I am looking to put a mcmillan on my M70 featherweight. I know mcmillan says that the EDGE will hold up to the punishment of sub .30 magnum rounds, but what about normal (heavy) hunting use? Anyone experience durability problems? This gun is going to be used extensively for everything from yotes to sheep. I dont mind carrying a extra couple pounds, am I better off to get the standard fill?
Durability of McMillan Edge vs Standard stock
- Thread starter Slimbo
- Start date
I spoke with D'Arcy Echols about this very thing a few months ago and he told me about an EDGE that a client recently broke on a sheep hunt. He posted the story on another site and this is what he said:
"Today we were notified by one of our clients that he had just broken the stock on his Legend rifle completely in two. The break occurred behind the rear tang and through the grip. Unfortunately he was right in the middle of a Bighorn Sheep hunt in Colorado. The fall occurred as he and his guides were making what they hoped to be the final stalk on a ram. While on the approach his feet went out from under him and the butt area of the Edge stock took the brunt of the impact in the fall.
He had to temporarily stop the hunt and retrieve his other Legend. As I type this he is headed back to Colorado to try and kill that ram.
It is well known that we have McMillan make our Legend stocks. This will of course continue as I feel they make the finest synthetic stocks available on the market today. McMillan has an unconditional guarantee for any breakage on their products and are already making a replacement. Regardless of the cause or circumstances of the accident D'Arcy Echols & Company will replace the broken stock and do all the refurbish work to bring the rifle back to 100% at our expense.
I have spent 30 years trying to build a Sporting Weight Hunting Rifle that will withstand the harshest environments around the globe. Some times even the best efforts and materials will hit the wall and break.
We will post some pictures when they become available
D'Arcy Echols"
He spoke with #### Davis about it and they do have, on a percentage basis, more broken EDGE's returned. However, both the fiberglass and graphite returns are miniscule on an annualized basis.
Personally, my main hunting rifles wear EDGE's.
"Today we were notified by one of our clients that he had just broken the stock on his Legend rifle completely in two. The break occurred behind the rear tang and through the grip. Unfortunately he was right in the middle of a Bighorn Sheep hunt in Colorado. The fall occurred as he and his guides were making what they hoped to be the final stalk on a ram. While on the approach his feet went out from under him and the butt area of the Edge stock took the brunt of the impact in the fall.
He had to temporarily stop the hunt and retrieve his other Legend. As I type this he is headed back to Colorado to try and kill that ram.
It is well known that we have McMillan make our Legend stocks. This will of course continue as I feel they make the finest synthetic stocks available on the market today. McMillan has an unconditional guarantee for any breakage on their products and are already making a replacement. Regardless of the cause or circumstances of the accident D'Arcy Echols & Company will replace the broken stock and do all the refurbish work to bring the rifle back to 100% at our expense.
I have spent 30 years trying to build a Sporting Weight Hunting Rifle that will withstand the harshest environments around the globe. Some times even the best efforts and materials will hit the wall and break.
We will post some pictures when they become available
D'Arcy Echols"
He spoke with #### Davis about it and they do have, on a percentage basis, more broken EDGE's returned. However, both the fiberglass and graphite returns are miniscule on an annualized basis.
Personally, my main hunting rifles wear EDGE's.
Some are better than others at not breaking.
Ya think?
Just wondering about people opinions on which stocks are tougher!
I just sent a quick email to D'Arcy and he thinks #### Davis mentioned 5 or 6 stocks returned out of more than 10,000 produced per year.
I wouldn't worry about one breaking. If it does they will replace it.
I have a Rem700 Classic in 7-08 that I put a MacMillan Fibregrain on years ago, scratched it first trip out sheep hunting, but, it's bounced down hills, been in a rollover in a vehicle. No problems with it. Rifle shot the same after just screwiing it on, as it did before, with a B&C stock and with the wood stock.
I have two edge tech stocks and a bunch of regular ones.
From the standpoint of durability from hunting abuse, I doubt a standard fill stock would survive much more than an edge tech stock, such as being dropped or fallen on.
From the standpoint of withstanding recoil, the Edge is pretty fragile inside. You can dig the fill behind the recoil lug with your fingernail, and they employ pillars that are about as robust as soda straws.
The Edge fill stocks are much improved by having the pillars replaced with larger ones, and the area around the recoil lug cut out and bedded with good epoxy, so that the new bedding is actually adhering to the shell, and not just sitting on the soft fill.
D'arcy Echols has also posted that he has found rifles to be 'pickier' in terms of accuracy when they have replaced a standard fill stock with an Edge tech stock. Since I call things good when groups are much under 1-1/4", I haven;t really observed any difference in that regard.
From the standpoint of durability from hunting abuse, I doubt a standard fill stock would survive much more than an edge tech stock, such as being dropped or fallen on.
From the standpoint of withstanding recoil, the Edge is pretty fragile inside. You can dig the fill behind the recoil lug with your fingernail, and they employ pillars that are about as robust as soda straws.
The Edge fill stocks are much improved by having the pillars replaced with larger ones, and the area around the recoil lug cut out and bedded with good epoxy, so that the new bedding is actually adhering to the shell, and not just sitting on the soft fill.
D'arcy Echols has also posted that he has found rifles to be 'pickier' in terms of accuracy when they have replaced a standard fill stock with an Edge tech stock. Since I call things good when groups are much under 1-1/4", I haven;t really observed any difference in that regard.
