The McRee Stock:
The modular stock arrived from Scott at McRee Precision via UPS.I can not tell you a whole lot about Scott because I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting him in person. However After spending a couple of hours on the phone with him I can tell you this, Scott Navy Shooter who decided to get into benchrest shooting. As a superb machinist and accuracy enthusiast it was only a matter of time before Scott decided to through his hat into the ring by designing and manufacturing he considers to be the most robust modular zero bedding stock design on the planet. Scott runs a small business in Idaho where he creates his masterpieces. I was ecstatic to receive his latest version and I was really looking forward to playing and evaluating it.
My first impression was wow this stock is a solid beast. The sock is made entirely out of aluminum and it features a perfect inside and out flat anodized finish in dark earth (I believe other colors are available as well). In addition there are several flush cup mounting points as well as threaded holes for uncle Mikes sling swivel studs and other accessories as well.
The stock is extremely solid and well put together. The first thing I did was to give the stock an in-depth inspection to see if I could find any manufacturing blemishes or errant machine marks, I found none. The stock is made to be modular in nature, if you want a hunter forend great if you decide you want a tactical forend instead you can order it that way now or change it out later the same goes with all of the subassemblies. Changing the forend, rear stocks, hand supports adding or subtracting rails or just adjusting the cheek rest is all just a matter of loosening and then tightening a few Allen head screws. The forend has ample room for heavy 1.25 inch diameter barrels but it also looks right at home with a Remington Varmint contour barrel installed as well.
The receiver area of the stock is similar to other aluminum bedding blocks that are inserted into rifles except it is machined and contoured to give perfect uniform support to a Remington 700 short action without the need for bedding. Just place the action into the stock and tighten the provided bolts to 55 inch Lbs. and you are done, no bedding, no fuss or muss, done.
One of the biggest selling points of this rifle is the detachable magazine. Any of us that have been involved in tactical shooting or have spec out a rifle knows that one of the more expensive items to add onto your rifle is the Detachable Magazine. When I looked at modifying my current rifle, the installation of a DBM was going to run me about $400. Scott’s stock includes a DBM system and a magazine all inclusive in the cost. Suddenly the $700 asking price does not seem high at all. The DBM system is extremely robust and uses the defacto standard AICS magazines. The DBM system functioned flawlessly with NO adjustment or tweeking of any kind being needed.
The next feature on the stock is the pistol grip. Scott has machined a stud onto the stock that perfectly emulates the grip mounting area of an AR-15/M-16. The stud is drilled and tapped for the same size screw and any ar15-M-16 grip will fit. However, there is a slight note: if your grip has a upward extending tang on the rear like the First Samco units do you may have to cut that off as the stock goes straight back behind the grip and does not allow for the upwards tang. I really liked this feature as it allowed me to personalize the stock with a grip that enhanced my trigger finger placement.
Onto the buttstock; the buttstock is adjustable for length of pull by simply removing two Allen head bolts and then realigning the two holes with two corresponding threaded holes in the stock. Reinsert the two screws and tighten. I addition the buttstock is equipped with a unique feature which is starting to gain favor in both the shooting and tactical shooting communities, a folding stock mechanism.
I know many of you may say that it is not necessary for a bolt gun to have a folding buttstock, and I used to feel the same way but there is good reason for this piece of hardware to be installed. First and most importantly remember that this stock is being primarily manufactured for military and law enforcement as a zero bedding required unit. Since the rifle will be used by personnel who may have to enter and exit vehicles and aircraft or rapidly or ascend and descend stairwells and or access corridors a folding stock makes this much easier. In addition I found this feature to be a real asset during cleaning. Following my first shooting session I went to clean my rifle and my first thought was “OH C#$P the cheek rest is going to interfere with my cleaning rod, I need to lower the cheek rest for clearance. However, I had a little epiphany, I just folded the stock and let the rifle rest on the bipod and the pistol grip and everything worked fine.
Next to last is the cheek rest. Scott did a fine job making a basic two piece cheek rest for the stock. The cheek pieces are adjusted via two screws on each side of the stock. A simple Allen wrench is all that is needed to solidly lock and or adjust this unit.
The two last pieces of this sturdy unit are the adjustable buttplate and what I will call the rear toe grip. The buttplate is adjusted the same way as the rest of the stocks units. A couple of simple Allen head bolts pass through the rear of the stock. All the shooter has to do is remove the screws, set the buttplate to the desired height align the two holes and bolt it back down.
The rear toe of the stock is a rather unique design and I highly recommend going to www.mcreesprecision.net to see all of the options that are available. Mine has a simple reverse hook bolted in place but I have seen straight rods Accupods and a few other designs attached so you really need to look at the site and decide what best suites your needs.
