I'd like to get as lightweight a synthetic stock as I can, without sacrificing quality, for my Remington 700 ADL - 7 mag. Anyone have any recommendations? I've heard mention of MPI and High Tech. Are those good choices? How much work is necessary to prep the stock for installation on the rifle? Thanks.

Jayloar,

The nicest, lightest synthetic stock for an ADL I've seen is the Brown Precision stock, as made for the 700FS (I have two of them).

It is a drop-in stock. This may still be available from Brown.

George

------------------
Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

I'd recommend Brown Precision also. You can buy their stocks as a finished 'drop in', or you can buy a blank and do the finishing and painting yourself. Either way, they're light, extremely stable, and very,very tough.

I've also got two Brown Precision stocks. Very happy with them. Super lightweight, without sacrificing anything. They're not cheap ($300+), but if you want quality, you won't be disappointed.

I have used both the MPI one pound stock blank and the Brown 1-pounder. I have used only the blank not the finished product. But, I will not use anything but the brown in the future. Far less work to finish it.

I've used 2 High Tech stocks. They are very high quality, light, require bedding and finishing (less work to finish than the Brown stocks). Also their prices are very reasonable.

Jayloar:

Brown makes a kevlar pounder and then a standard fiberglass. The pounder, just like the name suggests, is supposed to come in at around 16-18 oz. The glass blank is supposed to come in around 20-22 oz. The Brown is strong. I particularly like the aesthetics of the stock. It is a nice design.

High Tech makes a glass stock which comes in at around 18-20 oz too. I bedded one High Tech and got a little bedding compound too far up around the barrel. I ended up ripping the forearm off with my bare hands (not on purpose mind you) as I was trying to pull the barreled action out. I also tore up another High Tech when I did not use enough release agent. IMHO: they are not rugged enough. The Brown is more rugged. I have made similar errors with Brown stocks and could not destroy them (trying to get the action out). Whereas I did so with two High Tech's. Duane Spooner (who posts here) has had good success with the High Tech and likes them. (He is probably better at applying release agent than me). The High Tech does come out of the mold very, very smooth and clean---a little more so than the
Brown. However, I would still take the Brown. BTW: you can buy a Brown blank for about $190.00 and bed and paint it yourself. It is kind of a fun project.

Lone Wolf Adventure Gear purports to make a 13-16 oz. glass stock and a 10 0z carbon fiber for the Rem 700. I have had two of their glass stocks. A problem I encountered (when I was trying to strengthen one by laying in some carbon fiber) is that if you expose it to about 150 degrees heat (like in your wife's oven!) it goes very soft. I think the problem is that (1) they do not use a high enough temperature post-cure epoxy and (2) they have taken lightness to far. There is simply no material in the void areas of the stock to support the glass when it gets hot.

Finally, Borden (formerly Pacific Precision?) makes a very nice stock for the 700 that weighs about 20 oz. unfinished. The Borden would be the cadillac of all the above stocks. Their finished price is expensive, but some times they have rejects which only have cosmetic flaws and which they will sell cheap.

All of the above weights are without recoil pad (except the LWAG---I think those weights include pads).

Regards,

Jordan+

I have 3 High Tech and one Brown on my "Walking Varmint"/ deer rifles. I personally like the High Tech better because of the fit. They just seem to fit me right and they are light. Brown may be more rugged but you couldn't tell it by me.
BTW Duane Spooner has done the stock work on all my rifles, heck he built the rifles.

Good Shooting
Jeff in ND

[This message has been edited by Jeff in ND (edited 08-09-2001).]

I've never seen the High Tech. But, with this many positive comments I would like to check them out. Do they have a web site?

i too have had good success with the high tech stocks. they feel like the walnut mountain rifle stocks. slim but all the right dimensions. try brownells. i believe they stock them...
good luck!
whtlhntr