Measuring the stock drop at the heel

[Char-Gar]

I spent yesterday morning at the range with my Mauser sporter which is still a work in progress. My purpose was to fire for 80 cases with full snort condum bullet loads. Now, I will just neck size them for us with cast bullets.

The rifle is fitted with a Redfield receiver sight and I built the stock by try and feel. I closed my eyes, mounted the rifle and when I opened my eyes, I was looking through the peep and the front sight was more or less in the middle of the peep.

Anyway... Yesterday I was suprise how well the stock handled recoil. The rifle has a steel buttplate and I only had on a T-shirt. 80 rounds of factory level loads didn't cause me any discomfort at all.

I decided to measure the drop at the heel of the stock. In the old days, you had to buy or make some kind of gage. This time I stuck my bore cleaning guide in the action, wraped the rod with making tape until it was a snug fit in the opening funnel of the bore guide. The rod was now centered down the bore. It was then a very simple thing to measure the distance from the rod to the heel of the buttstock.

The drop at the heel was 1 1/8 inch. The drop at the comb is 1/4 inch. That is what is right for me, a mauser action and a receiver sight. It is handy to know these things.

[45nut]

Good info Chargar,, I did the same thing "kinda". I used a wood dowel that was slightly oversize for the chamber and whittled it down til it fit snugly. A 1/2" dowel usually comes in 3-4' lengths and can be cut in 1/2 or thirds and give you a few "masters" to fit the -06's and mag cased rounds.
"tis good to know",, yes indeed.

[1hole]

I agree that much fuss has been made over measuring stock drop, largely unneccessary. The line of bore is bascially the same as the top of the stock forward of the receiver. Remove the barred action, place the stock flush with a wall and measure how far the heel and comb is off the wall and you have the measurements.

Sounds like you actually understand how to fit a stock to suit your needs! Few do.

[Char-Gar]

1hole... Your method will work well to find the drop of an exstisting stock,. It won't work that well to locate the placement of the buttplate on a rough blank to create the proper drop. While the barreled action may be in the wood, The top of the barrel channel and action mortise has not yet been fully finished.

[1hole]

Agreed. It's just my proceedure to do all inletting before any exterior stock cutting so the top-line reference for drop works for me.

After the action/trigger/barrel and magazine/trigger guard are fully inleted the top line is fixed. Then, only after determining the (close approximate) length of pull and pitch would I cut the butt - a tad long - and actually locate the pad template's final position, placed to include any cast off, etc.

[Blackwater]

Chargar, ideally and theoretically, the centerline of the bore SHOULD (again, ideally and theoretically) coincide with the top line of the forearm, and this should, in a stock for a bolt gun, allow 1-hole's proposal prove to be GENERALLY true .... most times .... if nothin' else interferes.

Ain't it great to have made YOURSELF a rifle stock that fits and suits you to a "T?" Makes a man wanna' poke his chest out, an' throw his head back, an' stick his chin up jes' a tad, don't it? Ya' done GOOD, friend. REAL good!