Help with stock type...

Tom D

Well-Known Member
I am currently looking for my first rifle, I am not fussy or snobbish about makes or models, I just want something that fits right. After shooting a few friends guns and trying many in shops I am still left a little disappointed. The problem I have is; I, (so I am told) have a long neck and also long arms in relation to my body, I am 6' tall with an arm span of 6'4". All the scoped rifles I have tried leave my cheek barely brushing the stock when I have a clear view thru the scope, on some guns there is no contact at all. I picked up a mannlicher today with iron sights and it fitted perfectly, but as soon as you put a scope on it I struggle to find a natural position. I spoke to a gunsmith who looked at my stance and suggested that I get a stock with a bit of extra pull and a higher comb, this would mean a custom effort or an ugly modification on an existing gun.

Any thoughts on this?

I am used to shooting with iron sights on air rifles and have no problem with these, I recently shot a browning bolt off the bonnet of a landy at 100m and could only manage a 4" group, I feel I could manage better with a better fitting gun. Anyone have any suggestions as to an out of the box solution? I will spend good money to get what I want.:)
 
The only out of the box solution will be a rifle with an adjustable cheek piece.

Truth be told, very few factory stocks have a high enough comb to get a good cheek weld when using a scope.

Try a get your mitts on a rifle with a McMillan A3 type stock, or an RPA.
 
Thanks for that, I should have mentioned that I would ideally like a laminate stock, or possibly walnut, but not synthetic. I know I said I wasn't a snob but I do have a thing about having a bit of wood on a gun.

One thing that was mentioned by the gunsmith that I saw was that they could make me a stock to my spec if I supplied them with a laminated blank, I am in the timber business and have a small mill, I recon I could make a blank and get them to inlet it.
They could either supply me with an inletted blank for me to finish off or do the whole job, its pricey though... It would be nice however to have that personal touch to my rifle, I felled the tree...etc.

Anyone on here tried making a stock?
 
http://www.guntrader.co.uk/GunsForSale/100514175945001


http://www.guntrader.co.uk/GunsForSale/120325232912948

Probably you alread know this, but take a look at the pics of the rifles above, which show the old 'Monte Carlo' and the newer 'Classic' stock styles. There's a vast difference in the height of the comb. The comb should slant upwards towards the butt rather than run parallel or incline downwards. I can't get on with the modern T3 stock, but the M595 stock is fine, and the M65 stock fits me even better.

I can't think of a height- adjustable stock in a standard sporter (if that's what you're after) although these are common in match or target rifles.

You could increase the length of pull by fitting butt-spacers beneath the recoil pad or fit a shotgun type butt-sleeve. Cheap and cheerful solution just to see if that offsets that vast reach of yours. No offence meant but an arm span of 6' 4" wouldn't disgrace an Orangutan :D
 
hi tom,i am not tall but i also have long arms,i got a but pad that i had to fit myself and file,sand to fit my tikka 695 continental master which gave me extra 20mm,surprising how much difference that made,its also adjustable up and down and side to side,its on guntrader in 30-06 section if you want to view it,just measured my arm span,6f 3in atb swarovski
 
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Thanks, I had wondered about making a wooden comb raiser and sanding it for a snug fit, as I am currently gun shopping I was hoping to get something that would do the job out of the box. I have not seen a stock where the comb was higher than the top of the fore stock, I think I would ideally like the comb to be almost the height of the top of the receiver.. A wee add on like yours may be the answer, a hell of a lot cheaper...
 
My God whats you guys pedigrees with arm spans like that remind me not to venture south:scared:

Why do you think is parts of the South they have removed trees from the towns and cities?



Tis to make them walk to work like ordinary folks :D.

My God that's an ancient one.

Back to the real issue. If your arm length is such then you will probably need extra stock length to get the LOP correct so a thicker butt pad ot stock spacers may be required..

Now the comb height issue ............................ Once again it's not a new problem and the old solution may be just what's called for. Back when sporting rifle scopes first became used and we are talking the first few decades of the 20th century so 1905-1925 or there abouts the scopes were often mounted high to clear the iron sights and often with see through mounts so that the iron could still be used. The combs of the stocks were made for irons use so makers like Mauser Obendorf, GC Hanel, and DWM to mention a few German ones made removable raised cheek pieces.

The cheek piece often fitted into one or two brass lines holes in the top of the comb with the cheek piece having the same number of dowels that fitted snugly into the holes. For iron sight use or bolt removal it was simply lifted off the stock. Sorry I do not have photos of such cheek pieces or rifles fitted with them
 
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