Anyone have a McMillan A5-7?

[Mauser48]

I am looking to order a new stock from McMillan and was set on the A5. I'm currently using an A3-5 but I didn't order it with some options I'd like now so I'm going for a new model. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the butthook but figured it wasn't a huge deal either way so I settled on the A5. I like the wider forend on the A5. Somehow I missed that McMillan now has the A5-7 which is basically just the A5 without the butthook. Does anyone have a good argument for or against the butthook? I do like it sometimes to help pull the stock into my shoulder but it also interferes with certain rear bags. Anyone have pictures of theirs? I'm also looking at the A6/A6-7. Anyone have experience with those?

 

[Harman117]

About to order an A5-7 myself, for the same reasons you mentioned. Also curious on other's experiences.

 

[RedSmoke]

The forend, grip, and cheekpiece are identical to the A5. I'm personally a fan of butt hooks but it's a preference thing. A butthook gives you better control without a bag and just using your support hand, and it's also great for looser bags that allow for quick adjustment by squeezing. A flat bottom is great for larger and stiffer bags. You can control Elevation by sliding the bag forward or backwards and you can really wedge the buttstock down into the bag for a lot of stability. The A5-7 has a 1" toe at 6 degrees, so its very flat which may or may not be a good thing for you. The A6-7 has a 5/8" toe at 9 degrees, so it's a bit sharper for digging into the bag and will provide more Elevation adjustment. The A6/A6-7 has mostly flat surfaces with no texture, not bad for bracing against barricades but personally the A5/A5-7 feel better in the hand. The cheekpiece on the A5 is more rounded than squared off like the A6 as well which I prefer. Between the A5/A5-7/A6/A6-7 it purely comes down to personal preference, but my pick is the original A5. My personal favorite stock is the A4 because I love the aggressive butthook, larger grip with aggressive texture, and the squared forend. That's just me though.

 

[Mauser48]

I went with the A5-7. For a working gun the butthook is nice but for what I do most of the time I decided I'd prefer to not have it. Looking forward to trying it out.