I am new to assembling custom rifles. I just finished a .223 recently with a McMillan A5. I am now working on a 7 SAUM for the range. I greatly prefer the looks of a nice stock such as the A5, but I see the majority of long range shooters using chassis systems now. Why exactly is that? I may be able to be talked into a chassis, but I just don't love how they look.
Stocks vs. Chassis
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Peter Morton
Well-Known Member
Some like the look of a chassis. Also, the adjustability is usually better, for the most part. On the range, I can see the advantages. But I don't do that kind of shooting. Every gun I have hunts. So I prefer a stock for the handling, I guess. Or I'm just old.
That makes perfect sense. My next build will be a mountain rifle, but this build is strictly for the range. Some prefer function over form, but I'm not sure I can get passed the looks of a chassis.
Those look very nice, and just a tad more expensive than a McMillan. I just got my first McMillan about 6 weeks ago and am very impressed with it. How do Foundation stocks compare?
Personal preference. I like a stock myself and use the Manners with the mini chassis so I get the best of both worlds. I can bolt in and go like a chassis but have the stock feel. Take a look at them as an option too. No need for bedding or buying bottom metal so factor that into price.
Some chassis out there made of lightweight materials can be fully adjustable and under a pound and a half. That's less weight than some of the lightest offerings from high end stock makers. And it's a chassis system so adjustable and swap able between actions, at home at the range or in the field.
I am seriously considering one myself- if I didn't just get a Manners LRH this fall I probably would have ordered a magnesium chassis already.
Zen Archery
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Borrow a buddies Chasis system see if you like it, improve shooting stability, confidence, etc… if not. Stick to what's working for you.
Manners are pretty light at just around 2 pounds with the new LRH.
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I agree to try others as I have and really can't warm up to chassis. They can shoot fine but the feel.
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I agree to try others as I have and really can't warm up to chassis. They can shoot fine but the feel.
I've had pretty much all of them........Manners, McMillan, MPA, KRG and Foundation. They are all great stocks and serve their purpose but there is just something different about the recoil in a Foundation. Feels deader to me, especially compared to a chassis. If you ever get the chance, you really need to try one. I have two Centurions, one on a 6BR and one on a Vudoo 22, and a Revelation on a 7 SS. Give John-Kyle a call. He is one of the finest people you could ever meet and very deserving of his success.
BallisticsGuy
Well-Known Member
A chassis works out better when you're running PRS/NRL type courses and that format seems to be dominant these days and since that's the dominant sport the marketplace and fashion is dominated by what they want. In PRS/NRL you need to attach and remove all matter of things like barricade stops and bipods and bags to it and the combinations change with each stage. You also want the whole thing as slender and rigid a thing as you can put your gun in and still have the barrel free float while being able to hang stuff off of the thing. Also all the chassis that I've ever seen allowed simple bolt in of the action without needing a bedding job. A fiberglass stock needs to be thicker to be as resistant to flex while allowing you to hang crud off of it and you'll want it bedded properly. Most PRS/NRL shooters end up wanting their rifle to be pretty darned heavy, even adding gobs of weight, to help reduce rifle movement under recoil. A metal chassis weighs a ton upside a fibreglass stock. There are some ultra lightweight chassis systems out there. I prefer a proper pistol grip and built in rails and the ability to drag it over a rock without taking a gouge out of it. I hunt a lot with chassis guns but I don't have to walk a very long way with them. If it's going to be very much walking then I'll take a conventionally stocked rifle over a chassis any day. I've done PRS matches with conventional fiberglass and wood stocks. It wasn't a major handicap in most cases but it was really seriously a problem in a few.
Probably the best explanation I could get. I don't plan on doing PRS with it, but that could change. I've been told it is addicting, and if I attend an intro to PRS course, I will get hooked. I think I'll get another McMillan or try a Manners for this build, and if I decide to dabble in PRS, then I'll have an excuse to build yet another rifle.
You won't need to go chassis for shooting PRS. People do now as it's just easier for them but you can run a stock just fine. The Manners TCS is one that drops in ready to go. Or you can do what you want to others also by adding features you want. The Manners mini chassis can be used with any 700 footprint barreled action and no bedding. I have used a Rem 700, Bighorn TL3s, Surgeon and my Vudoo in them interchangeably. Yes the chassis are easier to screw weights on but that's not something I do anyways. I hate the AR style grips personally and even the newer ones with thumb shelves don't feel as natural as a stock for me. Been shooting PRS matches coming into my 19th year so just use what works for me. You can also and don't think you need to go chassis to shot matches.
Rick Richard
Well-Known Member
I use both. The only advantage to the chassis style is its ability to be adjusted to fit YOU to be most comfortable and precise. Also, I like the folding version for packability either when transporting or packing on my back.
As for weight the difference between say a magnesium version chassis vs a quality stock is not that much of a difference to be noticeable in my opinion…and I use both trekking up and down the mountainside.
I have also heard that the chassis is exceptionally uncomfortable to the feel in cold conditions. I have not experienced that since most of my hunting/shooting is not done in the negative temperatures….and don't plan on it.
My recommendation is to keep an open mind and give the chassis a try…you just might be surprised . Good luck!
As for weight the difference between say a magnesium version chassis vs a quality stock is not that much of a difference to be noticeable in my opinion…and I use both trekking up and down the mountainside.
I have also heard that the chassis is exceptionally uncomfortable to the feel in cold conditions. I have not experienced that since most of my hunting/shooting is not done in the negative temperatures….and don't plan on it.
My recommendation is to keep an open mind and give the chassis a try…you just might be surprised . Good luck!
