Rokstok review thread

[03mossy]

I went from Talley lows to UM mediums and they are perfect

 

[Formidilosus]

Do mediums seem to solve that problem for everyone? My buddy has lows and I am not even close to being able to get the scope in my eye so I was thinking of going to the highs but I see a lot of people suggesting the mediums.

Mediums solve it for the vast majority. Highs are workable for most as well.

 

[Speaks]

Mediums solve it for the vast majority. Highs are workable for most as well.

Setting mine up for the first time tomorrow. I have no scope mounted already and both the um lows and mediums on hand. Do you recommend going right to mediums or try lows first. It will be on a tikka 223 superlight.

 

[Formidilosus]

Setting mine up for the first time tomorrow. I have no scope mounted already and both the um lows and mediums on hand. Do you recommend going right to mediums or try lows first. It will be on a tikka 223 superlight.

Mediums.

 

[Jon Boy]

I ordered some mediums, I’ll report back!

 

[SchwarzStock]

This might have been addressed in the intervening 5 pages ... but there's at least one rifle that has been used by a serving military that has a negative comb ...

Also tagging @gbflyer and @BBob for their information.

What rifle is that?

 

[Dobermann]

What rifle is that?

Steyr Scout.

 

[SchwarzStock]

Steyr Scout.

That is really stretching the negative comb aspect since it is so slight.

So what serving military has adopted the scout? I hope you are referring to a paramilitary such as a Serb group using anything they could get their hands on.

 

[Dobermann]

That is really stretching the negative comb aspect since it is so slight.

So what serving military has adopted the scout? I hope you are referring to a paramilitary such as a Serb group using anything they could get their hands on.

It might be slight, but the negative comb was an explicit specification at a time when that was not common.

 

[wind gypsy]

Do mediums seem to solve that problem for everyone? My buddy has lows and I am not even close to being able to get the scope in my eye so I was thinking of going to the highs but I see a lot of people suggesting the mediums.

I'm happy with UM highs and Sportsmatch HT073 (high) rings on rokstoks but i'm not a firm check weld guy either. I think I would dislike amount of negative comb if I were a more firm cheekweld guy as height changes a lot based on how far forward one's head sits. Lows sound awful, no way would i mess with them.

 

[Marbles]

I was fine with UM Lows, but I did not use scopes until I was 28, so many years of getting my head down for irons makes me like that position.

My current setup is equivalent to UM mediums as the occular on the RS1.2 would not clear the pic rail in NF low rings and I needed the scope further forward in prone to have a relaxed neck position.

Personally, I would be fine using irons with a Rokstok, it feels comfortable sighting over the top of the action with the scope removed.

Just goes to show the variation in preference.

 

[Speaks]

I'm happy with UM highs and Sportsmatch HT073 (high) rings on rokstoks but i'm not a firm check weld guy either. I think I would dislike amount of negative comb if I were a more firm cheekweld guy as height changes a lot based on how far forward one's head sits. Lows sound awful, no way would i mess with them.

I got my rockstock last week and intended it to go on my Tikka 223 so went ahead and mounted my rs1.2 in UM Mediums per recommendations here. I had the same scope in UM lows on my 6.5CM and just out of curiosity moved the rokstock onto that gun and back and forth several times. I preferred the lows with both the factory and rokstock. No difference offhand, slight preference for lows sitting, significant preference for lows prone. I was kind of surprised its also somewhat convenient. Remounted my 223 scope in lows and am happy with it so far.

I do prefer mediums shooting from a bench and could even do highs there. But thats also the least relevant position for me.

Might have to list the mediums for sale, I am also thinking about setting up a loaner tikka 223 so maybe put the mediums on that as it seems they are more universal fit for more people and while preferring lows the mediums and quite useable for me.

 

[SchwarzStock]

It might be slight, but the negative comb was an explicit specification at a time when that was not common.

You are quibbling.

The angle is so slight it is almost imperceptible. Try as I may I cannot find anything where Cooper specified a negative comb. What is your source for this claim?

So now, what military adopted this rifle?

 

[Jon Boy]

I'm happy with UM highs and Sportsmatch HT073 (high) rings on rokstoks but i'm not a firm check weld guy either. I think I would dislike amount of negative comb if I were a more firm cheekweld guy as height changes a lot based on how far forward one's head sits. Lows sound awful, no way would i mess with them.

