GRS F Class Stock

GRS stocks of Norway have gained increasing popularity in the UK in a relatively short time! Editor Pete Moore has a Sport/Varmint on his 6.5 Creedmoor, but they have just launched a new model with specific design attributes for F-class shooting and Santa brought mine, albeit from Norway and two days late for Christmas, for my trusty 260 `Jack of all trades` Remington 700.

OFFSET

The first feature to strike me was the quality of the machining and finish. Nowadays a CNC-made laminate stock is nothing unusual but the quality of the inlet and its execution were without doubt the best I have seen! Although available in many inlets, mine was for the common Rem 700 BDL (hinged floor plate) and it was the detailed fitting of the floor plate that really grabbed my attention with perfect clearances all round and full functionality.

The precision ran throughout the inlet with plenty of width and depth for recoil lug, trigger mechanism and bolt handle but perhaps most importantly, the overall location and axis of the gun’s position was fully revealed when shooting commenced. A gun built for serious competition use is most likely going to have a full pillar bedding job done but if ever a stock could have coped without one, the GRS was it! When the front action screwed was slackened off, no movement or raising of the barrel could be detected which is the usual sign of bedding stress or a misalignment of the rifle in the stock where both parts can be imparting unwanted forces between themselves, affecting accuracy and consistency.

TOO MUCH?

The shape of the stock is tailored to being used with a benchrest up front with rear bag underneath the butt! The whole gun will slide smoothly but in a straight line back and forth with the shooters shoulder positioned to accommodate some of the recoil forces, but often `free-recoiling` and letting the gun slide back into the shoulder whilst the bullet is travelling down the barrel.

This prevents shooter’s inconsistency with shoulder pressure in those critical milliseconds of internal ballistics affecting accuracy at long ranges. On that theme, Benchrest or F-class shooters will rarely handle the gun in any way at all, apart from operating a trigger that may well be set as low as 2 oz. So although very comfortable on a prone or sporting rifle, I didn’t see the need for the heavily offset pistol grip, delightfully executed as it was. The adjustable cheekpiece was a similarly unneeded feature although the adjustable length of pull and optional extra of recoil pad angle and height adjustability may be welcomed when setting up the all critical recoil feel of the gun to the shooters preferences.

RUNS ON RAILS

A 3” or 76.2mm maximum width is featured on the forend and the underside is scalloped out leaving two rails upon which the gun effectively rides. These extend forward which in this case is a smart design feature to add effective length to the stock for recoil sliding transit. Still allowing the forend to stop on the rest, toward which the gun is returned `to battery` before each shot to rest within and underneath the stocks forend itself.

The downside to this is that the low profile and consequent centre of gravity desirable to an F-class shooter is compromised. Bench rests, or more importantly their head units and sandbags, usually have an adjustable plate that controls the force with which the wings on the bag clamp the forend and thus control both its centreline and resistance to slide under recoil. Here the taper on the stock sides allowed a snug fit and a smooth transit, the taper preventing the gun from lifting under recoil allowing any lateral shift in the position.

All parts of the Rutland laminate used for the stock were well sanded and finished in a matt, solvent- resistant lacquer that will get polished with use in some key locations. The aluminium components machined for the adjustable recoil and cheekpiece were beautifully made with minimalist designs that sadly weren’t shared with the over bulky yet organically flowing design of the rest of the stock’s profile. The alternating colours of laminate did look fantastic though and were regularly commented upon by fellow shooters.

STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW

The underside of the butt, which on an F-class rifle needs to be perfectly parallel to the forend, was well executed in this design. Its flat bottom and perpendicular sides rest within the `ears` of a rear sandbag and when test fired with a deliberately large amount of free recoil, the gun slid convincingly towards me but quite unbelievably, and very reassuringly, the crosshairs on my scope remained within about 1/8 MOA of my targets centre which really impressed!

It is not only important that the stock recoiled straight but as mentioned earlier, the gun must be positioned within it so that the recoil forces act upon this datum line with the minimal lift on the gun. Given that the whole gun likes to twist when subjected to torque from the bullet’s barrel transit when held so freely, it is testament to the manufacturing standards seen here that this unit does such a good job. It’s all very well making the blank accurately but careless uneven sanding could have done enough harm to make this attribute disappear so full marks GRS.

ENTRY LEVEL AT BEST

There are slots cut out for both aesthetic and airflow reasons along the sides and underneath the forend. Realistically, their only effect is to reduce weight which at 1.775 kg, is on the heavier side for a true F-class gun with strict weight limits in competition of 10kg. For a shooter looking to modify an existing factory rifle towards true F-class or serious intermediate and long range bench rest handling, this stock is an ideal step forward!

But for the serious competitor in either discipline, a stock that is longer, lower, single shot and fully bedded is the route to a truly competitive gun where weight can be used more wisely in the barrel or scope choice. Adjustability is not needed on this type of gun and although it can encourage experimentation with styles of recoil absorption during shooting, along with head position, features like the offset and sculptured grip are heavy and not required.

FOR - The very best factory inlettingExcellent finishing standardsWide range of action inlets and colours
AGAINST - Unnecessary design features for an F-Class stockRelatively heavy
VERDICT - A great design stock for someone wanting to modify a factory rifle and learn about the styles of F-class and benchrest shooting, but not for a top line competition gun