A while back I wrote an article about a rifle mounted in a steel stock listed on Gunbroker.  It was truly the weirdest rifle I have ever seen in terms of how “unique” it was. It looked as if someone had placed it in a large block of steel and started in with a grinder until they had the stock the wanted.  If you missed the article, or want to take a look again you can find that article here.

What I didn’t know is that there is actually a sub-culture in the firearms community that is indeed making steel stocks.  Some of them are pretty rough looking, but some of them are very well made and shoot very well.

A while back a reader sent me some photos of an old Mosin that he bought with a busted stock, being a steelworker he decided to build a stock for the rifle.  While he admits it is heavy, it shoots well and the weight absorbs quite a lot of recoil.  I am actually impressed with the workmanship that went into building the stock.

He did admit that there seems to be a full spectrum of reactions from people calling it an abomination to those that see the art and function.  The stock is completely removable, and a regular Mosin stock could be put back on the rifle if someone chose to do so.

Around the same time I also received an email from a gunsmith that said that he had done over a dozen stocks made of steel for customers that wanted them for reasons that ranged from aesthetics to weight.

I have been around firearms for a long time, but you are always finding new things in the firearms community.  I am not sure what other interesting subcultures are out there, but I am sure that I will come across something new and different at some point, which is one reason I like covering firearms as a writer.

Thanks Shaun for the info and pictures!