ADDITIONAL STOCK IMPROVEMENTS

LIGHT GUNSMITHING

- Gil Sengel

A couple of issues back, in Rifle No. 307 (November 2019), the alteration of those huge cheekpieces so common to semi-finished replacement stocks intended for sporterizing military bolt guns in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s was discussed. It was lowered and thinned as much as the cast-off would allow. A much more comfortable shooting rifle resulted. A shadowline was also added, which greatly improved the old rifle’s appearance. That same stock also exhibited some of the other odd features often added to stocks of the time. Fortunately, the fellow who finished it only did light sanding before applying the finish, thus leaving enough wood to allow altering these to something a bit more in line with today’s tastes.

The most noticeable of these is the flat-bottomed forend having equally flat sides tapering in toward the barrel. Allowing a better grip on hard-kicking rifles is often stated as the reason for this. Yet if a person closes whichever hand holds the forend, it forms a circular cavity in the palm, not square or triangular. How this squarish shape provides a better grip escapes me, as does the claim flat forends are easier to control on sandbags. While the idea is true for wide forends, such designs are not usually used on hunting rifles. Then too, not many big-game animals are shot off a benchrest and sandbags. If a shot is taken off a rolled-up jacket or packframe, which won’t be parallel to the ground, a flat forend can introduce a degree of cant that could cause a miss if not noticed. A more rounded forend just feels better to most people.