XLR Industries Element 4.0 Chassis: A Great Base for a Build

One of the big advantages of the XLR Industries Element 4.0 chassis is its rigidity. Once the action screws are properly tightened, there’s no flex during recoil—which is an unavoidable trait in wood or synthetic stocks, even those with metal bedding blocks. Chassis are typically made from aluminum, a strong and light metal that has a long association with firearms design. In the case of the Element 4.0, it’s available in either 6061 T6 aluminum or magnesium; my sample is the latter. While being more difficult to machine, hence pricier, magnesium is stronger than aluminum and just as stiff, but the big deal is how much lighter it is. Bare chassis weight for the aluminum Element 4.0 is 22 ounces; for the magnesium version it’s a feather-light 16 ounces.

My Element 4.0 sample fits the Remington 700 long action, and there are fitments for the 700 short action and various Savage, Tikka, Howa and other designs. When I first started discussing this project with XLR’s Matt Means, I wasn’t sure if the barreled action I had in mind would be a candidate because it has a hinged floorplate. I thought that might be a deal-breaker, but he assured me that the integrated AICS detachable magazine system would allow the floorplate action to drop right in—thereby converting it to use AICS-pattern magazines.

Versatility

The Element 4.0 is ambidextrous, and there’s a cutout in both sides for the bolt handle. The unused cutout is covered with a plastic bolt-slot plug with the XLR logo, so it still looks classy. And speaking of classy, before I get into the details on chassis features, XLR offers a ton of finish options. I went with the Kryptek camo option, and there are additional camo patterns and nearly half a dozen solid colors ranging from black to tequila sunrise.

The fore-end on the Element 4.0 has a flat bottom, and a 1.5-inch Arca Swiss dovetail runs its entire 11-inch length. If you’re a fan of the RRS (Really Right Stuff) clamping system, the bottom of the Element 4.0’s fore-end sports a baker’s dozen 5mm RRS holes on each side, and these serve as safety stops compatible with RRS clamps. Complementing this are 15 1.25-inch M-Lok slots, five each at the three, six and nine o’clock positions. All together, these offer a huge amount of versatility, allowing shooters to mount slings, bipods and tripods.

If you’re a competitor who wants to add weight, XLR offers a brass weight kit that fits the Element 4.0. The weights screw into the cuts in the fore-end’s barrel channel, and you can add one to three weights to reduce recoil or change the gun’s balance.

Element 4.0s produced after September 2022 come standard with XLR’s adjustable detachable box magazine system. It incorporates a flush-trimmed magazine latch that won’t get activated by accident but is still intuitive and easy to operate. Further, its micro-adjust feature allows shooters to tune the magazine height for better feeding or to alleviate noisy rattle.

Balance

One last small but important feature of the Element 4.0 is the bubble level built into the tang. Canting a rifle—something I’m often guilty of—has a big influence on point of impact as distance increases, and being able to monitor cant at a glance is a big plus.

So that’s the lowdown on the Element 4.0 itself, which is impressive in its own right, but it’s just the jumping-off point to building a rifle that meets your needs. After talking it over with Means, we settled on the following accessories.

The buttstock is XLR’s Smoke ultralight carbon fiber. It weighs just 11.5 ounces with cheek rest and castle nut, and it’s capped with a Limbsaver recoil pad. Length of pull is fixed, but the cheek rest is adjustable via hex screws.

To this I added a few options, chief among them the XLR push-button folding adapter. Even though I’m in my 60s, I haven’t given up on mountain hunting. Today, serious hunting packs have the ability to stow your rifle, either in the pack itself or strapped to the side. After following my wife on a recent Colorado bighorn sheep hunt, I’ve come to realize how much handier this is for long hauls and tough climbs than slinging the rifle over my shoulder as I’ve done for years.

Packability

The ability to fold the stock cuts overall length by about 10 inches, making it easier to pack. The Rifles Inc. .25-06 I used in the Element 4.0 has a 24-inch barrel, and it is only 35 inches long with the stock folded. The folding adapter does add almost 1.5 inches to the length of pull, which is something to keep in mind when selecting your buttstock length.

Since the rest of the build focused on weight savings, it made sense to select the Smoke carbon-fiber AR grip. It’s only 1.1 ounces and as an AR-style grip it’ll feel natural to a lot of shooters—even non-AR folks. Weight aside, it also looks cool, especially when paired with the carbon-fiber buttstock.

I ordered a number of other accessories that I thought were worth having. The foam tactical cheek rest is a $15 upgrade. Comfort counts to me, and that was $15 well spent. I added a bag rider that affixes to the stock via an M-Lok fitting for better shooting at the bench. And last but not least, a 2.5-inch, six-slot M-Lok rail and an M-Lok QD sling adapter—because I’m still going to sling the rifle at least part of the time on a hunt.

The Build

What did $1,500 buy me? A ton of versatility. As mentioned, I worked with the chassis in conjunction with a .25-06 that’s long been a favorite of mine. Did the Element 4.0 improve accuracy? In this case it did not. The loads I tested basically shot the same as they did in the gun’s traditional stock. But this is a custom rifle to start with—a Lilja barrel with a blueprinted action—and other barreled actions could see an improvement.

Similarly, total gun weight—including scope and mounts—didn’t change a lot. With its lightweight Strata stock, the Rifles Inc. gun weighed nine pounds, three ounces. Total weight weight with the Element 4.0 is eight pounds, 12 ounces. Imagine, though, if you paired the Element 4.0 with an action designed with weight savings in mind, along with a carbon-fiber barrel. Regardless, I think the real gains here are the way a chassis can change the nature of a gun—and in a way that will definitely appeal to the modern shooter. It checks a lot of boxes: detachable box magazine, folding stock (in this case), a wide array of accessory attachment options. I particularly look forward to experimenting with the RSS aspect of the Element 4.0’s fore-end.

Moreover, it’s easily changeable once you’ve made the investment in the chassis itself, and at relatively little cost. Want to change the buttstock, cheek rest or grip? Easy peasy. Want more versatility? XLR has an extensive accessory lineup to choose from. And the reverse is also true. Say, like me, you started with a 700 long-action chassis and got it set up like you want. But then the new cartridge or new action bug bites you. If I decide later on that, man, this would be a sweet setup for a short-action cartridge, I could buy a different Element 4.0 and simply move all my accessories from the current rig to the new one.

We have a saying where I’m from: “You can always tell a Pennsylvania Dutchman. You just can’t tell him much.” I’m slow to change, but even I’ve come to recognize the utility of the rifle chassis, and with a company like XLR and its universe of well-built products, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to build—or rebuild—a rifle into the gun of your dreams.

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