The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Evenin' oomans.

We're interested in your opinions / experience regarding stock design. We're about to commission a rifle in .338 Lapua Magnum and need to make up our ikkle tiny mind regarding the stock. We're a traditionalist, and love the stock on our CG63 in 6.5x55 Norsqueagian. It's wood and has a nice upright pistol grip we find particularly comfortabubble. We also has a 7mm Rem Mag rifle in an AICS thumbhole* stock that is good too. However, the trend these days seems to be towards aluminium chassis type stocks. We have one of those too, a DTA bullpup in .308". It's superb.

Our question is this. Based on real world experience, what stock do you think best for a .338" rifle for long range shootin' ? A traditional wooden stock with a nice pistol grip? Its modern Manners / McMillan type counterpart ? Or an AICS stock ? Or an aloooominum chassis, i.e MDT / Dolphin / DTA type? And why ? Answers are to be complete and showin' your workin's






* Yes, we knows thumbs are the province of you bald monkeys.

Save the sen some brass and buy a 338 LM barrel for t DTA

The benefit of a chassis system (I'll use the MDT Tac21 as an example as I use this for my 6.5x47 Lapua) is that they are fairly modular. Want a straight pistol grip? You got it. Want a pistol grip with a palm shelf? Sure, why not. You want a collapsible AR-15 stock or a precision stock with bag rider? Go for it. Adding additional accessories like scope mounts and bipod is also very easy, with multiple adapters and rails galore.

The chassis systems can also rack up the pounds quite quickly. My setup is around the 14lb mark (that's 5.6kg for metric badgers) and absorbs recoil very well, which can only be a benefit to the 338 Lapua shooter. The inletting is usually a V-block which means good contact with the receiver, none of this epoxy bedding like the days of old with wooden stocks, just plug and play!

However, there must be a reason why the F class shooters still favour their wooden stocks. I don't have any experience with these type of high end stocks (just military rifles and the like) so will not give my comment on these.

Here is my boomstick, with rubber bayonet to prevent stabbing injuries.