and cross bolt or not.

You could put a internal cross bolt in.

No one would know it was there.

NO cheeks; (Unless you want it to look like a 1923 German thing) external cross bolts; at least the front one. Not needed on most calibers but look cool.

Cheekless, crossbolt would look classy.

I think cheeks would look great on that rifle.

Cheeks sure do look appropriate. I like them.

First, they are called stock panels, or action panels.
Second they are archaic Germanic in style and were originally meant to reinforce a very slim bolt action rifle stock.This Schlegelemilch Mauser 98 is from the 1910 era and has many Germanic features that all go together including stock panels, schnable forend tip, double-set triggers, rounded "bag" pistol grip, 1/2 round-octagon barrel with full-length rib and non-hinged detachable floorplate. I have kept is my collection because it is a complete, unaltered example of the high quality workmanship and style of that era.

The stock has an extremely slender, short schnable tipped forend secured to the barrel with a single wedge of key (with 2-screw wedge plates) that matches the slender octagon portion of the barrel.

The wrist or grip of the rifle is also very slender perhaps a 1/8" slimmer that a current Fisher grip cap. The buttstock is also very slim in width with a small Germanic cheek piece that shows why these have been called "pancake" cheekpieces.

the stock panels are slimmer in height than many but are well formed and do add some strength to the action area on the stock.

This top view probably tells the story better than other photos.

When shaping a Germanic stock with panels it might be good to imagine the stock almost completely shaped then remove wood to create the panels and further slim the stock.
A hint to the actual width of the stock and panels can be seen by the relationship of the ejector box to the stock.

Most modern attempts at stock panels leave the stock too thick and add to this be laying the mass of the panel on top of a fat stock.

G33/40 Mauser by Chic Worthing...



More pics....

playing a bit more.

As SDH notes, the side panels on Germanic stocks reinforce the slim stocks they generally turned out. No doubt function came first, and the makers then also made them look as good as possible.

I think it is important to remember that it was not just the Germans that made magazine rifle stocks with side panels.

By way of example, one British maker that used side panels on magazine rifle stocks was Westley Richards. My own work has seen me come to own hundreds of original British stocks, and for me they make an interesting library. Among them are a good few examples by WR, including some magazine rifle stocks with side panels.

In the case of a British maker, when they decided to make a stock with side panels - I don't necessarily think they were copying the Germanic makers. Consider that the British built slim stocks too. The Brits also built a great many doubles, and stocks that featured side panels were common enough to see on those doubles (sometimes panels were on the forend too). I reckon it was a simple extension of the idea applied to panels on a magazine rifle. For a stocker used to doing such on doubles, this is pretty logical. The teardrops used on the front/rear of the side panels by WR fit this thinking. For example, on a .425 or similar, the side panels also add a bit of extra strength to the stock in an important area. Done well, they can look elegant in an anything but Germanic way. Perhaps it was simply WR arriving at the same method of reinforcing a stock as the Germanic makers did, more or less independently and in their own style.

I'll also say that Westley Richards had a fine history of intricate checkering patterns with and without carved borders and other motifs, including the Fleur-de-lis (I believe well before American makers made it popular). WW Greener is another maker who furnished stocks with very ornate checkering. Ditto the various cheekpiece styles, and "monte-carlo" combs. Most people in recent decades think these things of American origin, which I mostly don't believe to be the case.

Sorry to the OP to get off topic.

If the walnut is firm, and you inlet it well, there is no need for a crossbolt behind the recoil lug on a 98 in a standard chambering. The rear, ditto. However: many pantographed stocks I've seen have a trigger inlet like a bomb crater and an unnecessarily small web of wood between the mag box and trigger (sometimes none at all). If the wood is on the brittle side (kilned etc) consider an internal reinforcement in that web to stop the stock spreading under recoil.

Rob, as you probably know the Worthing stock is a direct copy of a Maurice Ottmar stock, M-35 Lyman and all. Quite a handsome rifle. I was delighted with Morris exploring earlier work back in the 1980's. Pics in my B&W book.

Rich, Much improved but you might study the Schlegelmilch schnable, it is more subtle and has no point or sharpness anywhere.

Juglans, Let's see pics of that panel stock Westley Richards?

