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German A. Salazar |
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Faced with the prospect of buying a new stock, be it for an existing rifle or a new one, today’s Highpower prone competitor has more choices to make than at any time since powder went smokeless. The Smallbore prone competitor faces much the same situation and more if the array of European stocks is included in the mix. However, although there is much common ground between them, this article will focus on Highpower stocks.
During the first four decades of the 20th Century the traditional match rifle stock, as we know it, evolved from the early Springfield 1903 stock, to the C Type stock, then to the classic Winchester Marksman and remained mired there for a few more decades. The inevitable progression to today’s wood laminate, metal, and composite creations accelerated in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s with the widespread adoption of multi-adjustable buttplate assemblies, accessory rails, and thumbwheel adjustable cheek pieces. Wood laminates made inroads during the 1970’s while metal stocks would make their debut in the latter part of the 1990’s. Just as the list of materials and accessories expanded, the method of bedding the barreled action to the new materials grew. Today, apart from the usual considerations of materials, features and shapes, we must also select one of three distinctly different systems for joining the stock to the barreled action. They are: conventional action bedding with a free floating barrel, barrel mounting with a free floating action, and sleeve mounting whereby the sleeved action supports the buttstock and fore-end. The stock is equally a vital and important a component of the rifle as the barreled action, if not more so. In a recent club gathering it was asked, if need be, would one rather shoot a match with his own stock and a new barreled action or with his own barreled action and a new stock, bedding/fitting issues aside, with all components to be of roughly equivalent quality. It was my opinion that my stock, with its comfort and fit, is more important than the small difference in mechanical accuracy that a new barreled action might provide over the course of a long aggregate. Erik Hoskins, a member of the Precision Shooting rifle team, put this very question to the test at Camp Perry this year. Two days after purchasing brand new Anschütz barreled action on Commercial Row and installing it in his old aluminum Grunig & Elmiger stock he won Day Three of the Smallbore Prone National Championship with a1600-149X. The shooter’s comfort, largely determined by the stock, is a very significant factor in prone or position rifle shooting. There are a number of technical issues to be assessed in making a stock selection; among them are the following:
It quickly becomes apparent that selecting a stock is no less complex a task than selecting the components needed to create a tack driving barreled action. With the price of a good prone stock roughly in the $600 to $1,200 range, and the multitude of factors to be considered, it’s no wonder that this is a stress-inducing decision for any shooter. Most shooters are unable, or unwilling, to modify a stock in any manner; relying on a gunsmith to join action and stock in accordance with their desires, living with the result. For instance, one can't take a conventional stock and drop a barrel block into it just to see how it compares to the same stock with conventional bedding. To my knowledge only Kevin Nevius has done this while Howard Pitts and Dave Whitford have built their own complete metal barrel-clamp stocks. All three are talented gunsmiths and, as such, are free to experiment in a fashion of which the average shooter can only dream. Because of most shooters’ lack of wood and metal working skills what really happens is that a decision is made as to which stock best suits the individual's need based on the factors listed above. Let’s look at a sample of currently available stocks with a bit of commentary, which reflects my own preferences, but hopefully will also help direct your attention to those aspects of stock conformation and accessories which will help determine your comfort level with your choice. Stock Types For the sake of posterity, it should be noted that Bill Wylde of Greenup, Illinois was the first builder of a Tubegun (or funny gun as he called it). Today, they are made primarily by Kevin McDonald (MAK Enterprises) and Gary Eliseo’s Competition Shooting Stuff (CSS). While the outward appearance of the offerings from these two makers is similar, there are significant differences between them in terms of mounting systems and features.
CSS supplies a fully adjustable butt stock assembly with its stock, while MAK directs the customer to any of the available AR15 butt stocks. The choices range from standard military type to the fully adjustable types such as those made by John Holliger’s White Oak Arms and Medesha Firearms run by Scott Medesha. There are also a myriad of aftermarket butt stocks made for the “tactical” market. The CSS, Medesha and Holliger buttstocks all feature elevation adjustable cheek pieces, as well as butt assemblies with four ranges of motion – elevation, cant, offset and length. Any of them will suit the needs of the competitor and all are very well made.
The MAK and the CSS stocks use an AR15 type pistol grip and a round fore end. A long time user of conventional stocks may find the AR15 pistol grip to be awkward, but will like the round fore end. The MAK fore end is slightly slimmer than the CSS but there’s only a 1/4" difference between them, so slight that it is sure not be anyone’s deciding factor. The differences in action attachment, action choice and buttstocks are more significant. Tubeguns rely on a very close fit of the action to the sleeve; in the two recent MAK sleeves recently fitted by Jim Cobb the clearance has been right at 0.002". Cobb, a composites professional in the aerospace industry, believes that 0.002" to 0.008" is the ideal clearance range for bonding with industrial resins. Given this requirement, Tubeguns must be designed for a specific action and thus do not offer the broad action choices of a conventional stock. The MAK is made specifically for the Remington 700 short action and direct clones such as the Borden Alpine; the CSS is made both for the Remington 700 short action and the highly regarded Barnard action from New Zealand. CSS also makes a model for the Anschütz 1800 and 1900 series Smallbore rifles.
