FTR stock features that work

[1911mag]

I'll rattle off a few key features before I dive in....
Angled toe
flat fore-end
weighted appropriately to balance a 29-30" HV.
adjustable cheek piece

I've shot FTR off McMillan stocks pretty much exclusively. A5s, A6, A6-PRS, and I've got two XITs.

I'm partial to the XITs of the ones I've own, because for whatever reason I find they track rearward the best.

I will say one feature of them (that mine don't have, but I have seen, and shot) is integrating a picatinny attach point ahead of the fore-end.

I can't find a picture of it online, but see the example (with fancy MS paint skillz) below. They can mold one into the fore-end of the stock to protrude under the barrel, getting the bipod attach point very high. This enables you to get the gun lower (provided you use the correct rear bag), and will yield the most 'planted' configuration.

View attachment 1297088

Regardless of what stock you choose, the other feature I really like is a RAD. Even when I'm running 17.5lb+ TR guns, ~70+ 200gr rounds a day will beat you up a little bit. A RAD really puts a stop to it. I'm a soft, sensitive man, and my weak shoulders can only handle so much.

Rad goes in all my builds now best add on to invest in.

 

[XTR]

The first stock I ever shot in competition was an A5. The cutout is not ideal for a bag rider. As things settle over the course of 20+ rounds being ab to move up/back is a thing.

 

[DumpHollow]

The stock is the man machine interface between the shooter, the fire control system and sighting systems. Because our shooting styles and statures are individual as our DNA's, there is no right answer to this question. I shoot F-TR with a hard hold, pulling the butt into shoulder socket and using a heavy cheek weld. As Nedd points out, the pistol grip is key for trigger control. What goes on forward of the trigger may smooth out recoil impulse and tracking but for me, it's everything from the trigger back that needs to fit. For that reason, I chose an Eliseo R1 to allow me to intimately fit the rifle for my style. I am also a bag squeezer, using the Eliseo dedicated ski-foot bipod. That's what works for me. The 3-way adjustable butt and adjustable cheekpieces are really critical to my style. As far as the grip goes, there is a lot of options for customizing the grip on the R1 to make the trigger finger happy. With all of that being said, I think my R1 is a very ugly rifle and would prefer to look at a more conventionally stocked rifle. I will point out that the dedicated R1 bipod drops the boreline lower in the rifle center of gravity which I consider a key to the performance of this platform for recoil control.

I've shot with Nedd and highly respect his style. What is important here is you have to decide what shooting style is most comfortable for you and find a platform to enable that style. I don't shoot F-Open because I want to HOLD a rifle. Even if I barreled to a caliber that forced me into that class, I would not change my shooting style such as shooting free recoil. I have always been enamored with cartridges such as the 6BR and 6.5x47 but have stayed with the 308 in TR because I like the shooting style stuck between sling and benchrest better. Most of my shooting life has been in PA where Benchrest is King. I could never embrace BR simply because I want to HOLD a rifle.

I recently purchased a Kelbly F-TR 308 rifle simply because I held one and found the pistol grip radius and position very pleasing and comfortable for trigger control of the B&A. The butt and cheekpiece are fully adjustable which will allow me to get behind the rifle in a comfortable position. The Kelbly Panda F-Class has always been the twinkle in my eye because I am an advocate of flat-bottomed actions and integral mount bases. My ultimate TR would be an F-Class Panda in a wood stock with full adjustment in the butt and cheekpiece. I would probably still shoot a ski-footed bipod such as the Sinclair.

 

[Tori.F]

If you can find a reasonably-priced Remy 700, it can certainly work as an F-TR rifle. They are amenable to being trued/blueprinted by a gunsmith and have many options available such as aftermarket stocks and triggers. However, I have to agree with the others that even for me, that stock would be a deal-breaker. In the image below, I circled one of the major problem areas in red. Notice the highly angled toe (i.e. the underside/bottom of the buttstock), as well as the butthook (cutout). These are not desirable for tracking well in an "eared" rear bag, or even a rear bean bag.

I am one of the few remaining F-TR shooters, perhaps on the entire planet, that still uses a pre-loaded traditional bipod and rear bean bag, as opposed to a ski-type bipod and an eared rear bag. With a traditional bipod and squeezable bean bag, the idea is that you push forward into the rifle buttstock to put pressure on the bipod legs/feet, thus minimizing their movement and stabilizing the rifle setup. Squeezing the rear bean bag then allows for elevation adjustment. With a ski-type bipod, the whole idea is to let the feet (skis) track straight back freely across a piece of carpet during the recoil impulse. An eared rear bag is used to facilitate this movement. To accomplish this with such a ski-type bipod setup, you want a relatively long section of the toe to be straight and flat, with only a very minimal angle to it for minor elevation adjustment.

Although it is possible I might be able to use that stick and get away with it with my rear bean bag setup, notice how short the toe is at the rear due to the butthook (cutout), in addition to being highly angled. Using a stock like that effectively and consistently with a ski-type bipod would be exceedingly difficult.

If you can find a reasonably-priced Remy 700, it can certainly work as an F-TR rifle. They are amenable to being trued/blueprinted by a gunsmith and have many options available such as aftermarket stocks and triggers. However, I have to agree with the others that even for me, that stock would be a deal-breaker. In the image below, I circled one of the major problem areas in red. Notice the highly angled toe (i.e. the underside/bottom of the buttstock), as well as the butthook (cutout). These are not desirable for tracking well in an "eared" rear bag, or even a rear bean bag.

I am one of the few remaining F-TR shooters, perhaps on the entire planet, that still uses a pre-loaded traditional bipod and rear bean bag, as opposed to a ski-type bipod and an eared rear bag. With a traditional bipod and squeezable bean bag, the idea is that you push forward into the rifle buttstock to put pressure on the bipod legs/feet, thus minimizing their movement and stabilizing the rifle setup. Squeezing the rear bean bag then allows for elevation adjustment. With a ski-type bipod, the whole idea is to let the feet (skis) track straight back freely across a piece of carpet during the recoil impulse. An eared rear bag is used to facilitate this movement. To accomplish this with such a ski-type bipod setup, you want a relatively long section of the toe to be straight and flat, with only a very minimal angle to it for minor elevation adjustment.

Although it is possible I might be able to use the stock pictured above and get away with it using my rear bean bag setup, notice how short the toe is at the rear due to the butthook (cutout), in addition to being highly angled. Using a stock like that effectively and consistently with a ski-type bipod would be exceedingly difficult.

Thank you. You sure know everything lol, this is why I asked. You guys are such a great help!

 

[Ned Ludd]

Thank you. You sure know everything lol, this is why I asked. You guys are such a great help!

Alas, there are many, many, many things I don't know.

 

[swd]

I shot a lot of F Open with a Manners T5A. Myself and and 4 other friends found they handle and track incredibly well. All of us agree they are more comfortable and handle nicer than the McMillan A5. I have 2 friends that won the Nevada State mid range F open championships with them. 1 with ski bipod the other with a bag rider on the front. This year the one with the bag rider also won the California state mid range F Open championships and came in second at the Nevada state LR championships. Take a hard look at the Manners T5A.