I have one of the stainless, short action Montana 1999s that I had Montana barrel before they mailed the action to me. The barrel is a .308 21" #3 contour. I had the barreled action bedded into a McMillan Swirly in the Win Supergrade pattern. Though I haven't weighed the rifle, it is extremely heavy compared to all of my other rifles. I really don't like the feel of the stock either. I will most likely restock the rifle with something lighter, maybe a bansner. Is there anything else I can do to lighten the action, i.e lightning cuts in the action, etc? Is it a sin to go ADL style on a Model 70 type action?

You could have the barrel fluted, or turned. Obviously, if you have it turned it wouldn't fit in the stock correctly anymore. I would choose getting it fluted myself. I wouldn't mess around with the action, you may decide to just rebarrel and get a new stock.

Bummer, nothing worse than getting a semi-custom, or full blown custom and deing dis-satisfied. I've been down that road.

the Montana actions are rediculously heavy. You are already starting out WAY too heavy, so all the work you do to it will absically be wasted. Go with Rem. or Win if you want a lighter weight rifle in the High Tech or similar stock. I would go with a lighter barrel than the #3. If you want to go extreme, you can make a .308 wehigh 5# 2 oz with the scope monuted on it.

Welcome to the forum Hardin. I had one of those M1999 SS SA's put in a Bansner and it helped the weight and balance but I could not love that rifle. It was just too course.

Now if your left handed thats another story but do what I did and get rid of it. I lost about $700 on the deal and I would do it again in a minute. It's over and it can't haunt me any more.

I have other guns. The 308 Kimber I got is so sweet I wish I could put it under my pillow. Hope the wife does not read this.

I have a Montana LH in .30-06 built by Hill Country Rifles. On their recommendation I got the Supergrade made with the Edge technology, and I love the stock and love the gun. Since you don't like the Supergrade, McMillan can probably make their other stocks with the Edge. With a 3-9x42 scope my whole rig weighs just under 8 lbs. That is light to me, but I don't know what your final goal is.

Thanks for the responses fellas. I think I'll try to lighten it up with a Bansner. The barrel is actually a #2, not a #3 as I originally stated. The barrel and action are stainless and Montana bead blasted them before they shipped it to me. The action has been slicked up internally and the trigger was tuned by a very good smith.

One final question.....Is it a sin to put a blind magazine on a 70 type action? Okay sin or not, is there any problems with doing this. I can't recall ever seeing a blind 70.

There's lots of ways you can carve up any action to lighten it but in the end a ULA or Kimber will cost less than what you have in that rig after the work is done. I'd break off the barrel, save it or sell it and rebarrel to a caliber better suited to the weight of the rig. But that's just me.

One of my MRC shorties is waiting on a barrel now to be a 376 Styer and the second I haven't decided.
Maybe 358 Win or the not-so-new 338-08 Hornady just came out with.

The bottom metal on the Montana weighs 7 oz Switch to a Bansers you'll lose another7 oz. I use a Brown precisiion recoil pad that weighs one ounce compared to about 5 oz for a standard pad. There's 18 ozs. Talley makes 2 oz scope rings, and Leupold makes some 8 oz scopes

Hardin,

I don't know if a M70 action can be lightened like my M700 action here. It had the barrel removed and then the action was placed in a lathe and "mid-turned" to removed metal. Then both sides of the rear top of the action had lightening cuts made. As you can see the bolt was swiss cheese drilled too. The entire rifle in 30-06 w/ M8 4x, Conetrol rings/bases, barrel turned to .550" weighs 6 lbs 8 oz.

Big Al