Best stock style to mitigate recoil

[Albert GRANT]

What stock style have you large bore shooters found works best to help reduce the felt recoil? Classic sporter, Monte carlo, something else?

 

[BWH]

Do you care about wood vs. synthetic?

 

[Dr Ray]

Do you care about wood vs. synthetic?

I like my walnut sticks but have a Sako 270 in synthetic stock. It's a soft feel rather than a metallic feel.
I prefer straight classic stock.
I have other sakos w walnut stocks but have the 270w a Swarovski scope for hunting where humidity is up to 100% as I live in tropical Australia.

The dark stock - black is the 270
The rifle w two bolts through the stock is a Sako in 338 win mag and the other is a Sako in 22:250

The rifle by itself is a Sako in 22 LR
I have had rifles w the Monte Carlo stick but prefer these.

Take you pick in stocks but personally I choose the walnut it synthetic depending where I hunt.

 

[Albert GRANT]

For me it's more research than anything else at this point, just curious what's best. I do very much prefer the look of figured walnut, but as we have seen on a thread here, that can be done dipping synthetic now

 

[Dr Ray]

For me it's more research than anything else at this point, just curious what's best. I do very much prefer the look of figured walnut, but as we have seen on a thread here, that can be done dipping synthetic now

I go hunting using 270 where the humidity is horrendous

I have taken wooden stock rifles w blued barrels and have had a rust problem
All of my rifles except a 45/70 lever action have stainless steel barrels
All of my triggers have been modified by a gunsmith to reduce pressure on the trigger to fire
So if you live where humidity isn't an issue then I suggest wood stocks and obviously if humidity is a major factor I would suggest the synthetics

 

[Albert GRANT]

I guess I meant more the shape of the stock than what it is made of. I here guys on here a lot talking about a gun being a bad recoiler due to stock design

 

[BC.Pat]

Albert, I too have given this subject some thought (and looked at a lot of stock designs), and basically its a physics problem. Without getting to technical if find a stock with a little more drop in the heel that allows the rifle to rise during recoil is beneficial in reducing the felt recoil. It uses the mass (weight) of the rifle rising against gravity to split the moment of force (recoil) in two directions, one against you ( your shoulder) and two upward against gravity (9.81 m/s2). The down side of this is that you lose sight picture as the rifle rises. Trained riflemen use this movement to cycle the bolt and be ready when the rifle comes back down on the target. Needless to say it takes some practice. My 450 Rigby kicks pretty good as there is not a lot a drop in the heal, and still rises some. There is just no free lunches with physics IMHO, and I hate muzzle brakes.
Hope this helps.
cheers
Pat

 

[Albert GRANT]

Albert, I too have given this subject some thought (and looked at a lot of stock designs), and basically its a physics problem. Without getting to technical if find a stock with a little more drop in the heel that allows the rifle to rise during recoil is beneficial in reducing the felt recoil. It uses the mass (weight) of the rifle rising against gravity to split the moment of force (recoil) in two directions, one against you ( your shoulder) and two upward against gravity (9.81 m/s2). The down side of this is that you lose sight picture as the rifle rises. Trained riflemen use this movement to cycle the bolt and be ready when the rifle comes back down on the target. Needless to say it takes some practice. My 450 Rigby kicks pretty good as there is not a lot a drop in the heal, and still rises some. There is just no free lunches with physics IMHO, and I hate muzzle brakes.
Hope this helps.
cheers
Pat

+1 on the muzzle brakes

 

[Dr Ray]

Muzzle brakes - anyone near you will be deafened
Used a Weatherby 460
Recoil was sure something but people with close proximity didn't appreciate the tremendous muzzle blast

 

[BWH]

Reason I ask.... there are some really good "synthetic" style stocks..... they are made of a rubber/synthetic/etc.... that really absorbs recoil..... lighter to carry & less recoil. A bit more contemporary. However, I could give a shit about that on a 10 mile hike in the bush.

 

[Albert GRANT]

Reason I ask.... there are some really good "synthetic" style stocks..... they are made of a rubber/synthetic/etc.... that really absorbs recoil..... lighter to carry & less recoil. A bit more contemporary. However, I could give a shit about that on a 10 mile hike in the bush.

