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Need some opinions on a good hunting stock to go on a 700sa, varmint weight barreled action. It will be a .450 Bushmaster for stand type hunting. I only have about a mile walk to my furthest stand so not terribly far. Any opions on BDL vs ADL? I dont want anything with a palmswell and dont want a wide or bulky forend. I want to go with the aluminum bedding block as well. I dont want a thumbhole stock. So far Im looking at Stockys M50 laminated, Stockys M50 carbon fiber and H.S. Precision psv 002. Are there others in the same price range to consider? Any opinions on the 3 stocks I have in mind?

Slapped an HS on my 700 sporter .243 and am content.
Was not unhappy w the factory Tupperware that had been stiffened in the fore end w epoxy.
But it was the older checkered type.

Kept the stock in case I come across a deal on a .308 LOL

Thanks. I have always used H.S. for all my other rifles I replaced a stick on. Wasnt sure if there was a trimmer package out there for a heavier barreled gun without going McMillan.

Just my 2 cents. Skip the bedding block deal. Pillar and glass it and you'll have a lot more options.


You're barrel won't be totally limiting. I can probably get my SPS rem Varmint to fit my Browns Precision Pound'r...which is a very VERY slim trim stock. I actually have. It's just a smidge tight.



You're building a custom rifle. Don't cheap out on the stock. It's the foundation of the rifle and the stock and trigger are the only things you as a shooter actually feel.


Figure out exactly what you want from the stock.



Lots of used stocks float around and can help save some money and most times, color is temporary. Lol.

Internal mag, floor plates, or DBMs are upto you. You're obviously not counting fractions of an ounce so it doesn't matter. Go with what you want.


Don't know other companies....my last Manners I ordered with a specific not so common DBM inlet. It fit like a glove.


You have about 11 months...you can order the stock of your dreams from most places and get exactly what you want.



I say all this because I've been through all this. And continue doing it. Lol. Too many times. Buy something without putting enough thought into it and trying to save a couple bucks and end up costing myself more time and money.

Bell and Carlson Has patterns that will be slimmer than the HS and you can get them with the bedding block if that is what you want.

https://www.stockysstocks.com/

You could buy one of the Remington 700 BDL/CDL stocks that Stocky's is selling for $228 and open the barrel channel for your rifle's barrel profile. No bedding block, but if you glass bed your barreled action into a laminated stock it isn't going to move.

A lot of stocks including the Remington factory stuff have enough drop at the heel to make the cheekpiece hit me hard on recoil. I like minimal drop. Since the demise of Fajen, I have been using Richards Microfit but then I am willing to do work to fit the barreled action and finish the outside. Laminated is stronger but heavier than walnut, with bastogne being the toughest walnut usually. They offer a lot of laminated patterns, and you can stain the unfinished stock if you want it darker/more subdued.

I like the h&s myself
Haven’t tried the others tho

It would be nice to be able to handle them all to get a feel of what fits best.

I'm currently in the v-e-r-y s-l-o-w process (almost 2 years now) of building a custom rifle based on a Savage 111GNS 7mmRM donor I purchased for $295. First thing I did was rip the barrel off as it was rusty and pitted inside and out. Then I had the action Cerakoted. The Cerakote job had a minor cosmetic flaw (like a drip run 1/4" long on the receiver) and ended up being free. The plan is to get a match-grade barrel for it, chambering yet to be decided. (Except that it won't be 7mm RM or anything else I already have.)

The trigger is pre-AccuTrigger and someone had buggered up the spring. Replaced the spring and adjusted the trigger - don't see a need to replace it.

The stock is birch. My intent was to replace the stock but the longer I think about it and the more I look at options the more I think the stock will stay - but with the action bedded, possibly with pillars. Turns out birch is a good option for stocks and better than walnut in some respects - but definitely not as pretty. It is fairly light (and can be made lighter), strong and straight-grained (think not as prone to warpage). Might paint the stock or strip it and stain it black, so pretty grain is unimportant. I've looked at MDT, Oryx and other chassis-type stocks and ruled them out. Same with Boyds' and Stocky's. I like the light weight birch just fine, even if it isn't a beauty queen, Paint can do wonders but I may not bother with that or stain. Pretty is not the goal.

The goal is a half-MOA shooter or better, the cheaper the better. I have a .473" bolt head so I can go with a .532" or .473" cartridge head. The leading candidates ae 6.5PRC and 280AI. Hoping to have a fully assembled half-MOA or better shooter in a carry-weight rifle for around $650.

The current component (particularly brass) shortage for a new-to-me cartridge gives me a lot of time to consider options, including what cartridge to get the barrel chambered for. But cheap (in the inexpensive sense) is goodness so long as function isn't sacrificed.

We did a similar thing for my brother. He bought a used Savage 110 '06 and used it for a year or two. We then screwed on a Shaw .280AI 24" barrel and a Rifle Basix trigger. He refinished the stock with a light stain and true oil and we added a pre-fit recoil pad. Works quite nicely. Three buck and a couple doe later, he'll keep it.

I often migrate to laminated wood these days for custom stocks. Almost as stable as good synthetic, warmer and nicer looking, very strong and suitable for glass bedding, no pillars needed. I have my fourth Richards on order, all are laminates--brown/brown, red/black, royal, and now autumn leaves. Yes, they are heavier than walnut, but the OP said he did not have far to walk.

Im going to go get a feel of a few stocks Friday. I do like the lam's and dont mind the weight at all. I just want to move away from the bulk for the most part.