New Company Ritter & Stark Guarantees Rifles Shoot Half MOA or Better

Ritter & Stark is a new firm looking to expand Austria’s small arms legacy with its very first product, a high-precision long-range bolt-action rifle for military and police shooters as well as target shooters and hunters. The company has set a very high bar for itself with a pledge to deliver half-MOA accuracy or better with premium factory ammunition.

If these rifles deliver on that promise that means a skilled shooter can expect to fire about a 5-inch 3-shot group at 1,000 yards. And 1,000 yards shouldn’t be out of reach for these rifles — they will be chambered for .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum.

Additionally Ritter & Stark is promising a 5,000 round accuracy guarantee in .308 and .338 and a still-impressive 2,000 rounds in .300 Win. Mag. And the barrel life is sure to be much higher across the board, just not guaranteed to be half-MOA after a time.

Called the SX-1 Modular Tactical Rifle or MTR, the design offers more than out-of-the-box accuracy. It also uses a novel interchangeable railed barrel assembly that allows users the ability to mount optics directly to the barrel. This means that users can swap barrels without having to re-zero its paired optic. Swapping barrel assemblies requires no special skills or tools and can be done in a few minutes, says Ritter & Stark.

For military and police shooters this means one rifle can be used for different roles and missions. Many hunters and sports shooters will also appreciate the interchangeable barrel system as well, especially since, as mentioned, no adjustment to the optic is necessary after swapping barrels.

The SX1 uses AR-15-, AR-10-, Accuracy Internation and Remington 700-pattern components including the trigger group, pistol grip and magazines. (Photo: Ritter & Stark)

Other modular components include the pistol grip and buttstock which are compatible with AR-15-pattern components, giving SX-1 a huge spread of aftermarket furniture options for accessories. The included stock is still sure to satisfy the bulk of shooters — fully-adjustable including the cheekpiece and can be folded to either side of the rifle for storage and transportation. The magwell is also modular and can use Accuracy International, SR-25 or Armalite pattern magazines.

Ritter & Stark is also working on multiple handguards in 13- and 16-inch lengths that support Picatinny rails as well as KeyMod and M-Lok modular mounting systems. Finally, the design uses a Remington 700-based fire control group to allow users to tap the biggest and arguably the best bolt-action trigger aftermarket.

Ritter & Stark claims their barrel manufacturing process is at the core of their accuracy pledge. “The SX-1 MTR barrel is processed in a unique CNC-controlled electrochemical machine,” said the company in the announcement. “The process greatly limits any mechanical stress or the transmission of thermal effects on the barrel while ensuring a uniform match-grade barrel in either fluted or bull barrel configuration.”

Ritter & Stark SX-1 MTR Specifications

• Barrel length: 24 inches (.308 Win.) or 27 inches (.300 Win. Mag. and .338 Lapua Mag.)
• Barrel profile: fluted or bull
• Length, stock extended: 47 or 50 inches
• Length, stock folded: 38 or 41 inches
• Weight with bull barrel: 12.8 or 13.7 pounds
• Weight with fluted barrel: 11.3 or 11.9 pounds
• Magazine capacity: 5 or 10 rounds
• Optics rail: 12, 20 or 40 MOA inclinations

The company will put the SX-1 MTR on display at the upcoming AUSA (Association of the United States Army) annual meeting. The show will take place from October 3 through 5 in Washington, D.C. We hope to have more details including pricing and availability soon.

If these accuracy claims, barrel life spans and modular features hold up in the real world, Ritter & Stark will shoot to the top of the list for anyone looking for a premium off-the-shelf rifle.