This rifle exists due to the vision and skills of jelrod1 (Jonathon), who owns Modacam Custom Rifles (MCR). MCR built a number of rifles for shooting buddies in my region, performed action work, and replaced a quite a few shot out barrels. MCR’s work is exceptional and the rifles are very accurate.

Many moons ago I first saw a Remy 40X repeating 22lr rifle, with magazines sized for AICS bottom metal. Maybe a dozen folks have them in my neck of the woods. I shot a few of the rifles – all of which were built by MCR. I contacted Jonathan for details, and he soon located a seller with a near-pristine 40X for sale. I bought the 40X and briefly shot it in its original form – it was quite accurate. This 40X gathered dust in my basement for a couple of years before I was ready to move forward with the MCR conversion.

I won a certificate in competition for a Manners stock while the 40X was getting dusty. Jonathon helped me in configuring the stock before I ordered it from Manners.

MCR builds rimfire and centerfire precision rifles for many talented domestic and international shooters, and thus there’s a backlog of work. I am absolutely not a national-class shooter. Jonathan was gracious enough to include me in his work schedule.

The end product includes little of the original Remy 40X, essentially just the action. The new barrel is a Bartlein MTU, cut to 22”, threaded 5/8x24. Jonathan doesn’t like to cut threads to 1/2x28, feeling that it reduces barrel accuracy. So I picked up an adapter from 5/8x24 to 1/2x28 to allow using my TBAC rimfire can. Jonathan installed a 20MOA rail and an Area 419 ARCA rail. He tuned the trigger to a light and crisp pull. I’m guessing the break is around 2 pounds. The rifle uses Vudoo 10-round magazines.

This is a rifle built for events where the shooter truly matters. PRS-type practice, training, and matches. Shot from prone, barriers, kneeling, sitting, off-hand, slung support, from bipod or bags. It may be carried over extended distances. A rifle that will get banged around, showing scratches & dings. Shot on the clock, shot with rapid mag changes. Shot at multiple targets at multiple distances – likely from 50 to 400-ish yards.

This is not a rifle intended for bench shooting – especially with locked-in front & rear supports, say from Sinclair or Ransom. But it would excel in that kind of shooting as well.

Jonathan’s work is exquisitely done. Tolerances are amazing. Attention to details is outstanding. The action closes like a vault. The initial shooting accuracy at MCR’s facility was great.

Full rifle and right side







Action



Left side





ARCA rail



Bottom metal



Barrel fit

I installed a Nightforce ATACR 7-35x and bore sighted in my basement. The initial outing was on a very windy day. I used some older Geco Match ammo to sight in. First up were 5-round groups at 25 yards from a barrier with rear tripod leg support -- .86” on the first and .31” on the second. I then found an adequate path between tall prairie grasses for a 50-yard target. Four groups of .46” through .65”. With the scope more-or-less sighted in, I called it a day.

I brought better ammo for the following weekend. RWS Rifle Match, RWS Special Match, and RWS R50.

This ain’t no bench rest, at a protected range, designed to minimize crosswinds. These are field conditions. With a wind farm a few miles away.

I started with RWS Rifle Match, which is a decent mid-grade match round. First up was to confirm a good zero at 50 yards. I had a crosswind from the left, but I still may move windage ¼ MOA left. Cold clean bore of .32” – that’s all I needed to know that this rifle shoots. Some shooters may have continued to hammer away at 50 yards to obtain tiny groups. But I was off to longer targets – what this rifle was built for. Breezes were relatively mild during this ammo’s testing, therefore I generally needed little windage compensation. All groups were 5 rounds, unless otherwise noted.




115 yards = 7/16” vertical and 1-1/2” horizontal. Vertical dispersion of .36 MOA.




110 yards = 3/8” vertical and 7/8” horizontal. Vertical of .33 MOA.




150 yards = 11/16” vertical and 2-5/8” horizontal. Vertical of .44 MOA.




176 yards. Didn’t go so well. This target’s location seems susceptible to accuracy wonkiness from wind swirl. 10 rounds with 2-3/4” vertical and 4-3/4” horizontal. Ugh. Vertical of 1.49 MOA. Ixnay picture.

