The question is, should the buttstock on a custom rifle that has a cheekpiece be symmetrical about its centerline in all areas except for the cheekpiece?

I ask this because I was looking at a rather well known stockmaker's stock this weekend, and it was not symmetrical. It was somewhat "fatter" (for lack of a better word) on the non-cheekpiece side of the buttstock than the cheekpiece side. I can't say that it didn't look nice because it did, but when looking at it from the top down it was obvious that the right side was fatter or thicker than the left side where the cheekpiece is located.

Bottom line, should a well made custom stock be perfectly symmetrical?

I think most would agree the stock would normally be symmetrical..just as if the cheekpiece were added on later.

However, Many fine rifles/shotguns may have the comb nose off center with some odd cast, leading to non symmetry...Goal is to make the stock fit

It should be the same on both sides even with cast off, and that's optional to the shooters desires. I only like cast off on the big bores. Nothing wrong with cast of on any gun, but of what purpose in lighter calibers. Function is a matter of fit and feel..

Shotgun shooters are very familiar with stocks that are bent in such a way that the shooter's eye is aligned with the center of the barrel and the front sight. In right handed guns that is called cast off. Because rifle shooters have sights, they miss the benefit of a cast off stock in aligning the eye in the correct position for shooting. However subtle it may be, they are moving their head to align the sights. It would be much better to have their rifle stock bent for that purpose. Therefore, in my opinion, a rifle stock would never be symmetrical if it is properly fitted to the shooter. My guns have the butt of the stocks bent about 11mm away from the centerline to align my shooting eye to the sights.

What you're actually accomplishing with cast is to move the muzzle so the eye is looking at the same place as the bore.

A proper fitted stock can be bought to the shoulder with closed eyes....Open your eyes and you'll be on the sights.

Yep, bottom line is it points where the eye looks or visa versa!!

It sure helps to have the buyer handy if you want the stock to fit perfectly, but in todays world it seldom happens, and even if it did, one wonders how many would even know it..

I believe cast off is of more importance in shotguns and big bore rifles than it is in say a varmint, small caliber hunting rifle..You don't have to use cast off to make a rifle come to point with eyes closed, but it wouldn't hunt a thing if you did, especially on a running shot perhaps..length of pull, drop at comb alone can make things work most of the time.

quote:

length of pull, drop at comb alone can make things work most of the time

Ray please elaborate on this, thanks.

So in effect then what this maker probably did was achieve the cast he wanted - not by bending the stock - but rather by making the stock asymmetrical.

quote:

What you're actually accomplishing with cast is to move the muzzle so the eye is looking at the same place as the bore

It may be a matter of semantics but technically by making the stock bent you are moving the eye, which happens to be connected to your head, in alignment with the bore. With a properly fitted shotgun, you don't need to "aim" the gun. Simply look at the target and with a proper cheek weld, the gun will shoot where you look. Also, I don't agree that LOP and comb adjustments will accomplish proper Lateral alignment. Those comments are usually from people who don't shoot flying game. You must move the eye laterally to align with the bore if you expect the gun to shoot on target. LOP and comb adjustments are mostly about vertical alignment. There is also pitch of the butt to be considered. Pitch adjustments are primarily about Ergonomic considerations and recoil management.

With shotguns, there is often a “try gun,” with is fully adjustable. The smith will have you throw the gun up many times and adjust until it’s almost like pointing a finger.

With custom picked rifle blanks (I’ve one had two stocks like this), but the stock maker will have rough cut the blank, then you do mount and he used a string to properly align to your shooting style and stature.

Keep in mind, this was in Argentina and mostly hand done. There may be other methods available.

I do think it’s more important with a shotgun when it’s more instinct shooting, but it doesn’t hurt with a rifle.

However, listen to the pros that post here. A fine fitting stock is like a...well, I want to keep it family friendly!

a fit stock will stay in place and mitigate recoil.

comparing a rifle and a shotgun isn't quite apples and apples but the principles and benefits still apply.

with a shotgun your eyes are the rear sight so you move them around to adjust the height of the shot, and the left/right windage of where it lands at say 40yds away.

with a rifle your adjusting the cheek to eye height so it aligns with the rifles sights or scope when your head is placed on the stock.
sometimes it's not just the cheek bone that touches the stock but it can be most of the face.
if the shooter has a wide square jaw then wood is removed below the comb to accommodate that.

as far as drop at the comb that's the cheek to eye measurement.
drop at heel is more for fitting the shoulder so you don't have the gun sitting to high or to low in the pocket.
the pitch is there to more closely match the shooters shoulder shape.
something like XX [10-11] degree's of negative pitch matches a slender woman's shoulder angle.
meanwhile a muscular man might need something like 3-4 degree's of positive pitch.
an older more drooping mans shape might need 2-3 degrees of negative pitch.

you can see how adding the cast-off, drop at comb, drop at heel, along with the pitch angle and length of pull can make an obvious huge difference in fit from one person to another.

nevermind the other subtle changes such as comb angle [left and right to compensate for narrowness or width of the eyes]
pitch of the comb, or length and style of the grip to fit the length and diameter of the shooters hands and fingers.

now add all of that up and you can see why some of us like off the rack Winchester shotguns but not Remington's.
or why we can shoot one rifle well but not another in the same caliber.