Mike Ross, of Ross Precision, manufactures “the other metal stock” as it is not a Tubegun type. However, it presents a unique combination of features to the rifleman. The Ross aluminum stock is truly features universal fit. A barrel clamping mechanism attaches the barreled action to the stock, all bedding issues are eliminated and the action floats in the relatively large action recess. Any action, from the Ross Precision (PS Nov. 2005) to a Winchester, Remington, BAT, Stolle, RPA Quadlite, Borden or any other action with a conventional layout, including Smallbore actions, will fit the stock with no modification. The single mounting requirement for this stock is that the barrel must have a straight section of 1.00", or less, diameter for approximately four inches ahead of the receiver. There is space for a quick reduction from the typical 1.250" needed to shoulder the barrel against the action in most centerfire actions.
The Ross stock, with an ergonomic wood pistol grip and a butt assembly incorporating every adjustment imaginable, can accommodate most shooters’ needs. Nonetheless some users, to make it more suitable for 3 Position shooting, have fitted the German made MEC buttstock to the Ross If there is any ergonomic deficiency to the Ross it is in the shape of the cheek piece and the fore end, both of which are, like the Anschütz and Grunig & Elmiger stocks, a bit blocky. Fortunately, these parts are made of wood and can be reshaped to suit the user’s preference. A shooter looking for a single stock in which to use a variety of barreled actions, or even to shoot smallbore and highpower with the same stock would do well to consider the Ross. It has no peer for versatility. Like the Tubeguns, the Ross has a distinct pistol grip and again, the conventional stock user might find this to be more of a change than he is willing to accommodate. Perhaps because of its more vertical angle than that of the AR15 types, however, I find it less obtrusive to use and have done so for thousands of rounds in many calibers. More significant to me was the width and blockiness of the fore end which I remedied to some extent by planning the wood side panels down 1/16" per side. While it seems like a small change, this actually made a noticeable improvement in the feel of the stock. Others remove the wood panels altogether; however, because that was never meant to be, the corners of the aluminum may dig in and create more discomfort than the wide fore end.
Finally, we have the largest group of stocks in use today: the traditional prone configuration, derived from the Anschütz 1411 stock. Master Class Stocks, McMillan Stocks,
Carl Bernosky, McGee Stocks, Robertson Composites and many others, large and small make stocks in this general pattern, both in wood and in composite materials. The traditional prone stock offers the experienced shooter a large dose of familiarity and comfort and for this reason remains popular despite its advancing age. That is not to say, however, that the design has remained static. Using the Master Class Highpower Prone model as our example, we see that compared to the 1411, the fore end has been angled to relieve pressure on the wrist, the pistol grip is longer, the comb has a larger radius and the stock is a bit wider and deeper in the action area, to better handle modern centerfire actions. Additionally, today’s stocks typically have thumbwheel cheek piece height adjustment and multi-adjustable buttplate assemblies. We’ve come a long way from the 1411, even if the basic pattern remains the foundation of today’s stocks. The comb is reasonably similar in the various 1411 derivatives with more variance being found in the shape of the pistol grip and fore end. The Master Class High Power Prone has a tapered forend while most others (including other Master Class models) retain the 1411 style fore end parallel to the bore. This is strictly a comfort item and only a trial of both will lead you in the right direction. The taper relieves stress on the wrist, which is very helpful in keeping the rifle in the shoulder for the entire string of fire. This item may be less critical to those who remove the rifle from the shoulder after each shot. Pistol grips also vary. For instance, the Robertson H&H model has a slender grip with a parallel fore end. However, a shooter who likes a slim pistol grip and a tapered fore end must make a choice between the H&H and the Highpower Prone model because these composite stocks can’t be reshaped. With a wood stock, either area could be reshaped to suit the customer’s needs by an able gunsmith. Material Choices
Wood, of course, has the significant advantage of being easily reshaped, when compared to other choices, to suit the shooter’s preferences. The disadvantages of wood haven’t changed much over the years, and lie principally in the dynamic nature of wood: it is climate sensitive. Humidity, or the lack of it, induces dimensional changes and thus has an effect on bedding. Laminates reduce but do not completely eliminate this possibility. To reduce climactically induced stability issues in a wood or laminate stock, the stock must be properly bedded with metal pillars, a thick application of bedding compound around the pillars, and more bedding compound under the entire action. Warpage, or shift along the sides of a round or straight sided action, will seldom, if ever, affect the accuracy of the rifle to the same degree it will if the same warping occurs under the action where it causes stress or pressure that