✦ 100% QC Inspected ✦ Built for Protectors ✦ Backed by Our Covenant ✦

The Ultimate Predator Rifle: A Custom 22 ARC Build That Keeps Getting Better

A custom 22 ARC predator rifle build with a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel, Falkor LW7 action, and the hunt for the perfect lightweight chassis for night hunting.

David Henry

7/15/20266 min read

Custom 22 ARC predator rifle build with Proof Research carbon fiber barrel and Falkor LW7 action

The Ultimate Predator Rifle: A Custom 22 ARC Build That Keeps Getting Better

I've been building precision rifles for a long time. Somewhere along the way, I stopped chasing the next platform and started chasing the right combination the one where everything works together, nothing is there for the sake of being there, and the rifle does exactly what you need it to do when coyotes are working a fence line at midnight.

This build is that rifle. Or at least, the best version of it so far.

Why 22 ARC

If you've been following along, you already know my feelings on the 22 ARC. If you're new here, the short version: Hornady's 22 ARC was designed from the ground up around the 75-grain ELD-M, and the result is a cartridge that delivers performance in the .224 caliber family that other options including the venerable 22 Creedmoor can't touch in terms of versatility-to-case-capacity ratio. In a short action, running off an AR-15 bolt face, with efficient burn rates and an incredibly flat trajectory, it's become the cartridge I'd point anyone at who is serious about precision predator hunting.

I've been running 75-grain ELD-M loads at impressive speeds out of this build, and the 62-grain ELD-VT is equally devastating on coyotes and other predators out to distances that would have seemed absurd a decade ago. Both loads do their job. The 22 ARC earns its place in the safe.

The Action: Falkor Defense LW7

Here's where this build gets interesting.

Weight is the enemy of the working predator hunter. Not recoil. Not wind. Weight. You're carrying this rifle through the dark, setting up on tripods in weird positions, moving between stands, and if you're running a serious night optic setup dealing with a rig that keeps getting heavier every time the industry releases something new.

The Falkor Defense LW7 is the answer to that problem on the action side. This thing is one of the lightest steel bolt actions on the market, coming in under 22 ounces, and it doesn't sacrifice anything to get there. The LW7 is built in Kalispell, Montana, to AS9100 aerospace standards the same quality management framework used in the aerospace industry. Wire EDM lug ways. 416 stainless steel construction. Nitride finish. Integrated recoil lug. Smooth cycling that has to be felt to be believed.

For this build, I was committed to keeping total weight down while building something that could reach out to 800 yards on a coyote. The LW7 made that possible. You don't have to choose between light and capable not with this action.

The Barrel: Proof Research Carbon Fiber

If you're going to build a lightweight precision rifle, you build it with a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel. That's the short version.

The longer version: carbon fiber wrapped barrels used to be a niche product. Something you saw on sheep guns for guys who wanted bragging rights over the campfire. That reputation is long gone. Proof Research has pushed the technology to a point where their carbon fiber barrels are legitimately accurate, thermally stable, and durable under real-world conditions. The carbon wrap stiffens the barrel, dissipates heat faster than a comparable steel profile, and cuts weight significantly without cutting accuracy.

For a predator hunting rig, that last part matters. When you're calling multiple stands in a night and putting rounds on coyotes at distance, barrel heat is a real consideration. The Proof barrel manages it better than anything else I've run.

Combined with the LW7 action, the barreled action came out genuinely light the kind of light where you pick the rifle up and have to remind yourself it's a steel-actioned precision gun.

The Chassis: MDT JAE Gen 5

I wanted a lightweight chassis for this build. That search took longer than expected.

What I landed on for now is the MDT JAE Gen 5. The JAE is one of the most aesthetic chassis on the market, and I say that as someone who generally cares more about function than form. The rubber gasket system between the panels and the aluminum core eliminates unwanted vibrations and creates a dense, dead feel at the shot that is genuinely noticeable on the rifle. Adjustment options are extensive: barricade stop position, magazine latch height, cheek rest height, and length of pull. It runs beautifully.

I loaded it out: bag rider, extended Arca rail, night vision bridge, and internal and external weights to dial the balance. The result handles exceptionally well. This is a chassis that earns its place in a serious build.

But here's the thing. It's not the final chassis for this rifle.

