coosbaycreep
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Do the stocks that extend almost all the way to the end of the barrel (mannlicher?) have any benefits other than looks?
any reason behind mannlicher(?) stocks?
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desidog
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i've heard it argued that the additional wood adds protection/casing for the barrel; also that on military rifles with bayonets the wood adds strength/weight/grip for fighting in the trenches.
Accuracy is probably slightly negatively effected compared to a free-float barrel or similar.
Accuracy is probably slightly negatively effected compared to a free-float barrel or similar.
earlthegoat2
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pat86323
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As far as i know its purely aesthetic, and as far as im concerned its aesthetically wonderful
SwampWolf
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And that's all the reason I need!
As for the full-length stock's real reason for being, I think it's mostly conjecture. Ranger J might be right when he opined that it probably persisted as a "carry over" from yesteryear but I'm not one who believes that a skinny sliver of wood was employed to protect steel from getting bumped, scratched and dinged. If protecting the steel from "damage" was the reason for a Mannlicher stock, you'd think the wood would have covered the entire barrel (like found on some early military rifles) instead of just the underside.
In any event, as I mentioned in a similar thread, for those that hunt with a Mannlicher-stocked rifle in wet weather, be mindful of water getting trapped and unattended to between the wood and the barrel. And if you disassemble the stock from the action/barrel in order to get rid of the rust-making moisture (as you should), hope that the poi/poa relationship doesn't change when you reassemble the rifle.
Remember: all early rifles had full stocks.
The modern sporter stock is the result of trimming away that wood. The Mannlicher stock is just one that didn't go down that particular evolutionary path. It just never lost that wood.
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OTOH the common American "sporter" exmplified here:
first passed through this evolutionary phase, an offshoot of the fullstock sidelocks:
by way of early civilian breechloaders like this:
The modern sporter stock is the result of trimming away that wood. The Mannlicher stock is just one that didn't go down that particular evolutionary path. It just never lost that wood.
led directly to
OTOH the common American "sporter" exmplified here:
first passed through this evolutionary phase, an offshoot of the fullstock sidelocks:
by way of early civilian breechloaders like this:
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If you ever pick one up you can feel how "balanced" Mannlicher rifles are. If it has iron sights you can see moving side-to-side how easy it is to keep a good sight picture. Other than that, the reasons are as everyone else has said.
PMROY
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Sometimes the answer is too simple and thus it is overlooked. The original hunting rifles were very often used for more than just shooting the prey. The rifle also served as support when walking in the brush and when secured to an animal, vehicle or crate, the idea was that the extra wood both protected the barrel and created a easier to secure and handle item. If you noticed when the transition to a reduction in the barrel covered length, the new product was called "Sporting or Alpine" models. This signified that they were to be carried by the strap, on your back and tended to weight less overall. The Gentlemen Hunter expected his rifle to be easier to hold and a work of art, denoted by the high quality wood and accompanied wood work on the stock. It was also perceived that the overall balance of the rifle could be better adjusted for sighting, when the full length stock was rested on a surface with no drop from barrel to stock . The original designer's idea was to create a rifle "Fit for A Gentlemen" but in any hunting expedition, the gentlemen had to be able to use it as he deemed fit. You can note in old pictures the many uses of their rifles.
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