will alter the action's stability. In just a short decade composite stocks have gained on wood and are far more common today. Robertson Composites and McMillan are the primary manufacturers of these, although Robertson also manufactures them for other suppliers, including Master Class. Composites are largely impervious to dimensional changes caused by climate or temperature and thus find favor with many competitors on that basis. It takes quite a rain storm to drive Highpower shooters back to the dry comfort of the hut, car, or home; so a weather resistant stock is a highly valued item. The downside to the composites is simply the “take it or leave it” factor as regards the basic shape. Any attempt to reshape them will quickly result in a ruined stock as the shell is fairly thin and the core is essentially foam. One can always add material, for instance to fatten a pistol grip, but removing any is a dangerous idea. Fortunately, one can almost always find a comfortably fitting pattern from one of the various suppliers of these stocks. The thumbwheel adjustable cheek piece is now used in the majority of wood and composite stocks because it provides a much more convenient and stable method of adjustment than the old locking screw method. Similarly, the three-way and four-way adjustable buttplates are also much more popular today than the old up-down buttplate. The principal downside of this stock choice is that waiting times of two to twelve months are not uncommon, depending on the gunsmith selected and his current backlog of work. Action Mounting Systems
Aluminum stocks share both the weather resistance and difficulty of reshaping of the composites. However, their mounting systems generally allow for the user of even modest mechanical skills to join the stock to the barreled action at home. The Ross stock’s action clamping mechanism allows a wide range of action choices with no more effort than tightening eight attachment bolts on the barrel clamp. In my experience, using the same barreled action in both the Ross stock and a conventional composite stock, no reduction of accuracy was noted with the barrel mount. The only difference was how each stock felt in terms of fit and comfort. The aluminum stocks also have a different recoil impulse, a bit sharper, but not objectionable in any way.
The CSS Tubegun stock, despite appearances, actually uses conventional action screw mounting, although it requires a special, circular recoil lug to mate to the inside of the sleeve. Two noteworthy items from CSS are the availability of a model for the Barnard action and a repeater version designed specifically for the 6BR cartridge which includes beautifully machined
magazines. While rapid-fire is not an element of prone matches, the versatility of a 6BR Tubegun with a magazine is a significant consideration – allowing a single rifle to be used for prone and XC matches. MAK also offers a repeater version of their Tubegun, using magazines from Accuracy International which accept .308 based
cartridges as well as the 6XC and its derivatives. For the dedicated Long Range shooter, the CSS Tubegun for the Barnard action is almost too good an opportunity to pass up. The Barnard is one of the more widely used actions in Long Range shooting and a Tubegun to fit it can be a great combination of AR15 ergonomics and a true LR action.
If we assume that action mounting is the standard, then the CSS is a slight variation with action mounting inside a sleeve and the Ross barrel clamp is a departure. However, the MAK is a more significant departure and is the only mounting system with the potential to affect accuracy. By requiring that the action be epoxied into the sleeve, the MAK creates, in essence, a much larger diameter action.
My frequent collaborator, Wes Grass, calculated that the rigidity of a typical Remington 700 repeater action is increased approximately six fold from 0.54 x 106 in2-lb to 3.2 x 106 in2-lb. when it is epoxied into the MAK sleeve. Solid bottom Remingtons such as the 40X or the Borden and Stiller clones are similarly enhanced, increasing approximately four fold from 1.38 x 106 in2-lb to 5.22 x 106 in2-lb. The rigidity of a Remington 700 repeater action epoxied into the MAK sleeve equals that of the better custom
actions such as the Stolle Panda or Barnard and a single shot 40X in the MAK sleeve exceeds the rigidity of any action normally used in Highpower shooting. Rigidity should not be the principal determining factor in action selection, but when choices are otherwise close, a little more rigidity is not a bad thing. The shooter makes contact with the stock at four points: the buttplate, the comb, the pistol grip and the fore end. The barreled action must somehow be attached to the stock, and of course, we have material selection and preferences. We thus end up with six technical attention areas in making our decision as to which of the many prone stocks will best suit our needs. To these, we must add considerations of price and delivery time. In this light it would seem that a modest prediction that more Tubeguns will be seen on the firing line of prone matches in the coming years with wood losing ground to composites and metal. It is hoped that this review of the types of stocks generally used in prone competition will help guide the reader in his selection process and will serve as a record for future times of what we were using in the first decade of the 21st Century. Suppliers Photo Captions
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