207 yards. Left target of 1-7/8” vertical and 2-3/4” horizontal. Vertical of .86 MOA. Right target of 2-1/8” vertical and 3-1/4” horizontal. Vertical of .98 MOA.



Overall, I’m quite pleased with the results.

Field conditions. Benches? We don't need no stinkin' benches.

Nice rifle. Even better shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
essentially just the action

But it’s still a 40X—right?

Thanks for the great detailed description and report.

Way back member offgrid recommended I contact Jonathon and request something similar. I should have taken that advice, but I would have never been able to use it to its full potential. As you say, it’s not for shooting tiny rested groups at 50 yards.

Nicely done. That's a good riflle that will shoot. I have a Gene Davis built 40X for bench shooting. Haven't shot it a lot, but last outing shot several .32-.35 5 shot groups at 50 yards. Like you I just need to spend some more time with it. Good shooting sir!

Thanks, guys. Yep, it's a great rifle. Very similar setup to my centerfire rifles, therefore it will be a great trainer. I lowered the cheekpiece about 1/4" after the second day's shooting, as I felt I might be putting too much cheek weld pressure on the buttstock to get the right eyebox picture. I'll see how things go next time out.

sigfreund -- Yes, it's still a 40X. Upgraded chassis and barrel -- huge. Repeater with 10-round mags that feel like light AICS mags -- just frickin' unbelievable. This thing will be a riot when I begin shooting from barriers. FYI, Jonathon's backlog on similar rifles is now pretty long. It can happen to a talented 'smith with an international reputation.

On to RWS Special Match, which tends to shoot slightly better than Rifle Match in my other rifles. However, the wind picked up a bit, and direction changes became more frequent.

115 yards = Right group = 1-1/4” vertical and 7/8” horizontal. Vertical of 1.04 MOA.
Left group = 1-3/8” vertical and 2-3/8” horizontal. Vertical of 1.14 MOA. This shows what an odd gust of wind can do to POI. It's the single impact almost 2 inches right of the clustered 4 shots.




110 yards = 7/16” vertical and 1-1/2” horizontal. Vertical of .38 MOA.




150 yards = 1” vertical and 1-7/8” horizontal. Vertical of .64 MOA.




176 yards. Still wonky – 2” vertical and 3” horizontal. Vertical of 1.09 MOA. No pic. Again, the target location I struggle with for rimfire accuracy.

207 yards. Right target of 2” vertical and 1-7/8” horizontal. Vertical of .92 MOA. Left target of 2-3/4” vertical and 3-1/8” horizontal. Vertical of 1.27 MOA. No pic. Nothing special

248 yards = 3-1/4” vertical and 4-3/8” horizontal. Vertical of 1.25 MOA. Stretching things out a bit. I have multiple ammo options out to 150 yards, but the real test is getting good accuracy beyond 200 yards.




It appears that Special Match doesn’t play all that well with this rifle. It's good at times, but not as consistent as I expected in breezy conditions. Oh well, it's not the only ammo game in town.

Looking good fritz. Glad to see you out shooting it.

You’re hitting (-/+) a 4in group at 250yds with a .22?!?!

Ok, I’m thoroughly impressed!
What ammo are you using?
Any of the .22 ELR stuff?

quote:

Originally posted by jelrod1:
Looking good fritz. Glad to see you out shooting it.

Yeah, my time schedule has been unfriendly for most of 2026.
It's an amazing rifle....well done. Thanks for finding me a "donor" rifle in the first place, and then fitting the build into your schedule.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
You’re hitting (-/+) a 4in group at 250yds with a .22?!?!

Ok, I’m thoroughly impressed!
What ammo are you using?
Any of the .22 ELR stuff?

Thanks. Tight-ish groups are definitely possible at distance with a .22, but the wind must be in your favor. Ammo for the 248 target above was RWS Special Match. I find that true match-grade subsonic ammo is the ticket for accurate long distance targets. Understand that barrels and chambers can be highly sensitive to ammo, meaning that every rifle should be tested to determine its best ammo fit.

