Best stock on an econo rifle

[howl]

Which of the cheaper new rifles do you feel has the best stock? Would you trust it with a bipod in a bind or slung up tight?

 

[VikingsGuy]

Depends on your definition of "cheap", but Tikkas stocks (while not a great fit for me) are plenty rigid.

 

[Don Fischer]

Probably not a right answer to this. But from the for what it's worth dept. I'd say maybe my wood stock Mossberg Patriot. Probably plastic stocks out there you could use and/or fix up but before I put my gun away I like to look at it a min! I simply like wood! My Mossberg came with a plastic stock and I did shoot it after ordering a wood one and before the wood one got here. 243 that shot well under an inch in the plastic stock but I'm sure everyone agrees, plastic stocks are ugly! Had to go look at it. If I got past ugly I think if it's got a flaw, it's all those cavity's in the forend, bet I could fix that!

My son has a Savage in 17RF that the stock simply broke on, don't recall what happened but it had all those cavity's in it also. There is an up side to plastic though, fall down and scratch it and it don't matter, it's already ugly! Please excuse my good taste. I simply like wood stocks!

 

[nhenry]

CVA Cascade ain’t bad at all. I’ve also never thought Remington stocks were awful as they were.

 

[Don Fischer]

CVA Cascade ain’t bad at all. I’ve also never thought Remington stocks were awful as they were.

I got a 700 ADL with a plastic stock as a gift one time. Worst stock I ever saw. Barrel action was stuck in the stock and had to pound the barrel on the back of the couck to get it out, shot terrible. Got it out and completely re-did it and shoot's great now. Finally found a used wood stock and dropped it in shoots great still. That plastic stock must have been one in a million to get out like it did. Dumped the broad that gave it to me. Wasn't a very good cook anyway!

 

[belshawelk]

the howa 1500 is fine

 

[JohnCushman]

Howa Hogue in a 1500.

 

[dranrab]

"Best stock" is very subjective. As long as the stock doesn't impede accuracy, it's nothing more than a handle. I'd trust any of them, even the crap Ruger American stock, to serve it's purpose as a handle and not succumb to the pressure put on the sling studs.

 

[FairWeather]

What makes a stock good or bad? I can understand difference in quality/craftsmanship, but the plastic stock on my Savage 11 (for example) is cheap but seems to do just fine. The recoil pad sucks ass though.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I’m not particularly confident in any of them if you put a stiff side load on em with a sling or bipod. Slung tight but pulling straight down and back or with a bipod loaded square is a different story. It’s not hard to twist a stock and get contact on most of em. Tikka plastics are stiffer than most but come with contact bumps already so putting some torque on the stock would probably just focus it more on one side. Those bumps are easy to grind off though.

Good news is it’s generally pretty easy to shoot without torquing the crap out of a stock.

 

[Don Fischer]

I’m not particularly confident in any of them if you put a stiff side load on em with a sling or bipod. Slung tight but pulling straight down and back or with a bipod loaded square is a different story. It’s not hard to twist a stock and get contact on most of em. Tikka plastics are stiffer than most but come with contact bumps already so putting some torque on the stock would probably just focus it more on one side. Those bumps are easy to grind off though.

Good news is it’s generally pretty easy to shoot without torquing the crap out of a stock.

About tourking the stock. My Patriot taught me a losy 24# torque and the rifle shoots fine. I'm to chicken to try it on another stock though!

 

[std7mag]

Howa Hogue in a 1500.

Hogue stocks aren't the Tupperware stocks that you see on the least expensive rifle options out there in all fairness.

I've spent a lot of time and experimentation on stiffening the factory Tupperware stocks!

So far i've worked on Savage, Ruger, Mossberg, Tikka.

It's not the easiest to get them stiff, while not adding a bunch of weight and keeping the balance of the gun.

Best bet for a stiff stock in the econo market is to get one with a wood stock!

 

[howl]

About tourking the stock. My Patriot taught me a losy 24# torque and the rifle shoots fine. I'm to chicken to try it on another stock though!

Y'all may be typing about different things. There's twisting the stock when shooting and tightening bolts and screws.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Y'all may be typing about different things. There's twisting the stock when shooting and tightening bolts and screws.

