DTA HTI in the house

[orkan]

So I took a picture, and it really is worth a thousand words. We've been selling DTA's for a few months now and this is the first HTI we've got in.

Top is a standard DTA SRS with 22" 308 conversion and YHM brake.
Middle is a Rem700 AICS with 20" 308 barrel and YHM brake.
Bottom is DTA HTI with 29" 50bmg conversion and brake.



I can grab this 50 with one hand, and RUN around with it. Going through doors is a breeze. Getting into firing position is easier than any other 50 in existence. The bolt lift is kind of a bitch, but necessary to ensure positive extraction. I'm sure as its shot a bit, it will break in. Length of pull is a bit longer than I'm used to. You can see the difference in the above picture. Grip is a bit farther forward to accommodate the long rounds.

Anyone that has ever ran a big 50 and actually had to carry it around in the field and use it knows how big of a bitch it can be to haul around. This is the most portable big boomer I've ever used.

Weight as pictured with an empty magazine, bipod, mount, and optic is exactly 25lbs. Yet just like it's smaller brother the SRS, it has exceptional balance that makes it feel about 40% lighter than that. I can't wait to get some real time behind this thing. I've got a lot of load development to do for it, so I'll be sending heat for quite a while. It's nice to see a big fat squishy buttpad on this thing.

[a0cake]

That really is incredible -- especially the OAL of the .50.

The occasional need to break the M107 down and put it in a rucksack would be greatly mitigated with a DTA.

To illustrate to someone who might be wondering what the big deal is just how ridiculous .50 caliber systems can be , and how incredible I imagine (haven't touched one yet) the DTA to be...

Here's a picture of a buddy, call-sign "short****" with a 107 (same barrel length as the DTA):


[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/short****.jpg[/img]

[orkan]

To illustrate to someone who might be wondering what the big deal is just how ridiculous .50 caliber systems can be

That pretty much says it.

I took a picture for comparison.


... and another to illustrate just how well balanced it is. I could take a shot at a torso sized target to 300yds in that position I bet.
The long length of pull was an issue more so than the weight. That's really the only compromise I see in this system. A little guy will really be reaching for that trigger.
Throw a TAB Gear biathalon sling on this thing and you could carry it for miles.

[Cesiumsponge]

That is a huge difference in compactness. A coworker who was in the 75th said there were a few 50's in the armory that never left because no one ever wanted to haul those things around. The TAB Gear biathlon would make the HTI pleasurable to hump around. I have one for a TRG and it works great.

[fallenromeo]

Damn that thing is amazing.

[orkan]

More porn.

Ordered another one for a local customer... so I'll have the opportunity to work loads for 3 different HTI's this winter. I'm getting some DTM ammo to try out in them as well.

Anyone here shoot 375CT?

[DeltaSierra]

Hoping to get some range time with one of these in the near future...

[Sensei]

I'm a big DTA fan who owns a SRS and got to shoot a HTI prototype at Ft. Benning last year. The company makes an excellent product that is accurate and durable. Having said that, I was a much bigger fan before DTA raised their prices by $1K on the SRS about 15 months ago. Luckily, I got one of the last origional productions without the monopod and before the price hike.

Honestly, this is a rather expensive rifle for what you get at $4.6K for the chassis and $2.4K for each caliber kit. It is $2K more than a Barrett M95 which is a little longer but lighter. I'm not sure that the value is as apparent for this rifle given that most people are going to be shooting exclusively 1 caliber (probably 50 BMG). That is to say, I frequently switch calibers between 308 and 338 on my SRS to shoot a less expensive round and get better with my range and wind estimations (308 is much less forgiving). I'm less likely to be switching between HTI calibers since there is no real cost savings.

I suppose that an arguement could be made for the HTI being a dual use rifle - 375CH for precision and 50 BMG for anti-material. However, you are now talking about $10K for both conversions and the chassis. Personally, I'd rather have the new M107A1 if I'm going to spend that kind of coin.

[orkan]

You've got some interesting opinions about this system.

If you ever had to hump a 107 around, you might feel differently.

The SRS price hike wasn't 1k. It was $800 increase. Which subsequently was reduced to $200 for the entire year of 2012. Maybe they'll raise the price in 2013, maybe they won't. Right now you can get into an SRS at full retail for around $4100 without struggling too much. I paid 4600 for mine, before the price drop. Sucks, but I'm not crying because the rifle is worth it. I've got a MAP agreement, but no MSP agreement this year... so as a dealer, I can sell these things for whatever price I want. Deals can be had if a guy is willing to look. Thus, the cost really isn't a concern to someone looking at this level. I could sell my SRS right now and get damn near new price for it. Try that with a full custom build. Most of the time you're lucky to get 60%, and it doesn't matter who made it.

Any full custom will be priced similarly, and an AI will run you MUCH more. Neither with the inherent benefits of a bullpup or 60-second switch-caliber capability.

