When the original stock on a hunting rifle fails, there are many alternatives — including upgrading. Enter H-S Precision stocks.
It all started last summer as I was mentoring some new, young hunters who were preparing for a bull elk hunt the following winter. One of the rifles being used was a Howa .300 Win. Mag. with a laminated wood stock.
During the practice sessions, the stock cracked along the glue lines, just aft of the rear guard screw. That rifle had been quite accurate — under one MOA with a variety of loads, so it had the potential to be a candidate for upgrading and keeping it in action.
Years ago, I would have gone the most inexpensive route and drilled a small hole across the upper part of the grip area, put some glue into the crack and installed a cross-bolt while clamping everything tightly until the glue set up properly.
Although I am quite certain that “fix” would have worked well, I considered this an opportunity to upgrade the rifle and make it a bit handier in the process (the laminated stock was heavy, for example).
Years before, I acquired an H-S Precision Pro Series 2000 LA model rifle, also chambered in .300 Win. Mag. I used it to take elk and mule deer in Colorado, among other things, over the years and it always performed beautifully. With good ammo, it delivered three-shot groups around a half-inch at 100 yards — a tad better on occasion.
So, I thought: Why not put an H-S Precision stock on the Howa? After all, Legacy Sports International now offers the Howa with an H-S Precision stock, and they seem to work great.
I contacted the folks at H-S Precision, who have been longtime supporters of SCI, and it wasn’t long before the stock arrived. Not surprisingly, the barreled action fit perfectly and, in a few minutes, I had the upgraded rifle ready for the range.
H-S Precision stocks truly are high-performance propositions. H-S Precision explains how it works:
“We manufacture all of our own molds and tooling in-house in Rapid City, South Dakota. Every stock we produce will have a 7075 aluminum bedding block that is machined specifically to the dimensions of the barreled action. The aluminum bedding block is integrated into the stock by proprietary tooling that we also manufacture in-house. This process centers the block inside the mold and ensures that it is a direct drop-in fit, no inletting required. Both sides of the mold are hand laminated with Kevlar, fiberglass and carbon fiber. We use an abundant amount of these materials for added strength and durability.
“Next, we inject the mold with a proprietary mixture of a dense polyurethane foam material. The foam core provides additional strength while keeping the stock lightweight. We spend the rest of the manufacturing process hand finishing the stock to ensure that every one meets our exacting quality control standards.”
I opted for the olive/black finish and added a sling swivel stud on the forend for a bipod.
With the new stock, the rifle has delivered sub-MOA groups with a variety of loads. And in addition to its performance prowess, it also makes for a quite handsome hunting rifle — well worth the upgrade.
So, whether the original stock has problems or maybe it is just time for an upgrade, H-S Precision stocks represent a viable option when the objective is to keep a good rifle running.
To see the variety of stocks offered by H-S Precision, visit hsprecision.com/product-category/stocks.–Steve Comus
