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Pick a Stock for Hunting Rifle

M

meestermeetch

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 7, 2018
221
46
I am building a hunting rifle.
ARC Nucleus short action with a 16" Light Palma barrel and Dead Air Sandman S run by a Trigger Tech Special, optics will be a NX8 2-20.

Need to help picking the stock, I want it to be fairly light (sub 4 lbs) use AICS mags and not require bedding, with any luck limited wait time, and hopefully less than $800.

I have multiple KRG bravos and really like them but am not particularly interested in another. I am thinking about a Greyboe Pheonix or Renegade, or if I am going to spend the long dollar, Foundation Revelation.

If anyone has another suggestions please let me know.
 
Limited wait time is gonna be tough in the current climate.

That being said, I have used the Grayboe and AG Composite stocks on a last few "fun" builds with complete satisfaction.

Though between the two, I find the ergos on the Grayboe Terrain the most comfortable in the position I shoot.

Good luck in your search!
 
I love HS for hunting rifle stocks, but not compatible with AICS mags.
 
Thanks for the responses, looking at it, the manners, availability to ship is reasonable but all fairly heavy (3.5-5lbs) and even with the mini chassis seem to have a specific inlet, am I understanding that right? Also at about 1k for a rifle I won’t shoot a ton that seems crazy but since I will likely leave the scope on it I guess I should spend the long dollar. At that weight setting and lead time if I have to get one custom I might as well go foundation....

McMillan and AG both have longer lead times and higher costs than I am looking for.

Does anyone feel strongly about bedding a Phoenix?
 
McMillan A3 is the finest hunting stock / field stock made. I've had McMillan A5s, A3s, Manners T2As, T4As, PRS2s, KRG Bravos, etc and the A3 is easily the best for me. I'm placing orders for 2 more of them this week. They balance so well, are easy to maneuver, and look great.
 
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I've been thinking of changing the stock on my hunting rifle to a AG Compoosite. I haven't been able to get a solid answer on if it would need to be bedded.
 
ShtrRdy said:
I've been thinking of changing the stock on my hunting rifle to a AG Compoosite. I haven't been able to get a solid answer on if it would need to be bedded.
Click to expand...
I can't give you a solid answer, but I had a rifle in one of their stocks unbedded, had it bedded and accuracy increased a good deal. I did not like the stock overall. It wasn't as rigid as a Manners, or as ergonomic.

I like EH1 and EH3 for hunting stocks. McWoody is nice too.
 
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I went with the Grayboe Phoenix. It shipped exactly (to the day), 4 weeks after I ordered it. They also gave a very nice military discount that I was grateful for. It should be delivered this Monday. If fit is nice and tight, I won’t bother bedding more than the recoil lug. If it’s not or there’s stress on the action, I’ll bed the entire action.
 
It's a little more expensive, but I just got a gunwerks clymr. Really like the feel of it. Took somewhere in the 2-3 month range to receive.
 
ShtrRdy said:
I've been thinking of changing the stock on my hunting rifle to a AG Compoosite. I haven't been able to get a solid answer on if it would need to be bedded.
Click to expand...
No one can tell you because there is no definitive answer.

Chances are, the rifle will shoot well unbedded. But a properly bedded rifle is never a bad thing. Buy the stock, shoot it, and see how it does. If the gun doesn't shoot to snuff, bed it. It's that simple.
 
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Jcs composites. Heavy fill added and still only ways 3lbs.
20210319_171106_HDR.jpg
 
meestermeetch said:
I am building a hunting rifle.
ARC Nucleus short action with a 16" Light Palma barrel and Dead Air Sandman S run by a Trigger Tech Special, optics will be a NX8 2-20.

Need to help picking the stock, I want it to be fairly light (sub 4 lbs) use AICS mags and not require bedding, with any luck limited wait time, and hopefully less than $800.

I have multiple KRG bravos and really like them but am not particularly interested in another. I am thinking about a Greyboe Pheonix or Renegade, or if I am going to spend the long dollar, Foundation Revelation.

If anyone has another suggestions please let me know.
Click to expand...

Huh...I just bought an ARC Nucleus Gen2 (w/ 2-stage TT Special) that's gonna get a ~19 inch barrel and a MCS-CS or CS2. It's a hunting rifle for me AND my son...basically modeled on the GAP Jebediah. Now, the CS/CS-2 is heavy...bit of a pig at 3 lbs even all CF'd out. If it were just for me, I could easily get a KRG Bravo for the same weight, but you're don't want that.

I could beat either by around a pound or so getting another McMillan Game Scout or Game Warden. Of course, the Manners EH1 is always an option. Manners also posted on FB the other day that they're doing an ultra-light EH1A variant that will come in at 30 ounces. Of course, you'd have to run those on just torque since I don't think you'll get into a mini-chassis for <$800. Hell, just getting anything from MCS or McM for less than $800 can be tough.

I don't really have a yen for, or experience with, AG Composites, Axial Precision or a host of others. Stocky's has a line you might look at...Kremlin IOTA...something like that.
 
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Also the the game scout and classic Mcmillan stocks for LW hunter in carbon fiber.
 
Here is the game scout on 223AI.
 

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Give the McMillan "Remington " Hunter a look. In the "edge" tech, it comes in at 28 oz.
Stock is based off of the old sako hunting stocks. Looks like one of the traditional remington monte carlo stocks...but on the bench the grip fills like one of the vertical grip stocks. I have a several of the vertical grip stocks already mentioned- A-5, A3, Game Warden and Game Scout. They shine on a bench or prone, but for me anyway... they are little cumbersome if you need to move or control the weapon with one hand in the field when time is critical. This is where the the Remington Hunter shines. I have converted ALL of my hunting guns to this stock.

