Fellows...I realize this thread has been done to death (and that Ray and others will be ill at the thought) but I need (want) to reduce the weight of my hunting rifle...which of the replacement stocks for a M70 has been successful for you? I really like the Brown kevlar Pounder...the McM seems to be a little too heavy, etc. I do want some stiffness, etc. Ideas??? Thanks, Arthur

Arthur,

If you want stiffness ask the stock manufacturer what Young's Modulus is for their stock material. In order for the synthetic to be stiffer than your walnut stock you need a Young's modulus greater than 1.8E6 psi. Additionally, you need to understand what the cross section of the stock is so that you can compare it with the walnut stock. The actual value you are looking for is the area moment of interia, but a simple understanding of the cross section will suffice (areas to consider are the forearm, action, & wrist).

Otherwise, a kelvar or graphite reinforced composite will have the highest strength to weight ratio i.e. be the lightest stock available.

Todd

Arthur,
McMillan Supergrade, weatherby-fill in the action & forearm. Many, many finishes color combos available. I have one in my shop right now weighs just over 2lbs less pad & studs. Not as lite as the pounder though but more stiffer IMO. sure-shot

Arthur:

I have used the Brown Kevlar pounder. It seems like a good stock. I have wondered, however, why they use Kevlar. It is my understanding that Kevlar is not known for its compression strength so much as its wear resistance and tensile strength and is therefore, not really recommended for stocks. As an example, this is why it is not used for "spar caps" composite airplane wings. It's benefit is in abrasion resistance and tougness more than anything. That is why it is used in bullet proof vests.
Carbon fiber (graphite) has much better compressive strength (stiffness) than either Kevlar or fiberglass. Also, I have read that Kevlar does not bond well to epoxy resins. A few years ago, McMillan had a few paragraphs on their web site as to why they did not use Kevlar. It made sense. Based on what I have read, I do not understand why Brown Precision uses it. I would rather they use "S" glass and carbon fiber. In fact, I am thinking about having them make a stock for me and want to send them a piece of graphite cloth to see if they will incorporate it into my stock, instead of Kevlar.

You might also check out Borden's Rimrock rifle stock. They are quite light (blanks about 20-24 ounces) and apparently very well engineered and made.

Jordan

Jordan,
Are you building your '06? I am about to send my action in to Pac-Nor for a #4 fluted. Ackley probably. My stock is a McMillan Rem Sporter in dark purple w/lite grey and black swirl - beautiful to say the least! sure-shot

Sure-Shot:

I have a HVA 4100 lightweight in .30-06. I was thinking of punching it out to Ackley, but the barrel is only 20 1/2" long, so a little more powder probably won't do much for performance in any event. I think I will just keep it as is. Your gun sounds very nice. Post some pics please when you are through.

Jordan

The Rimrock is quite a good stock. It's construction is only glass. The majority of the weight in any composite matrix is derived from the resin not the fiber. Except in very specialized applications s-glass will give you everything you need in a stock.
Delamination and cutting problems can be added to the reasons that kevlar may not be the best choice in a stock due to premature failure and higher production costs respectively.

I've had several Brown Precison fiberglass stocks and one kevlar. Also a kevlar from MPI. I've pillar bedded all of them so any question of compression problems hasn't arisen. I don't see how that would matter. They use the same bonding agent for either the fiberglass or kevlar stocks. I've never had a problem because of the mesh. The MPI stock I acquired was a piece of garbage and took more effort to rebuild into a usefull stock than it is worth, but it's still on a light hunting rifle and has worked out well. No problems whatsoever with the Brown Precision stocks.

MPI Stocks from Portland OR. have been blasted pretty hard on the BB here. It's easy for the inexperianced to jump on the bandwaggon. They make a 13oz. graphite and kevlar stock blank, that if properly bedded and finished weighs in at about 1 1/4 lbs. This stock is not for the novice to install. It requires PROPER pillar bedding. I have a customer that drove over his 4 1/2 lb. Kifaru Ramblin rifle,that is a scoped weight, with his one ton 4X4 camper van. The shell of the stock had several deep holes torn through by the rock road bed. A little repair and repaint and it was as good as new.That was 5 years and several hundred rounds ago.