I need to get a new stock for my 30-'06 deer slayer. The Tupperware that's currently on it is just that. So, it's time to get in on the 4th of July sale on a McMillan through The Fire.
It has been a long time since I shouldered a rifle with a McMillan, and I don't recall what particular stock it was, so I need some of youz guys advice on one. I like the looks of the WINCHESTER SUPERGRADE, the WINCHESTER PRE-64 MONTE CARLO, the WINCHESTER CLASSIC, the WINCHESTER SUPERGRADE, and the Remington Classic (or would that be considered blasphemous?) I am 6'2" tall, and wear heavy gear when hunting with this rifle. Most 'regular' sized stocks fit me pretty well.
Anyway, here are a couple of pics of it.


It is an M70 Classic Stainless and, according to fellow member winchester70, it is about 9-10 years old. Currently wearing Leopold mount&rings, and a Bushnell 4200 3.5-10X.

A McMillan supergrade with EDGE tech. would be the ticket, I think.

My first McM was an Edge pattern stock - way too small/compact for me. I have large hands, and it was not a good fit for me. I now have 4 or 5 Supergrades - a couple of Edge fills and a couple of regular fills. Still debating ordering another Edge fill Supergrade via the 4th of July sale - have a donor ready to rebarrel to 257WSM.

Call D'Arcy Echols and order a Legend from him, made by McMillan. For a (full size) M70 standard sporter, there's nothing else even close.



EDITED TO ADD: As said below, the compact is a very fine stock but I prefer it for the fwt style rifles. For a lighter M70 it would be my first choice. But for your full size sporter...Legend.

I like the Edge style (Compact if you want it with fiberglass). I like the slim profile, but like TXRam you may not like the slimmer stocks. It does have a pretty open grip so I'm guessing TXRam's dislike for it had less to do with the grip and more to do with the overall slim design of the stock.

I use a Supergrade on a .375 and like it. It's a little to "full" for me in a regular sporter. I had one with Edge tech as well but sold it and went with the Edge style.

Both stocks handle recoil well. There's a M70 stock thread in the Custom Rifles section you'll want to check out.

JCM

I think this should get you to the thread on M70 stocks....it's a good thread for info:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2639753/page/3/fpart/1

I've got a Winchester Classic with blind mag I could sell. PM me if interested.

JCMCUBIC, thanks for the link to the photo essay.
RickF, do you have a ballpark price on those stocks - I don't like bugging someone over the phone if it's too pricey

I bought mine about a year ago. At that time I paid just over $400. It was very similar to the standard prices on the campfire or what McMillan charges. D'Arcy was phenomenal to deal with.

I'm not trying to take business away from the Bins. But I've had the McMillan M70 classic (outdated design), the G&H (the grip was too small for me and the comb flute dug into the base of my thumb)and the super grade (designed after the first generation post-1990 classic M70, they feel like a 2X4). Also factory pre-64 monte carlo stocks. For a standard sized M70 sporter the Legend is king.

P.S. Here are some pics of the Legend, with a compact on top and a M700 classic on the bottom. It's a bigger stock all-around than the compact. Straighter comb with less drop, more gracefully shaped yet more handfilling grip, and more oval shaped foreend (vertically) than the classic. I love the classic, but it's a definite second to the Legend. I don't think the M700 McClassic is available inletted for the M70 anyhoo.

The Legend will run a few more bucks when the dust settles. The bolt notch and ejector flat will need to be cut, and a recoil pad installed. Oh yeah, and studs installed. It is essentially a blank. But it is worth it.

Thanks for the additional pics. That McSwirly looks great. Pricing is surprising, too!

Your advice and opinions are really appreciated, and I don't want to push my luck, but do you have a pic of the other side of that Legend stock? I'd like to see the cheek piece.
Also. yours looks to have 3 colors. Mind sharing the recipe?

Good point. They handle recoil very well. I got a standard fill supergrade swirly on a 375 H&H and a supergrade EDGE on my 300 Ultra.

No problem. I just took these, at night with artificial light. I don't pretend to be a photographer so bear with me.

Re the color, it's 60% dark green and 40% medium tan. I really like. I don't believe, however, that D'Arcy will take swirly orders any longer. Just too much hassle for him although I could be wrong. But here's the good news. The last I spoke to him (6-8 months ago) he was considering having a supply of Legend stocks, in stock, so we could buy without the 5-6 month wait. These would be inletted for M70's and a couple of different barrel channels and bottom metals.

