Composite/Fiberglass stocks for Model 700

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Leavenworth

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Hi All

I have a Remington Model 700 Classic in 30.06 22 inch barrel that I bought new . If I wanted to change the wood stock out and put a Composite or Fiberglass stock on it I would imagine I could have a weight savings doing this . I guess that's a question .

I don't know anything about those stocks . Do you just buy one that fits the Remington Model 700 long action and the action and barrel drop in ? Which manufactures of those stocks have that feature ? Do I need to take it to a gunsmith for him to fit the new stock to the action and barrel ? Also I see that some of the stocks have full length aluminum bedding blocks and others half length bedding blocks . What is the advantage to half length bedding blocks besides saving weight on the stock ? Is the gun as accurate with full length or half length bedding block ?
I know lot's of questions !
Thanks !
Leavenworth
 
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Send it to wildcat composites in Alberta. They make composite stocks from very light (17oz blank) to standard weight, excellent quality product, excellent to deal with and Canadian made. They now offer complete installs, or if you are handy and want to finish a blank yourself you can go that way.
 
double gun said:
Send it to wildcat composites in Alberta. They make composite stocks from very light (17oz blank) to standard weight, excellent quality product, excellent to deal with and Canadian made. They now offer complete installs, or if you are handy and want to finish a blank yourself you can go that way.
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Okay Thanks for the suggestion Double Gun !

What are the Bell and Carlson stocks like ? Are they made for just doing a drop in ! Any other manufacturers that are good ?
Thanks
Leavenworth
 
b&c stocks can be a drop in. mostly fine that way. new around $400. once into wildcat and mcmillian they need bedding and likely cost twice as much or more than a b&c. depends where you budget is.
 
Composites are generally a bit lighter than wood. A full length bedding block supports the full length of the action which is a good idea. The recoil lug usually contacts the front face of the bedding block. Bedding blocks in composite stocks are a good feature.
There are lots of aftermarket stocks that are “drop in” for Rem 700 actions and do not require special fitting. I have a B & C stock with an alum bedding block...it is straight drop in.
 
There are different ways of manufacturing composite stocks. Traditionally a blank is made in a simple mold with an outer shell of glass or carbon. The outer shell is vacuumed or pressed in the mold via bladder and the first layer cured. After that the inside is filled with light weight fill material. Several issues can arise from this process. Connection between internal and outer layer can release after a while, milling out the barrel channel and inlet is difficult to get straight as the stock must be held on a molded surface and is difficult to centre. Rifle will fitted to the soft internal part of the stock and has no real structural connection to the stronger outer shell... hence some alu bedding blocks or at least alu pillars … again gluing issues of different materials and weight increase. Done well these type of stocks have provided good service in the past. Some snazzy carbon fibre stocks appearing also on the Euro market with beautiful visual carbon are the craze for some. Stock prices can be over 2000 USD. We call them Mickey Mouse stocks because they are made to look nice however lack in structural strength mostly between stock-action and often do not even have a sandwich construction. Further some are extremely loud because they are built the same way as a carbon fibre violin is. Most composite stock production process is centred around cost savings.
Trying to solve all the problems that conventional composite stocks have is possible however not the cheapest way. When I needed a composite stock years back and saw what was on the market I decided to make my own. After developing a production process my son formed a company when he was 16 and we are still at it.

For a long action remmy hunting type stock without cheek raiser finished weight of 22-24oz sounds reasonable. This leaves a bit of room for the manufacturer to have enough structure and noise dampening in the stock.
edi
 
Leavenworth said:
Okay Thanks for the suggestion Double Gun !

What are the Bell and Carlson stocks like ? Are they made for just doing a drop in ! Any other manufacturers that are good ?
Thanks
Leavenworth
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Bell and Carlson will weigh 32oz +/- and won’t be near as rigid as a wildcat. However, it can be used as a simple drop-in, but all stocks benefit from a proper bedding job. I’ve finished quite a few wildcats over the years and when all is said and done (pad, bedding, paint, studs etc) they usually finish out somewhere between 19-20oz depending on the model.
 
How stiff are the lightweight Wildcats compared to the standard weight or a McMillan? I like to use a 1907 shooting sling and it needs to be stiff enough to avoid point of impact shifts.
 
I find my 17oz wildcats every bit as stiff as my 25/26oz mcmillan edges. That said, if you want ultimate rigidity and don’t care about a few ounces consider a standard weight wildcat. They are still only 23oz blanks. Or better yet, call and talk to them about your specific needs - they are very accommodating.
 
Thanks for all the replies including the detailed ones I don't mind detailed at ALL !
Maybe I should back up a bit and ask a few more questions Hope you all don't mind !

Okay with a drop in stock do I purchase the stock and just lift out my Remington 700 30.06 and place it in the new stock screw it down and then it's ready to go, besides sighting it in ?

When they talk about aluminum bedding blocks is that what the action screws are fixed to that hold everything to the stock ?
Thanks
Leavenworth
 
I second what double gun said.I have a Wildcat light weight for a model 70 Winchester that I custom fitted to a Husquvarna 1600 and it is awesome.Very good people to work with and a quality product that is Canadian made.
 
Leavenworth said:
Thanks for all the replies including the detailed ones I don't mind detailed at ALL !
Maybe I should back up a bit and ask a few more questions Hope you all don't mind !