What I Actually Want: The MDT DRT

While I was finishing this build and putting rounds through it, coverage started coming out of SHOT Show 2026 about something MDT had been working on that I'd been dreaming about for years.

The MDT DRT Chassis System.

Here's why this matters. Modern predator hunting setups keep getting heavier. Clip-on thermals, bridge systems, backup devices, tripods it adds up fast. Every time the industry releases something new that you want to run, you're adding ounces somewhere. The rifle starts fighting you instead of working with you.

MDT built the DRT specifically to address that problem. Magnesium chassis body and buttstock not aluminum, magnesium coming in at 3.2 pounds total weight. A Type III hard-anodized aluminum NV bridge and Arca rail built into the design from the start, not added as an afterthought. Integrated folder with adjustable friction for transport. Tool-less length-of-pull adjustment and an adjustable cheek riser with foam insert for cold weather. Pic on top, M-LOK on the sides, Arca on the bottom of the handguard. The M-LOK coverage on that handguard is something I'd love my one thought is adding M-LOK rubber guards or a handguard wrap for the touchpoints in winter coyote conditions, but that's a detail, not a problem.

This is the chassis that the Falkor action belongs in. When the stars align and it becomes available, that's where this build lives.

The Optic Plan: Breacher Clip-On Thermal

Here's where Sentinel Optics USA comes into the conversation and where this build becomes something different from most predator rigs you'll see.

The goal has always been to run a clip-on thermal on this rifle. Not a dedicated thermal scope that replaces the day optic, but a clip-on that lives in front of the primary scope and gives me thermal capability when I need it, without changing my zero or my reticle when it comes off.

The optic in my sights is the Breacher from Sentinel Optics USA.

The Breacher is a thermal clip-on that hasn't officially dropped yet but it's coming, and it's coming for the serious night predator market. Everything I've seen and know about it points to exactly what a clip-on thermal should be: compact, capable, and designed to integrate with a precision rifle platform without adding so much weight and bulk that it defeats the purpose of building a light rifle.

That's why the NV bridge matters so much on the chassis side. Whether you're running the JAE with a bridge installed or waiting for the DRT with its integrated solution, you need a rock-solid mounting platform for a clip-on thermal. The optic does its job. The bridge has to hold alignment through repeated installs, temperature swings, and rough handling. That's not a place to cut corners.

The Breacher on this 22 ARC, sitting in the DRT chassis, dialed in on coyotes at 600+ yards in the dark that's the endgame for this build.

Where This Rifle Stands Right Now

The build as it sits:

Caliber: 22 ARC
Action: Falkor Defense LW7
Barrel: Proof Research carbon fiber
Chassis: MDT JAE Gen 5 with NV bridge, bag rider, and extended Arca rail
Ammunition: Hornady 75-grain ELD-M and 62-grain ELD-VT
Optic plan: Breacher clip-on thermal from Sentinel Optics USA

What's next: get into the MDT DRT when availability opens up, and get the Breacher on board when it drops.

This rifle handles exceptionally well right now. The Proof barrel and LW7 combination keeps the weight where it needs to be, and the JAE is a chassis that serious shooters love for good reason. Adding a triple-pole Ckye-Pod up front gives me tripod capability in any position, and the extended Arca rail means I can move it wherever the setup requires.

At 800 yards, with the right load and conditions, this rifle delivers. That's what the 22 ARC was built to do.

Final Thoughts

Building the right predator rifle is a process. Nobody gets there in one build. You start with a caliber choice, you find an action that earns your trust, you put the right barrel on it, and then you spend the next year trying to figure out what the chassis situation should actually be.

This build is as close as I've gotten to the answer. The Falkor LW7 and Proof Research barrel combination is something I'd recommend to anyone building a serious lightweight precision platform. The JAE Gen 5 is a chassis that's hard to fault. And the DRT along with the Breacher clip-on thermal represents exactly where this platform is headed.

Predator hunting at night is a different discipline than daylight work. The gear requirements are different, the weight sensitivity is higher, and the optics situation is more complex. Everything on this rifle was selected with that mission in mind.

Build it right the first time, and you won't be tearing it down to start over.

If you want to learn more about what's coming with the Breacher clip-on thermal or explore how Sentinel Optics USA's lineup fits into a serious predator hunting setup, reach out or browse the thermal optics lineup. The right optic on the right rifle changes everything.

Stand ready. Stand vigilant. Stand with Sentinel.