Just curious if Roman nosed stocks are practical or not. They are pleasing to the eye that's for sure. Here is an example of a Wolfgang Haga rifle. I was thinking of a .54 caliber barrel with a 1:66 to 1:70 twist rate as a Whitetail deer rifle. Usually these stocks had simple incise carving. http://bp3.blogger.com/__Faew73UavA/RsiFhj3PEBI/AAAAAAAAAMY/wHRm1MIg_8A/s1600-h/rifle2.gif

I've owned rifles built like this, and they shot fine.

Seems like alot of drop at the butt end of it. Thats what I wondered about.

Yes, there's a lot of drop, and if you look at the sights you'll see why. With sights so low there would be no way to use them without the drop. I have a rifle of this style, and it feels quite natural.

The amount of drop is one thing but personally I never liked the Roman Nose shape for shooting if it has too much crown to it - some are made with an excessive amount of crown and it causes shootability issues for most folks. The Lanc., PA & VA styles are much more user-friendly for most folks but it all revolves around what fits you better - everyone is built differently and what works for most, doesn't work for all. Also, keep in mind that the amount of cast will completely change the way the stock fits you as well as how much crown is put into the stock - as long as the crown is not excessive, adding a little more cast will help cancel it out and make it more user-friendly.

It seems the design would keep the recoil away from the shooters cheek. If only I had access to several different longrifles then I could find what fits me best. I am 6 feet tall with long arms so I figure length of pull should be at least 14 inches. The rifle is from the Reading school of rifles. The NRA had a replica of one on display a few years ago to give away. A .54 caliber barrel seems about right. The stock wouldn't require elaborafe decoration. I'm not sure what kind of wood is correct. I read somewhere that Wolfgang Haga is an ancestor of Winchester. That's kinda interesting. Also read that Wolfgang Haga's shop caught fire and exploded at one point.

Bullseye,

You can have a perfectly flat comb and if the heel drop & cast are right, it won't bite your cheek - same with crowning the comb provided the amount of crown is not excessive. For instance, you can put 1/4" of crown on the comb, changes the whole look of the rifle and if the h-drop & cast are good for you, it won't bite either.

You have to keep in mind that the recoil pushes strait backwards in-line with the bore - at an angle to the comb that is set by the h-drop. Not enough cast brings the comb into your cheek. Too much h-drop causes the comb to come up higher vertically. Too much crown and it'll smack the center of your cheek bone and that hurts more than just taking it on the leading edge.

It all just a matter of fitting the stock to the shooter. You can keep within a certain appearance of style and still fit the shooter well, it's just a matter of balancing everything out so it works for the individual. Guns are no different than clothing, if you take a 17.5" neck and try to stuff yourself into a shirt with a 16" neck...you'll be sure to turn blue at some point. Same with a gunstock, if you need 2.125" of h-drop and 1/4" cast and try shooting a gun with 1.75" drop and 0.0625" cast, it's going to beat the crap out of your cheek.

The Roman Nose stocks do have a lot of drop, but the high crest gives a decent cheek rest so your head isn't just bobbing around. The Traditions Shenandoah Rifle is along these lines, and to a lesser degree the Pedersoli Blue Ridge Rifle. The Pedersoli can also be had in .54 flint or cap.

I own a Blue Ridge rifle. It ls .36 caliber. I think Cabela's calls it the Blue Ridge but Pedersoli calls it the Frontier rifle. It doe's sort of have a slight roman nose. I dont know if a .54 caliber would be a good choice because the butt end is so narrow. There's not much there in other words. A .54 might be kinda punishing. it is sleek and and reminds me of the Wommelsdorf school of rifles or a Tennessee rifle. I don't think it really represents anything in particular but rather a general style of a wide time span.