Consistently good ammo types include
Eley Match & Tenex
Lapua Center-X and Midas
RWS R50
for some rifles Wolf Match Extra

True match ammo comes and goes with availability. Right now there isn't much Lapua or RWS available from distributors. Eley and Wolf are pretty easy to find.

On to RWS R50 – the good stuff. Winds increased again, but seemed a bit more consistent.
115 yards = Right group = 1-3/8” vertical and 1-1/2” horizontal. Vertical of 1.14 MOA. Left group = 1/2” vertical and 3/4” horizontal. Vertical of .42 MOA.





110 yards = 5/8” vertical and 1-1/2” horizontal. Vertical of .54 MOA.





150 yards = 1-1/2” vertical and 1-3/4” horizontal. Vertical of .95 MOA.





176 yards. A little better – 1-7/8” vertical and 1-3/4” horizontal. Vertical of 1.02 MOA.





207 yards. Right target of 1-7/8” vertical and 1-3/4” horizontal. Vertical of .86 MOA. Left target of 2-5/8” vertical and 2” horizontal. Vertical of 1.21 MOA.





248 yards = 1-1/8” vertical and 2-1/8” horizontal. Vertical of .43 MOA. Woo-hoo, ending the day on a high note.




R50 may not have produced the best results at all distances. Neverthess, after shooting many boxes of this ammo in other rifles, it shows more consistent accuracy for longer targets and in higher winds.

I intend to do the same in future ammo testing sessions. My inventory options include:
- Lapua Center X
- Eley Match
- Eley Tenex
- Wolf Match Extra

Mongo like rifle. Kudos to jelrod1.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

Thanks. Tight-ish groups are definitely possible at distance with a .22, but the wind must be in your favor. Ammo for the 248 target above was RWS Special Match. I find that true match-grade subsonic ammo is the ticket for accurate long distance targets. Understand that barrels and chambers can be highly sensitive to ammo, meaning that every rifle should be tested to determine its best ammo fit.

Consistently good ammo types include
Eley Match & Tenex
Lapua Center-X and Midas
RWS R50
for some rifles Wolf Match Extra

True match ammo comes and goes with availability. Right now there isn't much Lapua or RWS available from distributors. Eley and Wolf are pretty easy to find.

I pretty much assumed you weren’t grabbing rounds of 40gr Remington Golden Hunter

I’ve got a good friend here on CPD SWAT that is into the ELR with a .22. He regularly shoots at 200 and 300.
I shot handgun, shotgun and carbine with him… damn good shot. He’s putting up a pretty good argument on the “why’s” and “how’s” of me getting into the ELR on the .22
I’ve got a spot where 200 - 225yds is easy, I could probably work distance out to 500+ yds as well.

I’m seriously considering going down the rabbit hole on this one! It’s GOT to be cheaper than setting up a .308!

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
I’m seriously considering going down the rabbit hole on this one! It’s GOT to be cheaper than setting up a .308!

Ammo -- True match .22lr ammo might cost from $.40 to $.60 per round. However, quality near-match ammo can be in the $.25 to $.30 per round ballpark -- and it might work for you. Factory 308 match-grade ammo costs significantly more than that. Handloaded 308 will be less than factory.

22lr Distance -- 200 yards is getting interesting with 22lr, but tight groups are definitely possible. 400 yards is really quite difficult, and you'll find that targets must be fairly large for consistent impacts. I practice in a windy area, therefore I often don't enjoy shooting at 400.

308 Distance -- IMO one needs a range of at least 800 yards to consider 308 ELR-ish. Much depends on your ammo, altitude, and MV. I've shot Hornady ammo out to 1200-1300 yards in my region with reasonable vertical dispersion, but that likely won't occur at low altitudes.

Rifle costs -- This 40X repeater has components that are almost identical to my centerfire match rifles, and thus there isn't a cost savings. A 40X action configured as a repeater will likely be in the ballpark cost of a Defiance action with a quality trigger. Now you may not wish to go down that path, and there are quality 22lr rifle options that cost significantly less.

