Stock Combs

[rwj]

Is it true that stocks must have a raked/angled comb when shot in short range bench rest? If true, what are the reasons? Is there an inherent advantage to stocks whose comb is parallel to the barrel channel?

 

[BoydAllen]

I think that you may be a bit confused on terminology. The comb is the top of the butt. The rule requiring a minimum angle applies to the bottom of the butt. It is my understanding that early on in the history of benchrest one of the goals that led to this rule was to make competition rifles more like "regular" rifles, which is the reason for the the stock width, butt angle, and weight rules. Prior to that time, benchrest rifles had become very different from any practical rifle, with big "log of wood" stocks, weighing so much that they could probably could not be shouldered from any position that would require the rifle to be supported by the shooter. Today, with respect to the NBRSA short range group rules, the butt angle requirement only applies to Light Varmint and Heavy Varmint rifles.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Is it true that stocks must have a raked/angled comb when shot in short range bench rest? If true, what are the reasons? Is there an inherent advantage to stocks whose comb is parallel to the barrel channel?

I think you might be referring to the toe, or bottom side rather than the comb. Yes, most short range sanctioning bodies have rules dictating the minimum amount of angle the bottom must have. As to why, I think it gets back to the origins of the sport being live varmint rifles and adhering somewhat close to that. Granted, they have gotten a long way from a hunting rifle since then.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Ya beat me to it Boyd

 

[M-61]

My thoughts were with the rake and your cheek plastered against the stock, the recoil with the rake doesn’t let you get slammed. It angles away from your cheek bone.
Poorly worded I know.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

My thoughts were with the rake and your cheek plastered against the stock, the recoil with the rake doesn’t let you get slammed. It angles away from your cheek bone.
Poorly worded I know.

I think that is true on hunting stocks especially, but this is BR related, where your cheek is probably not even touching the stock and recoil is generally very light.

 

[BoydAllen]

To answer your question as you explained it, no there is no requirement for comb angle. For rifles that have significant recoil, and are designed for field use, angling the comb so that it is lower at the front reduces the amount of force to the shooters face, assuming it is in contact with the stock. A good example would be the design of Weatherby stocks.

 

[Xerothermic]

Interesting.

 

[JMayo]

Is this taking about the amount the stock angle must be ?

"having a toe formed by a straight line drawn from the toe of a
substantially vertical butt with a 13-1/4” pull starting at a point at least 4 inches
below the axis of the bore and extending forward to the centerline of the barrel at a
point no more than 18 inches forward of the Bolt face"

 

[rwj]

Is this taking about the amount the stock angle must be ?

"having a toe formed by a straight line drawn from the toe of a
substantially vertical butt with a 13-1/4” pull starting at a point at least 4 inches
below the axis of the bore and extending forward to the centerline of the barrel at a
point no more than 18 inches forward of the Bolt face"

The topic is not specifically about the angle… but that is very helpful information!

 

[JMayo]

I can't make heading to tails out of that stuff written there without someone explaining it to me. My gunsmith knows IBS rules and he makes sure all of my rifles are IBS compliant.

 

[BoydAllen]

Is this taking about the amount the stock angle must be ?

"having a toe formed by a straight line drawn from the toe of a
substantially vertical butt with a 13-1/4” pull starting at a point at least 4 inches
below the axis of the bore and extending forward to the centerline of the barrel at a
point no more than 18 inches forward of the Bolt face"

That is what the rule seeks to define, without specifying the actual angle. They probably meant the method to be something easy to do, but as a practical matter IMO they would have been much better off and more clear if they had simply given a specific angle (minimum) as measured from the CL of the bore, without tolerance. I have never seen a stock measured for this at a match, but that does not mean it would not be if one showed up that someone thought was illegal.

 

[mauser284]

Comb is such a polarizing subject.

You have two schools of thought. Well more than that but lets stick to two and lets not discuss shotguns from trap and skeet.

Depending on the recoil of the cartridge and what you are doing off hand hunting, prone target work or bench rest target work comb has different purposes.

Rules are another thing all together and they vary so much as to not be worth discussing unless a rule issue is what you are interested in. Rules are arbitrary not flexible and do not care what is in your best interest.

I do not do BR well dabbled in it 22 decades ago but generally I just say I never did BR.

In Silhouette we have some pretty strict rules on comb height. We have a box built to make dimensions for the rules If your stock/rifle does not fit the box nogo!!! That said once certified and stickered if someone gives you grief you can just shoe them the certification sticker and basically tell them to go pound sand.

So are you trying to medicate recoil and align eye's to iron sights or product the most consistent check weld for optics use? What position are you shooting from? Is the caliber heavy recoiling? Do you need to stay on target to witness/shot call?

 

[mauser284]

Stock of a Rifle: A Complete Guide

The stock of a rifle is one of the most important parts of a gun. Here's a guide to choosing the right stock.

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[rwj]

Comb is such a polarizing subject.

You have two schools of thought. Well more than that but lets stick to two and lets not discuss shotguns from trap and skeet.

Depending on the recoil of the cartridge and what you are doing off hand hunting, prone target work or bench rest target work comb has different purposes.

Rules are another thing all together and they vary so much as to not be worth discussing unless a rule issue is what you are interested in. Rules are arbitrary not flexible and do not care what is in your best interest.

I do not do BR well dabbled in it 22 decades ago but generally I just say I never did BR.

In Silhouette we have some pretty strict rules on comb height. We have a box built to make dimensions for the rules If your stock/rifle does not fit the box nogo!!! That said once certified and stickered if someone gives you grief you can just shoe them the certification sticker and basically tell them to go pound sand.

So are you trying to medicate recoil and align eye's to iron sights or product the most consistent check weld for optics use? What position are you shooting from? Is the caliber heavy recoiling? Do you need to stay on target to witness/shot call?

Just curiosity…