Or, should I skeletonize a laminated stock and cut the forearm down to make my own?

I want something very light, but functional

I ordered an Edge-fill M7KS handle in ADL configuration, inlet for a 660 action and standard 700 sporter channel, with a 1" decelerator. It's 24oz. I could have probably saved another 2oz with a 1/2" pad. 20oz might be possible with a flip-flop pad.

Lone Wolf in Columbia Falls, Montana likley under a pound easy.

Lone Wolf got snapped up in the Gogan/Proof Manufacturing thing. I'd wait on that a bit until they're up and running.

Their price on a stock for my Ruger went up from about $700.00 to $1500.00 since the change in ownership

David,

I'd look at MPI

Another company that doesn't want to sell product.I wouldn't spend $700 on one of their stocks let alone whatever the hell they want now. Monashee

For me it's personal.... I'll not get into it because his legal department is bigger than the crew of hillbillies I run.

BUT, just as far as Proof Manufacturing goes, so far he's bought up
KK Jense Precision
Lone Wolf
Defiance Machine
Lawrence Rifle Barrel
and he's hired up about the only 3 gunsmiths that were worth a [bleep] in the Flathead.
Oh, and the production foreman is a legendary millwright of Plum Creek fame
NEMO was in the works for a while (don't know what happened there)
I know I'm forgetting a few.
A couple of the companies he's bought had contracts with other manufacturers that sold their products as their own. You'll be suprised at who they were once they get cut off. I'm betting it'll go public, and you'll read about it in gun rags in another year or so once they're all the way off the ground.

In the end... Is it what's best for the industry? Will they be the next NULA, or GAP, etc? Time will tell, and they certainly have the financial backing. I don't think the market will bear a maker selling $5000 guns based on a 700 action with an accuracy guarantee.

check out a High Tech Specialties stock if you're handy they're a deal.

Weighs 1.5#s with a 0.6" pachmayr declerator, paint, and bedding.

My only only gripe is the forearm is ~0.4" wider than the factory synthetic.

I agree,that's been tried in the past and failed before.I deal with a couple of gunsmiths that I trust as do most of us I figure.These accuracy conglomerates don't seem to be successful,and there are more than a few around using mega advertising and legendary long range shooters to prove their point that their products will allow you to become a legendary long range shooter as well,maybe even be on TV.There seems to be enough people buying in to this BS to keep some of them working,but all of them?Time will tell.I could care less it's not for me. Monashee

That, about sez it all, I have 23 synthetic-stocked, highend rifles at present and I just laughed when I spoke with the "new guy" at Lone Wolf, some time back.

A carefully installed-prepped Micky Edge will run about 24 oz.s all up and that will allow for a light rifle. I handled a VERY light Mod. 7, with one of the 13-15 oz. Lone Wolf handles a couple of years ago and didn't care for it. My Edge-stocked, Martini-modded Classic short Mod. 70, .308 is 6-10 scoped and that is just PERFECT in .308Winny.

I would go Edge, MPI, then look at Canada's Wildcat Composite stocks, I have Bansners, good handles, fine folks, but, the wrists are a tad larger than I prefer. JMHO.

Lone Wolf Summit is the lightest stock I know of.

This is a SS M-7 with Lone Wolf Summit. It is a .22-204 with 7.5 twist #2 Brux and now wears an older Zeiss Diatal-C 4x32 in Talley LW rings.

I went on line, looking for Lone Wolf stocks and found Proof Research. They said this new company merged three companies, Lone Wolf Rifle Stocks, a carbon fiber barrel company and Jense Firearms, into Proof Research. The facility looks nice, like some big bucks went into putting it together.

So, I don't know if Lone Wolf stocks like this are still available. I get the feeling Proof Research is all about building high end custom, light weight rifles.

With the transition at Lone Wolf, like I said, I'd look into MPI. Doc will pretty much build you what you want.

This Lone Wolf is less than a pound. It's kinda weird looking. With the 4200 Elite in the photo, the gun would turn upside down on the bench when I took my hands off. And the 4200 isn't that heavy. The Zeiss Diatal-C 4x32 is much more compact and lighter. It's not so bad.

The replacement Brux is slightly heavier than the factory tube. I did that on purpose to give it a bit more forward weight. It feels better and handles better than it did originally. It was just too whippy with that pencil thin factory barrel.

DF

I love the lone wolf on my 7wsm, with a 3.5-10 vx3 loaded its a hair under 7lbs. in a mod 700 with a 24" pipe and a vias break, no skelentized bolt

The Lone Wolf is also around $1500 now.

Wow. To me it's not worth near that.

I traded for the one I showed. It came with the Lone Wolf stock and a Jewell trigger. They had it priced for about what a model 7 would cost.

So, I guess I got a good deal, especially if Lone Wolf stocks are that valuable...

