Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Opinions on Bell and Carson Carbelite Stock

I am considering purchasing a new stock for my Rem 700 ADL. I am looking at the Carbelite Classic by Bell and Carlson as a resonably priced replacement. I am interested in opinions on this stock or any other reasonably priced synthetic replacements. Thanks for any info.

I recieved my carbelite for a M77 MkII SA a couple of months ago. I had it fisnished to 13" lop with a deaccellerator. Olive spider web finish.

Externally its well finished and seems dense and well made. Not quite a McCmillian but good. I find the Carbelites to be a little thicker in the grip than I prefer, but still useable.

On my stock the finish in the inletting was miserible. I couldn't even get the action into the stock with out some sand paper action. If I didn't intend to glass bed the quality of the inletting might affect the accurcy of the rifle. Once glass beedded it should be fine.

Despite the poor inletting.. once the barreled action is down into the stock the edge of the inletting around the action and barrel looks pretty good.

As I don't mind a little elbow grease and bedding I think it will make a nice stock and the price is good.

For a ruger short action there are limited choices for a fiberglass stock. however for a remington bansner makes a well regarded stock at a good price if your willing to do some work.

I have one on a Ruger tang-safety long action and another on a commercial FN Mauser action. I bought them before I knew of, or could have afforded, McMillans, which I have put on my more recent acquisitions. Both of these B & C's have worked perfectly, no complaints whatsoever. Both had to have some work to fit, but my local gunsmith did this for just a few dollars, and I've had no problems. I intend to buy one more to put on a donor rifle I recently acquired as a gift, as I don't want to spend the time or the money for a Mickey for it. I still put Mickey's on anything new that I'm really nutty about (like a recently acquired Pre-64), but that probably speaks more about me personally than about either brand of stock. I think they're well worth what they cost, and I've never had any problems with either of mine. Keep in mind that I hunt in south Georgia under extremely mild conditions. Someone who hunts in Alaska, or who has to carry a rifle a long distance over rough country may have a different experience. But for me, if it's a rifle that I own but am not crazy about, it gets a B & C. Customs or classics get McMillan. Just my way of doing things.

I got the same stock as noknees last month. (Ruger LA MK 2, green with black webbing and Dec. pad.) My first reaction was to run after the delivery truck. The action was canted, the barrel wasn't straight, two big chips. I don't even know how to describe how the floorplate fit. (And it weighed 35 ounces. Someone else said theirs was 31 and that was what I was hoping for.) The stock, plus shipping, was $210. So much work needed done I didn't trust myself, so it went to the smith. He was nice and only charged me $30. Things are still a little off, (if he lowered the tang anymore the mag box would be too low)but he did a great job. The plastic stock that the rifle came with is more stiff in the forend than this stock. Anyway, it ended up at 240. For 385 I could have gotten a McM off the specials page, or for 50 more gotten one anyway I wanted from Rick. I'm wishing I would have. Or, I should have just let well enough alone until Bansners of the Edge is made for the Mk 2.

I bought one for my M70 .243 because the original was damaged beyond repair. The webbing paint that was used on it was in the barrel channel, and the action and floorplate inlets. It was easy enough to remove and my barreled action fit in so snug that I didnt bother to bed it. The rifle shoots excellent and I am happy with the stock. The floorplate fit even better than the factory stock, and actually works as intended now. I got mine through Brownell's and didnt pay nearly that much for it. I have another M70 in .300WM that has a tupperware stock and will probably get a B&C replacement for it as well.

I have one of the older Carbelite models on my .375 that has the built in sling. I have had it for over 20 years now and it is a tough, durable stock & I am quite pleased with it.

Does anyone know if the Carbelite is anything like what will ship
on the new M70?

wsmnut

I think that there are better options. If you amortize the cost of any McM over the life of the stock, the difference in cost between a McM and most other synthetic stocks is too small to matter. I think that it is better economics to buy an excellent stock that has proven to command top $$ on the secondary market than to settle for a less expensive stock that will probably have significantly less resale value, should you decide that you don't like it. If you are working on a tight budget and like the geometry of the stock, the Remington 700 Ti stocks are probably a best buy in the secondary market for 700 ADL applications.

That said, lots of folks only look at the purchase cost and don't consider the bigger picture and McM's can cause sticker stock for the casual shooter.

Jeff

I won't buy any more,they need to do a better job.The fitting on them is very poor

What about the bansners stock?

I think the new Winnys are getting a Medalist style stock.

In the end, the thing to keep in mind is what quality standard Winchester or FN holds B&C to.

The Remington Ti stocks are good quality...the regular Medalists are pretty sloppy fitting. Lots of gaps around the trigger guard, etc.

HS Precision makes a great stock

I did a little research and have a few questions. The McMillans and the H-S Precision are out of my price range. The stocks by Banser, if I am correct are High Tech Specialties, but I'm not sure if that is right. I am a little concerned at how much an upgrade the Carbelite would be and am not as interested as I originally was. Are the Remington Ti stocks only available through secondary markets and what is the approx. cost or value?

I really like my Ti stock. It replaced a CDL and while it is a bit different, it feels pretty close and weighs about 10 or 12oz less. I think I paid $150 to my door for it, that to $175 looks to be a fairly common price here for a used or take off Ti stock.



Carbelite on Ebay...not mine!

Here at 24HCF, a new 700 Ti take-off stock can usually be bought in the $150 to $200 range, with the average around $175. That buys you a stock that you can drop your barreled action into and shoot it with only minor fitting. The short action (SA) 700 Ti stocks are more common than the long action (LA) stocks, but I don't recall that you indicated whether your 700 ADL was a LA or SA.

I personally don't care for the geometry of the pistol grip on the 700 Ti stocks, as I prefer a pistol grip with a tighter radius curve to it, like that found on my favorite Remington factory stock, the Mountain Rifle style.

As an indication about how good a deal the 700 Ti stocks are, as unfinished Bansnar/HTS stock will generally cost in the neighborhood of $275, if you add in the cost of a recoil pad and QD studs.

If you're interested in buying a 700 Ti stock, I'd suggest putting a "WTB 700 Ti (SA or LA) Stock" in the free classified ads section here at 24HCF. I'd also suggest checking on eBay, as they still allow the sale of stocks.

If you go with a 700 Ti stock, I'd also suggest that you check out the Williams steel 700 ADL trigger guards, as they are a nice addition to any 700 ADL.

Good luck!

Jeff