Correct. I’m talking about forces in the stock like a tight sling being pulled to the side or a twisting mounted bipod that would cause changes in pressure or alternate contact points between the barreled action and stock.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I am limited to experience that is sort of nonapplicable. I have three guns outfitted in black plastic, all added after the fact: aftermarket "Champion" (formerly Ram-Line) on my Browning A-5, Remington brand synthetic on my 870 Wingmaster magnum, and Ram-Line on my 760 Remington pump 30-06. The Champion set required significant work to get it to fit the gun. However, it fits me much better than factory wood (different drop and thinner under my cheek). I shoot the lights out with that gun. I went with plastic on the 870 after magnum loads broke down two walnut stocks. As far as I can tell it fits me the same (870 is a great pointing shotgun). My retinas couldn't take the recoil so I bought the A-5 auto. The plastic on 760 replaces wood that Dad cut off short for Mom. I rarely shoot it.

What I have learned generally about these plastic stocks: 1. They are lighter and produce more recoil. 2. Recoil pads on them are shitty. 3. But you're usually stuck with them because they are essentially custom made to fit to a specific hollow plastic stock. It may be possible to add a slipon pad but that will extend LOP another inch which may not work for the shooter (actually works better for my long arms and neck).

 

[Wind Gypsy]

What makes a stock good or bad? I can understand difference in quality/craftsmanship, but the plastic stock on my Savage 11 (for example) is cheap but seems to do just fine. The recoil pad sucks ass though.

You've hit on a point that i feel like there's lots of room for improvement in modern rifles.. In most situations if a gun can consistently connected with a stock it can be shot in a manner where the stock isn't going to prevent the rifle from shooting to it's capabilities. But, just because a rifle can be accurate in a shitty stock, doesn't mean a shitty stock is just as good as a good stock.

What I look for in a stock:

1. Stiff and structurally sound - not an issue on most high end aftermarket stocks/chassis. With flexible stocks you can induce different contact points on the barrel and put different pressures on where the stock mates with the action causing accuracy issues. I think shooting technique can mitigate a lot of this but having a little more forgiveness is nice.
2. Shape - this is the toughest part for me to find what I want. It seems the bulk of focus here has long been on what makes a rifle nice to carry or feel like every other stock when you shoulder it vs something that makes it easier to shoot well. Gunwerks does this better than any of the other stock makers IMO.
   1. Grip that puts trigger hand in position to press trigger straight back the same way every shot. Traditional sporter grips feel good or normal for people putting a rifle to their shoulder in a store but they suck for the important part - breaking the trigger without disturbing point of aim. This is the best explanation i've seen covering this https://www.snipershide.com/precisi...tine-driving-you-mad-get-a-grip-or-build-one/
   2. Recoil pad should be as high as the bore. When there is drop at the heel like on basically every hunting rifle stock made, the only resistance to recoil is below the bore which creates a moment and causes the muzzle to rise. If resistance to recoil is behind the bore at an equal height it allows the rifle to recoil straight back.
   3. Negative comb. Almost all hunting rifles have zero or positive comb. As the rifle recoils back and up, this causes the stock to sharply recoil into shooters cheek rather than away from it which isn't pleasant. It also makes it harder to spot impacts and contribute to inconsistent cheek pressure and flinching
   4. Fore end and bottom of butt stock that is parallel or close to parallel with bore. This helps a rifle recoil straight back when shooting from support under the front and rear of rifle rather than dropping or "floating" under recoil
3. Fit - pretty self explanatory BUT a lot of the things above in the Shape category would lead to lots of people saying "it doesn't fit me" because they feel different than what someone is used to. That's not what I mean. By fit i'm saying the LOP fits shooters arms and neck length and the grip has about the right distance to trigger.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I don't have a ton of experience with them, but if Tikkas are being considered, the stock on the Bergara Hunters seemed a step up from alot of the other basic rifles out there.

 

[buffybr]

I don't know what the OP considers as "cheap" rifles, but I have two Weatherby Vanguard rifles in their Griptonite plastic stocks. I've pillar and glass bedded the actions and free floated the barrels and if the cartridges matched the game that I would hunt, I wouldn't hesitate to take them anywhere.

I like the looks and feel of the Griptonite stocks, that I bought an extra one and put my Remington Model 700 7mm RM in it. Previously I had taken that 7mm RM in it's factory Tupperware stock on multiple hunts in Africa and Canada, along with elk hunts here in Montana.