Bell and Carlson stock/700 ADL?

[EKYHunter]

Considering getting a B&C stock for the 700 ADL .308 I recently purchased. I’ve never purchased an aftermarket stock for a bolt action rifle. I don’t want to spend the extra money for Manners or McMillan. So is the B&C a good replacement for the ADL? Should I plan to bed the rifle after getting the B&C stock and are there other aftermarket manufacturers I should be looking at?

 

[El Jason]

Not sure how much help I am. My Mountain Rifle has the BC Alaskan stock. I skim bedded it even though it has the aluminum block. Easy to do. The factory finish wore somewhat quickly son I repainted it.

 

[EKYHunter]

Thanks for the response JLS. What’s the difference in skim bedding and regular bedding?

 

[El Jason]

Thanks for the response JLS. What’s the difference in skim bedding and regular bedding?

Not much. With the aluminum block I didn’t take much material off versus if I was bedding a wood stock and took a little more out.

I still took some aluminum out around the recoil lug and where the action surface mates up.

 

[Addicting]

I’m a big fan of B&C stocks. For some reason there has been a barrel support mound in the front of the barrel channel in a couple I’ve bought. I just take my dremmel tool to it to free float the barrel and all is good.

 

[Potsie]

Not how much help I will be either, but I put a B&C stock on my Savage 116. With that I also had to get ahold of Savage and purchase some different bottom metal as well.

I shot the rifle with the stock as was, and it was no improvement on the accuracy front that the stock pool noodle it came with. But after doing a full bed job on the action (no aluminum pillars on the stock) the groups tightened up significantly.

The stock itself added some weight, but all in all it was totally worth it. The rifle handles much better, I have a better cheek weld, and it’s significantly more accurate after bedding.

 

[winmag]

The B&C ADL stock takes a ton of work to fit properly. I have installed several and really like them, but it will take a lot of fitting. I really don’t know how they sell this stock as anything but a gunsmith product, it absolutely will not be a drop in fit. In fact, stockys stocks online stopped selling this stock because they had so many returned (this is before they essentially stopped selling B&C altogether).

1. If you have a standard sporter barrel (which is what comes on the ADL and SPS), you will have to open up the barrel channel a ton. You will have to open it so much that you will also need to trim the front swivel stud shorter or it will be touching the barrel. If you don’t open the barrel channel then the barrel will be hitting the stock so hard that the front of the action will not be in contact with the bedding block.

2. One of the most annoying things about this particular model is that the front action screw block and escutcheon are not perpendicular to the barrel. In most cases the front screw will be 10 degrees or more off perpendicular, and sometimes won’t even go into the hole on the action. You have to drive out the escutcheon and mill the block underneath square so the screw is perpendicular.

3. The bolt handle always hits the stock, messing with the action timing unless you clearance the bolt.

Unless you want to do those things, convert to a BDL and pick one of their BDL stocks. They are much, much closer to being drop in fit.

I can post some photos later if it’s helpful. I’ve got 2 of these on rifles at the moment.

 

[EKYHunter]

The B&C ADL stock takes a ton of work to fit properly. I have installed several and really like them, but it will take a lot of fitting. I really don’t know how they sell this stock as anything but a gunsmith product, it absolutely will not be a drop in fit. In fact, stockys stocks online stopped selling this stock because they had so many returned (this is before they essentially stopped selling B&C altogether).

1. If you have a standard sporter barrel (which is what comes on the ADL and SPS), you will have to open up the barrel channel a ton. You will have to open it so much that you will also need to trim the front swivel stud shorter or it will be touching the barrel. If you don’t open the barrel channel then the barrel will be hitting the stock so hard that the front of the action will not be in contact with the bedding block.

2. One of the most annoying things about this particular model is that the front action screw block and escutcheon are not perpendicular to the barrel. In most cases the front screw will be 10 degrees or more off perpendicular, and sometimes won’t even go into the hole on the action. You have to drive out the escutcheon and mill the block underneath square so the screw is perpendicular.