Shooting the PSS / McRee combo:
Since my scope was still mounted to the rifle I threw the entire unit into my case and trotted off to the range. The purpose of this range test was to familiarize myself with the stock and to adjust it to fit me and to see how it would or would not compliment my shooting. My PSS is not a $3000 custom rifle: as such it has been capable of .5-.75 MOA groups as long as the loose nut behind the trigger does his part.
I started the test by making all of the adjustments followed by firing a couple of groups at the 200 yard line to see how much my zeros had shifted. It took me about 20 minutes of playing and tweeking before I finally had things the way I wanted. I loaded up the AICS magazine with some 168SMK’s that I had already stabled a zero with and I got ready to send them down range. I was very impressed with the feel of the stock and how it interlocked with my body. I have always preferred a true pistol grip when shooting from the prone position and this stock complimented that position very nicely. The adjustable cheek rest brought my eye behind the scope without me having to stress my neck to hold position. I was able to wrap myself around the gun and rest my cheek firmly against the stock. I was not shooting with a rear bag and the toe hook allowed me to comfortably position my hand around and under it providing a firm and stable shooting platform. The forward weight of the stock aided in holding the bipod firmly in place I took the slack out of the trigger and let the first round fly. Recoil was truly negligible and my bipod barely moved. I glanced through my spotting scope and the first round was about 1.5 minutes high and about .5 moa to the right. I then fired the remaining 4 rounds out of the magazine. After shooting another 3 five shot groups and calibrating that loose nut behind the trigger again I found I was about 1.5 moa higher than my standard zero in the PSS stock.. I came down 1.5 MOA and fired another two 5 round groups and as expected they were dead on.
I found that shooting the stock was extremely comfortable. Both my neck and eye strain seemed significantly reduced and I left the range very happy knowing that my groups averaged out at .65 MOA.
Pros, Cons, and Suggestions:
Pros: First off let me say that I highly recommend this stock to anyone who is serious about becoming a better shooter. I found that the stock allowed me to be much more comfortable and solid in my position than I have been with other stocks. Let’s face the less fatigue you experience the better you will shoot. I also feel that this stock could take any and all abuse against it if it were placed in a military or LE environment. The simple and robust methods used in the adjustable aspects of this stock make it Soldier, Sailor and hell just about Marine Proof. The zero bedding aspect should appeal to all armorers and bean counters as a fool and litigation proof way of attaining repeatable accuracy before and after maintenance.
Cons: The only Negative I have found is one that there is no answer for. The stock is heavy. To walk around for any length of time with this unit in your hands would not be pleasant. However I truly believe that this unit is right on par with many of it’s competitors and this is just the nature of the beast.
Suggestions: As in all things we all have opinions. Opinions are like hind ends we all have them and they all stink. That being said I would like to see a few more options available for this unit.
1) Some sort of integral bipod to help relieve the front end bulk of the currently available units.
2) As an option to the folding stock unit offer one of the ACE type units that would allow the attachment of standard AR buttstock in place of the manufactured unit. This would allow the use of the Magpul® PRS or one of the many other fine units with adjustable length of pull that shooters are used too
3) As an accessory maybe an adjustable cheek unit with a spare magazine or data pouch attached. In addition a optional padded cheek piece would be nice for very cold or very hot operational environments.
4) Lastly a type of removable handle similar in construction to the type used by FN or some HK rifles. This would allow the shooter a much easier way to carry the rifle is it could be mounted and removed close to the rifles center of gravity.
***** Equipment update*******
Wow talk about customer response, I have just been made aware of several products now available for Scotts stocks that I did not know about.It just goes to show that great minds think alike because all of my sugestions have been addressed.
1 There is work being done to try and develop an alternate to the current bipod system
2 Ace stock adapters are available for the rear of the stock that will allow AR-15 style buttsocks to be attached to the folding mechanism
3 Custom, stock pack units that can be mounted to the cheek rests are now available. These units are made in the USA.
4 Currently there is a prototype of a CNC machined adjustable pistol grip in the works.
5 Lastly while there is no carry handle currently in devolopment they have looked at potential designs but it is not a cost effective
option at this time
All in all I think Scott Did a fine job in engineering and manufacturing this stock and that he has a real potential winner. I can’t wait to use my PSS with Scott’s stock at the upcoming Findley Cup Match in Washington State. This will be my first tactical match and I am a little apprehensive and even though I am sure that I am going to “get schooled” I am confident that this new Stock will help do the best possible job I can.