I agree, but as I said you can make me look "classic" with dipping now. Which ones in particular are you talking about? I have never paid much attention to stocks before having never shot a large bore until my recent aquisition of a .375 H&H. The only thing I paid much attention to if I wasn't shooting them was if it had nice wood.

 

[rookhawk]

For me it's a British stocked rifle with a shadowline cheek piece, hand rubbed slacum oil finish and low rings or iron sights.

Why?

A.) low dimensions get a better cheek weld

B.) cheek piece gets your face adjacent to the stock and not as much on it while providing more contact to diffuse recoil

C.) hand rubbed slacum has a dull finish and doesn't glue your flesh to the stock and tear it off upon recoil like truoil or poly or high glos

D.) low sights allow better contact and a more affirmative forward stance to take the recoil.

The Brits though about all of this with great thought over two centuries

 

[BC.Pat]

British stocked rifle

I agree the Brits had this sorted along time ago. You often hear " she handles like a shotgun" have a look British shotgun stock design (Purdy etc.)

 

[rookhawk]

I agree the Brits had this sorted along time ago. You often hear " she handles like a shotgun" have a look British shotgun stock design (Purdy etc.)

This is an important point of agreement that dove tails with the discussion of lovely Ruger number one versus Dakota model 10 rifles as an example. It is less optimal to deal with fit and recoil when the stock is hollow for mass manufacturing. This is called a "through bolted" stock. No manufacturer will chance a broken stock and warranty issues with generally mediocre (mass market) wood. So they overbuild them and fit isn't optimal. A very handy custom builder can chance it taking the wood down dangerously close to the void, but a better grade of gun will not have a hollow through bolt and will rely on perfect fit to the action and the tang screws to lock it all together.

There is something functional about the elitist grade guns, that's why it's such a beautiful thing when you can find one affordable and enjoy it. Buy best grade guns from obscure makers to make them affordable. There are guns 98% as fine as a vintage Rigby for 15% of the cost. My point is that if we agree to what makes something best for fit and function, it doesn't mean we all can't afford it with a hard search and thoughtful purchase. I've owned truly best guns for as little as $1100 that didn't have the right name engraved.

 

[lcq]

without resorting to a brake the most important factor would be added weight and a good recoil pad. I prefer a straight classic laminated stock. No free lunch unless you are allowed to use supressors in your area

 

[broncolcj]

Thumbhole laminates take a lot of pain out of recoil. I put one on my Weatherby Mark V in .340 wby, made it a whole new rifle

 

[BC.Pat]

Thumbhole

interesting I would not have thought that. I always think of a thumbhole stock as a varmint or target stock.....hmmmm. I think I need to be experimenting again.
thanks for sharing.
Pat

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Thumbhole laminates take a lot of pain out of recoil. I put one on my Weatherby Mark V in .340 wby, made it a whole new rifle

I haven't shot anything with a thumbhole stock. My opinion is they're ugly, and you have to fumble to get to the safety on the top.
Do you have that fumbling problem? I'm sure with practice it becomes less of an issue...
Does this type of stock mitigate some of the perceived recoil?

 

[broncolcj]

I haven't shot anything with a thumbhole stock. My opinion is they're ugly, and you have to fumble to get to the safety on the top.
Do you have that fumbling problem? I'm sure with practice it becomes less of an issue...
Does this type of stock mitigate some of the perceived recoil?

Speaking of Weatherbys and Remingtons, my experience is that the safeties are easy to reach, no fumbling at all.
I will concede they can lack for elegance in appearance. Stocky's brand aren't too bad looking though.
Recoil mitigation is excellent. The hand grip allows for an extremely aggressive hold and a portion of the recoil is diverted down the arm. The grip is also more vertical which I find helps. As I said, I have one on my .340 wby (muzzle brake removed) and the difference from the standard Bell and Carlson synthetic it was sold with is amazing

 

[Philip Glass]

I doubt anyone has one on a big bore but a thumb hole stock keeps the recoil off your shoulder.