Hi all,
Like most here I tend to favor a slightly muzzle-heavy balance to my rifles. I have a custom 7 mag built off a SUCKS 700 action with a High Tech (ie. light) stock. It has a fluted 26" Lilja #5 contour and the balance is PERFECT for me. 8 pounds with the scope on it.
The 300WSM I'm having built now is going to have 22" tube. To keep the balance the same, I went with a #6 fluted barrel. As near as I can tell, the weight of the barrel and the balance should be close to identical.
The above guys are right. Save the weight in the stock and the action, not the tube. Just MHO. YMMV
