Thoughts on a tactical stock for a hunting rifle.

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rickyrick

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I haven't been a big fan of all things tactical, but I do realize that some tactical items are useful.

I use a mini14 for nighttime hunting of pigs and coyotes. I have been doing so with the rifle in question for three years now and its battle scars are starting to add up on the wooden stock. The wood and blue of the mini is more visually appealing to me, but the reality is that it is a working rifle more than a fun gun.

What are the pros an cons of switching to a tactical stock.

I know of the snag-ability of tactical stocks and I also know that some of the shine can be taken off of the rifle.

All input us welcome except buy an AR suggestions LOL.
 
I'm hankering for a vertical grip on my Tikka T3. This is one of the pros, in my opinion. I am much more comfortable and relaxed with a vertical grip. That said, I'm going with a thumbhole that isn't all that tactical to achieve it...

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I've used a wood stocked Mini-14 for several years doing the same thing. It too had "battle scars" all over it. I just looked at them as character marks, after all you said it......it's a working rifle.
 
If you have already worn in your wood stock why replace it now? Is it less effective because of the scars? I don't intentionally damage or mistreat my rifles so generally when they receive a beauty mark it has a story with it. Like the big scrape on the bottom of the stock on my favorite 25-06. Called in my first "triple" set of coyotes one evening and got so excited I forgot I was rested on a rock. Rotated for shot 1 (dead coyote), rotated again for shot two (dead coyote), then again for shot three (missed, he was 300 yards and hell-bent on vacating his current zip code). Every time I see that scratch in the stock I think about what a rush that was. Haven't called in a triple since then either. Guns are tools. Scars are stories.
 
I have collapsable stock on my Beowulf .50 I use for pig hunting. It comes in handy being able to put the butt stock all the way in to make it shorter when I have to go crawling the thick palmettos or cypress trees, so it's easier doing that instead of doing it with the gun at full length. Then if you need to take a quick shot on something that jumps up it only takes a split second to get it at full length for a shot. It literally takes me about one second to get the stock from position one to position 6 and then on target.
 
pro and con

I've pondered same, and hunted a pistol gripped Choate on my Remington shotgun last spring. I also hunt two synthetic rifle stocks every deer season, after years of hauling a vintage piece of walnut. Here's my comments:
CON-a hollow (cheap?) synthetic stock can be noisy when scrapped or bumped by limbs, brush, clothing, etc. I filled the turkey shotgun stock with packing worms.
-may be me, but I can't shoulder and point a pistol grip as quickly, as a conventional stock. That may well be the result of years behind a traditional stock and limited time with a pistol grip
-cheap synthetics may be more flexible and no more tough than wood and a detriment to accuracy in a rifle
-no soul, no character, ..... after years of walnut, a synthetic seems like a cheap woman

PRO-a good synthtic can be much tougher than wood and much more stable
-a pistol grip seems very useful when the gun needs to stay mounted and pointed for a length of time. I found it a real plus on the turkey gun last spring. After years of shaking my head at pistol gripped shotguns, I will hunt the pistol gripped Choate again this spring.
 
As modern my stocks go for hunting is the factory regular style synthetic stock. I don't like what people consider "tactical" stocks. In my mind, they are dumb and pointless. I like wood stocks. If I was you, I'd keep it.
 
I didn't use to like the tactical stocks for hunting either until I actually started using my 6920 for coyote hunting.

It really makes it easier to get into a good shooting position and get good eye relief on the sights/optics.

Having that collapsing stock makes it easy to shoot in heavy winter clothing or light spring camo.

I like having the pistol grip too. I can just lean back against the tree with the rifle braced on shooting sticks and let me hand kind of comfortably hang off the pistol grip. If something catches my attention, I can just tighten up and flip the safety off.

With a regular hunting rifle stock, I can't do that as easily.

I don't, however, like it on shotguns. I prefer a standard stock on shotguns. I don't really know why.:confused:

ETA:

One thing I didn't think about is that you said Mini-14. When you add one to a Mini does it raise your sightline? If it does you will have to get new optics mounts and have to deal with new holds/sighting in for a different height over the bore.

If it keeps the same drop as the standard stock you don't have to worry about it.

I know when I changed to using an AR from a Browning A-bolt, it took me a while to get used to the new holdovers/unders.
 
I swapped the wood stock of my russian sks for a tactical poly stock. It helped with the ergonomics for length of pull. I don't use it for hunting (yet), but I was tired of banging up the wood for no good reason.
As a con for hunting, I think it makes more noise depending upon what is rattling or creaking at any given moment.
I suppose as an added plus, you could mount night-sight equipment on the fore end rails, if you needed, for night hunting.
 
I built a long range 3ooMAG using a ultimate sniper stock for the weight & stability to off set recoil. Its heavy around 16lbs no fun to carry at all.

But when you there to the set up its great.the weight soaks up all the recoil.
 
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As modern my stocks go for hunting is the factory regular style synthetic stock. I don't like what people consider "tactical" stocks. In my mind, they are dumb and pointless. I like wood stocks. If I was you, I'd keep it.
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On a hunting rifle yes.. id never put a tactical on my 700's... but my mini 14 is a different story. It's down right uncomfortable to run through a 30 round clip with it... the stock design is terrible.
 
On a conventional shotgun (upland gun) a pistol grip is a detriment. Turkey hunting is much point and wait, not unlike rifle shooting. I can control the gun more easily w/ 1 hand while I juggle calls or something. I would think much the same with a rifle a calling coyotes and our Mini.

I have a honkin' big Choate Ultimate stock on my F-T/R rifle. Heavy as sin.
It does soak up recoil, and 15-20 rd shot strings seem easier w/ the pistol grip. Lots of guys shoot conventional stocked rifles in F and F-T/R though.

Your rifle, try it if you want, I was not a fan initially, but am a cnvert for some uses now.
 
Interesting, I actually developed some tendonitis from holding one position on the rifle without realising It. Not so much coyotes as I move to a new spot after thirty minutes or so. With the pigs I spend longer periods in one spot.
 
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