DF

The same stock(Lone Wolf) was $700 and now goes for $1400?I'd go Edge all the way and not look back. Monashee

David Walter;
As my fellow Canuck 'fire member kutenay mentioned, there is a Canadian stock maker that I've worked with on two rifles now that I was very satisfied with.

Here's a link to the company - Wildcat Composites - out of Edmonton or close to there anyway.

http://wildcatcomposites.com/remington.html

Now there are a couple things to note about Stuart's stocks and one is that they aren't finished per se, but I would say that his "unfinished" blanks had less holes in it than a supposedly finished stock from another maker I worked on.

The other thing is that he doesn't offer a bunch of styles, typically one mould for each type of action that he makes a stock for - so if you don't like the one he offers well then I'm not sure what the options might be.

They are quite light though and the front section from the action forward is extremely stiff - due to his carbon fiber I beam I'd believe.

Here's a photo of a blank from one of the rifles I built - it appears to be the 98 Mauser blank. Please note this weight does include the moulded in bases for the sling swivels but does not include either the recoil pad, sling swivels installed or epoxy bedding as yet.



Anyway, hopefully that was some use to you sir. Good luck on your rifle build whichever way you decide.

Regards,
Dwayne

PS:
I tried for a couple hours to drill and mill out a Remington ADL laminated stock into some semblance of a lightweight. Although I ended up knocking off about 8-10oz, it still wasn't anybody's idea of a light stock.

Hey, Dwayne, can you post pix of the butt of that blank, I am interested in what type of comb he offers and if one must have a cheekpiece.

I am probably going to do a few more customs on Brno actions with sts. tubes and synthetic handles and would use Stuart's blanks if the design works for me.

The Lone Wolf I handled was the same as above, I did not care for it, as I posted and I would NEVER pay the current asking price for whatever they offer now.

Doc, from MPI called me a week or so ago and I am quite interested in his blanks, I like the design and may even go with a blank bottom and one/two of his "Mountain Rifle"models to cut weight for a pair of "geezer guns" in .280Rem. Lots of options now, not like when I built my first "plastic" gun in 1985.

kutenay;
I trust that this finds you well tonight sir.

This is the 2nd attempt here at a photo...the new photobucket is giving me absolute fits.



OK, unless this one vanishes as well into the clouds, this shows the comb and cheek piece on the 98 style he offers.

While I suppose it would be possible to rasp it off, one would definitely be through the outer skin and into the foam core at that point and I'd be worried about how that would affect the integrity of the stock.

As a by the way, the recoil pad in the photo is still the original 5 oz Decelerator which has since been changed out for a blank that I picked up from the good folks at Corlane's up in Dawson Creek.

Their blank isn't quite as easy on the shoulder as a Decelerator, but did drop an honest 3oz from the total weight.

Oh, I do know that starting with a 98 action isn't the bright way to build a true lightweight rifle. It was just one of "those projects" that I started and it kind of grew a life of it's own....

I did end up with an honest 7lb 98 when I was done, which was more or less the windmill that I'd saddled up to tilt at.

As to was it worth it? Well I wish I'd started with either a Brno or small ring Husqvarna now, but as you can see, I didn't.

Hopefully that was some use to you sir. All the best to you on your future rifle builds and hunts.

Dwayne

I've worked with Lone Wolf, Brown, McM, HS and others. I reworked the bedding on the Lone Wolf stock pictured earlier. I'm not convinced Lone Wolf is nearly as good as they think it is. They have a proprietary bedding process that they're really proud of. If it's all that much better than standard bedding, I don't know. For what they charge for it, I hope it's a lot better...

I don't understand the business plan for the new company that Lone Wolf became part of. Seems to me they're pricing themselves out of the market.

McM Edge or Brown Precision would be two viable choices for very light weight rifles, IMHO.

DF

A filthy stinking rich .com millionaire thought it would be a good idea. That's pretty much the business model in a nut shell.

Look on the bright side. At least he didn't buy RL Winston and Simms waders.

I'm in the process of skelitonizing a model 7 ss 308 -the stock is the odd looking one that came off of a remington 673 guide gun that gun had a magnum barrel channel [#3].
I took a rip saw w/a fine trim cutting blade laid the stock on flat surface -placed knee on stock and put the blade through the stock and out the other side through the cheekpiece-laf-.
Then did it on the lower edge of the stock -then finished the two big cuts w/a jigsaw- +hacked off 1 1/2" of the forend and started sanding-i have a bit of sanding left to do then i'll refinish the raw wood/laminate.
Someone told me that laminated wood didn't take normal wood finishes very well -so i'm contenplating sanding the whole stock down and refinishing it w/ leather die that i was told to use.
The stock is light wood / dark wood finish in the laminate and ain't too pretty to me -so i might make it a darker brown or maybe charcoal color w/a very low gloss finish.
It sure lightened it up -no more mod7 feel -still might hog a little more wood out of the pistol grip area w/a paddle bit.
My new computer won't recognize my camera no matter what i do -so can't get pics onto photobucket -i could send pics via phone if'n somebody wanted to post them.