GRS Berserk stocks worth the money?

[Zebra]

I was wondering what you guys thought about these GRS Berserk stocks and if they are worth the money?

I was looking at some of their synthetic durethane stocks that sold for around $650. While they look nice, I can't help thinking that they seem like a budget product sold at McMillan prices.

They aren't made of hand laid woven fiberglass or carbon fiber like the McMillan and Manners products. They are cast in plastic with a small pinch of fiberglass (just 15%). The Durethane they use is a urethane. I use urethane plastics for rapid prototyping but I would never choose a urethane if strength and rigidity were my primary goals. I wouldn't expect using 15% fiberglass to do much to improve things either. It's just not enough, Especially if it is just non-woven strands mixed with the urethane resin.

Similarly, the pillars aren't made from aluminum (or any metal), they are made of 65% fiberglass and molded in. They position this as a benefit but I can't help seeing "budget" instead.

Am I missing something with these stocks? Are they really the quantum leap in design that they claim, or are they nice looking but expensive garbage made from the same materials as the factory stock we immediately discarded? We can buy pure woven hand laid carbon fiber stocks for 2/3 of price these days....

What do do you think?

 

[Simia Dei]

I sold mine. Had a tikka in it. Front end flex was irritating, the rubber laid hand grip areas provided plenty of grip but everything sticks to them. My adjustable stock didn't fit correctly.

I wouldn't buy another, I'll go a manners or a chassis next time.

 

[Zebra]

Thanks.

The flex doesn't surprise me with it being made of cheap materials like that. It's exactly what I was worried about. It must have been really annoying considering the price you paid....

It bugs me when manufacturers charge that much and then cheap out on materials. A simple google search would have shown them that the competition are offering full aluminum chassis systems and hand laid cf or woven fiberglass for the same or less.

Hopefully you didnt lose too much when you sold it.

It's a shame because I do like the shape It had potential. As my mom would say, it's "all fur coat and no panties"!

I have been looking at the new AG Composites full (hand laid) carbon fiber stocks. They seem well priced. I wonder how they compare to Manners and McMillan stocks. Their new ones use a similar design.

 

[ballisticdaddy]

GRS makes some great laminate stocks but the rest of their line is a bit lacking IMO, they should just stick to what they are good at.

 

[Vargmat]

I tried a few of their stocks from Berserk to Bolthorn. Never really cared for either one of them.

I much prefer my Mcmillan A3-5 or a KRG chassis for my rifles.

 

[CZSP01]

Seems that the importer of GSR in the US really missed the mark with the pricing on these stocks. Locally here in Australia they retail for about the $600AUD mark which is about $440US and are a great budget option for people wanting an adjustable stock (same amount of features/adjustment in a McMillan or Manners down here would be $1800AUD)

I own one and use it on my tikka .223 target rifle and never had any issues, shoots the same groups when i ran the barreled action in my KRG whiskey 3 chassis, is comfortable and has good adjustment. The front end does have some slight flex but you really need to push on the barrel to make it move, unsure why you'd want to do this? Sure its not as good as my A5, whiskey 3 or XLR chassis....but its a fraction of the price, with very similar features

I guess for you guys in the states they might not be the best option with what you have available

 

[Zebra]

On some of my guns, flex in the stock makes more a difference than others. I notice a difference more in precision rifles. I probably wouldn't notice much of a difference in a rifle with off the shelf average accuracy but then again, I wouldn't pay $600 to upgrade the stock on a gun that couldn't benefit from it. If I do spend the extra, I want no visible flex at all.

I think the point you make about looking at what else is available is the right one and in America, $600 buys you a much better stock than what they are offering these days.

Their laminate stocks are even more expensive. I will never pay $760 for any laminate stock. Laminate stocks use cheap plain wood with no nice figuring so they have to paint on the pattern. I know they are stronger than walnut but if strength and rigidity is the goal, then carbon fiber and fiberglass is a better option, followed by aluminum chassis systems.

If I am going to put up with the limitations of wood, I want a nicely figured walnut. Then I would understand why it was more expensive. The aesthetics is the only reason to still be using wood on a rifle stock these days. I do love the look of a nice piece of natural wood but I would choose it for performance.

 

[lou400a]

I've just got mine for a 260 Tikka. I've always liked the look of it, but couldn't find one to try out in person and found a used one on the hide so I didn't pay full price.
Great fit and like the ergonomics and adjustability. I don't care for the soft rubber non-slip grip and fore end so I may remove it and fill the void with devcon and texture it to enhance grip. The fore end does flex quite a bit (more so than the factory stock), but it shouldn't affect accuracy of the 16" CTR as there is plenty of room and it won't touch the barrel. I may stiffen it up with some carbon fiber cloth and epoxy if it bothers me down the road.
Overall its a good stock, but I wouldn't pay full asking price for one. I'll definitely keep it, but my next build will wear Manners EH1 or EH5.

 

[Zebra]

There is no doubt that they look nice. I make my own carbon fiber stocks sometimes and I wouldn't mind using that pattern to make a mold at some point. It would be a nice stock if made in a decent material.

when I have finished building my CNC machine, maybe I'll use it to make a stock in that pattern out of a nice walnut and then I can use that to make a mold to make a cf version too.

The main issue with the stock is the price. If it was a $200 drop-in factory replacement off eBay, like most other injection molded plastic stocks, it would be about right. People just expect more for $600 these days.