Not much time left in the day to say much tonight. I did check out some of my rifles and sure enough, there is a slight cast-off. In reading an old Ross catalog last night (1913, but I believe this same statement is found in several catalogs), I found the fcllowing:
The present Ross stocks are built with a very short, full pistol grip, supporting the hand close to the trigger, and giving a feeling of the utmost security in handling the arm. A slight cast-off is used to bring the sights in front of the eye without effort. Pitch a Ross rifle to your shoulder and try the fit of the stock.
The proportion of the grip, the comb and the butt are carefully worked out to suit the average man as nearly as possible. Shotgun shaped buttplates of graceful form are used, while the grip is full and capped over the end.
The walnut is all of the best selected European stock, not steamed or otherwise treated to make the wood easier to work or to hasten the drying. Some of the wood used is as handsome in figure as that put in the best shotgun stocks and all the walnut is tough and nearly unbreakable.
Standard stocks are furnished with steel butt plates and are without cheek piece. Cheek piece furnished without extra charge.
The last statement is the most surprising to me. A cheek piece stock for no extra charge, yet almost no one ordered one! And left me say, the sporter I show at the beginning of this thread with the cheek piece, makes for a very fine fit.
