Anyone know where i can find a replacement stock for a Ruger 308 77MkII, that will fit my wife's frame? Shes 5'3", and her arms aren't long. I didnt want to cut-down a regular stock, I was hoping to fing a scaled down stock, with a smaller Pistol Grip, etc... I'd appreciate any help.

Phil, would a Ruger Compact stock fit? They run about a 12.5" length of pull and have a much shorter forend.

I'll have to check those out...

I like that rifle, but I wish it had a 22" barrel.

The Ruger Ultra Light is a great choice too. You might find one of those stocks around and any M77 would fit maybe some barrel channel work for the larger dia barrel.
My gal has a Ruger Ultra Light and it seems to fit her real well she is 5'3"
The pistol grip, butt and fore end are all slimmer on the Ultra Light.

If you haven't purchased the rifle yet, take a look at the Winchester 70 Classic Compact SA (short action) in .308. My wife is 5 feet no inches and that stock fits her very well.

Some really good stuff here... I a pretty small young lady at 5 foot 1 inch. I was going to get her a Winchester Lighweight Compact in .243 win. After talking to her about it she said she only wants one rifle she can get to know. She said she would prefer a .308 or 06'. I'm just spooked that in a light rifle like that WLC a .308 is going to kick the hell out of her. I was thinking of just finding a full sized rifle and "cutting" it down to her specs. Thanks for any advice.

Jake

I think I'll end up going with the Ruger 77 Compact Magnum in 308 win.

quote:

Originally posted by Red River Jake:
I think I'll end up going with the Ruger 77 Compact Magnum in 308 win.

That might be a great choice!
If you are thinking of working her up to the recoil start buying the light recoil or youth loads or if you reload start with light bullets and low end loads.
This is how I started my kids and they have gained so much experience and confidence that my older son now shoots any rifle you hand him this includes .375's and .458's.
Light medium bore rifles (.308,30/06) can pound you at the bench if you are not used to recoil.

Pick what ever M-70 you like and get a youth stock fron CDNN. IMHO something on the order of a 7-08, 308 or 260 woild be great. As others have stated there are reduced recoil loads for the 308 that should work great. If you couls find a 260 its good up to at least Muledeer and doesnt have noticeable recoil - My GF and her yr old son keep trying to steal my 260.

SSR

Thats what I wanted. M70 in 308 or '06, I can load up/ down to whatever she can handle, but the stock fits HER. Thanks for all the advice. I liked the Ruger, but not the 16" bbl. She shoots very well with my rifles and I want her to have one that is tailored for her.

Well, so far everyone has mentioned a factory RIFLE- not a replacement stock. And the guns they have mentioned pretty much ALL have straight combed Classic stocks that do DO NOT fit most women very well at all.

If you look at the Wenig's shotgun stocks designed for women ,they are short, close gripped MONTE CARLO stocks with a lot of drop at the heel and cast off to fit a woman's sloping shoulders and get the buttpad around her chest.

A friend's wife, who is a very serious Huntress had a devil of a time over the years finding a stock that fit here because her husband,like many posters here is a Classic stock user.

She tended to gravitate to stocks that looked like her husband's that frankly just did not fit her well at all. She was afraid to say anything for years, because she wanted a "normal" looking stock. The one day, a custom gunsmith friend let her handle a stock that was a Monte Carlo design of the correct length for her and suddenly she found a stock that truly fit her physique and shooting style.

IMHO, The best way to have your gal decide what works is to first check handling with some borrowed Monte Carlo and Classic stocks with the buttpads removed. This should get the guns down to about 12.5 to 12.75" LOP. She can handle them for fit and choose the style that fits her best. MAKE SURE they have scope mounted on them as she would be hunting with.

Then, I would get her a cheap new stock from Boyds of the style she likes or a used handle. You could then cut it down to her pull length including a nice thick pad for shooting.. Also I would build up the grip with Bondo to fit her hand better. Once you have it modified to suit, you can paint it some tasteful color she likes and put on some contrasting webbing to make it look cool, OR use it as a pattern to have a sock machined especially for her.

If you are at all good with your hands ,you can take the milled stock and fit it to the rifle/ sand /finish it as a little "honey do" project for you mate. Or she may want to do it herself. I have a friend who's wife likes stock finishing so much as a hobby, she has refinished just about every stock he owns..

Basically your lady will wind up with a FITTED stock to her dimensions just like the finest London guns, at a working man's price.

A pretty good deal and head and shoulders above some cut down half azzed short barreled retread from Ruger or Winchester.

Jim,
I think you are the only one that thought it through.
Butch

"IMHO, The best way to have your gal decide what works is to first check handling with some borrowed Monte Carlo and Classic stocks with the buttpads removed. This should get the guns down to about 12.5 to 12.75" LOP. She can handle them for fit and choose the style that fits her best. MAKE SURE they have scope mounted on them as she would be hunting with."

Hey, how about that 12 1/2" stock I have for the pre-64 model 70? It should be just about right.

I understand the dilemma. My wife is 5' and fitting her is a problem. When we went to buy her first hunting rifle, I was showing her everything I thought would fit her. I stepped away from the counter to take a call and when I returned she was holding up a Mossberg Bantam in .243 and declaring it "perfect". I wanted to choke my favorite gun dealer.

Despite its ugliness and worthless caliber, the wife managed to kill numerous deer with the rifle. Last Christmas she asked for something nicer, but light. She said my Merkel K3 would be "perfect" if the stock was shorter and it came in a gentler caliber. I got her a Merkel K1 in 7x57R and had the stock trimmed for her. The European style drop in the stock fits her very well.

She has her eye on the small caliber Kimber bolt guns now.

I think we have to just advise the ladies but let them pick what they are happy with.

Women's shoulders tend to slope more than men's. This means their stocks need more drop at the heel but a fairly high comb. That's why when women mount a classic stock, often half the butt is above their shoulder. It's easier to fix with a shotgun, you just install an adjustable buttplate.