Okay with a drop in stock do I purchase the stock and just lift out my Remington 700 30.06 and place it in the new stock screw it down and then it's ready to go, besides sighting it in ?

When they talk about aluminum bedding blocks is that what the action screws are fixed to that hold everything to the stock ?
Thanks
Leavenworth
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If you are serious about losing weight on a rifle, you really do need to pay attention to Double Gun's advice. Josh has been down this road many times and knows what he's talking about.

The Wildcat is the best choice by far in Canada. It will need to be pillar bedded and finished. It won't be cheap but it will save you a lot of weight. If you really want a shock, price out a McMillan Edge.

If price is an issue, more so than weight, you will be well served with a B&C but know that drop in stocks with bedding blocks are often just as heavy as walnut.

While you are saving weight, you might want to consider your scope as well. Lots of scopes these days are overly large which makes an easy spot to lose a few oz. I just had a 700 built in 308, 22" midweight bbl, McMillan Edge with Leupold 2-7. Weight is 6.5lbs. Not overly light and whippy but an very nice carry and still handle well.
 
One should also consider the stock shape or features. Most factory stocks are designed to suit open sight shooting. Then you mount a scope with a sight line 1" or so higher and still expect the stock to suit. For some it might but for most they won't. Many aftermarket stocks are similar in lines to factory stocks and have the same issues. In Europe we mostly use min 42mm scopes but mostly 50-56mm meaning an adjustable cheek raiser is a bonus especially if the scope magnification goes over say 12mag. I think these are things to think of when changing a stock. We have been manufacturing carbon fibre stocks for quite a while now. One of our designs is a hunting stock with the fixed comb shaped as high as possible... so that one can just still bore sight the rifle and can remove the bolt. The feedback from our customers mainly Europe, Australia, NZ said: 10% said the comb was too high and around 20% said the comb was too low. So with 30% customers not 100% happy meant our next stock design had an adjustable cheek raiser which of course adds weight. The best approach I think is to weigh the old stock and the see what is on the market that suits the weight saving as well as the stock shape wanted. Try get info on the stock weight all in, with recoil pad and fittings.
edi
 
EJG said:
In Europe we mostly use min 42mm scopes but mostly 50-56mm meaning an adjustable cheek raiser is a bonus especially if the scope magnification goes over say 12mag.
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Why go to the trouble of installing a LW stock only to top it off with a heavy scope and cheek riser?
 
SuperCub said:
Why go to the trouble of installing a LW stock only to top it off with a heavy scope and cheek riser?
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Very simple, to achieve the lightest solution to a rifle that has certain capabilities. For example Germans shoot most of their pigs in moon light, a little 32mm scope is useless, they must have 50mm + scopes. I shoot longer range deer, often in high grass situations where often only the head or body parts is to be seen with scopes of up to 24 mag meaning 50-56mm and still I am glad to save 500 grams min compared to a stock with the same or similar features made in conventional composite or a chassis. Even our special forces are testing lighter components for their sniper systems, in one case total savings were 3kg compared to their standard issue AI chassis rifle & scope however keeping the capabilities of the weapon.
A carbon stock will in most cases save weight, in light or heavier rifles.
edi
 
McMillan is so much easier. And nicer. But a bit more money. But time is money.
I have two wildcats. And even if the McMillans weigh a bit more, they feel better to me.
 
Weigh the wood stock it most likely will be less then you think.


Paint the wood stock if the plastic nasty look is what you are after.
 
EJG said:
Very simple, to achieve the lightest solution to a rifle that has certain capabilities. For example Germans shoot most of their pigs in moon light, a little 32mm scope is useless, they must have 50mm + scopes. I shoot longer range deer, often in high grass situations where often only the head or body parts is to be seen with scopes of up to 24 mag meaning 50-56mm and still I am glad to save 500 grams min compared to a stock with the same or similar features made in conventional composite or a chassis. Even our special forces are testing lighter components for their sniper systems, in one case total savings were 3kg compared to their standard issue AI chassis rifle & scope however keeping the capabilities of the weapon.
A carbon stock will in most cases save weight, in light or heavier rifles.
edi
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Our hunting is confined to daylight hours, so the scope requirements here are quite different that that of you neck of the wood and Germany.

Most here (not all) when building a LW rifle, will consider all the components pkg to make a very light over all weight. Remington started the "mountain rifle" craze years ago which has been very popular among shooters with many companies offering uber light guns and/or custom guns that will shave every extra oz. This will include the scope and mounts as well. Some of those rifles are crazy light. I like mine not lighter than 6.5bs scoped, but most I own are a 7-7.5lbs.

I have had no trouble using a 32mm scope or smaller which would work fine for the vast majority of the hunting here. Many do use a larger scope for a LR rifle, but those are not usually LW anyways.
 
B&C: $400ish, pretty stiff and nice, a little thick in the wrist, usually 34 oz and not lighter than most wood stocks.

Wildcat: $350-$900 depending on how much you do yourself, very stiff, very well designed, can be painted how you like, not a drop in product, needs gunsmithing, about 20 oz finished, less selection than McMillan but you don't have to worry as a Rem 700 user. Canadian product, no import hassle.

McMillan Edge: $1000 now a days, good, but I think a Wildcat is a bit better, 24-26 oz finished, lots of selection, drop in possible, but always best bedded.

These are the three big options. I would go with the Wildcat, I love my Rem 700 in a Wildcat.
 
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