Lightweight bottom metal and magazine.

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cbh560

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Martensville, SK
I'm looking at building a lightweight hunting rifle on a Rem 700 short action. To keep weights down I'm planning on a carbon fiber barrel and McMillan carbon fiber stock. I'm looking for a detachable box magazine that is as lightweight as possible. For bottom metal, something made from aluminum would be great, but what kind of magazine should I get? I want something that will hold either 4 or 5 rounds and will fit or nearly fit flush with the stock when in the gun. I'm thinking that a polymer mag might be lighter than a steel one. Does anyone have any bottom metal/magazine combinations (or separate) that will work with a 700 action, McMillan stock, and keep the weights down as much as possible? And do you happen to know the weights of each unit? Let's assume at this point that price doesn't matter.

Thanks
 
Christensen arms makes a carbon fiber magazine and lightweight bottom metal. Thats likely the lightest magazine. KS arms was doing a lightweight bottom metal for HS mags, not sure the weight but that would be a nice choise as well.
 
You haven't stated the caliber. Atlas metalwork bottom metal for 308 or 223 weighs only a few ounces in aluminum. Really surprised me how light it is.

If you are interested in light weight, look at lone wolf or a brown precision pound'r stock (1 lb) both are lighter than the McMillan (the ones I have had ran 23-24 ounces.

I personally find the barrel profile of the tikka superlite to be stiffer and more asthetically pleasing than how many of the Remington profiles are so thick at the shank and taper to .520". You could buy a tikka fluted at 5.9lbs and drop it into a wildcat stock and be at 5.25lbs or in the neighborhood. You would have detachable mag that is light weight, or easily swapped with aluminum.

You would not however, have the sleek, ###y lines of the Remington action.
 
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DMS1 said:
You haven't stated the caliber. Atlas metalwork bottom metal for 308 or 223 weighs only a few ounces in aluminum. Really surprised me how light it is.

If you are interested in light weight, look at lone wolf or a brown precision pound'r stock (1 lb) both are lighter than the McMillan (the ones I have had ran 23-24 ounces.

I personally find the barrel profile of the tikka superlite to be stiffer and more asthetically pleasing than how many of the Remington profiles are so thick at the shank and taper to .520". You could buy a tikka fluted at 5.9lbs and drop it into a wildcat stock and be at 5.25lbs or in the neighborhood. You would have detachable mag that is light weight, or easily swapped with aluminum.

You would not however, have the sleek, ###y lines of the Remington action.
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I am indeed planning something for the 308 family of cartridges. Most likely a 7mm-08. I'm a big fan of heavy barrel long range type rifles so a pencil barreled factory rifle just doesn't catch my interest as much. That's why I'm thinking a heavier profile carbon fiber barrel that's not as flexible as the pencil barrels. I'll look into both of those makes of stocks. I have other McMillan so am familiar with the quality. I want light yet robust. I've read into the atlasworx but haven't handled them and have heard that they can sometimes have excessive tolerances and sloppy rattling magazines.

In the end I'm trying to make something similar to my target/tacticsl style rifles but more suitable for hunting.
 
DMS1 said:
You haven't stated the caliber. Atlas metalwork bottom metal for 308 or 223 weighs only a few ounces in aluminum. Really surprised me how light it is.

If you are interested in light weight, look at lone wolf or a brown precision pound'r stock (1 lb) both are lighter than the McMillan (the ones I have had ran 23-24 ounces.

I personally find the barrel profile of the tikka superlite to be stiffer and more asthetically pleasing than how many of the Remington profiles are so thick at the shank and taper to .520". You could buy a tikka fluted at 5.9lbs and drop it into a wildcat stock and be at 5.25lbs or in the neighborhood. You would have detachable mag that is light weight, or easily swapped with aluminum.

You would not however, have the sleek, ###y lines of the Remington action.
Click to expand...

if it matters tikka is one size action ...
 
No input on the bottom metal but if you are worried about the couple ounces in the bottom metal I would advise against the porky McMillan. Wildcat will finish around 20 oz and as stated the Brown can finish around 16 oz.
 
Just completed a semi light weight 6.5X47. I went with a Wildcat stock on this one. Rifle finished at 7 lb 13 oz. #3 fluted Benchmark, trigger tech, 700 SA, factory BM, Swarovski Z5 5-25X52 BT. Going light gets expensive. Personally I am like you; and prefer a more robust Mcmillan or Manners stock. But this X47 feels very nice. I would also look into the CA bottom metal.
 
cbh560 said:
I am indeed planning something for the 308 family of cartridges. Most likely a 7mm-08. I'm a big fan of heavy barrel long range type rifles so a pencil barreled factory rifle just doesn't catch my interest as much. That's why I'm thinking a heavier profile carbon fiber barrel that's not as flexible as the pencil barrels. I'll look into both of those makes of stocks. I have other McMillan so am familiar with the quality. I want light yet robust. I've read into the atlasworx but haven't handled them and have heard that they can sometimes have excessive tolerances and sloppy rattling magazines.

In the end I'm trying to make something similar to my target/tacticsl style rifles but more suitable for hunting.
Click to expand...

Well you're preaching to the choir. Below is my $4k experiment in just what you are after. If only I wouldn't have gone .223 which pales in comparison to my 22-250 for kills. No good detachable mag system for 22-250, but my tikka superlite does everything this gun did, except love strings of rapid fire without change to POI

Lesson 1, carbon barrels are EXPENSIVE figure $1000+ and gunsmithing

Lesson 2, 20" 223 is louder than 22" 22-250

Lesson 3, Remington actions weigh a lot to start with. My dream would be to duplicate this again, and money were no object, Id find a factory 308 Remington titanium action and do a 22-250. There are titanium actions available, but I don't like the looks of them any more than my tikka action.

Lesson 4, AICS mags in plastic 223 are sh$t. Leave a 10 rounder loaded for a month and it will spread the feed lips apart so rounds want to stand up in the chamber rather than load. Since I sold the rifle, metal mags became available....

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