I received a Hunter 440 stock on Friday that was destined to go onto my Whisper. I didn't realize how much the comb on the factory Whisper stock bothered my grip. The pointy end of the comb is right where I like to rest the meaty portion of my hand right below my thumb. I didn't realize that I had been shifting my grip around in order to avoid this part of the factory Whisper stock until I received the Hunter 440 stock. Here is what she looks like with the new stock:
I like the Hunter 440 stock MUCH better!!! It just feels better to me. The wood dampens vibration far better than the hollow composite factory stock, and it just looks dang $exy!!! I highly recommend this mod to the Whisper, however there is a safety issue that MUST be addressed if you make this mod. Using the Hunter 440 stock, the pin in the rear of the action that holds the guts inside of the receiver has about 0.10 inch of clearance on both sides and is free to move. This is due to the fact that the Hunter 440 has a plastic cap that slides over the end of the action thus trapping the pin from movement, and the stock is cleared for that cap. This cap serves to hold the pin from lateral movement once bedded into the stock, as the wood of the stock supports the plastic on the outside.
I don't have one of the 440 end caps, and just put the action into the stock without the cap. After I received the stock and installed it, I had an extended shooting session over the weekend with my father-in-law, who owns a Hunter 440. I'd estimate I made about 100 shots. After we were done, I noticed that the main pin had moved considerably to one side; enough so that it had almost cleared the opposite side of the receiver! Yikes! This could easily lead to a failure, and one that could seriously hurt the shooter (imagine a cocked rifle letting the rear spring guide loose out the back of the rifle...). In the picture below, you can see the pin I'm talking about in the center:
I want to make sure that the community is aware of this potential SERIOUS problem. I plan to try and get one of the 440 end caps, but if I am unable to do that, I will make a Delrin cap myself. PLEASE make sure to remedy this on your rifle if you do this mod!!!
Other than this issue, this is basically a drop-in modification. The little spacer (~ 0.050" plastic washer) on the cocking linkage roller needs to be removed when switching to the wooden stock also, but that isn't a big deal at all. Don't forget to use lock-tite!!!