That might be my issue as I’ve always been a factory tikka stock guy with a firm cheek weld for the last 10 years. I got UM mediums and still can’t quite tell if the rokstock is a game changer for me. I really like the short trigger reach and how quick it shoulders but beyond that something just doesn’t feel quite right and I can’t explain it. I need to shoot it side by side with a factory stock. I will say, I shot my tightest group with a rokstock the other day. It’s a new load so I couldn’t tell you if it had anything to do with it but I’ll take it! Please don’t flame me for potentially being naive but I’ve shot a lot of rounds over the years and take my hunting rifle set up’s very seriously as I’ve seen every point of failure possible. I’ll keep using it and hunt with it this season before I make a final judgement

 

[wind gypsy]

That might be my issue as I’ve always been a factory tikka stock guy with a firm cheek weld for the last 10 years. I got UM mediums and still can’t quite tell if the rokstock is a game changer for me. I really like the short trigger reach and how quick it shoulders but beyond that something just doesn’t feel quite right and I can’t explain it. I need to shoot it side by side with a factory stock. I will say, I shot my tightest group with a rokstock the other day. It’s a new load so I couldn’t tell you if it had anything to do with it but I’ll take it! Please don’t flame me for potentially being naive but I’ve shot a lot of rounds over the years and take my hunting rifle set up’s very seriously as I’ve seen every point of failure possible. I’ll keep using it and hunt with it this season before I make a final judgement

A slightly negative comb and high heel are desirable to me but way over hyped imo.

 

[Odd1out]

Delete. Got it figured

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

 

[Dobermann]

You are quibbling.

The angle is so slight it is almost imperceptible. Try as I may I cannot find anything where Cooper specified a negative comb. What is your source for this claim?

So now, what military adopted this rifle?

Quibbling? Er, no. A negative comb is a negative comb, as far as the simple physics of recoil control goes. After that, there might be some benefits to more steep angles, but a negative comb functions differently from the opposite.

I've now let go of my copy of Richard Mann's book, where this is discussed, but here are few relevant quotes. My guess is there are also likely some other gems in the multiple issues of Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip, but I don't have those:

The 600 does kick, at least in .308 - not dreadfully, but noticeably. You can't fire a full-sized battle cartridge in a gun weighing three ounces less than six pounds without noticing it. Whether you notice it enough to damage you marksmanship depends on you. The very straight stock, 13 3/4 inch pull, and forward rake of the comb all help to ease the blow, but can't eliminate it. - Jeff Cooper, 'The Carbine Compromise', Guns & Ammo, October 1966, p. 79

Let’s start with one of the least obvious features: the negative drop at the comb.

Most rifle stocks show drop from the nose of the comb to the heel. This has been a long-standing tradition, and it’s how stocks are shaped so shooters can get their eye behind open sights. The problem with this concept—and it boggles the mind that we’re still building stocks this way—is that it increases felt recoil because it drives the comb into the shooter’s cheekbone. Not only that, but common open sights are now about as rare as unicorn poop. The comb on the Steyr Scout Rifle rises from the nose to the heel. This helps to better position the eye behind the optic and allows the comb to slip painlessly past the shooter’s cheekbone. - Richard A. Mann, 'Gun Review: Steyr Scout Rifle In 6.5 Creedmoor', Gun Digest, September 12, 2019.

Finally, and what might be the most overlooked and important aspects of the rifle deal with Cooper’s “friendliness” requirement. The butt of the stock is fitted with spacers allowing the length of pull to be adjusted to fit the shooter and the heel of the butt is rounded to facilitate ease of shouldering. The center of the comb of the Steyr Scout Rifle is very high, only a fraction of an inch below the centerline of the bore, and about 1.75 inches below the center line of a scout scope when mounted as low as possible on the rifle. Additionally, the comb of the Steyr Scout Rifle does not drop—from its nose to its heel—it rises.

This might seem to go against conventional wisdom, but Melvin Forbes of New Ultra Light Arms pioneered this concept when he introduced his model 20 lightweight rifle in 1983. (Incidentally, Forbes stocked a prototype Scout Rifle for Cooper in 1987.) By having the comb configured this way it allows the shooter to establish a solid check weld, while being able to see through the optical sight. More critically, as the rifle recoils the shooter’s cheek slides forward and down the comb. With a conventional rifle stock, with drop in the comb, the crest of the comb is driven back into the shooter’s cheek and the drop prevents the cheek or face from experiencing a comfortable interface. - Richard Mann, 'Jeff Cooper’s Greatest Legacy? The Ultimate Scout Rifle—Full Review', Guns America, September 26, 2016.

And, for wider context:

Stock comb - please be cognizant that a stock with its comb set up for a conventionally mounted scope usually doesn't work very well with Scout scope or iron sights. However, a stock set for a Scout scope is not too bad for use with conventional scope and ghost ring sights if done well. - Cousin Bongo [IYKYK], 'Scout Scope Mounting - The Finer Points', The Scout Rifle Forum, https://scoutrifle.org/index.php?topic=4850.0

Comb height and comb slope (ideally the comb should slope/angle down towards the trigger) need to be taken into account. - Cousin Bongo, https://www.scoutrifle.org/index.php?topic=5019.msg104625#msg104625