3. The bolt handle always hits the stock, messing with the action timing unless you clearance the bolt.

Unless you want to do those things, convert to a BDL and pick one of their BDL stocks. They are much, much closer to being drop in fit.

I can post some photos later if it’s helpful. I’ve got 2 of these on rifles at the moment.

Great post. Thank you. Pics would be helpful but after what you’ve told me it sounds like the BDL conversion would be the way to go. Question: do other stocks such as HS Precision require this much work for an ADL?

 

[winmag]

Question: do other stocks such as HS Precision require this much work for an ADL?

I’ve never seen one of HS Precision ADL stocks, but I bet they drop in fine. All the HS Precision stocks I’ve installed needed very minimal or no fitting. If anything I’d say they’re generally a loose fit that just sits on the bedding block.

The only things I don’t particularly like about HS Precision is that they’re $100 or so more than B&C and the material is somehow louder when brushed up against things. B&C just sounds more “dead” and less “hollow”.

Also, all of these aluminum bedding block stocks will benefit from being epoxy skim bedded, but most shoot fine without. I’m not sure if HS Precision still says this, but they used to say install it as is, if it shoots fine then don’t bother bedding it.

 

[winmag]

This is how far you have to open the barrel channel to float the barrel on the B&C ADL. That thing is DEEP! I did liberally float it, but you can see that the bore centerline is below the stock line. They make the stock such that the barreled action sits at an angle to the stock line, it’s weird.

 

[winmag]

Bolt clearance

 

[EKYHunter]

Bolt clearanceView attachment 207301

Thank you for those pics. That’s a lot of material removed. Converting to BDL is looking better and better.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Considering getting a B&C stock for the 700 ADL .308 I recently purchased. I’ve never purchased an aftermarket stock for a bolt action rifle. I don’t want to spend the extra money for Manners or McMillan. So is the B&C a good replacement for the ADL? Should I plan to bed the rifle after getting the B&C stock and are there other aftermarket manufacturers I should be looking at?

I put my ADL in a HS precision. Redhawk has the best price on them I have found:https://redhawkrifles.com/hs-precision-pss001-009-pro-series-sporter-remington-700-adl/.

I was able to drop it right in, no issues with fit. I looked hard at the B&C and just like the HS better. Here's a write up on the build. I've since taken elk and deer with it and it groups sub-moa with 180 Accubonds. https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/rem-700-build.297788/

 

[hank4elk]

I looked at them. Did not like the plastic feel.

I have Hogue full alum. instead. Love it,ez install. 25 years and never a problem.

 

[TN2shot07]

Can’t comment on the BC but I do have an ADL that I put in an HS Precision last season. The only fitting was a little sanding for the trigger guard, shoots great and the little extra weight helped with recoil.

 

[Oldskool67]

I dropped my old ADL into a H&S, dropped a Timney trigger in it and never looked back

 

[Farmerj]

I dropped my model 10 with a heavy varmint into an MDT XRS chassis because I didn’t feel like doing all the inletting and trimming to get it to fit into the Boyd’s I’d got to put the .243 factory barrel in.

Add in converting to a DBM bottom…

Chassis was much cheaper and offered better choices for magazines.

Now if these temps would just warm up some to go shoot.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I don’t have an ADL. All of mine are hinged floorplates. I put B&C stocks on all of my rifles, except the one I put a McMillan on. The B&C stocks have been complete drop ins with no work needed. The McMillan, on the other hand, left alot to be desired.

I’ve never bedded a stock and don’t plan to.

 

[tikkaman]

Put my Howa 1500 in B&C with full alum. bedding and it was drop in ,shoots lights out .

 

[Boarmaster]

I have one on my weatherby accumark. It is a good quality stock. it is a bit thick for me in the grip. I much prefer my mcmillan edge stock on my 700. But the edge is about 3 times more money. If I did want to spring for the edge I wouldn't hesitate to buy a B&C if I couldnt live with the OEM stock.