Dafar,
USN Retired
Distinguished Rifleman
The modular stock arrived from Scott at McRee Precision via UPS.I can not tell you a whole lot about Scott because I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting him in person. However After spending a couple of hours on the phone with him I can tell you this, Scott Navy Shooter who decided to get into benchrest shooting. As a superb machinist and accuracy enthusiast it was only a matter of time before Scott decided to through his hat into the ring by designing and manufacturing he considers to be the most robust modular zero bedding stock design on the planet. Scott runs a small business in Idaho where he creates his masterpieces. I was ecstatic to receive his latest version and I was really looking forward to playing and evaluating it.
My first impression was wow this stock is a solid beast. The sock is made entirely out of aluminum and it features a perfect inside and out flat anodized finish in dark earth (I believe other colors are available as well). In addition there are several flush cup mounting points as well as threaded holes for uncle Mikes sling swivel studs and other accessories as well.
The stock is extremely solid and well put together. The first thing I did was to give the stock an in-depth inspection to see if I could find any manufacturing blemishes or errant machine marks, I found none. The stock is made to be modular in nature, if you want a hunter forend great if you decide you want a tactical forend instead you can order it that way now or change it out later the same goes with all of the subassemblies. Changing the forend, rear stocks, hand supports adding or subtracting rails or just adjusting the cheek rest is all just a matter of loosening and then tightening a few Allen head screws. The forend has ample room for heavy 1.25 inch diameter barrels but it also looks right at home with a Remington Varmint contour barrel installed as well.
The receiver area of the stock is similar to other aluminum bedding blocks that are inserted into rifles except it is machined and contoured to give perfect uniform support to a Remington 700 short action without the need for bedding. Just place the action into the stock and tighten the provided bolts to 55 inch Lbs. and you are done, no bedding, no fuss or muss, done.
One of the biggest selling points of this rifle is the detachable magazine. Any of us that have been involved in tactical shooting or have spec out a rifle knows that one of the more expensive items to add onto your rifle is the Detachable Magazine. When I looked at modifying my current rifle, the installation of a DBM was going to run me about $400. Scott’s stock includes a DBM system and a magazine all inclusive in the cost. Suddenly the $700 asking price does not seem high at all. The DBM system is extremely robust and uses the defacto standard AICS magazines. The DBM system functioned flawlessly with NO adjustment or tweeking of any kind being needed.
The next feature on the stock is the pistol grip. Scott has machined a stud onto the stock that perfectly emulates the grip mounting area of an AR-15/M-16. The stud is drilled and tapped for the same size screw and any ar15-M-16 grip will fit. However, there is a slight note: if your grip has a upward extending tang on the rear like the First Samco units do you may have to cut that off as the stock goes straight back behind the grip and does not allow for the upwards tang. I really liked this feature as it allowed me to personalize the stock with a grip that enhanced my trigger finger placement.
Onto the buttstock; the buttstock is adjustable for length of pull by simply removing two Allen head bolts and then realigning the two holes with two corresponding threaded holes in the stock. Reinsert the two screws and tighten. I addition the buttstock is equipped with a unique feature which is starting to gain favor in both the shooting and tactical shooting communities, a folding stock mechanism.
I know many of you may say that it is not necessary for a bolt gun to have a folding buttstock, and I used to feel the same way but there is good reason for this piece of hardware to be installed. First and most importantly remember that this stock is being primarily manufactured for military and law enforcement as a zero bedding required unit. Since the rifle will be used by personnel who may have to enter and exit vehicles and aircraft or rapidly or ascend and descend stairwells and or access corridors a folding stock makes this much easier. In addition I found this feature to be a real asset during cleaning. Following my first shooting session I went to clean my rifle and my first thought was “OH C#$P the cheek rest is going to interfere with my cleaning rod, I need to lower the cheek rest for clearance. However, I had a little epiphany, I just folded the stock and let the rifle rest on the bipod and the pistol grip and everything worked fine.
Next to last is the cheek rest. Scott did a fine job making a basic two piece cheek rest for the stock. The cheek pieces are adjusted via two screws on each side of the stock. A simple Allen wrench is all that is needed to solidly lock and or adjust this unit.
The two last pieces of this sturdy unit are the adjustable buttplate and what I will call the rear toe grip. The buttplate is adjusted the same way as the rest of the stocks units. A couple of simple Allen head bolts pass through the rear of the stock. All the shooter has to do is remove the screws, set the buttplate to the desired height align the two holes and bolt it back down.
The rear toe of the stock is a rather unique design and I highly recommend going to www.mcreesprecision.net to see all of the options that are available. Mine has a simple reverse hook bolted in place but I have seen straight rods Accupods and a few other designs attached so you really need to look at the site and decide what best suites your needs.
