Cutomizing my Rem 700??

Thanks for all the replies guys. Just found out I got a little one on the way so the customizing will have to wait for a while. The rifle will be used for a little bit of hunting, prolly take a few hogs with it but other than that I just wanted to customize it, gonna have to wait now. Thanks again fellas!!
 


Get the stock now, then (no way you'll get to go out in the shop and dink around with rifles after that gremlin starts crawling around....).

You can get laminate stocks pretty inexpensively if you do the beding, final shaping, and finishing. There is something about doing your own work that is satisfying.

But, the other stocks are worth considering - don't give too much credance to people who say all Hogue stocks are a downgrade when they don't distinguish between the aluminum bedded models and the all nylon ones...

... and, if you want a nice custom stock, MPI is a little nicer than McMillan.



-tINY

 
MPI makes good stocks too. If you want to know why the B&C, Hogue or any stock with an aluminum bedding block is a 2nd rate stock read this.
http://www.mpistocks.com/qanda.htm

None of the stocks I suggested earlier have the aluminum bedding block. There are 3 reasons to chose a synthetic stock over wood. These are the 3 goals Chet Brown and Gale McMillan set out to accomplish when they perfected the synthitic stocks back in the 70's

#1 increased strength.
#2 improve consistency in changing environmental conditions.
#3 reduce weight.

The cheaper stocks, especially the ones with the aluminum blocks in them meet criteria #1 and #2. But are actually MUCH heavier than a wood stock. If I don't want to reduce the weight of the gun then a laminated wood stock also meets criteria #1 and #2. And can do it for a fraction of the cost of a cheap synthetic. They aren't the greatest looking stocks, but most of the factory synthetics come closer to meeting all 3 criteria than the cheaper aftermarket stocks.

Then there is the construction. MPI, McMillan, Brown Precision and all the top line stocks hand laminate layers of fiberglass or kevlar cloth through the action area and grip to provide an extremely strong, lightweight and trim stock. They then use a milling machine to remove material for the action. This creates a much better fit than any stock that comes from a mold. The buttstock and forend have hand laminated shells with hollow cores that are filled with foam to reduce noise.

B&C uses fiberglass in their stocks, but it is chopped fiberglass, much like the insulation in your homes, that is mixed with plastic and poured into a mold. It is like comparing a sheet of plywood with a sheet of particle board. The original B&C Carbelite stocks were a joke. The newer Medalist stocks are much better and are serviceable. The aluminum block however greatly increases weight as well as limiting stock shape. All the stocks with aluminum blocks are chunky, thick and heavy.
 


I'm not convinced that hand-lamination is required to build a strong, durrable stock. It's probably the best method for ultimate strength and lightweight, but not everyone needs the ultimate. Most of us don't fast-rope out of heliocopters in the mountains to hunt sheep that shoot back...

A well done molded stock with a well-designed aluminum chassis molded in is near the equal of a hand-made custom job in most respects. My experience with the BC metalist was that the design was good, but manufacturing was horrible. After quite a bit of reshaping the barrel channel and a fairly thick glass bed, it works pretty well. For a DIY project on a Howa, it was alright. I have hopes that some of the other manufacturers do a better execution.

If someone wants to pay a gunsmith to do the job, starting with the better stock wouldn't cost much more (but, then, sending the action to MPI is almost a more attractive option and about the same price).

For most people (who don't hunt mountains on foot), the laminated stocks are probably the best option anyway. The extra 1-2 pounds on a 8 pound rilfe isn't that burdensome with short walks on level ground.



-tINY

 
You don't have to be jumping out of helicopters to break a stock. The only synthetic Iv'e ever seen anyone manage to break was a B&C. The guy was shooting groups off a bench when it broke from recoil at the grip.

I realize not everyone wants or needs an expensive stock. The simple solution to that is just to use the stock that came on the rifle. They work just fine and spending $200 on a B&C is not an improvement. I have 2 and if it were an option on the guns I have I'd use a factory tupperware stock any day over the ones I have.

I have no personal experience with MPI, but have heard nothing but good things about them. My personal choice is McMillan because they are about $150 cheaper than MPI and they deliver a stock to your door ready to go. Just take it out of the box, bolt it to your action and go shooting. The Brown Precisons, and High-tech's require a good bit of final fitting and finish work either by you or your smith and will usually end up costing more after all is said and done.

The 1 B&C I ordered came with the holes for the action screws drilled at an angle and required hours of work just to get it to fit the action. Then many range trips and stock tweakings to get it to shoot straight. After all the time, money and profanity it took to make it right, it would have been cheaper to have bought a McMillan.

The other B&C I own came new on a Winchester EW rifle. I found a used McMillan and put it on the Winchester and moved the B&C to a FN Patrol rifle. I still don't like it, but it was a major improvement over the Hogue that came on the FN.

Weight is a major consideration to me. Most of my hunts involve backpacking into remote areas. None of my rifles weigh over 7.5 lbs including scope and mounts. Some are under 6 lbs. You don't do that with a 3 lb stock. And after walking 5-15 miles a day in the mountains while carrying all of the other gear needed it is worth every dime.
 
Factory stock compared to Duramax

Well, I disagree Jimr40. The Savage model 12 I have came with a cheap floppy synthetic that looked like heck, and was about as classy as a squirt gun. I replaced it with a Duramax and the first group of 3 shots was 3/8 inch. That gun with the original stock shot groups like that, so improvement in accuracy wasn't on my list. There were two things I wanted in the new stock: something more rigid and something that makes me smile when I look at it. The Duramax did both. For a whopping $124 plus shipping. It took maybe 20-30 minutes to get it mounted. Had to sand the barrel channel on the right side, and the trigger slot needed some work. Well worth the money.

I am replacing the stock on an old model 70 that had the same issue. The original stock sucked for looks and was cheesy. A laminate stock from Richards is going on that gun. It has been a project for several months, as I just pick away on it when I have time and feel like it. The gun shot fairly good with the original stock. Hope it shoots as well after all is said and done. This is a "pimp" job, as it is really colorful. And doing the inletting and fitting, pillar bed, and maybe glass bedding, sanding, finishing etc is a learning process.

CR
 
FWIW I have to send my B&C Duramax back, TERRIBLE FIT!!!! I worked for two hours with it only to decide I couldn't make it fit my action properly!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
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