But all of these features can be over emphasized to the point of grotesqueness. The Winslow rifles, now mercifully defunct, were a good example. They featured bizarre stocks with exaggerated Monte Carlo combs, roll over cheek pieces and tightly hooked, flaring pistol grips. They looked like a Weatherby reflected in a fun house mirror, a clear triumph of style over function. They were decorated with a profusion of inlays, multiple line spacers, and stock carving. Fortunately, such excessive, non-functional styles tend to run their course and disappear.
European style stocks seem to favor gentle convex curves (rather than straight lines) from comb to heel and between the pistol grip and toe of the buttstock. Cheek-pieces, if present, are frequently of the "pancake" type. They occasionally favor the full length Mannlicher style forearm, which I personally like, intended to protect the barrel in mountainous terrain.
Whatever the forearm style, it tends to be slender and tapered. Modern Euro-style stocks usually incorporate a Weatherby-derived pistol grip. Buttplates are usually hard rubber, black plastic, or occasionally buffalo horn, and recoil pads are used for hard kicking calibers. They often (but not always) eschew contrasting forearm tips and pistol grip caps, and favor simple checkering patterns. The finish may be glossy or satin. European style rifles may or may not come with iron sights, and the dimensions of their stocks must reflect this.
Jack O'Connor once wrote that aesthetically pleasing stock design used straight lines and curves that are segments of circles. I am inclined to agree with him, at least to a considerable extent. I also believe that form should follow function. For instance, I do not find the bellied curves used in the European style buttstock attractive, and I can find no functional reason for such shapes.
By far the most popular style today (at least in North America) is the modern classic stock. The modern classic tends toward a straight comb with little or no drop at heel, a pistol grip with a medium curve, and a rounded or pear shaped forearm. Checkering patters are usually borderless, in diamond point or fleur-de-lis styles. Pistol grip caps and forearm tip are common and they are usually black and without contrasting spacers. The buttplate is usually metal, black plastic, or solid rubber. Stock finish is usually satin (if sprayed on) or traditional oiled walnut. The overall look is restrained. Fans of other styles may call it plain. Like anything else, the understated look can be overdone, in this case to the point of blandness.
Like a well executed California style stock, the modern classic is very functional. The straight comb line with minimum drop at heel is designed to align the eye with an optical sight and to transmit recoil in a straight line to the shoulder, minimizing muzzle rise. The medium pistol grip is designed to provide good control without cramping the hand. The rounded forearm is designed to fit the natural curve of the hand that grips it.
The oiled finish, if present, makes it easy to touch-up nicks and scratches by simply rubbing more oil into the affected area. An oil finished stock seldom needs to be completely refinished, and is the easiest kind to refinish when necessary.
Reprinted from an article by Chuck Hawks, for your information. Click Here to see more from Sportsmans Gun Room.
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