Shooting the PSS / McRee combo:
Since my scope was still mounted to the rifle I threw the entire unit into my case and trotted off to the range. The purpose of this range test was to familiarize myself with the stock and to adjust it to fit me and to see how it would or would not compliment my shooting. My PSS is not a $3000 custom rifle: as such it has been capable of .5-.75 MOA groups as long as the loose nut behind the trigger does his part.
I started the test by making all of the adjustments followed by firing a couple of groups at the 200 yard line to see how much my zeros had shifted. It took me about 20 minutes of playing and tweeking before I finally had things the way I wanted. I loaded up the AICS magazine with some 168SMK’s that I had already stabled a zero with and I got ready to send them down range. I was very impressed with the feel of the stock and how it interlocked with my body. I have always preferred a true pistol grip when shooting from the prone position and this stock complimented that position very nicely. The adjustable cheek rest brought my eye behind the scope without me having to stress my neck to hold position. I was able to wrap myself around the gun and rest my cheek firmly against the stock. I was not shooting with a rear bag and the toe hook allowed me to comfortably position my hand around and under it providing a firm and stable shooting platform. The forward weight of the stock aided in holding the bipod firmly in place I took the slack out of the trigger and let the first round fly. Recoil was truly negligible and my bipod barely moved. I glanced through my spotting scope and the first round was about 1.5 minutes high and about .5 moa to the right. I then fired the remaining 4 rounds out of the magazine. After shooting another 3 five shot groups and calibrating that loose nut behind the trigger again I found I was about 1.5 moa higher than my standard zero in the PSS stock.. I came down 1.5 MOA and fired another two 5 round groups and as expected they were dead on.
I found that shooting the stock was extremely comfortable. Both my neck and eye strain seemed significantly reduced and I left the range very happy knowing that my groups averaged out at .65 MOA.
Pros, Cons, and Suggestions:
Pros: First off let me say that I highly recommend this stock to anyone who is serious about becoming a better shooter. I found that the stock allowed me to be much more comfortable and solid in my position than I have been with other stocks. Let’s face the less fatigue you experience the better you will shoot. I also feel that this stock could take any and all abuse against it if it were placed in a military or LE environment. The simple and robust methods used in the adjustable aspects of this stock make it Soldier, Sailor and hell just about Marine Proof. The zero bedding aspect should appeal to all armorers and bean counters as a fool and litigation proof way of attaining repeatable accuracy before and after maintenance.
Cons: The only Negative I have found is one that there is no answer for. The stock is heavy. To walk around for any length of time with this unit in your hands would not be pleasant. However I truly believe that this unit is right on par with many of it’s competitors and this is just the nature of the beast.
Suggestions: As in all things we all have opinions. Opinions are like hind ends we all have them and they all stink. That being said I would like to see a few more options available for this unit.
1) Some sort of integral bipod to help relieve the front end bulk of the currently available units.
2) As an option to the folding stock unit offer one of the ACE type units that would allow the attachment of standard AR buttstock in place of the manufactured unit. This would allow the use of the Magpul® PRS or one of the many other fine units with adjustable length of pull that shooters are used too
3) As an accessory maybe an adjustable cheek unit with a spare magazine or data pouch attached. In addition a optional padded cheek piece would be nice for very cold or very hot operational environments.
4) Lastly a type of removable handle similar in construction to the type used by FN or some HK rifles. This would allow the shooter a much easier way to carry the rifle is it could be mounted and removed close to the rifles center of gravity.
***** Equipment update*******
Wow talk about customer response, I have just been made aware of several products now available for Scotts stocks that I did not know about.It just goes to show that great minds think alike because all of my sugestions have been addressed.
1 There is work being done to try and develop an alternate to the current bipod system
2 Ace stock adapters are available for the rear of the stock that will allow AR-15 style buttsocks to be attached to the folding mechanism
3 Custom, stock pack units that can be mounted to the cheek rests are now available. These units are made in the USA.
4 Currently there is a prototype of a CNC machined adjustable pistol grip in the works.
5 Lastly while there is no carry handle currently in devolopment they have looked at potential designs but it is not a cost effective
option at this time
All in all I think Scott Did a fine job in engineering and manufacturing this stock and that he has a real potential winner. I can’t wait to use my PSS with Scott’s stock at the upcoming Findley Cup Match in Washington State. This will be my first tactical match and I am a little apprehensive and even though I am sure that I am going to “get schooled” I am confident that this new Stock will help do the best possible job I can.
Dafar,
USN Retired
Distinguished Rifleman
