Rifle Stock Design

[truck driver]

I have a few questions I need help with. I have rifles with the classic straight comb style stock and rifles with the Monty Carlo style and was wondering what every ones opinion is on which one helps to reduce felt recoil and face slap.
Also does the Weatherby style stock really help reduce felt recoil?
Since I own all three styles I mentioned I can't tell much difference with any of them. How ever on a shot gun there is a difference in felt recoil and face slap.
So what is everyone's opinion?

 

[SJB358]

I can't really answer it, I am sort of a Neanderthal when it comes to rifles, but I find if I cannot get a solid cheek weld with the rifle, accurate shooting is out the door and it'll abuse me. I use alot of stock pads on my rifle to give my face something solid to dig into.

The best plain jane stock for me is either the Remington CDL stock or Winchester Sporter. Both of those feel very good to me. Again, I am a hack when it comes to fit.

 

[Vince]

I can't really answer it, I am sort of a Neanderthal when it comes to rifles, but I find if I cannot get a solid cheek weld with the rifle, accurate shooting is out the door and it'll abuse me. I use alot of stock pads on my rifle to give my face something solid to dig into.

The best plain jane stock for me is either the Remington CDL stock or Winchester Sporter. Both of those feel very good to me. Again, I am a hack when it comes to fit.

I have to ask, do you have a long neck?

I do and find the same type of stocks, as you favor, give me the best fit.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Oldtrader3]

My criteria for judgment on stock shape is based on: does the rifle recoil straight back or does it hit you in the cheek? That and the cheek weld, eye alignment of the scope are the two important criteria to me.

A well designed stock, including Weatherby type (high comb) works just fine, despite most of my stocks being straight and classic design. I just make sure that I have the right height rings and scope objective lens matchup to give me good cheek weld and full scope field of view.

 

[truck driver]

I'm listening fellows and thinking. My stock on the Remington 725 is a BDL stock with a raised comb, my first center fire rifle and it fits me to a tee, metal but plate and all. My go to rifle is my Ruger 77 with tang safety, this is the classic straight style stock and it also fits me very well, love shooting this one. Now we get into the big boys, Weatherby 300 with B&C Medalist, haven't shot it much but it causes my eyes to blur when I shoot it off the bench but not as bad as it was with the factory plastic stock. The 35 Wheelen Remington Classic was no fun to shoot off the bench and I changed the pad on it but haven't had time to shoot it since I went back to work so the jury is still out on that one and thinking about changing stocks on that one but will shoot it before I do, I kind of think it's too high on my shoulder.
I understand cheek weld since I use to shoot NRA 4 position postal matches with a Remington 40XB and open sights.
Just trying to get comfortable with the bigger calibers I own.

 

[SJB358]

I can't really answer it, I am sort of a Neanderthal when it comes to rifles, but I find if I cannot get a solid cheek weld with the rifle, accurate shooting is out the door and it'll abuse me. I use alot of stock pads on my rifle to give my face something solid to dig into.

The best plain jane stock for me is either the Remington CDL stock or Winchester Sporter. Both of those feel very good to me. Again, I am a hack when it comes to fit.

I have to ask, do you have a long neck?

I do and find the same type of stocks, as you favor, give me the best fit.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

Sure do Vince, I am 77" in height, so all of my rifles have scopes as far forward as they can get. I would get hammered with scopes if I mounted them as far back as some other folks do.

Charlie mentioned mounting the scopes so they fit nicely and let your eye naturally acquire the sight picture. Huge agreement with that.

 

[Vince]

I can't really answer it, I am sort of a Neanderthal when it comes to rifles, but I find if I cannot get a solid cheek weld with the rifle, accurate shooting is out the door and it'll abuse me. I use alot of stock pads on my rifle to give my face something solid to dig into.

The best plain jane stock for me is either the Remington CDL stock or Winchester Sporter. Both of those feel very good to me. Again, I am a hack when it comes to fit.

I have to ask, do you have a long neck?

I do and find the same type of stocks, as you favor, give me the best fit.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

Sure do Vince, I am 77" in height, so all of my rifles have scopes as far forward as they can get. I would get hammered with scopes if I mounted them as far back as some other folks do.

Charlie mentioned mounting the scopes so they fit nicely and let your eye naturally acquire the sight picture. Huge agreement with that.

I'm short but with long legs, arms, and neck. My lack of height comes from my short torso. That length is also reflected in my neck.
I make things fun for stock makers and holster makers. [emoji4]

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Anonymous]

I tend to like straight stocks. I also mount scopes as low as possible and as far forward as possible.

Seeing some rifles with huge scopes mounted up high and far back- I'd have to have me head completely off the stock...what a beating that'd give you.

 

[PJGunner]

I have two Remington M700s, one a BDL from about 1981 and a Classic from probably the late 80's. Both rifles are chambered to the 30-06. Felt recoil isn't all that much different shooting a stiff 180 gr. load but it seemed to me that the felt recoil from the BDL was slightly less. Both rifles have Decerator recoil pads. I'm thinking of replacing the pad on the M700 Classic in .35 Whelen though. Something about it doesn't feel quite right.
Paul B.

 

[truck driver]

The 725 Remington started out in life as a 30-06 and I bought it used and in sad shape since it had been stolen from a gun shop and ditched in a stream bed. It was found with the stock sticking above the water line with the barrel buried in the mud bottom. Surprisingly the bore was perfect but the exterior was pitted and rusty with mud in the trigger and bolt plus the finish was flaking off the stock. I shot this rifle so much I burnt the throat out of the barrel and when I asked a gun smith if he could save it he said it was too far gone so I rebarreled it and turned it into a 257 Roberts. That stock has always fit me like a glove.
I know where there is a used stock just like it and I'm tempted to buy it and put it on the Whelen to see if it helps.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I've wondered abut this myself...particularly when I ordered the McMillan I had on that M70, and again when I ordered my M48c.

