March, 1922 
109 
FOREST AND STREAM 
you to hold ths rifle in offhand shooting. 
It also helps to prevent flinching when 
using hard-kicking light rifles because 
you soon discover that the recoil is not 
being delivered in one spot on the face. 
Various forms of convex and con- 
cave cheek-pieces, having either over- 
hanging or hollowed-out edges are in 
use; two excellent types are illustrated 
in the cut below. 
T he only type of butt-plate really 
worth consideration in most cases 
is the shotgun butt. The best dimen- 
sions are ordinarily the largest that can 
be use d comfort- 
ably, because the 
butt will then cover 
the m a X i m u m 
amount of the 
shoulder or chest, 
depending upon how 
it is held, and will 
thus distribute the 
recoil over the larg- 
est possible area. 
As a result it will 
not be felt so se- 
verely on the os- 
seous protuberances 
that grace the collar 
bones or shoulders 
of some shooters. 
Large caliber 
sporting rifles, mili- 
tary sporters, or 
full-size small-bore 
target rifles should 
have a butt 5 to 5^4 
inches long and 
to inches wide 
in the center. Weap- 
ons of smaller de- 
sign, as the Win- 
chester Model 1890, the Model 1894 
Marlin, two or three models of the Sav- 
age using cartridges of light recoil, and 
the Remington pump, will look better 
with a butt 4j4 to 4^^ inches long and 
inches wide which corresponds with 
the design of the weapon. 
There are times, therefore, when 
strength, utility and steadiness must 
take precedence over grace of outline, 
and the various curves and contours of 
the stock as a whole must finally be the 
determining factors in the extreme di- 
mension of the butt and pistol grip. 
The shape, position, and size of the 
grip arc very important factors in the 
design of the stock. The right hand 
must hold, aim, and move the rifle, and 
the grip should fit it exactly, otherwise 
offhand shooting will suffer because the 
trigger finger will not be perfectly free 
to press the trigger without at the same 
time trying to help steady the rifle. On 
a rifle of heavy recoil the grip should be 
strong enough to stand the kick, or the 
grip will split and the stock will be 
ruined. It must be large enough in cir- 
cumference to prevent the stock’s being- 
driven back through the hand by the re- 
coil, causing painful bruises on the fin- 
gers or on the nose or lips, according to 
where the breech mechanism first meets 
resistance sufficient to stop the move- 
ment of the rifle. 
On the other hand, the grip on the 
light models must not be large or cum- 
bersome enough to look unwicldly. 
As a general rule all weapons shoot- 
ing cartridges equal to or greater in re- 
coil than the .30-40 should have a grip 
measurement from 5 to 5^ inches in 
circumference at the smallest cross-sec- 
tion. A measurement of 4^ inches is 
sufficient for the light rifles. 
Even a heavy, thick grip may be made 
very graceful in appearance and easy in 
handling by properly arranging the 
curves of the outline and by choosing a 
style of checking that is in keeping with 
the design. 
The pistol grip, if one is chosen, should 
set well up toward the trigger, especially 
if the shooter has short fingers. If his 
fingers are long it should be large in cir- 
cumference or otherwise the ends of the 
grip and the finger nails will cut his lips 
or nose. No one realizes how many 
ways there arc to shoot the skin off the 
face until one sees the collection of ban- 
daged and plastered faces that gather 
around the score boards at our National 
Matches. 
A distance of 3^ to 3yi inches from 
the center of the trigger to the front end 
of the pistol grip cap will result in the 
most practical and beautiful form of grip. 
A neat cap made from black or red fibre, 
rubber, or walnut, adds greatly to its 
appearance. 
The most beautiful grip caps I ever 
saw were made of genuine African ivory 
by Frank Hoffman, of Fredericksburg, 
^^a. They added enormously to the ap- 
pearance of the weapons and set off the 
dark, curly grain of the walnut in a way 
that I have never seen equalled in the 
ornamentation of firearms. 
A grip cap of this kind, plus an ivory 
plate in the fore-end tip and an ivory butt 
plate set in a finely checked, black, curly 
piece of walnut produce a contrast in 
color that will delight anyone. 
The shape of the fore-end, of course, 
depends largely upon the type of action 
employed, whether the rifle is of the 
sporting or target design and whether 
it will be used offhand or prone. 
In any case the fore-end should project 
two inches beyond the point where it is 
gripped by the left hand in order to allow 
for a sling swivel ; it should always be 
large enough to fill the hand properly ; 
and it should have its greatest diameter 
vertically, if used offhand, and horizon- 
tally if used prone. Its general contour 
and shape will dcjiend largely iqion the 
diameter of the barrel and the style of 
action. The fore-end on the Winchester 
single-shot sporting rifles is very iicatly 
designed. 
checking of 
the stock and 
the fore-end is a 
great aid in holding 
w hen the stock is 
wet, but its prin- 
cipal use is to add 
beauty. The average 
job of home-made 
checking that we 
see is not much of 
an addition to the 
appearance of the 
weapon, but the real- 
ly fine, hand-cut de- 
signs on some for- 
eign single-barrelled 
trap-guns or on our 
best grades of dou- 
bles and the special 
fancy stocks some- 
times seen oh single- 
shot sporting rifles, 
such as the Model 
1886 Winchester, the 
Model 1899 Savage, 
and the .22 Reming- 
ton repeater, are 
well worth copying. 
A good effect is not always the result of 
fancy designs in checkering, such as 
are sometimes featured, but in the high 
quality of the cutting of the diamonds 
that make up the design. 
It pays to select a design that the 
workman can execute properly. The 
wood for the stock should always be 
first grade and thoroughly seasoned wal- 
nut — preferably English walnut. If it 
is not thoroughly seasoned it will warp 
and crack and suffer in appearance after 
a month nr two of exposure to the air 
and water, and used on a high-power 
rifle it is practically certain to s])lit at 
the grip during the first fifty or one hun- 
dred shots. 
Therefore, money saved in chea]i wal- 
nut usually results in the loss of the 
whole outlay, plus any f)ther loss due to 
a delayed or ruined hunting nr target- 
shooting trip. This is one case where it 
pays to get the very best materi.al and 
then to have it properly cut out, at- 
tached and finished. 
'T'HERE are several general designs 
of stocks that may be selected for 
usc on almost any full-size sporting or 
target weapon. 
These are first, the easily obtained and 
nicely checkered and finished standard 
factory-made styles in both standard and 
made-to-order dimensions, so common 
(Continued on page 124) 
Two gracefully-designed sporting stocks. Note the difference in drop, shape and 
position of pistol grip and style of cheek piece 
