Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Whatever Happened to Monte Carlo Stocks

I was handling some different rifles today and got the sudden flash that nothing I'd bought in several years has a Monte Carlo stock on it.

Years ago I thought they were the ultimate in stock design and I've used my old Sako regularly and proudly for over forty years. I've got it, a WBY MKV DeLuxe, a custom stocked #1B and a 10-22 with them but that's it. Well, those plus one Model 94 I carved on when I was a "yute".

I guess I always knew my shotguns and levers weren't M/C's but would have guessed more of the CF rifles and even .22's would have been.

I'm sure this ages me and if you've never seen or bought or wanted a rifle with a M/C just never mind.

Every bolt action rifle I own has a Monte Carlo stock. I suspect that makers of todays guns might view simplicity as a cost savings. Cosmetically, most of what I see on racks today is wearing plastic and has virtually no eye appeal. 1Minute

+1 on the no eye appeal with MOST of todays rifles but straight stocks without a M/C do handle big recoil better and a lot of todays cartridges eat powder in big gulps. I have two that use exactly 100grs of powder at a time. No Monte Carlo for me, thank you, but a Weatherby mkV and others ARE pretty. Since selling my lazermark though I do not believe I now own a rifle with a Monte Carlo stock and I have a few guns..... I think the Weatherby copycatting and 'California' Stock styling has fallen out of favor. I do prefer a classic or straight comb stock but I DO remember when those were hard to find in a rack of guns!

Felt recoil in a .270 Win with 130's out of a Weatherby Mark V Monte Carlo synthetic off the bench is greater than 300WSM Kimber with 180 Accubonds at 2900fps in my shoulders opinion.

I prefer the Monte Carlo stock or the Weatherby stock any day. They fit me better and at least all of the pad is on my shoulder - not a third of it sticking up in the air.

Classic tyle stocks are a fashion - half of them don't even have a cheeckpiece. Of course they will be a lot cheaper to manufacture too I guess.

There are a few factory Monte Carlo stocks that I've always liked, including the pre-64 Model 70, Belgian Browning High-Power (Safari), and Remington 700, particularly the early 'C' Grades from Remington's Custom Shop.

Many Monte Carlos, however, amplify felt recoil and increase muzzle jump considerably.

I much prefer America Classic style stocks that feature high, straight, thick combs. These handle best, minimize the worst effects of recoil, and are conservative and classy as well.

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Not meaning to hijack the thread - but while we're on the topic of stock design - I can't find any appeal at all in the CZ line "European" stocks with the drooping wood. I've seen similar designs on older Husquvarnas. Why do they build them like that? Isn't recoil best minimized when the comb is high and the top-line straight? That's what I've heard.

I've never fired the newer "Euro-styled" rifles, but I have fired "old-fashioned" stocks with lot's of drop at the shoulder compared to the bore-line and they were absolutely brutal!

I've always thought Weatherby stocks were Monte Carlo stocks. Anyway, I shoot my two Mark V's (270 Win. & 3006)better off hand and with significantly less recoil than my Remington 700s in the same calibers. I love Ruger #1s but my #1 in 3006 kicks like a mule, I mean it really hurts.

Years ago the Monte Carlo stock was all the rage. From my point of view, thank the gun gods they�re almost gone.

Put one of those 1970s Remington 700s with the roll over Monte Carlo stock on your left shoulder in a 7mm Remington magnum and pull the trigger. It hurts. Left handed people can deal with right handed bolt action rifles, that�s no problem, but right handed Monte Carlo stock? Too hell with that.

Today a left-handed person can buy a factory made left handed version but in limited calibers and limited resale value. The Monte Carlo stock adds weight to the gun and doesn�t always work for people of all sizes (women, and young people).

I think the Monte Carlo stock made the Ruger rifle style stock so popular. It�s pretty but not practical for all shooters.

personally I do not like MC stocks and am glad they're not as common. straight back for me.

as for the CZ hog back, it's actually good in that it is very easy to shape into an "iron sight" stock. Most stocks are set up for scope use and way too high to naturally use open sights. With a little work they can be made to look very much like the old British guns. I'm really hoping to see a CZ 550 LH next year.....

BC..,

The euro-style isn't new. It's just new on ths side of the pond. They aren't attractive to me but they are designed to be shot standing from the shoulder and in that they do quite well. My CZ FS 30/06 has the euro stock and it kicks no worse than the other 2 I own, a custom monte carlo stocked springfield and a straight factory stock 721. In fact, the weight of the guns probably have more to do with recoil than the stock design.

I haven't shot a euro stock in a cartridge over '06. Perhaps a larger bore cartridge might be unpleasant.

Lefty,

You and I have a few things in common, we�re left handed and like to shoot. All we need to be equal is a generic stock. The comb of the rifle to be the same on both sides.

I�m 55 years old and have been living in the right-handed world all my life. I�m not crying, I don�t want a left handed rifle, just a rifle that�s friendly to left handed people.

Thru the years I have had a lot of standard caliber rifles with and without M/C stocks. The M/C stocks always seemed to have more recoil. And I have had several magnums with and without M/C stocks. And the magnums seemed to have way more recoil with M/C stocks.
Among others I currently have, I have a Model 700 30-06 with a sys stock that seems to have as much recoil as my Ruger 1B 270 Weatherby.
I do like the looks of a M/C stock and this may date me some.

MIck, I've knuckled under and bought/built LH rifles from day one and am truly drooling over the pending receipt of a Heym with a fitted LH stock! (I did order it sans cheekpiece in case I ever wanted to sell it to a righty)

Lefty,

My left-handed brother, what can I say! I think that�s pretty cool though.:-)