<span style="font-style: italic">First I want to apologize to the guys at McMillan for taking so long to post this review. I've been super busy this summer, and the 100 degree plus days we've had for the past several months haven't exactly been conducive to doing a lot of shooting. But with that said, I finally got to spend some time with my A-Hole, so here goes!</span>
As anybody who has ordered a swirly from McMillan knows, you never quite know what your stock is going to look like when you get it. The final results of the mixture you specified weeks before when you spec'ed your stock might look totally different than what you had envisioned. When my A-Hole arrived in that familiar white box, and I opened it up, I was very happy with the way it turned out. After dropping my barreled action in my new A-Hole, here's how it looks. For reference, that's a Remington 700 short action with a 27" Rock Creek M40 contour 1:8" barrel, chambered in 223AI by IT&D. Trigger is a Timney, and I'm running a 20MOA aluminum Talley tactical base, TPS rings and a Sightron SIII 10x42. Triggerguard is a SS PT&G unit.
As has been mentioned here in the past, the A-Hole comes standard with an adjustable cheekpiece. I've never used one, and deferred to Ryan on the choice between the thumbwheel and the integral, and I'm glad I did, as I really like the integral cheekpiece. It adjusts easily and stays put after you lock it down with no tools. As most of you guys who've spent any time behind a "tactical" rig know, the picatinny rails and larger objective scopes usually result in a scope that is mounted higher than your typical hunting-style setup. This in turn causes issues with eye/scope alignment. The adjustable cheekpiece cures all that allowing your eye to line up perfectly while being able to maintain a nice cheekweld.
Another feature of this stock which is seen on other A-series McMillans is the thumb hook (see above). I'm still up in the air on this, as most of my time behind a rifle like this is spent at the range with a front rest and a bag out back. The butthook doesn't allow the smooth travel in the bags that a standard buttstock does. But if you're one of those guys that spends most of their time on your stomach, shooting off a bipod, I can definitely see where it comes in handy. Using your off hand, you can pull the rifle into your shoulder tightly, and make slight adjustments easily.
The forearm is very similar in shape to the A3 which is probably my favorite McMillan stock. It rides the bags well, but feels right at home with a bipod attached as well. But the A-Hole isn't a direct copy, and has a feature similar to McMillan's A1-3 with a groove cut down the side of the forearm. The one thing I've noticed about this feature is that it makes for a really good feeling stock when shooting offhand as it adds a little more "handle" to the forearm. The picture below is the best shot I have of this feature.
The one thing I haven't mentioned, and the most unique feature of the A-Hole, is the thumbhole. I've owned quite a few McMillans over the years, as well as a few other custom stocks, but I've never spent any time with a thumbhole stock, so this was a first for me. The thing I noticed about the thumbhole is how easy it made manipulating the stock. Moving right or left, up or down, was very simple, and shooting was very comfortable, and not at all unnatural or awkward.
I can honestly say I really like the thumbhole. While I don't know if I'll be selling all my A3s and buying A-Holes, I really like the ergos on this stock. I shot it offhand, with a bipod and no bag, and with a front rest and a rear bag, and any combo/position was very natural and comfortable. So, if any of you guys are ever in Central Texas, and feel like swinging by to check it out, just let me know. I'd be proud to show off my A-Hole!
As anybody who has ordered a swirly from McMillan knows, you never quite know what your stock is going to look like when you get it. The final results of the mixture you specified weeks before when you spec'ed your stock might look totally different than what you had envisioned. When my A-Hole arrived in that familiar white box, and I opened it up, I was very happy with the way it turned out. After dropping my barreled action in my new A-Hole, here's how it looks. For reference, that's a Remington 700 short action with a 27" Rock Creek M40 contour 1:8" barrel, chambered in 223AI by IT&D. Trigger is a Timney, and I'm running a 20MOA aluminum Talley tactical base, TPS rings and a Sightron SIII 10x42. Triggerguard is a SS PT&G unit.
As has been mentioned here in the past, the A-Hole comes standard with an adjustable cheekpiece. I've never used one, and deferred to Ryan on the choice between the thumbwheel and the integral, and I'm glad I did, as I really like the integral cheekpiece. It adjusts easily and stays put after you lock it down with no tools. As most of you guys who've spent any time behind a "tactical" rig know, the picatinny rails and larger objective scopes usually result in a scope that is mounted higher than your typical hunting-style setup. This in turn causes issues with eye/scope alignment. The adjustable cheekpiece cures all that allowing your eye to line up perfectly while being able to maintain a nice cheekweld.
Another feature of this stock which is seen on other A-series McMillans is the thumb hook (see above). I'm still up in the air on this, as most of my time behind a rifle like this is spent at the range with a front rest and a bag out back. The butthook doesn't allow the smooth travel in the bags that a standard buttstock does. But if you're one of those guys that spends most of their time on your stomach, shooting off a bipod, I can definitely see where it comes in handy. Using your off hand, you can pull the rifle into your shoulder tightly, and make slight adjustments easily.
The forearm is very similar in shape to the A3 which is probably my favorite McMillan stock. It rides the bags well, but feels right at home with a bipod attached as well. But the A-Hole isn't a direct copy, and has a feature similar to McMillan's A1-3 with a groove cut down the side of the forearm. The one thing I've noticed about this feature is that it makes for a really good feeling stock when shooting offhand as it adds a little more "handle" to the forearm. The picture below is the best shot I have of this feature.
The one thing I haven't mentioned, and the most unique feature of the A-Hole, is the thumbhole. I've owned quite a few McMillans over the years, as well as a few other custom stocks, but I've never spent any time with a thumbhole stock, so this was a first for me. The thing I noticed about the thumbhole is how easy it made manipulating the stock. Moving right or left, up or down, was very simple, and shooting was very comfortable, and not at all unnatural or awkward.
I can honestly say I really like the thumbhole. While I don't know if I'll be selling all my A3s and buying A-Holes, I really like the ergos on this stock. I shot it offhand, with a bipod and no bag, and with a front rest and a rear bag, and any combo/position was very natural and comfortable. So, if any of you guys are ever in Central Texas, and feel like swinging by to check it out, just let me know. I'd be proud to show off my A-Hole!
