I have become interested recently in stock design and how it is adapted to different shooting disciplines. This was sparked in part by the rather unusual design of the stock of the Diana AirKing Pro. Just what was the intended usage? Here are some stats from a range of rifles of different styles:
Drops are from scope centerline using medium rings, except for the Daystate which had its scope mounted in high rings, and the D54 which had its scope mounted in the one piece Diana mount which is about 1/4" higher than the typical medium mount.
And here is a picture of a couple of the rifles, an Anschutz 54 Sporter and the Diana AirKing Pro.
Let's take the Anschutz rifles first, same manufacturer but presumably different intended usages. The 1761 has a straight stock with hardly any difference from middle of comb to heel, and is intended for bench and prone shooting as is so popular for precision rifle shooting these days. The 54 is a traditional Monte Carlo with rollover and is designed for head up shooting, primarily when hunting. The MPR has a somewhat low comb but relatively high heel and is designed for target shooting from prone, offhand or bench with iron sights or scope. It also has an adjustable butt plate to help accommodate those different positions and sight arrangements.
Then we come to the airguns which mostly have very similar stock dimensions, with around 2 1/4" drop at the comb and around 3 1/2" drop at the heel, with a few exceptions. The TX has a somewhat higher comb to allow for a more head up position as might be encountered in Field Target. The FWB Sport has a somewhat lower comb to allow proper cheek contact when using its excellent iron sights. Then we come to the AirKing Pro with its exceptionally low comb and heel. Is that to support use of the iron sights that come with the rifle? Or is it to adapt the rifle to someone's idea of the ideal configuration for Field Target? I shoot sitting almost exclusively and find it too extreme for me. The heel ends up low in my shoulder, and the comb only reaches to my jaw. I can shoot the Diana OK, but I would say it is far from ideal.
Which brings us to the last entry, my ideal configuration for sitting position. It combines the higher comb of the TX with a low heel, but not as low as on the Diana. With a 2" difference between comb and heel it would probably look something like those from Custom Stock in the UK with what I believe is a strong influence from Field Target. Those of you who have them and shoot from position how are they working out? Are they an improvement on the generic airgun stock configuration in terms of fit and shootability? Are an adjustable comb and butt plate really necessary, or does the basic stock fit well enough?
Drops are from scope centerline using medium rings, except for the Daystate which had its scope mounted in high rings, and the D54 which had its scope mounted in the one piece Diana mount which is about 1/4" higher than the typical medium mount.
And here is a picture of a couple of the rifles, an Anschutz 54 Sporter and the Diana AirKing Pro.
Let's take the Anschutz rifles first, same manufacturer but presumably different intended usages. The 1761 has a straight stock with hardly any difference from middle of comb to heel, and is intended for bench and prone shooting as is so popular for precision rifle shooting these days. The 54 is a traditional Monte Carlo with rollover and is designed for head up shooting, primarily when hunting. The MPR has a somewhat low comb but relatively high heel and is designed for target shooting from prone, offhand or bench with iron sights or scope. It also has an adjustable butt plate to help accommodate those different positions and sight arrangements.
Then we come to the airguns which mostly have very similar stock dimensions, with around 2 1/4" drop at the comb and around 3 1/2" drop at the heel, with a few exceptions. The TX has a somewhat higher comb to allow for a more head up position as might be encountered in Field Target. The FWB Sport has a somewhat lower comb to allow proper cheek contact when using its excellent iron sights. Then we come to the AirKing Pro with its exceptionally low comb and heel. Is that to support use of the iron sights that come with the rifle? Or is it to adapt the rifle to someone's idea of the ideal configuration for Field Target? I shoot sitting almost exclusively and find it too extreme for me. The heel ends up low in my shoulder, and the comb only reaches to my jaw. I can shoot the Diana OK, but I would say it is far from ideal.
Which brings us to the last entry, my ideal configuration for sitting position. It combines the higher comb of the TX with a low heel, but not as low as on the Diana. With a 2" difference between comb and heel it would probably look something like those from Custom Stock in the UK with what I believe is a strong influence from Field Target. Those of you who have them and shoot from position how are they working out? Are they an improvement on the generic airgun stock configuration in terms of fit and shootability? Are an adjustable comb and butt plate really necessary, or does the basic stock fit well enough?
