Hey guys, I thought it would be important to talk about this because so many people have a hard time trying to decide on what stock to use for this application,Long Range Varmint Hunting). Through out my gun building escapades, I ve used different stocks trying to find out what works best, or what works best for me. Your choice will depend on how you varmint hunt. Since were talking about long range varmint hunting, we are talking about rifles that are heavy and are not considered walking type rifles.
I have used the following stocks for Long Range Varminting;
1. McMillan Tooley MBR-Designed for long range shooting.
2. Shehan MBR Tracker-Desigend for long range shooting.
2. Manner's T4A-Desigend for long range tactical shooting.
3. McMillan A-5-' '
4. McMillan A-4-' '
If you decide that most of your long range varminting will be done from a bi-pod, I would recommend the McMillan A-5, A-4 or Manners T4A. However, if you decide to use your rifle set up with a stock like this, in a rest, you'll find out very quickly how much the gun rolls and torques. These stocks are designed for shooting off of bi-pods. They will work off of rests, however, you'll notice the roll and torque and that will effect accuracy for most shooters.
Don't get me wrong, you can still shoot very accurate off of the bags with a stock like this, but you can shoot better off the bags or rest with a stock that's designed for that application. I originally thought I would do the majority of my long range varminting off of a bi-pod when I had my rifle built. Well, I was wrong, I was doing more shooting off of my rest. In the beginning, I was ok with my Manners T4A set up. However, after I shot my gunsmiths rifle, off of a rest, with a McMillan Tooley MBR, I knew I needed to make a change.
There was a huge difference in the way the rifle recoiled when I shot his rifle with the Tooley MBR. The rifle came straight back, with no roll or torque. I really noticed how much better the MBR worked for this type of application. It should have been a no brainier in the beginning of my build. However, I learned again that a lot of this stuff is trial and error.
If your going to do long range varminting, more than likely your rifle will weigh around 15 to 20 pounds. I promise, when you start long range varminting, you'll find out how much better it is to shoot off of a rest. It would be better to build your rifle around a stock that will perform better in a rest. The Tooley MBR is designed for 600/1000 yard bench rest comps and I would recommend it for long range varminting. There are other models that are similar to the MBR, however, I would say the MBR performed the best for me.
If you decide to shoot off of a bi-pod, and maybe some bag or rest shooting, I would recommend the Manners T4A or the McMillan A-5. Out of those two, I would say the Manners T4A performed better for me. These two stocks have a wider forend and if you decide you need to shoot off of a rest or bags, they will allow for better shooting compared to the A-4, A-3, or A-2 McMillan models.
Make sure to really investigate what type of long range varminting your going to do before you order your stock. You don't want to be like me and find out later that you should have went with a different stock. That will cost more money and a lot more time because of waiting. It's important to understand, your stock choice will make a BIG difference in how your rifle will perform and how accurate it will be. For this application, I would highly recommend using a rest and a stock desigend for rest shooting.
At long range, you'll need to be able to squeeze out every bit of accuracy your rifle is capable of, and the stock is a big part of this. As I mentioned, the Tooley MBR will recoil straight back, not roll or torque. This will allow you to be comfortable, during shooting, and the most important thing, it will allow you to continue to see your site picture and hits at long range, which is very important for follow up shots on small targets like squirrels and P-Dogs. Barrels and Actions, well that's very important too. I have used differnt actions and barrels, so I will give you some insight on that subject too. I hope this was helpful to those who are wondering what type of stock would be better for them.
I have used the following stocks for Long Range Varminting;
1. McMillan Tooley MBR-Designed for long range shooting.
2. Shehan MBR Tracker-Desigend for long range shooting.
2. Manner's T4A-Desigend for long range tactical shooting.
3. McMillan A-5-' '
4. McMillan A-4-' '
If you decide that most of your long range varminting will be done from a bi-pod, I would recommend the McMillan A-5, A-4 or Manners T4A. However, if you decide to use your rifle set up with a stock like this, in a rest, you'll find out very quickly how much the gun rolls and torques. These stocks are designed for shooting off of bi-pods. They will work off of rests, however, you'll notice the roll and torque and that will effect accuracy for most shooters.
Don't get me wrong, you can still shoot very accurate off of the bags with a stock like this, but you can shoot better off the bags or rest with a stock that's designed for that application. I originally thought I would do the majority of my long range varminting off of a bi-pod when I had my rifle built. Well, I was wrong, I was doing more shooting off of my rest. In the beginning, I was ok with my Manners T4A set up. However, after I shot my gunsmiths rifle, off of a rest, with a McMillan Tooley MBR, I knew I needed to make a change.
There was a huge difference in the way the rifle recoiled when I shot his rifle with the Tooley MBR. The rifle came straight back, with no roll or torque. I really noticed how much better the MBR worked for this type of application. It should have been a no brainier in the beginning of my build. However, I learned again that a lot of this stuff is trial and error.
If your going to do long range varminting, more than likely your rifle will weigh around 15 to 20 pounds. I promise, when you start long range varminting, you'll find out how much better it is to shoot off of a rest. It would be better to build your rifle around a stock that will perform better in a rest. The Tooley MBR is designed for 600/1000 yard bench rest comps and I would recommend it for long range varminting. There are other models that are similar to the MBR, however, I would say the MBR performed the best for me.
If you decide to shoot off of a bi-pod, and maybe some bag or rest shooting, I would recommend the Manners T4A or the McMillan A-5. Out of those two, I would say the Manners T4A performed better for me. These two stocks have a wider forend and if you decide you need to shoot off of a rest or bags, they will allow for better shooting compared to the A-4, A-3, or A-2 McMillan models.
Make sure to really investigate what type of long range varminting your going to do before you order your stock. You don't want to be like me and find out later that you should have went with a different stock. That will cost more money and a lot more time because of waiting. It's important to understand, your stock choice will make a BIG difference in how your rifle will perform and how accurate it will be. For this application, I would highly recommend using a rest and a stock desigend for rest shooting.
At long range, you'll need to be able to squeeze out every bit of accuracy your rifle is capable of, and the stock is a big part of this. As I mentioned, the Tooley MBR will recoil straight back, not roll or torque. This will allow you to be comfortable, during shooting, and the most important thing, it will allow you to continue to see your site picture and hits at long range, which is very important for follow up shots on small targets like squirrels and P-Dogs. Barrels and Actions, well that's very important too. I have used differnt actions and barrels, so I will give you some insight on that subject too. I hope this was helpful to those who are wondering what type of stock would be better for them.