I would have no problem ordering up a standard gray Legend. Put some black and white webbing on it, and it would look fantastic. A couple of years back, Phil Shoemaker (458Win on here) did an article in RIFLE magazine on high end stocks with that exact pattern and it looked great.

I had a McMillan G&H, a factory super grade, and last a Brown Precision classic on this rifle, a 358 Norma. In my opinion, the Brown had by far the best shape of the bunch and handled recoil the best. But even it was far behind the Legend for ergonomics and handling recoil. Everything with this stock just "fits".

For a lightweight rifle, it wouldn't be my first choice. But for a heavy recoiling sporter, and for me the 300Win is getting into that territory, this is my first and only choice.

Note that all this is just my opinion, and I'm wrong a lot!



The checkering, everything, about this stock is just really nice.



This pic shows the recoil pad, which is nice and wide to help soak up the recoil.



Hope this helps.

I have a McMillan Supergrade on a Model 70 Featherweight,and would not do it again.The stock is a copy of the factory wood and has a very flat bottom to the forend that I do not care for.I won't replace it because I don't use that rifle a lot,but my next Model 70 will wear a Legend. Monashee

That's the truth. If the forend where rounded it would be a MUCH better stock.....JMHO.

JCM

Probably doesn't balance worth a damn either.

Actually,with the 24" Magnum barrel it balances just fine(it's a .300WSM).It's the stock shape, not the balance that I don't like.It's killed it's share of game,but it sits in the rack mostly now. Monashee

Made the call to Echols, and spoke to a knowledgeable guy named Brian. Most of the stuff he told me about was already covered by RickF.
Not much price difference between ordering a stock from McMillan, or through Echols. Of course, I have to account for drilling and installing sling swivels, the bolt and bolt-release cutouts, and a butt pad
Plus bedding, unless I do that myself.
What would that add to the cost?

I have owned the Supergrade, the Compact, the standard 70, the featherweight, and the Echols Legend. RickF and I are of exactly the same mind: for a gun with a featherweight contour barrel, the compact is tops, for a larger gun/heavier barrel, the Legend pulls ahead.

They do take a few hours of effort, but you can do it just the way you want. For instance, I think the factory McMillans come with a bolt notch that is much larger than need be--the ones I cut on my Legends are much smaller.

RickF, can you tell us a bit more about your Legend-stocked Winchester M70?

You mentioned that it�s a .358 Norma Magnum. What�s the barrel length and barrel contour on your rifle. And the length of pull of the stock? What scope do you have aboard? And finally, what does this rifle setup weigh � rifle, mounts and scope, no ammo and no sling? That would be very interesting.

Over the years I handled a few of the Echols Legend Rifles at the shows, and the stock does feel amazingly �right.� It seems angled and rounded in all the right places, and I especially like the way it fills and positions my trigger hand. However, the Legends Rifles are no lightweights. Not that light weight is everything, all the time. In .300 and up, I imagine the Legend stock to be just what the doctor ordered with its weight and balance helping matters.

That being said, I�m curious how your rifle tips the scales.

I'm on the run at the moment, will type more later...

Timberline,

Re my 358 Norma, it's not a standard contour. Greydog on here made it for me, and I made a mistake. I ordered it with a barrel that was way too heavy. It was very muzzle heavy. Back then it sat in a Brown Precision stock. After a while I sent back to Bill, with instructions to turn down the barrel until it balanced like it should. He did that, turning it down to a very graceful contour, .635" at the muzzle. Re length, it's 23 1/2". No scientific reason, I couldn't decide how long to go and settled on it as it's a nice round number. If I was to do it again I might go an inch shorter, the Norma doesn't need a long barrel to run.

About a year ago I got the Legend stock. I use a 13 3/4" LOP, just because that's what fits me.

The scope is a VX-III 1.75-6X32 matte with Premier Reticles #4 reticle. It sits in Leupold low rings.

It weighs 8# 5oz, and is very slightly butt heavy. It is a fantastic rifle.

Thanks RickF. Good information. It does look like a dandy rifle! I'd love to have one just like it but in .338 Winchester Magnum.