finger. When the discharge is pushed ahead, the magazines drop freed from their very own accord and by no means stick contained in the effectively.
Longer AICS magazines rattle a bit aspect to aspect within the effectively, however all different mags I’ve run have been cosy and quiet.
Picture by John B. Snow
Manners MCH Professional Hunter Inventory
Greater than some other rifle element, shares have exploded in recent times when it comes to the sheer variety of accessible choices. There are answers for just about any sort of capturing, finances, and private choice.
As a contemporary searching inventory, I feel the Manners MCH Professional Hunter has few, if any, equals. It checks a variety of containers that I worth, incorporating options from the competitors and precision rifle scene in a light-weight design that’s proper at dwelling on a demanding backcountry hunt.
These components embrace:
- Practically vertical pistol grip with ambidextrous palm swells
- Ambidextrous thumb cabinets
- QD cup sling attachments
- Flat fore-end with recessed Picatinny rail part for bipod
- Grooves on both aspect of inventory for improved grip
- ARCA rail in entrance of magazine effectively
- Flat comb
- Integral aluminum chassis
The advantages of many of those options are apparent. The integral chassis gives rigidity to the connection between the motion and inventory, enhancing precision. The flat fore-end is beneficial for taking intention off a capturing bag. The ARCA rail allows you to clip instantly right into a tripod, permitting for glorious accuracy from an elevated place. The recessed Pic rail and QD cups make the inventory much less prone to cling up on gear or vegetation.
Picture by John B. Snow
Gentle, But Sturdy
Constructed from a carbon-fiber shell, the Professional Hunter weighs simply 1 pound 13 ounces, but is as rigid and inflexible as a dangling choose. I saved some weight on the inventory by going with a skinny recoil pad with rubber that’s solely a couple of quarter-inch thick. For the reason that rifle is chambered within the eminently shootable 6.5 Creedmoor, it doesn’t want extra cushioning than that to take care of the recoil.
Regardless that the barreled motion ideas the scales at 4 kilos 12.6 ounces, the entire rifle is simply 7 kilos with an empty journal put in.
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When configured for NRL Hunter competitors, with an MDT Ckye-Pod bipod, suppressor, and precision rifle scope, the rifle weighs simply 10.5 kilos, giving me plenty of leeway so as to add a extra sturdy bipod (just like the MDT Triple Pull) and different equipment like a timer, dope card, and bubble stage.
I additionally actually just like the inventory geometry. The pistol grip fills the capturing hand and positions the set off finger in excellent alignment with the set off face. The mounted comb locations my head proper the place it must be, so there’s no pressure when trying down a scope mounted with medium-height rings.
Picture by John B. Snow
Manners, which has at all times had a stable repute for the standard of their shares, continues to refine their manufacturing strategies. With my inventory I used to be struck by how properly the raised texture on both aspect of the grip was executed. In an identical vein, the seam between the 2 halves of the inventory shell is barely noticeable. The inventory additionally emits a flat, lifeless sound when flicked with a finger or hit with a department, quite than the loud hole ring that some high-end carbon fiber shares give off.
Lastly, the inventory is painted with a customized tiger-stripe sample that compliments the smoked bronze Cerakoting on the receiver, backside steel, thread protector, and bolt deal with. The rifle is a looker, which is one thing everybody ought to anticipate from an costly customized rig.
Carbon Six Barrel
Previous to getting this rifle I solely had fleeting expertise with Carbon Six barrels. I’d shot a handful of rifles with their barrels previously however had by no means spent significant time with one or put one to the check.
The barrel on my rifle delivered glorious accuracy with each load I put by way of it. It has a Sendero profile and got here threaded 5/8-24. I shot it a bit initially with simply the thread protector screwed on, however rapidly opted to run it with totally different light-weight suppressors for almost all of the analysis, particularly a Thunder Beast Extremely 7, Gunwerks Six Ti, and Banish Backcountry.
The purpose of affect shift with these suppressors on board was minimal, however sufficient that you just’d need to alter your zero for lengthy distance capturing when going from unsuppressed to suppressed hearth.
The barrel has a 1:7.5 twist, which works nice for a variety of 6.5mm bullets however shines with projectiles weighing round 140-grains or extra.
