Rifle Double Whammy

[G. McAlister]

All right everyone, my wife is getting into shooting and hunting more, however she is having a hard time shooting consistently, a cause of much frustration for the both of us. I have determined that even my shortest stocked rifle is much too long for her frame. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem with all the stock options out there, but she is also left eye dominant. While in no rush at this time to have a rifle set up specifically for her, I do want to start looking at pricing and order timing to be prepared if we make it to that point.

Specifically looking for the following:
1. Aftermarket stock manufacturer that produces an adjustable LOP stock or one I can request be made to a certain length.
2. Needs either to be a Monte Carlo style or have an adjustable cheek piece.
3. Suggestions on either a left handed barreled action or basic rifle that won’t break the bank before all of the stock requirements.

I know this is a big ask, but if anyone can point me in the right direction I know it will be the HT crew.

 

[nhenry]

Lefty here. Horrible affliction in the right handed market, but there are some good options nonetheless.

You can do a whole rifle fairly cheap with a Boyds and a lefty Savage or Ruger American.

If you step up a little in price you can do it with a lefty Tikka or Remington.

Grayboe makes adjustable LOP stocks, along with stocks you can request to be a certain length. Boyds has their At-One, which is adjustable, and you can also do a custom LOP on their other stocks

 

[VikingsGuy]

Have you tried an AR-styled chassis system, they are much lighter these days and with the right stock they are super adjustable.

 

[G. McAlister]

Have you tried an AR-styled chassis system, they are much lighter these days and with the right stock they are super adjustable.

Unfortunately she is not a fan of any AR platform.

 

[Seamaster]

The LOP problem is fairly easy to find a suitable solution. However, my wife's hands are a bit too small to reach the trigger properly on many stocks if her thumb is on top. Using a stock with a palm swell works for her if she can keep her thumb on the swell instead of trying to wrap around the top. Using a straight trigger also seems to help.

 

[rmyoung1]

I just bought a Bell & Carlson stock to fit my youngest son. They cut it down to my requested LOP. Not sure what she’s shooting, but they have quite a selection. I’d poke around on their website and then give them a call.

Bell and Carlson:

Bell and Carlson is a leader in synthetic stock design, technology and manufacturer of the highest quality fiberglass, aramid and graphite gun stocks available.

www.bellandcarlson.com

 

[Don Fischer]

I'm left eye dominate and have closed it to shoot all my life. Never has been a problem even one little bit. If she's right handed teach her to shoot with her left eye closed!

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I'm also left eye dominant, right handed. No issue shooting a rifle with a scope right handed. Some people struggle to close one eye i guess but I don't find it challenging. Probably helps when you start doing it at age 5 though.

The bell and carlson route @rmyoung1 pointed out might be worth the call if you can figure out an appropriate LOP.

A chassis makes the most sense IMO due to the adjustability with a collapsing stock. Can find something that works in whatever your desired flavor be it tikka, r700, or howa.

Manners CS or CS-2 is a pretty sweet option but break out your wallet and prepare to wait unless there is one on the shelf somewhere in your desired configuration.

KRG Bravo stocks go down to 12.8" LOP.

Another thing that gets overlooked because most guys dont know any better is grip distance to trigger as mentioned by @Seamaster. Nice thing about some of the chassis options is you can build up a grip to fit for smaller hands and not care about buggering up a replaceable grip or plastic panel on the chassis.

 

[kiwi hunter]

You can actually get better trigger control with thumb on top

 

[Wind Gypsy]

You can actually get better trigger control with thumb on top

Yeah, as long as it's not wrapped around i'm less concerned about where the thumb is. Those little thumb shelfs are nice though. More so concerned about position of palm and middle finger through pinky and how that impacts the trigger finger.

 

[std7mag]

You can do the adjustable LOP and adjustable comb on the cheap with a Boyds AT-One stock.

