doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com P. O. Ackley Trinidad rifle

"[i]back in the day we didn't quite know how to handle the top line of the grip and the transition to the point of the comb [/i]"

A lot of stockmakers still don't. This is arguably the most difficult, and most influential line in the entire framework of stock architecture. I'm experimenting with a Krag pattern stock at the moment and just did some "adjusting" of the top tang line, a risky and permanent modification. I reshape top tangs on some single shot actions, Hagn, Dakota for example and have radically altered the top tang on double shotguns as anyone who has read about my Fox project knows.

Re-contouring a Mauser tang is required these days to achieve a good looking, and handling grip. I agree that the American Classic stock architecture was still evolving, and probably still is. And that Ed Shulin had much influence on the American Classic Style by training all the stockmakers he did, and teaching the cardinal rules.

One of those rule that I often still see violated is the need to have the comb nose very nearly exactly above the middle of the grip cap. Notice how the comb nose is in front of that point on Dan's .25 Souper sporter above, and how cramped the grip is?

The grip area of the stock behind the trigger and back of the action to the back of the grip and front of the cheekpiece is the most important to the look of the stock. That area is the place a stock can be made beautiful, or completely screwed up.

I also believe that in this case form follows function and a good looking grip will almost always make for a good handling rifle.

Hagn with tang altered nearly 1/8"


Dakota (.257R) with altered top tang, reshaped safety, replaced trigger, t-guard and re-contoured lever. All mods in the area suggested above.

I agree that the top of the grip is critical and that grip line on the Hagn is almost perfect.

But the other line that I really tend to notice is the buttplate. the Hagn is, again, almost ideal in my opinion - for both form and function. But why the big screw heads protruding on that grip plate? They really detract from that elegant curve and taper.

Did you mean buttplate?

Yes. I don't know why I typed grip cap...