Most are probably built on Remington 700 actions although, since single shots are now acceptable, more people are using single shot 40X clones. The hunter rifle is restricted to a barrel length of 26" so that is what most are using. I turn my barrels to about .700" at the muzzle and taper them to about .780 at the commencement of the transition to the shank.
My own rifle is a little different than most, being built on a pre-war Model 70 action with aluminum (featherweight) bottom metal. The stock is one I whittled out of a piece of fairly lightweight walnut. The barrel is contoured as described and is 26 inches long. Rifle weight is 8lb 12 oz with a Leupold 12x scope and just a bit heavier with a 20x. The barrel is a Smith 8 twist chambered for 6.5x55. Five shot groups with 140 Hornady bullets measure about four inches at 500m. 108 Lapuas do about 2" at 300m.
I don't like the rifle to be too muzzle heavy as I think it leads to fatigue as the day wears on. I like for the rifle to balance about at the front of the receiver. I want the weight at the butt to be fairly neutral when I'm in position so there is no tendency for it to slip up or down.
The stock is allowed to have seven inches of drop at the toe and I try to achieve about that as it fits my shooting style best. The comb is just slightly below the bore centerline.
Probably one of the better guys to talk to about this stuff is Henry Rempel. Henry is a good shooter who builds a lot of silhouette rifles. He makes a fibreglass stock which fits within the rules and many shooters are using these. Steve Wooster in Washington also makes a glass stock which is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than Henry's but functionally,. probably not much different.
The advantage of the glass stock is twofold; it is more stable in humid conditions, and it is usually a bit lighter. One can achieve balance with weight at the butt and muzzle and end up with a lighter weight overall than if he used a stock with the weight distributed full length. My walnut stock is well under two pounds but glass is still lighter . In addition, weight at the ends makes for a rifle which wavers more slowly.
As mentioned, my rifle is a 6.5x55 but I consider this to be too much cartridge and only use it because I had a bunch of brass, dies, and stuff from my "F" class rifles in that caliber. When it comes time to re-barrel, I will likely go with a smaller case. Henry likes the 6mm Dasher but I like 6.5's better. On the rare occasion that I hit a ram, I want to be sure it will drop. Last year, I think I saw four or five 6mm-struck rams just stand there smilin'.
If you can, try other people's rifles and see what feels best for you. Then see if your gunsmith can duplicate it for you. GD