The only thing I know for sure is that the stocks on old Rem 700 BDL's are/were the most comfortable stocks I've ever used...probably because they are what I learned on.

I'm also hard to fit a stock to...6' 1" tall, long and lean...arms like an orangutan, long torso...basically built like an Olympic swimmer, lol (Micheal Phelps...but 3" shorter and 10 lbs. lighter)....I have the darndest time finding long sleeve shirts that will fit too.

The McMillan Supergrade stock was OK, but not a perfect fit either...I'm anxious to see what the Nosler stock feels like, I've never used a stock set up that way (drop at heel less than drop at comb)

 

[truck driver]

I never really paid much attention to the length of my neck though I am 6' tall and have an 18" neck my arms are long and have to wear tall size shirts and jackets to cover my upper torso. Hate having my back hanging out. When I was shooting a compound bow I would use 30" arrows and some times full shafts to get the proper draw length.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am about 5' 9" tall and have a 13-1/2 pull length with short arms and a longish neck and I have about 160 pounds. For these reasons, I tend to like more classic, straight stocks with not a lot of drop at the butt.

The two custom, bolt action rifles shown below are about a high comb as I will go on a buttstock. Mind you, both of these rifles are more than 50 years old and have been hunted ever since!

 

[Horsethief]

How you go about getting a good fit to the stock and the sights depends on sight or scope height, your neck length and thickness, the size of your face and your shooting position.
1. Ruger 77 Hawkeye 243 Win with a straight stock and med height rings fits nicely. Recoil is light and easily taken.
2. Wby 257 Mag, Bell & Carlson Medalist stock, med height rings recoil is not a factor with this 10lb rifle and a very good recoil pad. The Monte Carlo-style stock allows my big face to make a great fit for the same eye-to-scope alignment every time.
3. Boyds laminate thumb hole stock on a 280 Rem (and muzzle brake) with a slight cheek swell fits much like the Ruger 77 stock. Recoil is about the same as the 243, but sighting is aided by having a piece of white paper taped to the top of the stock to show where on the stock to have the tip of my nose. Thumb hole stocks aren't as easy to quickly align for sight picture as other stocks, but their recoil reduction is noticeable.
4. Wby 300 Mag, high scope rings, other wise just like the 257 Wby the way the Monte Carlo stock helps with sight alignment. I wanted to be just a bit further from the stock since the 300 recoil is quite a bit more than the 257.
Shooting from the prone position is harder for a good scope alignment, but recoil is less. Shooting from the sitting position, such as when I'm in tall grass or on a sloping hill, is faster but you'll feel a bit more recoil in practice shots. Honestly, shots when I'm hunting have never been a problem for how much recoil I've felt. Hyped-up senses has a lot to do with NOT feeling the recoil.
Good luck and let us know how things go.

 

[truck driver]

How you go about getting a good fit to the stock and the sights depends on sight or scope height, your neck length and thickness, the size of your face and your shooting position.
1. Ruger 77 Hawkeye 243 Win with a straight stock and med height rings fits nicely. Recoil is light and easily taken.
2. Wby 257 Mag, Bell & Carlson Medalist stock, med height rings recoil is not a factor with this 10lb rifle and a very good recoil pad. The Monte Carlo-style stock allows my big face to make a great fit for the same eye-to-scope alignment every time.
3. Boyds laminate thumb hole stock on a 280 Rem (and muzzle brake) with a slight cheek swell fits much like the Ruger 77 stock. Recoil is about the same as the 243, but sighting is aided by having a piece of white paper taped to the top of the stock to show where on the stock to have the tip of my nose. Thumb hole stocks aren't as easy to quickly align for sight picture as other stocks, but their recoil reduction is noticeable.
4. Wby 300 Mag, high scope rings, other wise just like the 257 Wby the way the Monte Carlo stock helps with sight alignment. I wanted to be just a bit further from the stock since the 300 recoil is quite a bit more than the 257.
Shooting from the prone position is harder for a good scope alignment, but recoil is less. Shooting from the sitting position, such as when I'm in tall grass or on a sloping hill, is faster but you'll feel a bit more recoil in practice shots. Honestly, shots when I'm hunting have never been a problem for how much recoil I've felt. Hyped-up senses has a lot to do with NOT feeling the recoil.
Good luck and let us know how things go.

Horsethief, I got a chance on Friday to go to the range and I took bot the 35 Whelen and the 300Bee along. I shot both off the bench shooting first one than the other to let the barrel cool between shots. The classic stock on the Whelen doesn't accommodate me as well as the B&C Medalist on the 300Bee. By shooting both rifles taking a shot from one then the other showed me the difference in the height of the comb and the classic is a lot lower. Good news is the Limb Saver recoil pad is much better than the old factory pad. The 300Bee has a Pachmyer decelerator on it and though a little stiffer it tames the 300Bee nicely.
I'm thinking hard about getting a Boyds Heritage stock for it. It has a nice Monty Carlo cheek piece similar to the Weatherby style and would really dress up the Whelen, was also thinking about a B&C Weatherby style Medalist also, just can't make up my mind.
The money spent on the Limb Saver was well spent and it does what it's suppose to do and soften the recoil. :grin: