custom rifle geometries

Geometries

Kilimanjaro's wood-stocked rifles are all full custom and not the semi-custom limited selection of choices offered by most custom rifle makers. A full custom rifle can be a daunting proposition, however, no matter your level of experience or certainty as to what you want. For that reason, Kilimanjaro Rifles offers a wide variety of stock geometries designed to be a useful starting point for your individual customization and specifications. Most (but not all) geometries can be offered in a "Hunter" style elegant Monte Carlo stock (our personal favorite), a straight-combed "American" style stock, or something else to suit your personal choice. From there, the choice of geometry will of course be a matter of individual preference, but will be influenced strongly by the type of hunt, game you hunt, and cartridge desired. For this reason, in our technical consultations with you, we will at first be much more interested in how and for what you will use your rifle to help you better evaluate what will best serve you.

The choice of a starting geometry from which your unique rifle will grow includes:

The African

Geometry - African Hunter Custom Rifle Geometry - African Straight

Our premier full-weight rifle geometry best suited to cartridges of 7mm. Rem. Mag., 300 Win. Mag. and higher, all the way up to 458 Lott and 338 Lapua. The African provides the necessary weight for comfortable recoil management and improved stability of aim.

The Walkabout

Custom Rifle Geometry - Walk About Hunter

A delightful mid-weight rifle. Walkabout — when less is more. Perhaps Kilimanjaro's most elegant offering, and Kilimanjaro at its best. Not exactly a light rifle; perhaps "concise" is a better word. No long magnums here, and few short ones. We like to keep the weight in the area of seven pounds or less and thick heavy barrels aren't the answer. There are many great cartridges out there, just waiting to be wrapped in a big game or varmint rifle that will spend more time on your shoulder or in your hand than in the back of a truck. Suitable for cartridges from .22-250 to 30-06, we have even undertaken new barrel design to extend the Walkabout's range to the higher powered 270 WSM, 7mm WSM and 300 WSM cartridges for those desiring a lighter and easier to carry big game rifle.

The Doctari

Custom Rifle Geometry - Doctari

Designed by Dr. Kevin Robertson, a legend in the hunting world with combined expertise in game anatomy, professional hunting and bullet/cartridge performance, Kilimanjaro Rifles is proud to introduce the Doctari Professional Hunter rifle stock geometry suitable for the largest dangerous game cartridges, including the 505 Gibbs, 450 Rigby, 458 Lott, 416 Rigby and 416 Rem. Designed for ease of carry, quick deployment, immediate sight acquisition, proper recoil management, and the balance and quick handling of a fine shotgun, the Doctari Professional Hunter rifle stock geometry represents a distillation of Dr. Robertson’s extensive experience with dangerous game. Impressive to hold and deadly on the hunt, the Doctari Professional Hunter rifle stock geometry is for those moments when dangerous game is dangerous.

The Artemis

Custom Rifle Geometry - Artemis

The Goddess Of The Hunt. For The Huntress/Sportswoman — the Artemis represents an offering unique to Kilimanjaro for a market unfairly ignored since the time of its namesake. Designed by women for women, it is a classic profile with toe-out and special cast in the butt-stock to move the recoil pad away from critical areas of the feminine anatomy. Comb ½", Heel 0". An open grip moved forward to correctly position smaller hands for accurate trigger positioning. Other feminine attributes are the trim, slim mountain rifle shape similar to our Leopard. This stock is designed to provide a quick-handling rifle where weight and bulk are kept to minimum. Drop at heel typically intersects the mid-point of the bore. Suitable for all rifle calibers and introduces a unique design for smaller shoulders as well as those with shoulder injuries. Artemis also provides an opportunity to those hunters /sportsmen who wish to share their love of hunting/shooting with their wife, significant other or daughter.

The Leopard

Custom Rifle Geometry - Leopard

The Leopard is another classic profile but with slimmer open grip and fore-end. Slight rise along the comb with minimum drop at heel. A mountain rifle type of stock suitable for cartridges up to .416 Remington Magnum. Comb 5/8", Heel 1/4".

The Early European

Custom Rifle Geometry - The Early European

A slender and elegant stock geometry which harkens back to older European stock designs.  Our latest geometry, the Early European was the delightful outcome from our efforts to salvage a mis-carved Premier Grade wood blank which was simply too valuable to waste.   The end result is now one of our favorites.  It features a slender forearm with a Schnabel tip, slender wrist, and a gently falling comb line.  The Early European geometry is most suitable for cartridges up to the 30-06 class.

The Merlin

Custom Rifle Geometry - Merlin

Also known as "The Montanan", this geometry is a distillation of fifty years of stock-making by Merlin (Mel) Smart. Mel's authentic geometry was captured by 3D Lightwave scanning allowing us to reproduce its classic lines as the starting geometry for your rifle. It is a classic, full-weight profile with an open grip and full-sized rounded fore-end suitable for all cartridges. The higher rising comb line of the Merlin is suitable only for scope use, and not for iron sights. This is one of our more popular choices. Comb 3/8", Heel 1/8".

The Kodiak

Custom Rifle Geometry - Kodiak

The Kodiak is designed to provide a quick pointing iron sights platform (but also with scope) for use in dangerous game rifles. Modernized classic profile with large full grip and fore-end. The grip incorporates a palm swell and a subtle flare at the cap. The Kodiak is for that most dangerous of North American game, the big brownie, but equally suitable for Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Rhino and other game requiring quick sight acquisition with maximum stopping power. A stout grip and heavy fore-end allows for maximum control of heavier calibers such as .416 Remington and .458 Lott, as well as the timeless and easier to manage 375H&H. Drop at heel typically measures a half inch. Fuller through the magazine area to hold four down in .375 H&H (Serengeti action); very important for those who find themselves facing its namesake, Nature's ultimate expression of predator power.

The Red Mist

As the name implies, this rifle is bad news for varmints. The Red Mist is an expression of the ideal varmint platform. This geometry is designed to support long, heavy barrels, fluted or otherwise. The fore-end is equally at home on the bag or a bipod. The grip is full, somewhat closed and features an ambidextrous palm-swell. Available with or without cheek-piece, shadow-line and/or rollover. The heavier stock shape is derived from the same roots as the African Hunter. The forearm can be standard or beaver-tailed to the width desired. This shape seems to leave no middle ground. Love it or hate it, it's an answer our clients seem to need. The Red Mist geometry rifle is available in any cartridge but is best suited for the .204 Ruger, .222 Remington, .22-250, .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6.5mm-284 Norma and similar varmint cartridges.