As a result of I plan to make use of the rifle in NRL Hunter competitors I went with a 22-inch barrel giving me a superb compromise between muzzle velocity and nimble dealing with with a can hooked up.
If I have been simply going to make use of this as a suppressed searching rig, I might have opted for a 20- or presumably even 18-inch barrel. However as a result of the NRL Searching sequence specifies a minimal energy issue with handloads I needed just a little additional barrel size.
When configuring a rifle from Mack Brothers you possibly can specify the barrel size. The choices go from 18 to 26 inches in two-inch intervals, which covers many purposes.
Mack Brothers Customized Rifle In The Discipline
Picture by John B. Snow
Capturing tiny teams is one in every of life’s simple pleasures. And my Mack Brothers Customized definitely delivered on this entrance. Off the bench it printed teams from .327 inches to 1.026 inches, with the majority within the .4s, .5s, and .6s.
That efficiency at 100 yards, coupled with the rifle’s glorious ergonomics and clean motion translated to succesful long-range metal smacking. Whether or not capturing inclined, the place I engaged metal previous 1,100 yards, or capturing positionally at sub-1,000-yard targets, the rifle dealt with like a gem.
It is extremely effectively mannered, and I discovered it straightforward to take care of my sight image and name my photographs, after which cycle the gun rapidly for the subsequent engagement.
From the standpoint of sensible subject marksmanship, it’s a remarkably succesful rig, one I might gladly hunt or compete with.
Picture by John B. Snow
Mack Brothers Customized Rifle Sturdiness
My confidence within the rifle was boosted by how sturdy it has confirmed to be during the last 12 months. I’ve put a number of hundred rounds although the rifle and have by no means had any type of subject with the way it feeds, shoots, ejects, and cycles.
Given the variety of rounds I’ve put by way of it, the rifle reveals some well-earned put on, however nothing that signifies any type of downside or potential concern.
The perimeters on the Picatinny rail on the fore-end are just a little burnished. The nitride coating on the bolt is a bit worn, and the receiver simply behind the ejection port has a bunch of tiny dings the place the brass, spun round by the robust ejector, hits the receiver. In any other case, the rifle is as flawless because the day I took supply.
Mack Brothers Customized Rifle Professionals and Cons
As a certifiably crabby gun author I enjoyment of stating the failings and foibles of the firearms I evaluation. It helps hold gun makers who’re used to universally-fawning protection in verify and provides potential consumers a clear-eyed account of what to anticipate.
This Mack Brothers rifle is due to this fact a little bit of a disappointment since there isn’t actually something to gripe about. The one subject I skilled is when loading its five-round journal to capability. The cartridges have been just a little tight and chambering the primary spherical took a bit of additional effort.
The one different unfavourable of the rifle is the value, which is prohibitive for a lot of. However even at 5 grand, the rifle is an efficient worth, delivering the type of efficiency and craftsmanship one expects at that stage however that many different high-dollar rifles don’t.
The professionals of the rifle are quite a few. It’s mild and helpful. It’s correct and straightforward to shoot. It’s powerful and may present a few years of exhausting use. You’ll be able to simply service it within the subject. And it’s a pleasure to take a look at.
Picture by John B. Snow
Remaining Ideas
I’m glad to see Mack Brothers moving into the rifle making enterprise. Their actions, suppressors, and different equipment have helped them set up a stable repute because the firm was based by brothers Allen and Dale Mack again in 2007.
Presently they provide 4 totally different rifles to select from: a standard trying rifle, one with a collapsible inventory, a light-weight crossover rifle for searching and competitors just like mine, and a muzzleloader.
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That blend covers plenty of various kinds of prospects, however the fashions share an identical design philosophy. All of them incorporate top-notch options, supplies, and ergonomics which have come to outline our highest high quality, and greatest performing, rifles.
It’s clear that Mack Brothers understands the high-end rifle market and is aware of which options are significant enhancements, and due to this fact needs to be included, and people which might be gimmicks to be prevented.
I might by no means need to be pressured to personal only one rifle. What a boring existence that may be. But when I did have to decide on, this rifle can be on a really brief listing of contenders.