The original M77 in .458 Win Mag in a walnut stock had a lot of extra metal in the forearm - a steel brace at an angle that was attached to the barrel with a bolt and the other end into a "slot" in the forearm that acted as a second recoil lug. It was a lot of extra metal to save the stock from breaking at the tang and/or the magazine well. I found all of that when I disassembled mine. I had no idea of all that metal being hidden away in the forearm.
It was a rifle I should have kept, BTW. And it had a 22" barrel with a banded front sight and a contour suitable for a .458. It was very well built as a .458, and I loved the tang safety.
Bob
www.bigbores.ca
