RE: Gunsmiths: varmit barrel stock-standard barrel?
I don’t think you can have to big of a gap, but it might not be pleasing to the eye. If you can take your action and put it in the mentioned stock you’ll see the gap. Then you decide if it looks ok for you. If it seems ok to you, then go for it. It will also be ready for a larger premium barrel later if you decide to upgrade and you’ll have a thumb hole stock in the mean time.
mello