How different do they handle?
I have not held either model but have held a hogue stock as well as shot a wood m77. I am no fan hogue as I find it to be too thick and heavy
I'm the complete opposite. I love the Hogue stocks. As USMA said, they do a fantastic job of mitigating recoil. I got tired of my my boat paddle Ruger .338 Win Mag leaving my shoulder with a rainbow of bruises lol I put a Hogue on it, and after that, you could shoot 50+ rounds, from the bench and never hurt. Plus, I hunted with that 338, and got rained on a couple times. The stock grips as well wet as it does dry. Again, as he said, you do not hear brush hitting it at all.
I think you really should, reevaluate your view on them. Get one, and try it in the field. I believe you will change your mind.
Curt -
I can speak to the handling from 2 perspectives.
I built my own .495 A-Square while I worked there, so had the Coil Check stock on my rifle. I makes the 6,000 ft-lbs. a hard shove vs. a terrible punch.
I own the Alaskan version of the .375 and .416 Ruger. Both are in the hogue stocks. This stock captures the pistol grip of the Coil Check pattern well. My feeling is that this DOES transfer some of the recoil to your grip hand vs. allowing all of it to go through your shoulder. The Hogue is not as thick in the buttstock as the Coil Check, but is certainly not thin. This helps with the perceived recoil. I never wore a recoil pad to fire my .495. However, the .416 Ruger working off the bench is a bit more energetic than I care for, so I do wear the PAST pad.
I find the overmould to not only silence the stock against brush, but it provides an enhanced ability to hold onto the stock. This attenuates perceived recoil by a minor amount - maybe 5%? Every little bit helps. I always feel as if I have positive control of the rifle due to the rubber.
The forend shape is conducive to holding down the rifle in recoil.
Each time I pick up either rifle it is a joy. They balance well (with 20" barrels), are not a truck axle in your hand, and are easy to move with in the brush. One CARRIES the rifle 99% of the time and fires it 1% of the time while hunting. The animals cannot tell 20" velocity from 24" velocity. 4" of steel x thousands of steps = more fatigue - ounces = pounds, pounds = pain, as the grunts say.
I will put each one on the scales to see how they tip them.
I agree with everything you said. Save for the balance. I feel the 23" feels more balanced. I do know one thing, for and giggles, I decided to shoot my steel plate that I use for pistols, with a 270 grain TSX from my 375 Alaskan. I indeed regret that decision lol
Also, a 120 lb VA whitetail said she couldn't tell the barrel was 20". 3/8" entry hole, 3/4" exit hole, lungs and heart destroyed, and virtually no bloodshot meat.