I feel like you get the best of both worlds. It's awesome on the bench, and prone AND maneuvers in the field like a hunting stock should.
BTW all of my best long range groups have come from guns with the aforementioned stock.
 
So my Grayboe Phoenix came in today, it was not a drop in fit for my bottom metal (Christensen Arms) so I had to do minor in letting which was a breeze. The action, to my surprise, was stress free but could have better contact so I did a skim bed on the action and bedded the bottom metal. My barrel is not even in the barrel channel, but it wasn’t in my prior stock either so I believe it is just the action that’s slightly off and not the stock. Regardless the stocks super generous barrel channel makes it a non issue, so I’m good.

My overall impression of the stock is very positive I didn’t have voids or uneven areas like others have said in the past. Mine seemed very well made. It’s super light and comfortable in the hand.
 
Genin said:
So my Grayboe Phoenix came in today, it was not a drop in fit for my bottom metal (Christensen Arms) so I had to do minor in letting which was a breeze. The action, to my surprise, was stress free but could have better contact so I did a skim bed on the action and bedded the bottom metal. My barrel is not even in the barrel channel, but it wasn’t in my prior stock either so I believe it is just the action that’s slightly off and not the stock. Regardless the stocks super generous barrel channel makes it a non issue, so I’m good.

My overall impression of the stock is very positive I didn’t have voids or uneven areas like others have said in the past. Mine seemed very well made. It’s super light and comfortable in the hand.
Click to expand...
Interesting point re barrel channel. I started ordering stocks with 2 to 3 larger barrel channels than I planned on. I prefer the larger float and see zero downside to additional space.
 
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Till you're going through the woods and a small branch or twig slides into the channel and gets stuck.
 
Never had anything get stuck. And I can take any string or cloth and using a sawing motion clean it out if I ever do.
 
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That barrel channel topic doesn’t get enough airtime in these discussions. These smaller stocks flex quite a bit if you wrap a sling tight.
 
fdkay said:
Till you're going through the woods and a small branch or twig slides into the channel and gets stuck.
Click to expand...
Have found the opposite to be true in my experiences. I have had things get “stuck” in my hunting stocks with slight gaps because it gets wedged. A large gap easily allows the item to be removed or swept out. Just my experience.
 
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XTREM HTR16 said:
Manners EH-SL and EH-2 are also great lightweight hunting stocks.

EH-2

View attachment 7588534


EH-SL
Click to expand...
I running the same camo, almost the same stock, the Hunter T version.
I made some weight sacrifices (added weight):
Long Action Magnum, longer barrel 24", 5 port brake, 12" full Henderson 1.5" rail as makes tripod shooting faster or off bag more stable and worth the 3.5oz and of course a full-featured illuminated scope with locking turrets (kept the heavy magnification throw).

It still came in very lite; even pillars & bedded. I did just send the bolt to get a cosmetic skeletonizing treatment. This thing has a good track record on Elk. I second NOT having a big barrel channel opening, at least where we hunt, it's the tiny willow or hunker brush twigs maybe not more than 1/8' that will grab you and spin you in a circle before they even think about breaking.
7mag weight.jpg


7mag in tree.jpg
 
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I switch two different actions into the stock and it’s not possible with a tightly bedded action
 
rth1800 said:
I switch two different actions into the stock and it’s not possible with a tightly bedded action
Click to expand...
It is, if your actions are good and you bed either to the largest recoil lug you'll ever use; or just to the back of it.

I have had magnums side around in aluminum needing blocks. Something you can see as a bit of vertical, but also the bottom of the actions show the movement. LRI even has a 3D scanning and milling service to get aluminum bedding blocks to shoot better. That said, most of us don't need benchrest precision. However, if one is after the best and counting grams, bedding tends to be better.

Here is an example. This one shoots lights out, but has had Vudoos, Remington, Defiance etc, switched in and out. It was a spare I had. I will usually bed to the largest recoil lug rather than just to the back.

CB45FA42-1217-4720-BB71-0C18A965F492.jpeg
 
Interesting. Both of my actions are Titanium Lone Peak Arms with Rem Sendero CF Barrels. Might try it. Both shoot sub .5 moa as is. Not sure what I would gain??
 
rth1800 said:
Interesting. Both of my actions are Titanium Lone Peak Arms with Rem Sendero CF Barrels. Might try it. Both shoot sub .5 moa as is. Not sure what I would gain??
Click to expand...
probably not anything on an aluminum bed, unless you see wear marks on the bottom of the action. I'm just suggesting that people don't worry too much about getting a stock that needs to be bed. Heck, I always seem to find Manners without the mini-chassis as many people don't want to deal with bedding or don't realize how simple it is.
 
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Diver160651 said:
probably not anything on an aluminum bed, unless you see wear marks on the bottom of the action. I'm just suggesting that people don't worry too much about getting a stock that needs to be bed. Heck, I always seem to find Manners without the mini-chassis as many people don't want to deal with bedding or don't realize how simple it is.
Click to expand...
Super happy to find a MCS-CS2 just that way today.
 
LR Junky said:
McMillan A3 is the finest hunting stock / field stock made. I've had McMillan A5s, A3s, Manners T2As, T4As, PRS2s, KRG Bravos, etc and the A3 is easily the best for me. I'm placing orders for 2 more of them this week. They balance so well, are easy to maneuver, and look great.
Click to expand...
A3A fan as well!
IMG_2406.jpg
 
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