Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats M70 custom build weight

So,

I've secured a WSM model 70 action with the aim of building a light-ish weight 300wsm. Action is a classic stainless.

Heres what I'm thinking:

McM Hunters edge
23" fluted #2 barrel OR factory EW contour duplicate
Talley lightweights
vVX-5HD 3-15x44

My question is to the knowledge bank here is what sort of weight am I looking at? I'm aiming to be at 8lbs scoped and no heavier. Hoping I can get this done without having to use a #1 contour barrel as I'm not a fan of the pencil barrels. Also, any idea how this would balance if you have a similar setup?

Thanks in advance

I'd say you'd be pretty close to that 8lbs. mark...a good place to be with a 300 WSM, if you need to drop weight look at swapping the BM for PT&G aluminum.

Having had a couple ew rifles, one in an edge stock weighed 7 3/4 pounds with a Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 on top. Balanced very nicely. The other was in a hunters compact standard fill swirly and it weighed closer to 8.5 pounds, but with a heavier scope on top (nikon monarch 3-12). Like handwerk said, your 8 pound goal is very attainable. 8 pounds is a good shooting weight as well. My current 300WSM weighs in at 7.2 pounds scoped, but at that weight, you don't want to shoot it all day long... Great for packing around the woods though..

So, if you are going to duplicate the EW contour, why not just get an EW and swap out the stock? Honestly, it’s not as exciting, but you’ll come out way ahead by just getting an EW. You can sell the takeoff stock to fund your McMillan, but you may not save any weight over the Bell Carlson stock.

I think you’re on the right track to be around 8 pounds if you do build. Couple things that I felt on my last build put me over my goal weight. First was that barrel weight can change significantly based on how much shank is left on and the contour selected. Try for as minimal amount of shank as you can and really spend some time with those contour weight calculators some manufactures have. I selected a Lila #2 and wished I had gotten a #1 contour.

Second was the stock; McMillan edge stocks are coming out of the mold a little heavy these days. I asked a question about it a couple month ago, but seemed like most folks stocks were weighing 27 - 28 ounces, not the 22 - 24 ounces of yesteryear. Good news it the turnaround is much quicker. Ordered one July 21 and it was done August 21.

PT&G floorplate can save you an ounce or two. I’ve heard that every ounce saved costs $100 and that has held fairly true when you start looking to cut down on every ounce.

8 pounds is an easily obtainable goal with that your looking at. I would run an aluminum bottom metal either Sunny Hill or PTG. I would go lighter on the barrel contour, either a #1 or factory featherweight duplicate. M70s are big, heavy actions and the only way to save weight is through stock and barrel selections. If you really wanted to save weight, get a Brown Pound'R stock instead of an Edge.

Not sure what kind of flutes you’ll get in most #2’s.

My M70 in a compact edge, #2 rock creek 23” and talleys leupold fixed 6 is right about 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 pounds.

The RC #2 finishes about .58 or .59. Has a pretty short shank. I wouldn’t want much skinnier.

Absolutely right id be way ahead if I just bought an extreme weather and put it in a McM stock. Except I'm in Australia and the factory EW is ridiculously expensive to buy brand new. I WILL do this however if I come across a used EW in 300wsm at a good price. I had one about 2 years ago and never should have sold it.

Another part of me just wants my own rifle, something a bit different from everyone else's. That's probably the bigger factor at play.

The PT&G bottom metal sounds like a great idea also. I'm yet to speak to my gun plumber but wanted to get some advice here beforehand due to the experience of board members with building customs. Barrel contour is something that I'd take the smiths opinion into account on also, just the way as I've taken that of the comments above. I pick up my donor rifle in 3 weeks, a classic stainless. Will see how much that barrelled action weighs alone and use that as a start point on ideas.

Thanks all for your input!

Definitely do the aluminum bottom metal, it'll save about 6 ozs. on a M70.

I’ve got a superb Model 70 Classic Action that my gunsmith, Barry Davis, threaded a new Extreme Weather 30-06 barrel to the action. The action has been blueprinted, and there was enough surface on the barrel that he just retreaded it for a standard model 70 pitch. I’d happily sell it for $750. It’s ready for a stock. PM if interested. Barry does phenomenal work.

Thanks mate but I'm in Australia!

Thanks. Thats quite a substantial weight difference.

I've built a few pre-64 Model 70's which were under 8 pounds and well balanced and some classics as well. The stock and barrel are mutually dependent. A heavy barrel needs a heavier stock, a lighter stock needs a lighter barrel. Balance is more important than weight. GD

My feeling exactly. If you haven't built a M70 of similar design I would consider getting the barreled action back with the new barrel and seeing what the balance feels like in the stock you have on hand and then you can decide if a aftermarket stock should weigh the same, need to be a little lighter, or you need to shed a fair bit of weight in the stock.

Both of these rifles weigh under 8lbs scoped, slung, and loaded. Both have steel bottom metal, steel scope mounts, and #2 contour barrels.

M70 .270 Win EW in McM FW Edge stock, Talley LWT rings, Leupold VX3 3.5-10X40 CDS, 1907 sling, and 5 rounds of 130 grain cartridges in the magazine it weighs 8lbs 9oz. 7lbs 14oz without sling and ammo FWIW. I realize it isn't a short action, but it might give you an idea. Plus you'll have a 6oz heaver scope to start than I'm using.






On the other hand I have a M70 .30-06 SS Classic FWT in McM Hunters Edge stock, blind mag, aluminium TG, Leupold VX3 2.5-8X36, that weighs 7lbs 1oz with no sling or cartridges. I lost the ability to hold one round making it a 4+1 rifle.

Awesome looking rifles. Specs?

Thanks for that, Definitely reinforces to me that I need the PTG bottom metal if I want to get near my target weight. I'm willing to go a couple oz over 8, but not too far.

Have a featherweight at the moment that weights 8lbs 9oz empty. Thats my "too heavy" mark.

Thanks. There are quite a few. :-)

The top one was built by Greydog here has a Douglas #2 barrel chambered in the 7mm Mashburn, it has had the loading port opened, a four round magazine box installed, Williams bottom metal, MRC stainless trigger, and Steve Heillman installed a new bolt handle.

The bottom one was built by Mark Penrod and rebarrelled by greydog. The barrel is a #2 benchmark chambered in 30-06, has a modified and checkered bolt stop, and three panel checkered bolt knob, Blackburn bottom metal, scalloped tang, and shotgun faced trigger.

Both wear Echols Legend edge stocks.

Those are a great looking pair.... the Mashburns better though...

I've build more than my fair share of lightweight M70s... there is some sound advice on this thread already. Stock, barrel and bottom metal choices are key... but optic choice is really what can swing weight up or down... or free up ounces for stock and barrel. I have long admired pathfinder76's rifles (and modeled a few after them), but going with that light 6x36 can really free up ounces for a heavier barrel and full recoil pad... both which add to shootability.
Are you going to be dialing this 300wsm a lot or planning to shoot much past 400y?

I only ask as if you're thinking of maxing out around 400ish or not dialing much, I'd add weight to your barrel and less to your scope. But, if you're dialing a lot and hunting out at longer ranges... add 1-4oz to your scope and go NF compact, SWFA SS or Bushnell LRHS. I really like the VX5's but having worked with a few buddies with theirs... it only reinforced my aversion to CDS dialing system. But, this is not a scope thread

Sounds like you've got a good set up started. Here is a thread I have kept for weight references over the years. Brad has also done these M70 up for weight loss a few times.

Tale of Two 308s

Also, see if you can find a graphite/plastic mag follower for the WSMs... might drop another ounce on the cheap.