RE: thumbhole stock
I don't own a ML with a thumbhole , but I've shot a few to see what the fuss was about . To be honest , most of them were not to my own liking . I sampled synthetic and laminated , and the synthetic was only slightly better . The laminated stock was cumbersome and heavy , which might help with magnum loads recoil , but I don't shoot those loads due to powder waste . The synthetic stock was lighter but still a bit "chunky" in the hand feel for my taste .