In the beginning, Magpul designed the SGA stock for Remington 870 and Mossberg 500/590 pump action shotguns.
And everything was good.
The SGA became one of Magpul Industries most-famous and best-selling non-AR-15 stocks due to its versatility. By attaching the SGA stock to your shotgun, it could be instantly made easier to use because it provided an effective recoil-absorbing buttpad, rear sling attachment points, robust shim system to adjust length-of-pull, adjustable combs and improved geometry conducive to better defensive and tactical shotgun shooting.
In 2014, Magpul took the SGA concept and ran with it in order to develop and release an aftermarket drop-in stock option for Remington 700-pattern barreled actions. This new rifle stock was known as the Magpul Hunter.
As its popularity grew, Magpul expanded the Hunter line to fit long guns beyond common Remington 700 pattern short or long action footprints. Nowadays, Magpul offers the Hunter Stock for certain Ruger and Savage centerfire and rimfire rifles-–names like the Ruger American, Ruger 10/11 or Savage 110 come to mind.
The Magpul A380 Bedding Block and AICS Magazines
Though Magpul recommends that you don’t actually remove it, one of the most critical features of the Magpul Hunter stock is the A380 cast aluminum bedding block. This casting is machined to final dimensions while also being hardcoat anodized. The A380 bedding block has a unique shape that makes it not only cradle a rifle’s receiver but also fits into the grip area and around 3 inches forward of the receiver area.
The top portion of the A380 bedding block has the customary space for a rifle’s recoil lug. The block also has a useful V-shape for consistent action footprint bedding after the action screws are tightened. It helps to think of a bolt-action rifle much like a house. In order for the structure to stand under its own weight, it needs a sturdy foundation. Likewise, rifles tend to shoot better and more consistently when action screws are torqued down over their own solid internal foundations. The bedding block’s spans of extra material provides added rigidity fore and aft of the receiver that not only supports the entire barreled action. Along with other components, the shape of the A380 block allows for the use of industry-standard AICS pattern detachable rifle magazines if desired.
The Magpul Hunter Stock’s Attention To Detail
The inspiration for this review comes from my concurrent review of the Savage 110 Magpul Scout rifle, which ships from the factory with a Hunter stock.
Though the Hunter stock has been out since 2014 and fits for Savage 110 actions since 2020, this is my first time paying close attention to the Hunter stock itself. And my impression is that this stock is a beautiful exercise in attention to detail.
Beyond the importance of the A380 bedding block, the Hunter is extremely well-thought out. As mentioned in the introduction, it takes advantage of the ergonomic geometry and length-of-pull adjustability of the original SGA shotgun stocks. But, keep moving away from the rear and towards the front of the stock and you’ll notice thoughtful additions at nearly every point.
Hunter stocks come standard with an array of M-Lok slots on three sides of the fore-end. This includes the lower bottom portion which makes mounting bipods and short sections of Picatinny or ARCA rail quite convenient. Magpul designers also left small, molded pinpoints to serve as drill guides for any end user that wished to drill and install traditional sling swivel studs.
On all centerfire models, barrel channels are generously open to accept a cross-section of different barrel contours, up to medium Palma contour. By default, the Hunter stock is designed to freefloat all barreled actions when installed properly.
My favorite design element about the Hunter stock is that the rear portion of the fore-end is wide and flat. Whether shooting with bags off a bench, barricade or any other support, it’s always easier to stabilize a rifle when the area forward of the receiver has a little more extra surface area.
Hunter Stock Trade-Offs
The trove of features and adjustability that the Magpul Hunter stock offers comes with a trade-off: it’s neither the lightest nor the slenderest field stock for bolt-action rifles. That flat and stable forend that I appreciate does make a rifle feel quite wide. In the case of handling that Savage 110 Magpul Scout its overall thickness was quite apparent. With regards to its overall weight, consider that Magpul recently announced a new Hunter Lite variant at the 2025 NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
All things considered, the Magpul Hunter stock has the capability of turning a typical Remington 700, Savage or Ruger bolt action into a force multiplier at a relatively inexpensive price.
Pricing for Magpul Hunter stocks starts at $269 and varies by model. Learn more by visiting Magpul’s website at magpul.com.
Read the full article here
