Straight stock VS pistol grip in 45/70

[crabo]

Which do you prefer, a straight stock or a pistol grip in the 45/70 guide gun? I have a 39A with a pistol grip, but it doesn't compare to a harder kicker.

My 357 has a straight stock. I have my BIL's Guide Gun with a straight stock, but the SS SBL looks really good to me. I am wondering about the pistol grip on the SBL.

Thanks,

[Windy City Kid]

I prefer the pistol grip on the Marlin guide gun. The pistol grip just feels more comfortable on the guide gun than a straight stock.

[August]

I have owned both. Prefer the pistol grip because I seem to be better able to control the rifle at battery and following up from recoil.

[Lead Fred]

Guess Im too old skool

I think every lever should be straight.

I have one of each, and prefer the straight.

My 45/70 is straight stocked, even tho its not a lever.

[Dutch4122]

Another vote for the straight stock. It just feels "mo betta.":cool:

[NickSS]

I have both and have no preference for either as they both work fine. On a target rifle I like pistol grips and a cheek rest so that I can lock my cheek weld in easier but on a lever gun no preference.

[Lloyd Smale]

looks wize its straight hands down! Most of my guns are of that configuration but i have to be honest. theres days when shooting big loads in the 4570s and 50aks that i wish i could swap a pistol grip on to them just for the day!

[Doc Highwall]

I have had both and my vote goes for the pistol grip.

[Trifocals]

I have rifles with stocks of both types. I do prefer the straight type. :smile:

[Dogg]

Have both but prefer the pistol grip

[JFE]

I am wondering about the pistol grip on the SBL.

I generally prefer straight grips/levers on mine too but the larger pistol grip lever on the SBL is very comfortable to use. I think its better than the normal pistol grip lever which seems a little narrower than even the straight grip lever.

[pietro]

[I have owned both. Prefer the pistol grip because I seem to be better able to control the rifle at battery and following up from recoil. ]

Yep, pistol grip - +5 (BT, DT, NTS)

Even Winchester was onto something, when they "improved" the Model 1886/86 into the Model 71, and made it available only with a PG stock.

.

[beagle]

I have both as well but prefer the PG over the straight./beagle

[S.R.Custom]

On a lever gun, it has to be a straight stock. For me, working the action on a straight-stocked lever gun seems more instinctual than on a pistol gripped gun. Particularly for the heavy recoilers.

[Uncle R.]

Agree with Loyd. PG lever stocks shoot nice, but don't look as good. Straight stocks look better.
John Wayne's 92 had a straight stock - so that's settled.
:bigsmyl2:
Hey - looks matter. Tradition matters too, and appearance contributes to the nostalgia that factors into using a lever gun in the first place. If I was strictly interested in performance I'd be using a bolt rifle - or maybe even a black rifle made of aluminum and plastic. My lever guns have straight stocks - including my 1895 Marlin.
<
Uncle R.

[missionary5155]

Good Evening
I have both in 45-70. I found when I am sitting behind cross sticks I shoot better with the pistol grip stock. BUT when I am standing I shoot better with the straight.
Probably has alot to do with ergonamics of each one of us. My skinny little body is shaped like it is and someone else is vastly different.
If only one type was available I would want STRAIGHT.

[rob45]

Which is "better" depends upon several factors.

Concerning the aesthetics of the straight grip; certainly, it is the traditional style that just "looks right" on a lever action.

To me, the purpose of the gun has much to do with the grip selected.

Were I to select the straight stock style based solely upon nostalgia, that same gun would also wear only rifle sights (no optics), would be blued or even rust-browned, and may even go so far as to have an octagonal barrel.
Now if the gun were "modern", i.e., stainless with scope, then obviously we're not concerned with what "looks right", and I would make my selection based upon what felt best to me.

Missionary5155 made a good point about the ergonomics as perceived by each individual.

I do not participate in cowboy action shooting, but I have been privy to witness it. People shooting for timed speed not only shoot very low-recoil rounds, they don't even seem to get the web of the hand wrapped around the stock.
Which leads me to the point made by Lloyd Smale above. I do not have a 50AK like Lloyd mentioned, but I do load hot 45-70 rounds that make the guy next to me shooting his 300 WinMag want to run home to mama. To me, the recoil recovery is where the pistol grip stock really shines.