I agree that panels might have origin in sidelock guns going back to the flintlock era.

SDH;

No need to take my word for it, or my own images lest it be taken they are not actual WR production. Instead, I'll simply post links to a source of great voracity - WR themselves, note the links contain at least one with Fleurs and all:

https://www.westleyrichards.co...5-bolt-action-rifle/

https://www.westleyrichards.co...ammunition-in-clips/

https://www.westleyrichards.co...ling-for-old-rifles/

https://www.westleyrichards.co...accelerated-express/


https://www.westleyrichards.co...ine-rifle-unearthed/

https://www.westleyrichards.co...ce-legendary-status/


It wasn't only M98-actioned rifles that got the treatment back in the day:

https://www.westleyrichards.co...1893-magazine-rifle/

I agree, the side panels were a remnant of the sidelock era, be it bar-in-wood breechloaders right back to muzzle loaders etc. No doubt some of the stockers who stocked earlier magazine rifles cut their teeth much earlier on these very different stocks. Those apprenticed under them carried it on. In the case of WR, they continue that hallmark up to the present, at least sometimes.

Thanks for all those pictures; old and new. They reinforce my position that side panels are ugly and many are downright hideous, especially the new ones. Although I do own a few of them.
RJ; plane those off today.

Panels on a Westley 1910 mannlicher action, patent takedown too! Currently undergoing a very sympathetic restoration.





I love them but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Jig

Thanks for all the good advice and ideas.

the panels help with the forend jig for now. :-)

This Fraser is what I think side panels should look like -part of the stock instead of something just stuck on the side.

Fraser panels are indeed nifty. Most Scottish guns and rifles were/are IMO.

I think guns and rifles really need to be appreciated in person to get a true appreciation. A 2D image only gets you so far and sometimes what looked ordinary in an image suddenly makes much more sense when in-the-hand.

It would be very interesting to hold this effort in-hand and maybe hunt with it a while - bloody nice photos too:

https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/two-become-one

The photos are from Hallowell & Co. He takes great pictures of his guns. I suspect it's wonderful in-the-hand.

Here is my 275 Rigby that Tom built. The stock is an older one that I removed the panels from to streamline its appearance. I still have the Rigby style stock that Tom provided. I’m still working on fitting it

quote:

Originally posted by SDH:
Rob, as you probably know the Worthing stock is a direct copy of a Maurice Ottmar stock, M-35 Lyman and all. Quite a handsome rifle. I was delighted with Morris exploring earlier work back in the 1980's. Pics in my B&W book.

I did Steve, and in the documentation Chic sent with the rifle he stated...

"It has an old commercial German take off barrel, that was rebored to .338 by Cliff Labounty of Maple Falls, Washington. Maurice Ottmar chambered the barrel in .338/06."

I really like the rifle but can no longer use iron sights and don't want to mess it up by trying to add a scope.

A lot of fine English rifles have exposed cross bolts and I love them not to mention they prevent split stocks in the action bedding on big bores and sure wont hurt any bolt action rifle. I like them engraved,,they are functional..

Cheek pieces, Ebony FE tips and recoil pads are popular but not functional therefore not always my cup of Tequilla.

Front of cheek is gone. back of cheek will be like a football

I must have removed more than a 1/2" off the bottom of the forend.

Behind the grip to the toe is also baseball batish.

Mike; yours looks nice.
RJ; yours looks nice.

Like or not, lots of nice work out there, I appreciate the Monte Carlo that's well done but would not own one. I'm not fond of cheek pieces, ebony fore end tips, rubber recoil pads, on my personal hunting rifles. but have a few nice ones with all the decorations and great workmanship. My favorite are JP Sauer custom Mausers, I have two originals all the bells and whistles but no D&T. and love the buffalo Horn butt plates and engraved full rib to integral front sight and Lyman 35 peeps not to mention fantastic wood, I love all the things I normally don't care for on these two, an 06 and a 8x57.

I'm chicken so the ebony tip will be what ever shape I can get with the tools I have.

There is only one correct answer...whatever you want and like.

The sole purpose of a rifle is to please its owner.

Safe edge round file, DIY.

aluminum strip, beveled edge, hot melt glue.

pretty clever, Rich