Rounds Downrange with the New JP Enterprises APAC Chassis

There are more companies than ever in the long-range marketplace, but one of the OG’s still around is JP Enterprises. Well known for highly accurate and reliable AR-15 and AR-10 rifles for competitive and tactical use, JP has been in the bolt-action chassis market since 2006 with their AMCS. New for 2019 is the APAC, or Advanced Precision Ambidextrous Chassis. Using feedback from employees and shooters, the APAC was made to meet the current needs of precision rifle shooters. Unveiled at SHOT Show 2019, this was one of the few products that I was eager to see and I was fortunate to get one of the early production units for test and evaluation.

HANDS ON

When you open the box, it's clear this product had a lot of thought put into it, even down to how it's packaged. The main features of the chassis include 6061-T6 aluminum construction with a sharp looking gray, hard-anodized finish. A V-block channel is machined in for holding a Remington 700-pattern action into place. For those familiar with JP’s other products, the forend is patterned after their MKIII Rapid Configuration handguard, with machined texture, large holes to cut weight and increase ventilation, along with threaded holes for rail and accessory placement. The forend attaches to the main chassis via multiple screws, which is also where an Arca Swiss rail cutout is cleverly located.

The APAC Chassis as received from JP.

The stock is adjustable for length, cheekpiece height and has a multi-direction adjustable butt-plate. The APAC chassis is a folder that captures the bolt handle with the bolt closed. Additionally, the stock is held closed via a magnet, and the hinge can be reversed for left-handed actions. Your favorite AR pistol grip will work, mounting behind the trigger guard. The magwell accepts AICS magazines and is beveled for faster insertion. Finally, behind the tang of the action is a bubble level embedded within the chassis.

Adjustable buttstock for cheekpiece, length of pull and butt-plate.

Buttstock folded over bolt handle.

Bubble level embedded in the chassis

Bolt cutout showing reversible insert.

For testing, I chose my .223 Remington 700 that was built by Accurate Ordnance. With the V-block design, mounting shouldn’t be a problem nor require bedding to shoot well. Being this was an early production unit, the hole spacings were a little too tight for my Remington action, requiring a slight massaging to get the action bolted into place. One other change I had to make was due to my scope base extending forward of the receiver, as the handguard was not relieved for this. A quick cut with a hacksaw fixed the base to allow the forend to fit. NOTE: JP has informed me that the action screw holes have been enlarged to accommodate variances in actions and a relief cut is now made in the forend for rails on new production units.

APAC Chassis in pieces with the to be installed Remington 700.

Once the chassis was installed, it proved to be extremely solid. Usually a folding stock means there will be some wobble around the hinge area, however, JP did their homework and has a bank-vault tight folder. At first handling, I was already liking the chassis, as it's ergonomic and comfortable while balancing well, even with a suppressor on the barrel. I set the length-of-pull and cheekpiece height to make it fast to get behind the gun in prone and odd-positions. There are large knobs with detents that make the adjustments simple, with additional smaller knobs that act as an independent, secondary lock. The butt-plate of the APAC has a series of holes drilled to allow multi-directional adjustment and secure in place to prevent wobbling. I have found adjusting this higher allows for a smoother recoil impulse and follow-through on target.

Mounting hole options for butt-plate.

ROUNDS DOWNRANGE

The first range trip involved zeroing and some load testing. Because my Nightforce ATACR 7-35x was already mounted and zeroed with the previous chassis, I fired a few initial rounds that impacted only .2 Mil-Radian left of my aiming point. With a few clicks of windage, I was zeroed with the rifle. One early impression was how well the magazine locked into place and the rounds fed out of the magazine. JP did some engineering on the magazine latch and it places positive pressure on the magazine to help hold it into place. Firing from the prone, it was easy to find and maintain a natural point of aim with the APAC. While a suppressed .223 bolt action has very little recoil, the slight recoil impulse pushed straight back during firing, making it very easy to spot bullet trace and splash downrange.

Due to the many non-prone shooting positions found in precision rifle competitions and in real-world applications, my next range session was focused on positional shooting with the APAC equipped .223. Using one of the Armageddon Gear/Reasor Precision Gamechanger bags, the chassis balanced extremely well on a barricade. The chassis rode on top of the bag and the angled cut in front of the magwell allowed forward pressure without pushing on the magazine. Making hits on small targets at several hundred yards was not a problem at all. I also shot with a Really Right Stuff tripod, clipping into the Arca rail slot with ease. The location proved to be a neutral balance point for easy aiming and recoil management.

APAC Chassis on a barricade with Gamechanger bag.

APAC Chassis clipped onto a Really Right Stuff tripod.

The final test for me was to take the rifle to a competition and shoot a variety of stages and conditions. I was already signed up for an Alabama Precision 1-day PRS match, so I decided this would be a good opportunity for testing and to have some fun. On match day we shot 10 stages that tested an assortment of rifle skills. With the APAC chassis setup for me, it was very easy to get into position and setup on target whether on rocks, fence rails or in a multitude of modified prone positions. Unfortunately, the wind decided to be extra squirrely, pushing my 75-grain bullets around quite a bit. My highlight of the match was being able to get nine hits on the 450-yd moving target in one single pass. The rifle shot excellent and was even giggle-worthy due to the lack of recoil and noise…even though I had a few mental errors and the wind was very tough at some of the longer ranges we shot. For a major match, I'll stick to a larger caliber, but the .223 was perfect for having a good time.

Shooting at the Alabama Precision 1-day PRS match.

The JP Enterprises APAC chassis has an MSRP of $1,599, placing it at the upper end of bolt action chassis available. However, it checks a lot of boxes for features, adjustability, and modularity. My early production unit required a few minor tweaks, but to their credit, JP listened to feedback from early adopters and has already been working on these few refinements. During my first 6 weeks with the chassis, I was able to fire over 450 rounds. The .223 platform and APAC combo, JP did their homework and the new APAC chassis is definitely worth taking a look at.

Visit https://www.jprifles.com/

NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Target Pack from RECOIL

For years, RECOIL magazine has treated its readers to a full-size (sometimes full color!) shooting target tucked into each big issue. Now we've compiled over 50 of our most popular targets into this one digital PDF download. From handgun drills to AR-15 practice, these 50+ targets have you covered. Print off as many as you like (ammo not included).

Get your pack of 50 Print-at-Home targets when you subscribe to the RECOIL email newsletter. We'll send you weekly updates on guns, gear, industry news, and special offers from leading manufacturers - your guide to the firearms lifestyle.

You want this. Trust Us.