You can remove the gel and replace with spray foam and net 5-7 oz weight loss. I have seen a lot of speculation that the gel is added to up the weight so that people will still view Montana's as the lighter option. And yeah I'm hoping with the chop there would be enough meat for 1/2-28 but if it must be thinner I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
That's not speculation, it's fact. The 84M Hunters ended up being about 3/8 lb lighter than the equivalent Montana models. This was true for 84M and 84L and it was decided by the VP of sales that 8oz should be added to each stock. The added weight had to be cheap, it couldn't shoot loose, couldn't be removed easily and had to dampen sound and vibration. Originally a 2-part polyurethane rubber was added to both the wrist and the buttstock volumes which had communication via a "window". The vendor wanted to close up the window and only add rubber to the buttstock volume. Testing seemed to indicate that the change actually improved accuracy/precision. Testing over the years has also shown that the Hunter rifles tend to be more accurate/precise and certainly more consistent than the Costa Rica stocked alternatives.
I have an 84M .300 Blackout barrel if anyone's interested. It's the Adirondack type with 5/8-24 threads at the muzzle.
