Thread: hunting stock design

Originally Posted by Fisherman

You could live with that pistol grip?...not long ago I thought about offering the complete package.

If its a copy of the original Husky, definitely keen. If its not a copy, it looks great, so definitely keen. I have a 1900 in 308NM, great rifle, has an excellent wooden stock. I bought back a fibreglass stock from Canada that is almost an exact copy of the original so now I run the fibreglass for hunting and keep the wooden stock immaculate for when I want to hang up my boots. I have no problem using the Husky 1600 stocks, fit well for a variety of situations. And they're good rifles to boot.

Originally Posted by Husky1600

If its a copy of the original Husky, definitely keen. If its not a copy, it looks great, so definitely keen. I have a 1900 in 308NM, great rifle, has an excellent wooden stock. I bought back a fibreglass stock from Canada that is almost an exact copy of the original so now I run the fibreglass for hunting and keep the wooden stock immaculate for when I want to hang up my boots. I have no problem using the Husky 1600 stocks, fit well for a variety of situations. And they're good rifles to boot.

The action area and bottom metal etc are off the original old beech (I think) stock...it was a shocker. I grew that thing with car body filler into a shape I liked then made the mold. Its hard to get perfect detail because the original was something like driftwood. Maybe when I'm a bit more organised (everything else I own that goes bang is in bits) I should send this stock your way to see if it works for you and then I can build something if you are keen (or you could use the mold and have a crack)

Well it depends on whether you're trying to please the masses or yourself?? If you want an adjustable cheek riser then look at the Bergara HMR or was it a sako(someone posted earlier?). I find it a pain if I'm whipping the bolt in or out on my bergara because I have to drop it back down, minor detail tho. If you're looking to sell your stocks then you're opening pandoras box unless you make to order which would probably suit best then they know what they want and you know what to make. So that's what they get and you can charge accordingly of course...custom stock and all

The Tikka Model55 Sporter has the most comfortable rifle stock I have ever tried. It is so easy to shoot with precision. I believe the Australian Defence Force utilized them for a while as a sniper rifle.

Originally Posted by Fisherman

....really interested in the effect of the cheek riser had on how vertical your head is.....allows the head to stay vertical (which I think is massively important in all sports)

Why is it that the vast majority of the world's precision shooters actually shoot with their head way off vertical, ie looking up a fair way?

Originally Posted by 6x47

Why is it that the vast majority of the world's precision shooters actually shoot with their head way off vertical, ie looking up a fair way?

When I say vertical I mean eyes horizontal...but I'm open to comment on that because if its not important a cheek riser becomes easier.
As it is, I tend to offset my risers to the off side of the stock which I think allows my head to be slightly more vertical.

I'm thinking that the easiest way to tackle this is glue on carbon risers at a variety of heights that can go on either side off the stock so people can chose to offset or not. I'm confident That they could stop short enough to allow easy bolt removal and still provide full support.
They would cheap and weigh next to nothing.

It seems that the things that are most important to people are the slope of the pistol grip and good cheek weld (or not)…

I'm so uncomfortable with a swept back pistol grip I go to the "thumb out beside the stock free recoil bench rest style" that Bagheera described. Creating options on the same stock as Timattalon suggested is technical challenging but I'm going to have a good look a it.
I know a guy who wants me to put a vertical grip on a McMillan which is easily doable but might be ugly as sin.

I have a couple of mates who are better shots than me but bloody hopeless on longer shots the moment awkward uphill angles are involved. They don't have great neck flexibility and cant settle into any sort of weld...I've been meaning to think about solutions to that for ages because I'm going the same way with age.

Make it so it can accept the readily available Tikka pistols grips. They are cheap, available in vertical or traditional angles, and available in a bunch of colours. Could be an easy solution.

Originally Posted by Huntfisheat

Yep a more vertical pistol grip would suit a lot of people if they tried it. Recently bought the vertical grip for the T3X stock I put on my T3 and it'll stay there. Nice that the T3X has that option as I have short, fat fingers and the standard grip was always a bit of a stretch. Got used to it, but I don't have to reach for the trigger now. Last session at the range produced 3 sequential 1/2 inch 100 metre groups and that's the first time I've done that with that rifle. Ammo was the same, Hornady Superperformance 139SST's and the only thing changed was the grip.

