Rifle buttstock fitting for a tall person

[Mosin Bubba]

I think you have a bad batch of rifle stocks as much as anything, AK stocks are notoriously short, and ditto for Mosin and K31 stocks because the latter two were cut for infantrymen a century ago who averaged 5'7" or under. I want to say the average American GI in WW2 was 5'7" 150, and they were considered very healthily sized in that day. AR stocks are adjustable to fit a little bigger generation of US soldiers, but the straight-line design poses its own complications.

So I'm betting that a traditionally stocked rifle with a decent heel drop and high scope rings might fit pretty well, better than the military rifles you've had experience with. The average hunting rifle these days has a 13 1/2" length of pull, which is a lot longer than what you're dealing with. It would be about like that AR you have fully extended. So if the length of that feels good (minus the sights), I'd look at something like the Ruger American Ranch in 223 or x39 and scope rings to the moon.

A 1" buttpad would extend the Mosin and K31 out to the same length as a modern factory rifle but you'd still have to get down on the iron sights.

 

[whisler]

Not nearly as tall as the OP but with long arms. I could not get "down" on the stock of my AR enough to us the scope properly so I added a 3/4' riser on the rail under the scope and that helped a lot.

 

[CapnMac]

AK stocks are notoriously short, and ditto for Mosin and K31 stocks because the latter two were cut for infantrymen

Who were expected to have an inch or so of additional clothing on, too, and near 3" in full winter gear.
And would be wearing load-bearing gear as well.

And, for military expediency, shorter LOP is easier to train to than over-long.

Germane to Russian arms, Napoleon's Imperial Guard was required to be haut de six pieds (which was a range from about 5'-10 to 6'-4". Mother Winter cared not a whit.

 

[valnar]

Not nearly as tall as the OP but with long arms. I could not get "down" on the stock of my AR enough to us the scope properly so I added a 3/4' riser on the rail under the scope and that helped a lot.

Do you have any other long arms? Any guns with iron sights? What do you do?

 

[Mosin Bubba]

Who were expected to have an inch or so of additional clothing on, too, and near 3" in full winter gear.
And would be wearing load-bearing gear as well.

And, for military expediency, shorter LOP is easier to train to than over-long.

Germane to Russian arms, Napoleon's Imperial Guard was required to be haut de six pieds (which was a range from about 5'-10 to 6'-4". Mother Winter cared not a whit.

I've read a couple different explanations for the AK's stock length. One was supposed to be fired by soldiers wearing jackets. Another is that Warsaw Pact armies trained their soldiers to shoot square to their target, versus the traditional archer-style American stance with one shoulder back and the opposite foot forward, and that works better with a short stock. Honestly, I think the most likely explanation is that mid-century Russians just weren't that big of people.

The AKs and SKSs have shorter buttstocks than most milsurps though, by about a half-inch. At 5'7" myself, I find that most milsurps fit me great, but those two are too short even for me. Both of mine wear rubber buttpads.