KRG W3 Stock Review

I have been using this stock on my business rifle for a couple months and have nothing but high praises for it. The adjustability of the stock without tools is a major advantage when allowing customers to test my rifle, as we can fit the stock to each individual shooter easily and rapidly. One of the nicest features on this stock is the excellent Limb Saver recoil pad which is very soft and absorbs recoil nicely. The butt pad is also adjustable up and down as well as for tilt, up to about 15 degrees to either side. Adjustability of a stock doesn't get any better than this!

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(The stock and Kahles K624i scope being checked out by some shooters at a competition)


Another feature I appreciate is the different sizes of grip panels which are offered. I have fairly large hands so I ordered the larger grip panels. The stock comes with the smaller version which fit my wife's hands nicely, which are on the small size as she is only about five feet tall. A thumb shelf is integrated on each side of the grip to suit right or left handed shooters. Many precision rifle shooters no longer wrap their thumb around the grip on thumbhole and vertical grip style stocks, as doing so can sometimes cause accuracy issues if not done correctly. The preferred technique is to place the firing hand thumb along the same side of the grip as the hand is placed, at least while shooting prone over a steady rest. This negates a twisting torque on the grip of the stock, and the integrated thumb shelf is a comfortable place to rest the thumb.

This stock is built to utilize the industry standard AICS magazines. Pressing the magazine release lever forward, which is located in front of the trigger guard, drops the magazine completely free. There is no hang up to the magazine and the user doesn't need to pull the magazine out. The magazine does however lock up nice and solid with only a bit of wobble, which I didn't find to be of any concern.

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(Magazine release lever in front of the trigger guard, and the barrier stop in front of the magazine)


Three of the additional accessories I have for this stock are the flush cup sling adapter which is mounted to the left side fore-end of the stock, the polymer skid plate to help protect the metal while placing the stock on metal or concrete barriers, and a barrier stop. These accessories are simple items but show the level to which KRG thinks through their products and how customers use them in practical application.

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(Flush cup sling adapter and polymer skid plate on the fore-end)


If you are in the market for a chassis system and appreciate high quality machining, fit, and finish then you would be well served with the W3 stock from Kinetic Research Group. They also make a less costly chassis, called the X-Ray, which is a polymer non-folding version very similar to the W3. More information and pricing on these high quality products can be found on their website. Please visit: www.kineticresearchgroup.com.


Nicholas Gebhardt has been an active hunter primarily pursuing mule deer, antelope, coyotes and prairie dogs since he was old enough to legally hunt. Nicholas is a precision rifle competitor and uses the knowledge he gains from competition shooting to aid in his ethical taking of game in the field under most any condition. He enjoys custom rifles and is usually in some form or another of either planning or building the next one. Nicholas earned his B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and is a Captain in the Montana National Guard.
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