Bell and Carlson vs McMillan

[Mad_Mikee]

... if you have 1200 - 1400, get a Wildcat....

I have a bunch of Wildcats and they were substantially cheaper than that. I do the fit and finish myself which I find makes them very affordable.
They're well built and I've never had an issue with them.

For what it's worth, I also have a bunch of B&C's, a few HS Precisions and 2 McMillians.

 

[Slimbo]

Weren't the old Remington Titanium and LVSF stocks made by Bell and Carlson? While not super stiff, they were light and well suited for the rifles they were on.

I thought those were both HS precision

 

[chuck nelson]

Rigid is good, right?


I have lighter stocks for lighter rifles. I also have some rifles that I don't want to be uber-light. B&Cs are perfect for those.

As for "ill shaped", maybe it's you that is ill shaped and thus they don't fit you.


The B&Cs cover a lot of shooter's basic needs. Options are limited to basic, but so is the expense to buy one is limited as well.

You want lightweight and options, spend a grand on an Edge. I have one of those too and like it.

I’m just giving an educated comparison between them.

 

[remington jim]

Brown Precision Pound r Kevlar & Wildcat are the top of MY list - Then a Mac Edge - Then HS Prescison - Then all the others ! jmo RJ

 

[bcsteve]

i thought those were both hs precision

b&c

 

[Gatehouse]

Bell and Carlson are great for the price

McMillan stocks are excellent.

That's all that needs to be said

 

[cam1936]

try a third of the price of a new McMillan, B&Cs are 400.00 new. they are thicker and a different process etc. If you have 400 for a stock get one, if you have 1000 - 1200, get a McMillan, if you have 1200 - 1400, get a Wildcat. I have one of each on 3 different rifles, the Wildcat is my favourite, then McMillan, then B&C last....... the B&C is on a 350 Rem Mag, its robust and perfect for that carbine.

1200-1400 for a Wildcat? I had one done up a couple years ago. IIRC sanded and filled blank: 400, Fit/bolt handle cutout: 80, Bed: 150, Paint, 150, swivel install: 40. Flip flop pad: 1.

So $820 for a Canadian made product, superior to any McMillan. Mine finished at 19.8 oz with pad. It replaced a B&C. I like the B&C stocks, stiff, feel good and I like the chunky wrist. Only issue is weight, they are pigs, hence the Wildcat.

 

[chuck nelson]

What makes them superior to any McMillan?

 

[Weatherby Fan]

What makes them superior to any McMillan?

Ive used about 25 Wildcat stocks for builds and a couple Edge Filled McMillans and the Wildcats are stiffer in the forestock, also the fill is a better product when you start working or altering the Wildcat, the fill in a McMillan is like a sandy power that falls out when you grind through the Carbon Fibre webbing,

I built two identical rifles (280AI) for my Nephews on Remington 700 actions and 26" Benchmark barrels, one had a Wildcat and the other a McMillan Hunter Edge stock and the one thing I really noticed at the bench when shooting them was the Wildcat handled recoil better, The McMillan stocked rifle was a few ounces heavier as well.

 

[chuck nelson]

You are forgetting that McMillan offers more than one style of stock. For me I’ve yet to find a synthetic stock that handles recoil better than this one.

 

[Brutus]

Bell and Carlson are great for the price

McMillan stocks are excellent.

That's all that needs to be said

It's not quite the same however I had a custom select walnut stock built for a nice older 22 bolt action rifle.
Adjustable cheekpiece, butt stock, wundhammer swell and kind of staighter pistol grip and wide fore end.
I used the McMillan as my inspiration.

 

[Weatherby Fan]

You are forgetting that McMillan offers more than one style of stock. For me I’ve yet to find a synthetic stock that handles recoil better than this one.

Nice looking rifle,

no I’m not forgetting anything, I’m well aware that McMillan offers more options in stocks than any company on the planet, I was just giving my opinion from experience between the two stocks is all.

 

[chuck nelson]

I really wish Wildcat would offer a few more options. The Brown Precision stock design for the Model 70 and 700 offered by Wildcat would sell like hot cakes IMO.

 

[Weatherby Fan]

I really wish Wildcat would offer a few more options. The Brown Precision stock design for the Model 70 and 700 offered by Wildcat would sell like hot cakes IMO.

I asked Wildcat Stu if he would make a copy of a 6 lug Weatherby Mark V ultra light stock, he said no of course as it costs about $5000.00 to set up one mold,
He’s slowly adding more options, the Tikka one has been selling well for him.

 

[Brutus]

Tikka Forester is very nice stock design.
Not sure if it's offered in synthetic.

 

[double gun]

I asked Wildcat Stu if he would make a copy of a 6 lug Weatherby Mark V ultra light stock, he said no of course as it costs about $5000.00 to set up one mold,
He’s slowly adding more options, the Tikka one has been selling well for him.

I dropped a 6-lug 280 into a wildcat M70 a few years back....

 

[45ACPKING]

when you spend some time working with composites and the various methods of manufacture used by the well known stock makers the cost of a Mcmillan is a joke. I'd say 40% of msrp is paying for the name.

 

[Buckmastr]

Yep, some of these prices makes a nicely bedded oil finished walnut stock that much better... and nearly as light.

 

[Dorian Gray]

In the spring of 2018, I started a bit of a project. I realized that I didn't really have much in the way of good hunting rifles. I had a few but nothing I really liked all that much. So I moved a few guns off to new homes and bought a Tikka t3x lite stainless in 30-06 just to see if they were as accurate as I'd been told they were. I put a Leupold vx-3i 3.5-10x40 on it and sure enough, it shot under an inch without a problem.

Now, i've always been of the thought that a guy should have at least 2 main hunting rifles. One being a dedicated rifle, and the other a shorter, handier carbine for close in work. With that in mind, I purchased a t3x lite Battue, also in 30-06. I put a vx-3i 2.5-8x36 on it in a MaSi quick detach mount and it also shoots under an inch without issue.

Maybe it was just me but I found that both of those rifles recoiled more than other '06's I've owned and shot before. I wasn't sure if it was the lightweight nature of the rifles themselves, or the shape of the stock they came with. I didn't want to get rid of either of them because they just shot so damn good. So I decided to try replacing the stock on the Battue with a B&C sporter stock to see if the added weight and rigidity would help. It made a world of difference for me. So I bought another for the other rifle as well.

Attached is a picture of the Battue as it is now. Upgrades are the B&C sporter stock, Mountain Tactical bottom metal, trigger spring and knurled bolt handle. The trigger breaks at just over a pound and the B&C stock helps to soak up the recoil nicely. All in all, I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out with both of my Tikka's. The B&C stocks helped a great deal in making these rifles into exactly what I wanted.

 

[G.E.FLACH]

I really wish Wildcat would offer a few more options. The Brown Precision stock design for the Model 70 and 700 offered by Wildcat would sell like hot cakes IMO.

Stu at willcat will be getting a mountain rifle/Brown precision rifle stock type pattern sent to him by me shortly .I just have some mods to do to the pattern before I send it to him.
The beauty of a Wild cat is it had an inner and outer fiberglass structure unlike the McMILLAN they machine the inletting into the fill .That is why they offer magnum fill as the stuff is punky you can dig it out with your finger nail. You can make the Wildcat fit you ie cheek comb, palm swell ,pitch, not to mention ,color ,texture and shape .You can add weight for balance as well .With the wildcat inner and outer fiberglass structure the forend is much stiffer as well as a lighter than an edge .Far superior structure as far as I am concerned.