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Old April 26, 2011, 11:30 AM   #1
rbursek
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CZ Europian style stocks

Can someone explain why the Euro style stocks have that dropping arc to them and such a low heel? I just feel that it makes for so much felt recoil and muzzle jump, not to mention poor fit.
TIA,
Bob
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Old April 26, 2011, 10:31 PM   #2
Scorch
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The "hogback" stock is very distinctive of Bavarian rifles, not European rifles in general. The design aligns the shooter's eye with the sights very handily. Before scopes became popular for American shooters, American stocks had that much drop at the heel too, only without the raised comb. From the 1950s on, Americans switched to what we call "Classic" stocks with less drop at the heel to help with recoil management and using scopes, while our European counterparts continued to use a more traditional stock since magnums were not as common "over there".
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Old April 27, 2011, 11:37 AM   #3
rbursek
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Thanks, makes sence, and yes, for a lack of a better term, when I wrote the thread, hog back is what I meant.
Bob
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Old April 27, 2011, 05:52 PM   #4
wncchester
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Hogback stocks are as lovely as a fat bikini model.

Jump/wing shooting shotgun stocks have significant drop for quick target pick-up and standing shots. Deep woods rifles have stocks made for the same type of shooting, witness the Marlin 336 - Win 94. Monticarlo stocks were made to give a shooter a good cheek weld even with lots of heel drop and it's much more attractive to most folks than a hogback.

The current craze for long range shooting suggests much straighter stocks well suited to prone shooting but they are much less effective for jump shooting. We pay our money and take our choice.

Incidentally, a straighter butt stock reduces cheek impact because the weapon doesn't lift as high under recoil.
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Old May 10, 2011, 01:13 PM   #5
Claddagh
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Just one old fart's opinion, but I would suppose that the very different styles of hunting and scopes used in central Europe have a good deal to do with it. Form most generally follows function.

From what I've read, most all big/medium game hunting (other than in the mountains for chamois, etc.) in Germany and other central European countries is most usually done from a "hochsitz" (similar to our treestands and the semi-permanent raised blinds seen on many reserves/ranches in our SW) and the legal shooting hours include considerably more time both before sunrise and after sunset than is typical in the USA and Canada.

Traditionally, typical European hunting scopes had/have much larger objective lenses than we're accustomed to in order to allow for more "light gathering" during these often-productive periods. This would seem to result in requiring that they be mounted a good bit higher and that the shooter's head be held in a more upright position than is our norm.

If you'll compare the traditionally more popular reticle designs found in many Euro-market scopes I think that you'll agree that they would seem to reinforce that notion, too.
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Old May 12, 2011, 08:26 PM   #6
Buzzard Bait
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yea

I have a rifle with a European hogs back style stock it's really beautiful to look at, but even mounting the scope in the lowest mounts I can find I can't get any cheek weld. With medium height mounts I can almost use it like a chin stock and rest my chin on top of the stock. It's just right with iron sights
bb
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