*****
Additional thoughts....If you really want to get good at the ELR-ish game, I recommend the following:

-- You must be able to spot your own impacts. This means a target that readily shows impacts. Paper is out. Painted steel works really well. You must have a scope that has adequate clarity & magnification to see the bullet splash. You need to have your eye in the scope during the entire bullet's flight, and you must be cognizant of how/if your trigger press disturbed your sight picture. A spotter sometimes helps, but this process is better if the shooter can do all of this.
-- You need a scope that can adequately determine down-range wind conditions.
-- You need a repeating action. Quick follow-up shots are part of understanding wind conditions.
-- You need to be the one controlling the gun, both elevation and windage. Don't shoot from a mechanical rest, as you'll never develop the true marksmanship skills for ELR.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: fritz,

You’re gonna make me spend money, ain't ya?!?

Damn, this place gets expensive!

I have a friend in the 22lr PRS game, runs a match or 3 here in Virginia,

it is not cheaper than a nice 308 match rifle,

not at all,


one rifle he had set up was north of $6K, scoped,


I was joking with him one day about showing up with a Win 52 and a Unertl,

he was all for it, commented that I may have trouble getting on target with the scope, but was very supportive,

and also commented that on my best day, with that rifle and combo, I would be last

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
You’re gonna make me spend money, ain't ya?!?

I don't believe that such discussions cause members to spend money, as those who participate in such discussions have generally already shown interest in a given aspect of the game.

Yes, my MCR 40X was expensive. It also was a 4-ish year project from start to finish. I knew the end goal and took my time getting there. Nothing was an impulse buy. I wanted it to be a nearly exact feel match to my competition centerfire rifles, so that lessons learned would be consistent across rifle platforms. Not everyone wants or needs that kind of rifle similarity.

A quality 22lr rifle doesn't have to be prohibitively expensive. Search the web, search Sigforum, and you'll find reasonable options.

Now understand that if plinking pop cans at 25 yards is a person's game, then an entry level 10/22 or bolt action will do nicely. Hitting pop cans consistently at 250 yards is a different game, requiring greater investment.

I already have a quality bolt action in a Kimber 22 Classic Sporter. Bought it a over a decade ago, IIRC about the time Kimber discontinued the line. I researched rifle options for many months, had things down to 3 options, then saw the Kimber at a LGS/range. They had the rifle in inventory for a long time and wanted to get rid of it, which I took advantage of at a discounted price. It wore a value-line Leupold for a few years, until my abilities outgrew the scope. The Kimber now sports a NF SHV F1 4-14x -- not a cheap scope, but still NF's version of a value line. It's definitely not an ATACR. The SHV's glass is clear & bright. Even with only 14x magnification, I can spot my shots at all practical distances on steel. Shot the rifle out to over 400 yards in competition, sometimes well enough to be on the podium. My last field-style steel match with it was about a year ago, and I got a podium finish.

Old-skool wood stock, light weight, barrel profile too skinny for a suppressor. It shoots.





RWS Special Match, 172 yards, 5 rounds in .8" vertical. Winds from the left. IIRC, aim point was around the hole in the plate at 9 o'clock.





Lapua Center-X, 243 yards, 5 rounds. Notes state 1.7" vertical and 1.1" horizontal. Aim point off the left edge of the plate, winds from the left.

Bolt action 22lr rifles produce the best results, but the right semi-auto can be quite accurate. Probably not 400-yards accurate, but 175-225 yards is possible.

Here's a JP upper that I don't have much money it -- because I won prize certs from JP in a few precision rifle matches. Had it for years, and the retail cost wasn't that bad back then. The JP upper works just fine on any of my AR15 lowers. It also sports a NF SHV F1 4-14x.




I've shot it in a regional steel match. The morning sessions were from prone, tending towards longer and smaller targets. The JP held its own against bolt actions out to roughly 175 yards, but from there to 225 yards the bolt actions clearly showed less vertical dispersion. The afternoon sessions were more PRS-ish -- tight time limits, shot from barriers, a fair amount of movement, targets out to 100-ish yards. The JP did quite well here. IIRC, the matches became bolt-action only the following year.

I have very few target pics from the JP, as it's generally not how I shoot it. Here is 5 rounds of Wolf Match Extra on a 4" plate at 100 yards. Winds required holding just off the right edge. Total group size of .81" -- vertical was likely 1/2" at most.