Thinkin about a new bolt rifle, want it skinny in the withers

[horsey300]

You folks bring up a good point: How thin is thin? My wife's M7 measures 1.97" across at the mid-point of the floorplate. My whittled down M77 measures 1.82". Can any of you share measurement for some of these other options? Thanks.

My benelli is 1.44" at carry point of the mag, the forearm tapers from narrow to wide, top down, at its widest, 1.784", and 1.35" at the semi pistol grip "wrist", the patriots and axis rifles are thinner but I can't tell you by how much off the top of my head

 

[JumboJVT]

My benelli is 1.44" at carry point of the mag, the forearm tapers from narrow to wide, top down, at its widest, 1.784", and 1.35" at the semi pistol grip "wrist", the patriots and axis rifles are thinner but I can't tell you by how much off the top of my head

Thats a Lupo?

 

[horsey300]

Thats a Lupo?

Mine is an r1, looks like a lupo, semiautomatic, but the lines look the same looking at the lupo, the forearm may be slightly narrower than mine at the widest point.
Eta, seeing has how they're chambered for similar cartridges, I doubt the mag is much wider, might even get a touch slimmer looking at blown up images of the mag area, my 1.44" tapers down from that wide point.

 

[Enfielder]

I have an over grown collection old blue and wood rifles that I hunt and shoot. If I had to get rid of them all and pick one gun, I’d go buy a Tikka in .30 or .270

 

[Random 8]

My wife has a Savage 11 accutrigger in .308 that wears a Richards microfit stock. She has T-rex arms and a skinny grip. I took a full 1.5" off the LOP and thinned the pistol grip area and brought the comb down a bit in deference to her high cheek bones. The area under the blind magazine well and on the sides has been rasped nearly to death, tapered into the trigger guard area where only minimal wood could be removed and tapered through the forend, and is quite narrow and thin in both dimensions. I left a fairly "square" profile to the forend from the barrel lug through the tip for positive indexing and grip as well as solid shooting from field expedient rests. It carries like my 760 comfortably under the belly.

The stock work on a RM is quite simple if you are competent with hobby level wood working and have the time to sand and oil finish. An Accraglass kit brought accuracy into the 1MOA range. With the addition of a 30mm 1.5x6, it is a Big Woods rifle crossed with a European Hochsitz gun. You could get one of their bargain stocks for your M77, rasp away and see if you come up with a satisfying profile before sourcing a lighter, shorter donor rifle.

 

[JumboJVT]

My wife has a Savage 11 accutrigger in .308 that wears a Richards microfit stock. She has T-rex arms and a skinny grip. I took a full 1.5" off the LOP and thinned the pistol grip area and brought the comb down a bit in deference to her high cheek bones. The area under the blind magazine well and on the sides has been rasped nearly to death, tapered into the trigger guard area where only minimal wood could be removed and tapered through the forend, and is quite narrow and thin in both dimensions. I left a fairly "square" profile to the forend from the barrel lug through the tip for positive indexing and grip as well as solid shooting from field expedient rests. It carries like my 760 comfortably under the belly.

The stock work on a RM is quite simple if you are competent with hobby level wood working and have the time to sand and oil finish. An Accraglass kit brought accuracy into the 1MOA range. With the addition of a 30mm 1.5x6, it is a Big Woods rifle crossed with a European Hochsitz gun. You could get one of their bargain stocks for your M77, rasp away and see if you come up with a satisfying profile before sourcing a lighter, shorter donor rifle.

Thanks, but already done it to the factory stock (see the OP). As thin as I dare. This rifle's been in my hand every year since '81/'82 (getting old, can't remember), and its going nowhere. So I had no reservation about doing as I pleased. It came out well (and I'm considering having it re-checkered), just not as thin as I'd like.

Looking hard at a Browning X-bolt now. SR model with a 18" barrel. Checks most all of my boxes: bolt-locking tang-safety, out-of-box accuracy, DBM (albeit 4 rnds, rather have 5 ala Sako & Mauser), decent trigger (better than an M77, anyway) modern stock geometry, open loading port area (really open with one piece base/rings), 6.3#, threaded. Pretty much what I was trying to achieve when I bobbed the barrel on the 308 M77 TS I have, except that gun is only slightly lighter than the full length rifle, and just as thick.

 

[wombat13]

I have the Axis II and the Kimber Hunter. Both feel much slimmer than my Ruger Hawkeye. The Kimber is quite slim. I can measure them if you are still wondering about them.

 

[JumboJVT]

I have the Axis II and the Kimber Hunter. Both feel much slimmer than my Ruger Hawkeye. The Kimber is quite slim. I can measure them if you are still wondering about them.

Thanks for the offer. I got a chance to handle a few rifles today, including a used Kimber hunter. I liked the feel of the gun, but after 40 years with a tang-safety, the wing-safety is going to be a problem for me for the tracking/jump shooting type of hunting we do much of. Shoulda known this from the couple Ruger 77/22's I've got. With that necessity fully comprehended, it narrows the options. And it also seems to me after handling a few light bolts back to back with some not-light but narrow rifles (22" 760, 22" BAR3) that the weight alone will make more of a difference than I was thinking. Another astute observation that probably should have been obvious, LOL. Though the LGS didn't have the specific model I'd buy, the Browning X-bolt checked more boxes for me than anything else I could touch, including a Tikka. So I think the X-bolt Speed SR with the 18" barrel will get my shekels. Will knock a little more than 1.5# off my long-time friend. Now to find one...and live with the guilt.

 

[wombat13]

Thanks for the offer. I got a chance to handle a few rifles today, including a used Kimber hunter. I liked the feel of the gun, but after 40 years with a tang-safety, the wing-safety is going to be a problem for me for the tracking/jump shooting type of hunting we do much of. Shoulda known this from the couple Ruger 77/22's I've got. With that necessity fully comprehended, it narrows the options. And it also seems to me after handling a few light bolts back to back with some not-light but narrow rifles (22" 760, 22" BAR3) that the weight alone will make more of a difference than I was thinking. Another astute observation that probably should have been obvious, LOL. Though the LGS didn't have the specific model I'd buy, the Browning X-bolt checked more boxes for me than anything else I could touch, including a Tikka. So I think the X-bolt Speed SR with the 18" barrel will get my shekels. Will knock a little more than 1.5# off my long-time friend. Now to find one...and live with the guilt.

I'm glad you found a rifle that works for you. A friend bought a Browning X-Bolt in .308 as his first and only rifle. Very accurate. Can't argue with that decision. Now, I like the 3-position wing safety. Perhaps because that's what I'm used to using (came up shooting Rugers). For me, that's one of the bigger downsides to the Axis II and one of the reasons I jumped on the Kimber Hunter when they offered it in .280AI.

 

[Triggernosis]

Thanks, but already done it to the factory stock (see the OP). As thin as I dare. This rifle's been in my hand every year since '81/'82 (getting old, can't remember), and its going nowhere. So I had no reservation about doing as I pleased. It came out well (and I'm considering having it re-checkered), just not as thin as I'd like.

Looking hard at a Browning X-bolt now. SR model with a 18" barrel. Checks most all of my boxes: bolt-locking tang-safety, out-of-box accuracy, DBM (albeit 4 rnds, rather have 5 ala Sako & Mauser), decent trigger (better than an M77, anyway) modern stock geometry, open loading port area (really open with one piece base/rings), 6.3#, threaded. Pretty much what I was trying to achieve when I bobbed the barrel on the 308 M77 TS I have, except that gun is only slightly lighter than the full length rifle, and just as thick.

I was just getting ready to suggest the Browning X-Bolt if you want a factory wood-stocked rifle.