[taylorce1]

First off what kind of hunting is this going to be for? I've chased deer and elk with an 10 lbs rifle and I can tell you it isn't something you want to carry very far or all day. One poster on another forum stated the biggest issue with most custom builds is Weight and Wait, and I know I made both those mistakes with my first custom build. If you're making it heavy to mitigate recoil there are other ways to do that, remember hunting rifles are carried far more than shot.

Second, what is a .340 Weatherby going to do that can't be done with a .300 RUM? I can't think of one animal that won't fall as easily to the .300 RUM. I'm not against building the rifle you want, just don't be expecting to see a significant difference.

Third, rather than build a .340 have you considered a factory rifle? If you watch online sites you can probably pick up a Mark V for less than you can build. Again I'm not trying to talk out of your build, just giving you options.

As far as barrel contour I'd probably stick with the Remington factory magnum contour, just to keep it simple when ordering your stock. You might take a look at Grayboe and Manners stocks if you're willing to drop the cash on a McMillan. With a credit card I think Manners will send you a stock to handle that doesn't have an inlet so you can get a feel for it.