Stockys New Long Range Composite Stock (Lrc Accublockã‚â®) Review

For years on end, Don Bitz has had a passion for refurbishing rifles but found few choices when information technology came to buying replacement stocks. The slim choice mostly included injection-molded stocks in basic blackness. That prompted him to start working with laminated wood stocks, constructed stocks made by Bell and Carlson, and somewhen selling stocks.

2017 Chris Downs photos

2017 Chris Downs photos

"I bought a hundred stocks from this outfit and some other hundred from that company," Bitz said, "with plans of selling them on eBay." The stocks sold within a few weeks, telling him there was a demand for replacement stocks. A hobby speedily turned into a full-time business. In 2006, Bitz opened his Stocky'due south Stocks website and began selling stocks in styles from crazy to archetype fabricated of walnut, forest laminate and constructed from a variety of manufacturers. Bitz, however, had his own ideas of what materials, dimensions and barrel/receiver fit a proper stock should have and eventually developed his own stock designs, manufactured for him by other stock companies.

Recently Bitz took the expensive pace to make his own stocks. His Long Range Composite (LRC) stock is injection-molded and fits curt and standard-length Remington Model 700 barreled receivers. "Injection-molded" is a general term for stocks unremarkably fabricated of diverse thermoplastics like polypropylene with its melting indicate that makes it ideal for constructed stocks. "A primal reason for making stocks out of polypropylene is the material is inexpensive and you can get a stock's weight downwards to around two pounds," Bitz said. Because the stocks are flexible and relatively soft, though, they are often disparagingly described as Tupperware stocks.

The Long Range Composite stock features a modular insert to adjust sporter or heavy barrels.

Bitz says his LRC stock is poles apart from other injection-molded stocks. The LRC is made of a compound of 43 percent fiberglass-filled nylon. "This heavy fabric is injected under 120 tons of pressure, or twice that of regular injection-molded stocks, to make sure the mold is completely filled," Bitz said.

Bitz devoted two years to designing the LRC stock and "spent over half-dozen figures" on the steel dies to fit an injection mold automobile. A finished stock sells for almost $200.

An aluminum AccuBlock receiver cradle is molded into the stock when information technology is formed. The AccuBlock is designed with a V-shaped interior to agree a Model 700 receiver tightly in the cake. When the action screws are tightened, the V shape pulls the receiver downward straightly and keeps information technology from bottoming out in the block, so tension remains constant along the entire length of the receiver and block. That's not a shut enough fit for some accuracy enthusiasts, so

An aluminum AccuBlock cradle is molded into the Long Range Composite stock.

shallow grooves run within the length of the block that hold bedding epoxy to facilitate skim bedding the block to a receiver. Aluminum pillars, for the two action screws to fit into, are inserted into recesses in the lesser of the AccuBlock, completing the solid aluminum bedding platform. The AccuBlock is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum to a tolerance of .001 inch.

The LRC stock uniquely adapts to a variety of butt diameters. The stock comes with either a narrow insert that fits in the barrel channel to match the profile of a sporter-weight barrel or a wide insert to match the shape of a magnum or varmint barrel. The insert is locked into the barrel channel with three screws. Removing the screws and insert leaves a barrel channel width of about 1.20 inches to accommodate an unturned barrel or Proof Research carbon fiber-wrapped barrel. The LRC stock I borrowed came with a narrow insert to fit the sporter barrel on a Remington Model 700 SPS. A bit of a gap was visible betwixt the barrel and the insert, and the barrel was entirely gratuitous-floated

The barrel channel insert is held in place with three screws.

to merely in front of the receiver.

"At first I thought the barrel channel insert would add some stiffness to the LRC's forearm," Bitz said, "but information technology turned out the forearm was plenty stiff equally it was." The forearm is nearly 2 inches broad, and a crisscrossed frame is molded into the bottom of the butt channel. The stock's forearm was clamped in a vise, and a big screwdriver was inserted into the receiver opening. The tool was pulled hard to see if the forearm or any part of the stock would twist, but they never moved. "Effectually here we say 'rigidity is accurateness,'" Bitz said.

The LRC stock is designed for "deliberate long-range shooting." The comb is certainly high plenty to go on the head erect behind a telescopic with a large objective lens that sits high to a higher place the receiver. A slot on the nose of the comb provides clearance to remove the bolt. The comb and bottom of the buttstock are angled to narrow flats. These angles extend back to the KickSoft recoil pad.

Angles leading up to the comb of the Long Range Blended stock are quite stylish, but John found them unneccessary.

I prefer a bottom with a broad flat, so the buttstock sits steadily on a rear shooting bag, and a rounded rummage to comfortably support my cheek. "Actually, customers tell me they like the angles [on the rummage], because it gives them a meliorate cheek weld," Bitz said. "Those angles on the buttstock and forearm too add fifty-fifty more than stiffness to the stock." The forearm is fairly flat and long at 11.75 inches. Two swivel studs are included to adhere a bipod and a sling. The stock has an overall length of 32 inches and weighs 3.5 pounds.

The LRC includes Stocky's vertical grip. A palm swell on both sides makes the grip most 2 inches wide. "The grip is great for all-around, long-range shooting and hunting," Bitz said. The stock is bachelor with several painted finishes. Textured web finishes include grey webbing with a black stock and blackness webbing with a tan or olive stock. Kryptek Highlander and Typhoon cover-up patterns are also available.

Bedding a rifle's receiver to the AccuBlock in the LRC stock is not necessary. Meticulous shooters may, however, want to employ a thin layer of epoxy bedding. I but screwed the Model 700 SPS's receiver into the LRC stock.

