Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats McMillan Stock for Winchester 70

RJ, is that a Hunters Edge/Compact?

See if you can get Rick's Gear Shop to order a Sako Classic with swirly gel-coat, checkering, and lightweight fill for your Winny. That's what you really want.

Barring that option, get the pre-64 Monte inletted for your Winny. Great all-arounder meant for scope use.

Or, get the Echols Legend and simply live with the bit larger forend. Best recoil reduction.

Compact is too low of comb--it was built for open sights, unless you've got a fat face and shoot heads up.
Classic is more of the same.
The Bridges is superb except the grip is too open for anything but offhand shooting.
Hunter is ugly and not great for offhand shooting, and it's ugly. Nice palm swell, and ugly.


As to fill weight, I would not go "edge" if it were me. Ask for the lightweight fill on a swirly gel coat. That is only about 4+ ounces more than an edge fill, and it is a much better/solider feeling stock. The edge fill feels like a hollow shell and is much colder in the hands when temps really drop. A non-painted gel coat has color all the way through so it doesn't show wear/tear much either.

Checkering, they used to do either way that you requested--now they are stubborn about doing it one way or the other depending on style. But, if you can get checkering, then I would, as it makes nice traction and gives a little more warmth in the hands when carrying. You often have to negotiate with them to add it or take away. Most of their molds have it available and they simply fill it if you don't want it.

If you get sick of the Mickey run around, then get in touch with Mark Bansner and try to get back on the list for the David Miller pre-64 style stock. In some ways, a thinner version of the Echols Legend. Or see if you can scrub up a Brown Precision classic style, or see if they are ready yet to make them again. Wonderful design and construction, and lighter than a Mickey.

I would definitely vote Edge fill as it seems like the more recent edge stocks aren’t so edgy. My Sako Classic with Edge fill came out to 28 ounces, not terrible but would have loved for a few ounces less.

270 is not punishing, no reason to tote extra weight with it.

Marble finished Edge fill are now only offered with those finishes that have a black background. Seems the black carbon shell occasionally showed thru the finish. Black background covers it. Glad I got my McWoody Edge when I did.

DF

CoryP, It is a regular Hunters Edge. The Compact came out after I bought this one. RJ

Excellent! Thank you sir!!

I have three of the featherweights but I'm leaning to the Compact for my next one.

257Bob

Any chance you could post a couple pictures of those Featherweights?

I’m trying to decide between a Fwt and a Compact either in McWoody

Thanks

New BACO Model 70 Winchester 308 in McM featherweight stock 70%OD Green, 15%Black and 15% Light Grey. Weighs 7# 14 ounces as shown so not a flyweight. I have been extremely happy with rifle and stock.

Is the Sako classic close to the Remington Mountain Rifle stock? Curious about it

Not totally sure but they feel real similar to the wood stocked CDLs I’ve had in the past. I like the Sako Classics quite a lot on the Tikkas.

I would go edge fill on a featherweight. Sure it’s lighter, but more importantly it shifts the balance point forward.

I'm 6'1" and have one of each. The featherweight and compact. I feel that the extra 1" (which is the difference in over all length) on the featherweight style fits me much better.

For comparison sake, my SC 270 in an edge fill Fwt pattern with Talley lightweights and Burris FFII 3-9 goes 7lb 6oz, balances nicely.

Opt for a short action and swap the Burris for a M-8 6x36 and I bet you would be right at 7lbs sans sling and ammo.

For me 7.5-8 lbs is about right so I’m sticking with what I got.

Agree with this totally. The rifle pictured above is with a heavier Zeiss Conquest, Warne Maxima Steel bases and Burris Zee rings. With the same scope and DNZ mount it weighed about 4oz less. This is std fill stock too. Not really a complaint as much as a rather is getting a bit more meat in forearm. I will happily buy another featherweight pattern but would prefer a bit more in the forearm tip. My stock hasn’t been bedded yet and is a little finicky about where rest hits forearm on the bench. But it has dispatched everything I’ve pointed at with a single shot and shoots the handful of factory ammo I’ve tried about the same, 1-1.25”. I shot a 10 shot group of about 2” without allowing it to cool with factory fusions.

Both the Hunters Edge and the Featherweight are hard to beat for a thinner barrel up to a #2 Lilja or Rock. I like the Hunter a little more at the end of the day.

This thread is priceless for anyone considering a stock for M70.

Photo essay

Yes, it sure is. Thanks for bringing it back around. Shame so many of the pics are gone or held blurry hostage.