McMillan A5 vs. Manners T2

Today I received the secondhand LA McMillan A5 I bought recently from CDI after Jeff inletted it for his LA/308 mag DBM, and after a little dremel work to widen the recoil lug inlet and shorten the front action screw, I screwed a 22" sporter barrel into the action and snugged everything up.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/IMG_0703.jpg

I've had the Manners T2 for about 6 months on a 4.4" 10FP action and probably have 150 rounds downrange with it.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/IMG_0710.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/IMG_0713.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/IMG_0716.jpg

Initial thoughts are that the two stocks are VERY similar. The McMillan's grip is a bit shorter than the Manners, and the palm swell is a bit smaller also; the rear of the stock is also shaped slightly different (as pictured). Obviously the A5 has the butthook vs. standard butt on the T2. This particular A5 came with the thumbwheel adjustable cheekpiece and spacer system so weight obviously is heavier than the T2, but with the 22" sporter barrel the stick balances VERY nicely (of course, without mount or optic). The 26" varmint contour in the T2 felt damn front-heavy by comparison. I see shorter barrels in my future...

I found the A5 to be comfortable, but then again I'm familiar with the T2 and find it to be very comfortable as well. Really six of one, half a dozen of another in my very limited experience.

Unrelated to the stocks but worthy of note, if one runs the CDI LA/308 DBM you can utilize the extended bolt baffle from 204/223 short actions; with this baffle in place the bolt throw is just 1/4" longer than the 10FP pictured.

If anybody is around the Louisville, KY area and interested in either of these stocks, I'd be happy to let you compare & contrast them.

How about you send that T2 to me for a little testing and evaluation?!?!?

Are they both painted? Or molded in Camo?

I like the feel of my manners better but the mcmillans I've had were finished better. Both are superbly nice though.

Both stocks are painted, the Manners their standard OD and the McMillan a pretty good krylon job.

I do have a Savage LA MCS-T on order with molded camo (40% coyote, 30% OD, 30% sand, a sort of/not really Desert Sage) that I should get mid-September...that may or may not evolve into a T3 or another T2.

Nice report.

It's good to see high quality stocks being bought for Savages.

I'm pretty disappointed that I see so many Duramaxx, Hogue, and Choate stocks being used for these rifles.

Not everybody can afford or justify spending over $450 or more on a rifle stock.

If Bell & Carlson would get over their Savage hate and make more Medalists (specifically the M40 for long/short actions, or at least the A2 for the long action), I'd probably not see the benefit of a Manners or McMillan for the way I use my rifles. The 12FV I have in a B&C A2 Medalist is a no-shiz 0.5MOA shooter, and while the stock is on the heavy side the awful blocky forearm is nothing that can't be 'customized' with a sanding block, some fiberglass filler and Krylon.

Bell & Carlson stocks provide excellent value. But since B&C has no desire to see the barrel nut light, I'll give my business to those stock makers that do.

Yes, it hurts buying a stock that costs more than a brand-new rifle...the first time you do it. After that, it doesn't seem so ridiculous getting EXACTLY what you want. And for me, it means I own fewer rifles that I shoot more often.

I understand about the cost associated with top quality stocks but for me I can far more easily justify spending money on a stock than I can on a barrel or a trigger.
Most Savages shoot as well as I can from field positions but their stocks are unergonomic and cheap feeling. The stock is how I as the shooter interacts with my rifles. Money spent there pays off every time I shoulder a rifle.

At one point in my gun shooting career, I was all for the quantity. But as of lately I have started selling off guns to improve the quality of some of my other guns. I think that a good stock is a foundation for such builds. I dont have problem with the B&C but for me the little more money gets you a lot more stock. Comparing apples to apples a McMillan A-5 cost 418 plus shipping and you get the colors you want for any action you want and the option to add custom features. Or 218 plus shipping for a B&C in one of 4 colors for a couple of actions only. It is completely up to the shooter obviously but when I look at spending 1000 on glass and 100-150 on rings base etc, I dont see $200 savings really that significant. Hope the stock treats you right, it shot good with my 22-243.

Excellent post.

I completely agree with you Nuclabuyer and I too have decided that fewer rifles of higher quality give me more satisfaction than more rifles of lower quality.

A stock makes or breaks a rifle very often for me.