Running 375 and 50bmg in the same platform shows more value than the SRS. Buying a 50 and a 375 in different rifles requires optics for each... as well as the added cost of being deep into two big boomers. The bullpup design is more important in the 50 than it is with the 338. The pictures in this thread pretty much speak for themselves. It's a FOOT shorter. 11.5" to be exact. That is more than a little bit shorter. That is a shitload shorter. Along with being shorter... its TEN POUNDS lighter. Ten pounds is more than a little bit lighter... it's a shit load lighter. Take ten pounds of ANYTHING and stick it on your rifle and tell me it doesn't make you miserable. Ten pounds in a friggin pack is enough to make guys cry on steep hikes.

Then lets talk accuracy. M107 is not for precise long range hits. It can be MADE to do it, but it's damn well not an out of the box guarantee.

The range and accuracy of the 375 is superior to the 50 in regard to soft targets. All with much less recoil. For military applications it's forseeable to me that a sniper would very much like the capability of 2000yd+ repeatable and consistent capability with the 375, but be able to swap barrels out in the field to disable some vehicles.

I've shot 107's, windrunners, steyr's, custom's, serbu's, tac-50's, and a whole host of other 50's. You are getting more for your dollar in the HTI than ANY of them. Hell... any TWO of them. You should probably get a new one in your hands before you completely sign off on them. The prototype you got behind is nothing near what is rolling off the assembly line now. If you ever get to South Dakota... I can get you in behind a new one.

[Sensei]

You've got some interesting opinions about this system.

If you ever had to hump a 107 around, you might feel differently.

The SRS price hike wasn't 1k. It was $800 increase. Which subsequently was reduced to $200 for the entire year of 2012. Maybe they'll raise the price in 2013, maybe they won't. Right now you can get into an SRS at full retail for around $4100 without struggling too much. I paid 4600 for mine, before the price drop. Sucks, but I'm not crying because the rifle is worth it. I've got a MAP agreement, but no MSP agreement this year... so as a dealer, I can sell these things for whatever price I want. Deals can be had if a guy is willing to look. Thus, the cost really isn't a concern to someone looking at this level. I could sell my SRS right now and get damn near new price for it. Try that with a full custom build. Most of the time you're lucky to get 60%, and it doesn't matter who made it.

Any full custom will be priced similarly, and an AI will run you MUCH more. Neither with the inherent benefits of a bullpup or 60-second switch-caliber capability.

Running 375 and 50bmg in the same platform shows more value than the SRS. Buying a 50 and a 375 in different rifles requires optics for each... as well as the added cost of being deep into two big boomers. The bullpup design is more important in the 50 than it is with the 338. The pictures in this thread pretty much speak for themselves. It's a FOOT shorter. 11.5" to be exact. That is more than a little bit shorter. That is a shitload shorter. Along with being shorter... its TEN POUNDS lighter. Ten pounds is more than a little bit lighter... it's a shit load lighter. Take ten pounds of ANYTHING and stick it on your rifle and tell me it doesn't make you miserable. Ten pounds in a friggin pack is enough to make guys cry on steep hikes.

Then lets talk accuracy. M107 is not for precise long range hits. It can be MADE to do it, but it's damn well not an out of the box guarantee.

The range and accuracy of the 375 is superior to the 50 in regard to soft targets. All with much less recoil. For military applications it's forseeable to me that a sniper would very much like the capability of 2000yd+ repeatable and consistent capability with the 375, but be able to swap barrels out in the field to disable some vehicles.

I've shot 107's, windrunners, steyr's, custom's, serbu's, tac-50's, and a whole host of other 50's. You are getting more for your dollar in the HTI than ANY of them. Hell... any TWO of them. You should probably get a new one in your hands before you completely sign off on them. The prototype you got behind is nothing near what is rolling off the assembly line now. If you ever get to South Dakota... I can get you in behind a new one.

Greg, perhaps my post was poorly worded and came across as hypercritical. I was not aware of the price drop but let's be reasonable and say that $800 is a rounding error to $1K . I had to shop around for my SRS since the upgraded version was being shipped and people were telling me that it would be ~$1K price increase. Fortunately, SDGC had an early generation model that was collecting dust and I could not resist.

Also, I'm not signing off of them. I mentioned that the conversion to 375CH was a justification for the system as a dual purpose rifle. As for my preference at this time toward the 107A1, I used the term "personally" for 2 reasons. First, I've already got an excellent long range precision tool in the form of my 338LM SRS. In addition, I prefer an anti-material weapon to be semi-auto if given the option. However, I will admit that had I not purchased the SRS 1.5 years ago, I'd probably jump all over the HTI in both 50BMG and 375CHY for the reasons that we've both mentioned. In other words, my personal circumstances are leading me in another direction at this time…I'll probably come back later. I sometimes do that.

Finally, I will say that $10K for 2 calibers ain't cheap. I trust that DTA is done their research and priced this rifle at a point that the market will support. After all, I'm already invested in the success of this company with my SRS.