I'm sure everyone is built different, and it would take somebody with a degree in kinesiology to explain it. But here is a good analogy to consider- why do many people prefer a Bisley grip style in heavy revolver loads, while some seem to notice no difference?

[Uncle R.]

Concerning the aesthetics of the straight grip; certainly, it is the traditional style that just "looks right" on a lever action.

Were I to select the straight stock style based solely upon nostalgia, that same gun would also wear only rifle sights (no optics), would be blued or even rust-browned, and may even go so far as to have an octagonal barrel.


Yep - agreed. That's why none of my lever rifles wear scopes. They just don't look right. It's not that I don't like scopes - functionally I much prefer them to iron sights in almost any situation. I even sometimes mount a scope to a Marlin for load development because I can shoot tighter groups with a scope. When the load work is done the scope comes off. After all, it's a lever.
<
But functionality isn't what a lever is about - at least not to me. If I'm engaged in serious business I much prefer more modern designs over lever rifles. If I were on an expensive safari or Alaskan hunting trip I'd feel much better about carrying a good bolt action than any lever. And if you see me deer hunting here in Wisconsin with a lever, it's almost certain that my buck tag is already filled and I'm just cruising for a fat "bonus" doe.
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Uncle R.

[big boar]

For fast shooting straight is best. For more controlled, purposeful shooting the hideous pistolgrip stock is probably better, if you can get over that kind of look on a lever gun. Just my nickle.

[Ramsgate]

Guess Im too old skool
I think every lever should be straight.


Yes, should be a law. Crescent butt plates on the other hand should be optional (but recommended).

Look, if you have a .45-70 you care about the past and provenance of the cartridge. If you have a lever gun you have that glint in your eye that says you're the Marlboro Man even if you don't smoke.

Soooo ... it's gotta look right even if it hurts (that's the butt plate part) and the straight grip looks right.

[Lead Fred]

if you have a .45-70 you care about the past and provenance of the cartridge.

Nor really :sad:

I just like to put big holes in stuff :bigsmyl2:

[longbow]

Another vote for straight stock!

Lever guns and Sharps have to have straight stocks. I think it is a genetic thing.

[Uncle R.]

Lead Fred -
I've long wished that I had a Siamese Mauser .45-70 just to "put big holes in stuff." I think a rifle like that would be great, because it (to steal a phrase from Richard C. Davis) "makes half-inch holes, real deep." Still, with a .45-70 lever gun I care about the past and provenance of the cartridge. It just doesn't seem right to make it look all modern - gussied up with stainless steel and multi-color laminated stocks and variable scopes and such-like. Kinda seems like putting a mini-skirt on grandma. It just ain't right, even if her legs are still pretty nice.
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Just My opinion of course. Grandpa might not agree.
<GRIN>
Best Regards:
Uncle R.

[muskeg13]

As has been said before, it's a matter of preference. I have both, but prefer a straight stock. My heaviest recoiling rifle is my pistol grip 45-70 Siamese Mauser, which seems to kick harder than either the 45-70 M1886 Extra Lightweight (with similar loads) or M1895 in .405 Winchester with a steel buttplate. Any way you look at it, you know when you've pulled the trigger on any of these, but the Siamese seems to shake my fillings loose despite the generous stock dimensions, recoil pad and comparable weight.

[Firebricker]

I like the straight stock better than pistol grip. My .444 has pistol grip but I plan on converting it to straight stock when I get extra cash or find a trade for parts.
FB

[Mk42gunner]

Crabo, I have thought about this off and on since you started this thread; here are my conclusions in a round-a-bout way:

First off, I have not owned a Guide Gun, I have shot factory loads in one that a coworkeer had; and I have owned a Ruger No1, A Marlin 1895, and a trapdoor Springfield.

I like straight stocks on light recoiling carbines and short rifles, i.e. twenty inch barrels or less.

On rifles 24"+ barrels, gently curved pistol grips look right, example 26" Winchester 1894.

Marlins are different from Winchester's because most newer Marlins have a large forearm, and to me pistol grips allow my hands to feel more in line than straight stocks.

With traditional trapdoor level loads, the type of stock shouldn't make much differance; however, when loading .45-70, many people want to increase loads to the painful level (what I call Elner Keith memorial loads). This is where pistol grips really help, because you can get a better hold of the rifle for recoil control.

I hope this helps,

Robert

[Just Duke]

Pistol grip