Stock (firearm)
A stock, also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock, or simply a butt is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached. It is held firmly against the shooter's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows, though a crossbow stock is properly called a tiller.[1] The stock provides a means for the shooter to firmly support the device and easily aim it. The stock also transmits recoil (the shock of firing the weapon) into the shooter's shoulder.[2] The term stock dates to 1571 and comes from the Germanic word stoc, meaning tree trunk.[3] This refers to the wooden nature of the gunstock.[3]
Stock (firearm) Media
An early hand cannon, or gonne, supported by a simple stock
M1 Garand rifle with one-piece wooden stock
SPAS-12 shotgun with a skeletonized folding stock
Different styles of gunstock grips
Variations in gunstock combs
M16A1 cutaway rifle (top) and M16A2 (below) with a "straight-line" stock configuration
An M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle in a chassis system with adjustable buttplate and cheekriser
Gun stock construction on a lathe from the 1850s (photo circa 2015)
M4 carbine with a telescoping stock
References
- ↑ "Online Etymology Dictionary, tiller".
- ↑ Chuck Hawks. "Rifle Recoil".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Online Etymology Dictionary, stock".