Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats McMillan Rem Mountain vs Rem Sporter - Difference?

After looking on the McMillan website, I cant tell much of a difference between the Remington Sporter and the Remington Mountain rifle. Is the Sporter the same style stock that comes on the basic SPS 700 rifles? Looks like the forearm is a big bigger than mountain rifle.

I have a 700 SPS that needs a McMillan in GAP Camo. (Yes it NEEDS one!) I want something with a little bigger frame than the mountain rifle stock, but still with a nice shallow cheek piece. Anyone with a sporter stock want to chime in on this?

Thanks,
OutdoorAg

The SPS stock at the front stud measures 1.475

The McM. mountain rifle stock is 1.430 and is pretty much a twin to the Rem. factory synthetic stocks.

The McM. Sporter measures 1.750 at the stud, will handle a bigger barrel, which, by the way, looks great with a #5 contour.

Get the Sporter, it's a great handle.

Al

I'm thinking of going sporter as well. Since its a near match of the factory stock, the forearm shouldn't overwhelm the sporter contour stock should it?

I'm thinking I'll like a little more beef up front.

The Rem Sporter is nowhere close to the factory handles.

The McM Classic is what you want. (even though no cheekpiece)

Trust me.........

MtnHtr

Hmm. Thanks for the input MtnHtr, but you just made this more difficult! I like the McM Remington Classic, but I like having the shallow cheek piece.

Any reasons why I wouldn't like dropping my SPS into a Sporter?

The classic may not have a cheek piece but the stocks shape just welds right to your face. Hard to understand but like Mtn Hunter said trust him. The classic rocks!!

No reason at all not to like it.

I've got a #3 fluted, which is one step smaller than a factory contour, in a Sporter stock, along with another with the factory contour. Both work extremely well if you're looking for a litle more heft in the forend.

I've got Classics as well. Both styles have there place in the food chain. But from what you described, the Sporter fits the bill. Trust me. LOL !!

Al

Another classic vote.

Mcmillan will send you both to try for shipping costs. Just a thought

If you like a pistol grip with a shallow radius curve, like the 700 Ti stock, you might like the McM Sporter. I don't like the shallow radius curved pistol grips, so I don't like the McM Sporter. For me, the McM Compact, Hunter, MR, and Seven just work better, but as with many things, YMMV.

Jeff

I've owned 2 or 3 Rem sporters. The forearm is thick and long, best suited for #4 or #5 contours.

The pistol grip is swept back, not very user friendly if you shoot from prone or various field positions. My biggest gripe is there is no groove above the pistol grip for your hand to mold into where the comb starts. (hope I explained that right)

The Classic feels perfect in every way and has the right forearm for an SPS contour barrel. It's a more svelte design for a hunting rifle.

Cheek pieces are nice but add weight, don't slide outta the scabbard or case as fast and imo just another area to pick up dings and chips.

Do some searches on here and use the term "Classic". I'm sure you will receive some great info.

I've owned or handled all or most of McMillan's Rem handles and the Classic, Hunter's Edge and the Mtn rifle are my favorites.

MtnHtr

Classic wins, the sporter isn't even close.

Well put MtnHtr. I know exactly what you mean by the 'groove' above the pistol grip. I just pulled out my LSS Mountain rifle stock, and I like how subtle that groove is.

I dropped a BDL sporter barreled action into that LSS mountain rifle stock, and while I like it, and it balances well - I could go for a little more beef. That is the only reason I'm looking away from the Mountain rifle configuration for this current build.

The Classic has quite a cult following around here, and I'm sure there is plenty good reason for it. Just wanted pick the great minds around here on the difference between the sporter and the classic.

I did notice that Hill Country Rifles uses sporter style McMillans almost exclusively with their custom builds. I found that interesting. Guess I just like the look and feel of the cheek piece. The little extra 'ridge' on the Sporter cheek piece just has a fancy look to me.

Thanks for the input. Now I'm leaning towards that all famous Mc Rem Classic...

after using a few "classic" hunting style stocks with a more 'closed' grip, as well as using some 'tactical' style stocks with a very vertical pistol grip, I have come to almost hate an open grip on any rifle stock - which is one of the things I never could like about the Ti stocks ... the grip is just too 'open' for me.

The McM Classic (for a Rem700) is far and away my favorite stock for a hunting rifle. I like the semi-closed grip, as well as the lack of cheek piece. The Classic just rules for any contour from a #2 to a #5 ... IF you want to go with a pencil contour, the McM Mtn Rifle pattern is very nice, since it's got a more narrow forearm section than the Classic pattern ...

Ditto on what Mtn. Hunter said.
I have a sporter dont like it.

The custom builds that Hill Country uses is from their own pattern of a stock made by J. Earl Bridges. McMillan makes these for them and they are only available from Hill Country. Sames as the Echols Legends. They blend in the best of the Classic, Sporter, and Mtn. Rifle into one fine handeling hunting stock!!! I sure wish McMillan would work out some type of "royalty" with Hill Country and offer their stock pattern to us. From what I hear somebody on one side or the other doesn't want to do that.

Texasdude29

Texas dude
i recently ordered a hill country rifles proprietary stock from hcr maybe they dont do this any more but give them a call.

As for the question on this post i found the sporter to be over kill in size for sporter weight hunting rifles for larger contour barrels they may look and handle fine but i would suggest a mountain rifle or classic style stock

FWIW, I have 24" Remington SPS (medium/magnum contour?) barrels in 700 Mountain Rifle stocks and don't find the size of the forearm to be any problem at all.

The McM stocked rifles that I can see from where I'm sitting are:

McM 7 style with 22" MR barrels, Remington 7 actions, x2.
McM 7 style with 24" SPS barrels, Remington 700 actions, x2.
McM Classic style with 22" BDL barrel, Remington 700 action, x1.
McM Classic style with 24" A&B barrel, Remington 788 action, x1.
McM Compact style with 22" Fwt barrels, Winchester/USRA 70 WSSM actions, x2.
McM Hunter style with 22" LVSF barrel, Remington 700 action, x1.
McM Mountain Rifle style with 22" BDL barrel, Remington 600 action, x1.
McM Mountain Rifle style with 24" SPS barrels, Remington 700 actions, x3.

Jeff

I've got a McMillan mtn rifle, classic, and a pair of sporter stocks. I'd gladly trade my sporters for classics. The sporter stocks have a thicker fore-end that I'm not real fond of, even though they have #4 and #5 contours in them.

I have two Ti stocks as well, and I like them just fine, but they aren't as stiff as the McMillans.

The single mtn rifle stock that I have is fairly new, and I haven't had much of a chance to play with it. I'm not sure if I'm going to like the flat surface in front of the trigger guard or not. Time will tell.

Explained perfectly. Had one Sporter but sent it back as it just didn't feel "right". It was the lack of flutes on the comb nose that made it feel so awkward. The open pistol grip didn't help any, either.

Somebody 'splain me this - why are such open grips so popular on some rifles? Is it to make the rifle handle quicker or point better? I know shotguns have open grips or even a straight grip to let the hand slide back to squeeze the second trigger but that doesn't apply to rifles.

Some get ridiculous. The Serengeti stocks are pretty but have an almost straight wrist going way back. Brown Precision sporter stocks and the Remington KS stock also have that l-o-n-g wrist before the grip finally curves down. Oh well, guess it fits someone's hand.

A more closed or vertical grip is definitely better for good trigger control. Remington factory stocks really got that right, at least for my hand. BDL, Classic or even the SPS stocks are just right to pull the rifle back into the shoulder with your trigger hand like you're supposed to.