Agree...for me it's about recoil control as well...comfortably holding the stock into my shoulder and still having a relaxed trigger finger.

Originally Posted by 264 magic

im starting to really like the old walnut stocks

Wood is such wonderful stuff. Almost anyone can work on it, rework it, make substantial changes, fix problems, drill new screw holes, oil and polish it. I presume you can't take a wood rasp to a carbon stock and fine it down by 5 or 6mm to make it fit your own hands ?

How can you glue on extra bits like a palm swell or cheekpiece and can you move them afterwards ? I'm not talking about a foam and duct tape cheekbit or the electrical tape and epoxy putty swelling I experimented with on an old fiberglass stock of mine.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

Wood is such wonderful stuff. Almost anyone can work on it, rework it, make substantial changes, fix problems, drill new screw holes, oil and polish it. I presume you can't take a wood rasp to a carbon stock and fine it down by 5 or 6mm to make it fit your own hands ?

How can you glue on extra bits like a palm swell or cheekpiece and can you move them afterwards ? I'm not talking about a foam and duct tape cheekbit or the electrical tape and epoxy putty swelling I experimented with on an old fiberglass stock of mine.

You would use a temperature based glue I reckon. Or epoxy...they all have temperatures they melt at...from something like 80 right up to 120

The epoxy I'm using is good for 100degC...so easy to heat and refit fittings. That's how kayak paddles etc are put together and repaired and they carry massive loads.

Originally Posted by Fisherman

I have a couple of mates who are better shots than me but bloody hopeless on longer shots the moment awkward uphill angles are involved. They don't have great neck flexibility and cant settle into any sort of weld...I've been meaning to think about solutions to that for ages because I'm going the same way with age.

Yep this is where the rubber hits the road for me. Uphill shots prone are difficult to set up. To get a cheek weld I need to get the rifle up high, like with day bag on end - which is unstable, and if the day bag is not very full, undoable. So you end up with the buttstock on the ground and the neck in an uncomfortable position and the eye hovering behind the scope with little or no contact with the comb. Just have to “make it work” which is actually possible though. At the range I’m reasonably confident out to 300 with that, and working on 500. It’s just about knowing the rifle, knowing your body, finding a way, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good! An adjustable comb would certainly help in those circumstances but I’m starting to think that the best solution is just lots of practice, rather than having more weight, and yet another thing to fiddle with - range finder, dial, parallax... comb height.... aahg, it’s moved behind a bush. Plus of course other shooting positions - off the knees etc. It does seem to me that a rifle stock must perforce be a compromise between the different requirements of different field positions.

Originally Posted by WillB

Yep this is where the rubber hits the road for me. Uphill shots prone are difficult to set up. To get a cheek weld I need to get the rifle up high, like with day bag on end - which is unstable, and if the day bag is not very full, undoable. So you end up with the buttstock on the ground and the neck in an uncomfortable position and the eye hovering behind the scope with little or no contact with the comb. Just have to “make it work” which is actually possible though. At the range I’m reasonably confident out to 300 with that, and working on 500. It’s just about knowing the rifle, knowing your body, finding a way, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good! An adjustable comb would certainly help in those circumstances but I’m starting to think that the best solution is just lots of practice, rather than having more weight, and yet another thing to fiddle with - range finder, dial, parallax... comb height.... aahg, it’s moved behind a bush. Plus of course other shooting positions - off the knees etc. It does seem to me that a rifle stock must perforce be a compromise between the different requirements of different field positions.

Agree about it getting to complicated...but any weld at all must help and a fixed riser might do that...and I wonder about a rear monopod to get the butt off the ground a bit.
That probably applies more to our style of hunting where you know that there's a really decent chance of an uphill shot. But a simple thread in the butt is easy as.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

Wood is such wonderful stuff. Almost anyone can work on it, rework it, make substantial changes, fix problems, drill new screw holes, oil and polish it. I presume you can't take a wood rasp to a carbon stock and fine it down by 5 or 6mm to make it fit your own hands ?

You would be brave to try...most are a thin layer of carbon with a centre of epoxy filler that's pretty strong...but you are messing with the structure.