Whatever you do, don't be afraid to remove a lot of wood, then remove some more. Full-stocked rifles made by smiths here in America tend to resemble baseball bats. On a large action such as the 70, Mauser, Springfield, etc. one must keep only a splinter's width of wood around the action. An open pistol grip is almost mandatory for the sleek look of a full-stocked rifle- note the grips on Mannlicher-Schoenauers and BRNO's, and also note how thin the butt stocks and grips are on those rifles too. The last, and perhaps most important, thing is the profile of the fore end- from the front guard screw forward to the tip it needs to have a very subtle reverse camber (concavity) in the profile. That is the main area where our stockmakers screw up, leaving most examples I've seen, including some posted here over the years, look like expensive 2x4's. Taken as a whole, these parameters will yield a stock as graceful as a ballerina. Ignore one or more and it ends up just another also-ran.
Last edited by gnoahhh; 07/20/16.