The vertical grip is rather large on the Long Range Composite stock. Placing the shooting hand'south thumb alongside the grip makes the stock easier to grasp.

Over the years a number of rifles with injection-molded stocks, simply like the Model 700 SPSs, have delivered good accurateness for me. I have shot the SPS in its factory synthetic stock a lot at targets with a .223 Remington load consisting of Nosler 50-grain Ballistic Tip bullets and 26.5 grains Benchmark pulverization in Winchester cases. From a rest on a bench, four, v-shot groups with that load measured .97, .91, 1.12 and .56 inches, for an average of .89 inch.

The burglarize also shoots well from field positions, including prone with its forearm supported on a bipod; however, I avoid shooting the burglarize with tension on its forearm from a sling pulled tightly effectually my upper arm. That moves bullet impact downwards and to the left a couple of inches at 100 yards.

Stocky'southward Carbon Cobweb Long Range Sporter stock spent several weeks buried in a heavily watered garden with no sick effects.

On a at-home winter morning, I replaced the SPS'due south mill stock with an LRC stock and shot the same load. 4, five-shot groups with the aforementioned handload measured .93, .83, .87 and .69 inch, for an average of .83 inch.

The LRC-stocked burglarize was too shot from decumbent with the rifle supported on a Harris bipod. The thumb of my trigger paw didn't fit well around the grip, but I recently saw some big-time, long-range target shooters place their thumbs alongside the grips on their rifles, so I copied them. The stock fit pretty well, specially the loftier comb that held my head erect. Using a bit of holdover with the telescopic'due south reticle, small rocks cracked at 300 yards. Bullet bear on remained the aforementioned when shooting the rifle with a tight sling pulling on the LRC's forearm.

Bitz partnered with AG Composites on the new Carbon Fiber Long Range Sporter (CFLR) stock that sells for $500. The CFLR

The comb on the lightweight Carbon Fiber Long Range Sporter stock is tall; the olfactory organ of the rummage is dished out to allow removing a rifle's bolt.

weighs 30 ounces to fit a Remington Model 700 short action and 32 ounces to fit a standard-length action. The CFLR is made past hand with layers of epoxy-saturated carbon fiber fabric placed in a mold to construct a seamless stock. The unabridged mold is placed in an oven for three hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit to cure the epoxy. The dry stock bare is CNC-machined to cut the openings for the receiver, bottom metal and barrel channel. The inletted stock is sprayed with a textured paint with color options of black sky, charcoal grey, desert tan or hunter green. Butt channel width options vary from sporter and varmint to extra wide barrels, such as Proof Inquiry's carbon fiber-wrapped barrels.

The CFLR and the LRC stocks share the same design of the fore-arm, buttstock and grip. The CFLR, though, includes a one-inch thick Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad and contains no AccuBlock to cradle the action. Bitz recommends epoxy bedding the carbon fiber stock, only the stock has aluminum pillars in the receiver screw holes and is designed to allow just screwing on a barreled activeness.

The carbon fiber stock is certainly hard and rigid. It could be used every bit a pry bar to lever a stuck truck out of the mud. The stock probably wouldn't suffer any impairment either if your truck ran over information technology. I buried the test sample in my garden to exam how well its finish would hold upwards. For several weeks I daily watered the garden then eventually dug upward the stock the same time every bit some carrots. Later washing off the clay, the stock looked brand new. There was a hint of rust on the sling swivel studs.

The proof is in the shooting, however, so I took a Remington Model 700 7mm Remington Magnum burglarize and the CFLR stock to the range. I shot two, three-shot groups with the rifle in its original walnut Classic stock. Hornady American Whitetail cartridges loaded with 139-grain InterLock bullets shot groups of .95 and one.forty inches at 100 yards, for an average of 1.175 inches. The groups had some vertical spread simply still passable accuracy.

A Remington Model 700 SPS .223 Remington in the Long Range Composite stock shot these groups at 100 yards.

A Model 700 7mm Remington Magnum in the Stocky's Carbon Fiber Long Range Sporter stock shot these tight groups.

The KickSoft recoil pad on the Long Range Composite stock (left) is fairly soft. The Carbon Fiber Long Range Sporter stock features a 1-inch thick Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad.

The walnut stock was then swapped for the CFLR stock. The receiver and floorplate/trigger guard fit exactly in the stock. There was a slight gap between both edges of the barrel aqueduct and the barrel. The barrel was free-floated its entire length.

The stock's wide and flat forearm held the rifle steadily on the rest, and I shot two, iii-shot groups at 100 yards. The same ammunition shot groups of .58 and .57 inch, for an average of .575 inch. Those groups were by far the all-time the burglarize has ever fired. The credit goes every bit to the CFLR stock and Hornady ammunition.

The few remaining cartridges were fired through the rifle while sitting. The high comb kept my head cock and strain off my neck. I had to fiddle while placing my hands properly on the slab-sided forearm and large grip, and it took a few moments to align the scope'due south reticle on rocks confronting a hill at 300 yards. Once the rifle was lined up, it was easy to hit rocks one after the other. Bullet touch on remained the same with a tight sling pulling on the stock's forearm; it should, equally the forearm is strong every bit a steel fence post.

Bitz said he is all nigh providing stocks for all shooters' tastes. "Customers tell the states what sells," he said. For shooters, like me, who prefer a more than traditional stock for hunting rifles, Bitz is finalizing his carbon cobweb Archetype stock that weighs 26 ounces with a slender grip and slim forearm that will complement his ii long-range stocks.

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Source: https://www.riflemagazine.com/stocky-s-long-range-stocks

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