Last year I bought a savage hog hunter in 308. I live near Myrtle Beach, SC and hunt in the swamp. The area I hunt is over run with hogs. I finally got my fiancé interested in hunting/shooting so I "gave" her my 700 in 30-06, had a stock maker make her a beautiful wood stock, and bought the savage. The 700 is a beautiful gun and I wanted a good swamp rifle that I wouldn't cry if was dropped, got wet, scratched, etc.

The biggest fault I can find in the gun is the stock. It's very flimsy. I have been looking at the Bell and Carlson medalist stocks. I've never actually been able to hold one so was hoping for some insight. Hog/deer hunting is starting back up next month and will be in Texas in December for some hunting. Want a reliable set up that can handle abuse without adding 20lbs. Also I'm not very experienced in accurizing/upgrading bolt guns. If I buy the BC stock, should I have a smith fit it, bed it, or anything? Not trying to spend a fortune.

Thanks
Dale

By all accounts they're pretty darned good stocks. Bedding won't hurt.

I have three of the B&C stocks and plan on another. Have a good smith bed and float, well worth the money.

You can drop in your gun in the B&C stock yourself. You don't need a gunsmith. That stock has an aluminum block and won't require bedding. But for hunting I would choose a different stock. That medalist stock is very heavy.

Other suggestions in the ballpark price range?

Choate and HS Precision make some good stocks for Savage. I like the Choate Tactical, but it's a little heavier than the others.

http://www.riflestock.com/store/do/product/25-06-12

I agree. It is heavy. And the palm swell is huge. Not as good on a hunting stock IMO. Atleast not one where you may be snap shooting.

I'd look at hs precision stocks, or hogue

I had a choate. It's way too heavy for a hunting rifle.

I like the look/price of the hogue. Anyone have experience with them on their savage?

Aside from the stock, the bolt cycling leaves a lot to be desired compared to my 700 but I guess that's a subject for another day

I forgot about Houge. I actually had one on a Savage 11. It's a nice upgrade from the factory stock. I think I found mine on Amazon for $60ish.

Think I may be ordering one. Reviews are mixed as with everything on the internet but knocks are collects dirt and still flimsy. Collect dirt isn't a killer because it's a gun... Just want to be sure it's a good upgrade for ~$150

If you're changing stocks because your old one is flimsy, I would look somewhere other than Hogue. They feel really nice, but the fore end is unsupported in the hogue, same as your Savage stock. This means you can run into issues when shooting off a bipod or other rest that's out towards the end of the stock. You may look around online and see if you can find a Savage Accustock cheap. It's still injection molded, but it has an aluminum bedding block throughout and are typically really accurate. That would be the most cost effective option.

Lookup and learn epoxy bedding. Sand down the inside and epoxy the forearm really well. Take off the cap and fill the end of the stock and palm grip with construction foam. Cheaply done.

Speaking on the hogue or the factory stock?

I was planning to spend around $300 preferably for a decent stock for hunting. If B&C is to heavy and many are to expensive, what else is in ballpark

Take a look at the B&C M40 stock. It's a little lighter than the medalist, is drop in and has an aluminum chassis that would save you a bedding job.

Just to go a route different than what's been suggested, you could do a Boyds laminated stock for $100

I have 2 of the B&C stocks both on T3's. Best upgrade I've done for them to date, much better feel and I like the full length bedding block. Good stuff.

You can get a Hogue with a full length block.

I was under the impression the Boyd's were pretty damn heavy and being something I'll drag around the woods was trying to avoid that. I agree the price and options look great from Boyd's but worried about mass.

I'll check out the lighter weight B&C now and see about the full length block hogue.

Thanks for all the help!

I have two and they are good stocks.

FWI The stock on the hog hunter will be fine for hunting IMO. I think a significant upgrade is gonna add unnecessary weight that you probably do not want.

Well damn, was planning to order the M40 stock today then realized they don't offer it in a blind magazine. That sucks. Kinda up in air again...

this, with a bedding job

Note that not all of the Boyds stocks are heavy. They CAN be heavy, but many of their models can be had with regular walnut instead of laminated wood. It is the laminated wood that is slightly heavier than usual.

In some cases, there are several grades of walnut offered. - You get what you pay for, in that case.

Most of the Boyds stocks can be as economical or as fancy as you wish. Use the "Custom" option list to see what is available for the stock design that you like. Some have considerably more options than others.

Personally, I do not mind a bit of extra weight. Yes, it is more tiring to carry, but it also soaks up recoil and can add steadiness to a rifle when shooting offhand. - All of that depends upon both personal preference, and the intended use for the firearm.

Like said above, you can get the Hogue with a full length aluminum chasis. I would think the rubberized coating would be ideal for your use in the swamp. Love the feel of mine. P_102