 

[grizzly63]

Not a fan of the at one stock. They are definitely too bulky for small hands IMO but they do make a left handed stock for right hand action you could have cut to her length of pull.

 

[G. McAlister]

Not a fan of the at one stock. They are definitely too bulky for small hands IMO but they do make a left handed stock for right hand action you could have cut to her length of pull.

I don’t think I would label her hands as small per se, just too much stock between her shoulder and the trigger keep her from a good mount on the gun in certain positions. The plan after everyone’s input is to get some sort of adjustable right hand stock to get the perfect length and cheek height then work towards a left handed rifle that we can fit to those dimensions. Do you think the at one would be a budget option for such a plan?

 

[grizzly63]

The problem I had with the at one is the edges are all square. Nothing to smooth about that stock. I bought one and modified the chit out of it to make it left hand and to my liking with smoother edges. Turns out it didnt handle the recoil from a 6.5 x 300 very well. I put the original plastic back on. You have to hold one in your hands to feel what I mean. Clunky comes to mind. I'm not picking on Boyds as I have bought other stuff from them and really like it. This laminated stuff isnt for me. Good luck.

 

[howl]

If she can't shoot she needs lots of time on a 22lr. Browning and Henry both sell youth size lever action 22s. Lever action 22s are a hoot.

There are lots of options for a cheek rest. Drill a couple holes or just slip one on. Beartooth's neoprene sleeve is probably the easiest. I got a T/C Contender in 223 last minute this deer season. The synthetic stocks are short with lots of drop. Both my kids killed deer with it and needed a cheek rest. Pipe insulation and rubber bands to the rescue! Point is, this does not have to be complicated.

Once she learns to shoot, then she'll be able to give better input on what she wants for centerfire. I'd let her pick her own rifle. Most people are pretty ignorant and buy rifles that work out just fine all the same.

 

[270.Rose]

All right everyone, my wife is getting into shooting and hunting more, however she is having a hard time shooting consistently, a cause of much frustration for the both of us. I have determined that even my shortest stocked rifle is much too long for her frame. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem with all the stock options out there, but she is also left eye dominant. While in no rush at this time to have a rifle set up specifically for her, I do want to start looking at pricing and order timing to be prepared if we make it to that point.

Specifically looking for the following:
1. Aftermarket stock manufacturer that produces an adjustable LOP stock or one I can request be made to a certain length.
2. Needs either to be a Monte Carlo style or have an adjustable cheek piece.
3. Suggestions on either a left handed barreled action or basic rifle that won’t break the bank before all of the stock requirements.

I know this is a big ask, but if anyone can point me in the right direction I know it will be the HT crew.

I am fairly small, very small hands, and have a very short length of pull, so another thing that I have struggled with to watch for as your wife shoots is that it is hard to get a scope to sit right for me. I do have a rifle set up with the Boyds At-One stock without the thumbhole and have found it excellent for my build and hand size. I let a friend shoot it when she was starting out, she is left eye dominant like your wife and she enjoyed my rifle a lot. The cheek piece and buttplate are both very adjustable, all the way down to fitting an 8 year old.
If she is having trouble with consistency I highly recommend letting her get a .22 and try some NRL matches. It's great to be able to practice all the different positions and get confidence up before having the pressure of a larger caliber and then a hunting situation. Some of the match designers are downright fiendish when it comes to positions and distances but it's so much fun and such a great way to build confidence for a beginning hunter.

 

[Mackay Sagebrush]

An MDT chassis with a cheek riser on the adjustable buttstock would fit perfectly. It can be adjusted in for small statured shooters, even kids, then out for 6+foot adults in just seconds.

Here is a pic of a first gen LSS with a Tikka T3 .308. The buttstock does not have the cheek riser on it yet, but it is a super easy thing to attach. I ended up putting a foam piece on mine to make it even more comfortable.

Virtually any AR buttstock can be used. Super easy.

Here is another pic with a 20" varmint barreled action bolted up into the chassis with the foam cheek on there.