Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Bell and Carlson Carbelite Rifle Stocks any good?

I was thinking about refinishing the stock on my 700 BDL. It's a lot easier to buy a replacement stock. What do you guys think of Bell and Carlson Carbelite Rifle Stocks? They're in my price range. Thanks!

had no problems with the one's i had. got B&C stocks on a couple of guns, have held up fine.

forgotto add, Stocky's has some decent buys on B&C lightweights at the moment.

http://www.stockysstocks.com/servlet/StoreFront

I've had 2 or 3. Haven't seen trouble with them (apart from not fitting well from the factory on a Ruger I had) but just can't warm up to them. They are too think for my tastes. Price is right but definitely not my favorite. YMMV

What brand would you recommend in the same ($200) price range?

I have had owned Carbelites, Medalists and HS Precisions (still haven't owned a McMillan) My opinion FWIW, spend a little more money and move up to the Medalist or the HS (both can be had for around 300 depending on upgrades) ...they are worth it (aluminum bedding block, better recoil pad, etc.)

or keep an eye on the classifieds, lots of bdl stocks come up and if you're not in a hurry you can probably find a good deal

Absolutely no problems with mine. I am pleased with the quality & fit. This is my .375 with a B&C stock. You can tell it is an old one because of the built in sling. Bought it new back in the early '80s. It is one tough stock. One thing I do recommend is to have it bedded which is a minor cost.



One thing I like about B&C over one particular other brand is the customer service. B&C always answers my questions in a timely & courteous manner. Plus you can call them up & actually talk to a human.

I would also consider the Hogue stocks. Some people feel like they are too bulky, but I like the feel of those stocks for a hunting rifle. Also, they have models with both the full bedding and pillar bedding.

I have one B&C stock, and love it.
And, very importantly, B&C's Customer Service is second to none. They are the best.

I have had a few of the Carbelite stocks. You will have to do some fitting in the receiver and floor plate areas. After you get that done and bed it, the Carbelites are a good stocks for the money. They sure do give you a bunch of finish options.

Thanks for the replies. I really can't spend more then $200. I'm also restore/rebuild my 78 Camaro. I pick my engine block up from my machinist this week or early next week. I still have a lot of parts to buy for that as well.

I got a lot of irons in the fire right now!

They are hard to beat for price. They are a bit thick in thewrist but they do a nice job soaknig up recoil and the Medalist I bought has made my rifle MUCH more consistent.

pm sent

Agreed... They're bulky and heavier than what McMillan and Lone Wolf have to offer. But they're made from chopped glass cloth, and about half the coin...

And Alaskan Walnut is light years ahead of wood

Maybe I got lucky on my Carbelite, but my Howa action dropped right in. Not so lucky with a McMillan Swirly that cost twice as much. I really think B&C makes great stocks, not just for the money either.

Had someone tell me that he thought B&C might discourage bedding Carbelite models, because, when the stock "gives," the glass bedding often shatters.

Any heard this before or had any like experiences? I have one on order for a Mark X Mauser action.

fremont;
While I don't have extensive experience with Bell & Carlson stocks, I have bedded 2 older Carbelites and a newer one that might have been a Medalist or new Carbelite, I can't be sure now. The newer one fit me better in that it was thinner in the wrist, but otherwise I thought they were a pretty good stock for the money, albeit a little on the heavy side for a synthetic.

Last I heard, all three rifles are still being used quite hard annually here in BC by their owners, sometimes in very cold conditions and none have moved one iota.

The rifles were, by the way, two Weatherby's, a Mark V in .300 Weatherby and a Vanguard in 7mm Rem Mag and a Remington 700 in .300 Win Mag in the newer stock.

While I might be unclear on the concept, I can't see how a stock that flexes at all in the action area would shoot any sort of group or hold zero in any way.

I did install aluminum tubes in all of them to keep the foam core from being crushed and I also bedded the floor plate/ trigger guard on all three. One could substitute the aluminum with a pillar of bedding compound that should suffice if that makes more sense to the person doing the bedding.

In my view, they would be preferable to most injection molded stocks I've worked on.

Hopefully that was some use to you. Good luck with your Mark X.

Regards,
Dwayne

Dwayne: Very helpful; thanks. MH

fremont see the picture above of my .375. When the rifle was a .300 I had it bedded. It was rebarrelled a few years ago for .375. I have never had a problem with the bedding shattering. Give B&C a call as they have outstanding customer service.

Just received an EDGE that I bought for my BIL. He has a Win70 featherweight in '06. When we pulled the action from the B&C stock, I noticed a crack. No just a minor crack. It went completely through the stock, from top to bottom, in the area between the trigger and mag. Basically in 2 pieces.
I have a B&C stock on another rifle. Not too bad, but I'm just waiting for it to break so I can put another brand on it.

For the money, better than factory. However, for just a bit more $, you can get a much better quality stock.