It's a Budget Stock Pouch Shootout!
Allen Company Stock Pouch Review and Comparison
Hunter's Specialties Stock Pouch Review and Comparison
Fox Tactical Stock Pouch Review and Comparison
I put stock pouches on most of my rifles. The real draw (for me) is the ability to customize the rifle's cheek weld through the layering of spare mousepads or foam pipe insulation under the stock pouch, adding height to the stock's comb until it's just right for my head shape and shooting posture. Try lining up the sights on your rifle with your eyes closed and your neck relaxed, like you're trying to take a nap and your rifle stock is the pillow. Once you're fully relaxed, open your eyes, and if your sights aren't already lined up at the perfect height, or your view perfectly centered in your scope, you could stand to add a little height to the comb of your rifle stock.
Strap-on stock pouches are a great way to add height to your comb for minimal investment, with the added benefit of adding on-board storage to your rifle. Sure, there are strap-on comb risers, but those are just pads that don't let you carry stuff around. There are also fully adjustable comb risers in many styles, from screw-adjustable wooden models to slotted Kydex sheets, but those can easily pass the $50 mark before installation, and again, you can't carry stuff in them. The DIY crowd can fashion their own adjustable cheek riser from a $10 Kydex sheet, and (speaking from experience) this is a good route to get maximum adjustability for minimum price, but you have to drill holes in your stock and again, you can't carry any extra stuff.
My "aha!" moment came when I decided to strap a stock pouch with a zippered storage compartment over top of one of my Kydex adjustable combs. This gave me all the adjustability in the world as well as a little pouch to carry paperwork, spare ammunition, a small oil bottle, and all manner of other useful tidbits. The first stock pouch I bought was the $15 Allen Company stock pouch, which is the first pouch in our comparison. I later found two other stock pouches in the same price range, and bought them for some of my other rifles, by that point being completely sold on the combination of adjustable cheek weld and storage offered by stock pouches. I've also come to prefer the layering of mousepads and foam pipe insulation over the equally cheap DIY slotted Kydex, as the layering approach is faster, cheaper, doesn't require drilling holes in your stock, and doesn't require tools for adjustment.
There are more expensive stock pouches on the market, ranging up to $50 dollars or so, but after handling these three budget stock pouches, I'm not sure how much that additional money will get you. Some of these budget stock pouches are definitely better than others, but none of them are lacking enough that I would see a need to spend double or even triple the price.
After a few months of shooting and littering my workshop floor with scraps of mousepad and foam pipe insulation, I decided I had a handle on which pouch was the best, and why. As a final test, I measured length of each stock's straps, to determine who was the most adjustable, and packed each stock pouch full of marbles to see who could hold the most. Here is a review and comparison of three stock pouches in the $10-$15 price range.
*Not pictured in this article is a fourth strap, included with each pouch. This fourth strap loops over the buttpad to keep the pouch from sliding forward under recoil.
My "aha!" moment came when I decided to strap a stock pouch with a zippered storage compartment over top of one of my Kydex adjustable combs. This gave me all the adjustability in the world as well as a little pouch to carry paperwork, spare ammunition, a small oil bottle, and all manner of other useful tidbits. The first stock pouch I bought was the $15 Allen Company stock pouch, which is the first pouch in our comparison. I later found two other stock pouches in the same price range, and bought them for some of my other rifles, by that point being completely sold on the combination of adjustable cheek weld and storage offered by stock pouches. I've also come to prefer the layering of mousepads and foam pipe insulation over the equally cheap DIY slotted Kydex, as the layering approach is faster, cheaper, doesn't require drilling holes in your stock, and doesn't require tools for adjustment.
There are more expensive stock pouches on the market, ranging up to $50 dollars or so, but after handling these three budget stock pouches, I'm not sure how much that additional money will get you. Some of these budget stock pouches are definitely better than others, but none of them are lacking enough that I would see a need to spend double or even triple the price.
After a few months of shooting and littering my workshop floor with scraps of mousepad and foam pipe insulation, I decided I had a handle on which pouch was the best, and why. As a final test, I measured length of each stock's straps, to determine who was the most adjustable, and packed each stock pouch full of marbles to see who could hold the most. Here is a review and comparison of three stock pouches in the $10-$15 price range.
*Not pictured in this article is a fourth strap, included with each pouch. This fourth strap loops over the buttpad to keep the pouch from sliding forward under recoil.
Allen Company Buttstock Shell Holder and Pouch - $15.61
I generally like Allen products. They do the job for a year or two and they are stinky, dirty cheap. I wouldn't trust them with my life but I like them just fine for practical shooting. This buttstock pouch is no exception to the cheap-but-functional Allen name. The pouch is probably the flimsiest of the three, a green cloth pouch with a single line of thread holding it together, and that thread hanging loosely at several points. The storage pouch is the smallest of the three pouches and the cloth fabric is thin, so it can be squished into a smaller size if it's not needed. The cloth fabric absorbs water readily and will not keep items inside dry for any substantial length of time, The cheekpeice is a thin faux suede, more comfortable than the slick Fox Tactical cheek piece but not as cushy as the Hunter's Specialties cheek piece. The green-on-black color combination is the only flavor available, so you either like it or you don't. You can store five rounds of centerfire rifle ammunition on the outside in elastic loops.
Scoring:
Construction - 5/10 (estimate 1-3 year service life)
Comfort - 7/10
Storage Capacity - 113 marbles
Ammunition storage - 5 rds centerfire rifle, no shotgun options available.
Adjustment strap length - 7.5"
Strap count - 3 vertical and 1 horizontal
Color options - none
Left handed options - none
I generally like Allen products. They do the job for a year or two and they are stinky, dirty cheap. I wouldn't trust them with my life but I like them just fine for practical shooting. This buttstock pouch is no exception to the cheap-but-functional Allen name. The pouch is probably the flimsiest of the three, a green cloth pouch with a single line of thread holding it together, and that thread hanging loosely at several points. The storage pouch is the smallest of the three pouches and the cloth fabric is thin, so it can be squished into a smaller size if it's not needed. The cloth fabric absorbs water readily and will not keep items inside dry for any substantial length of time, The cheekpeice is a thin faux suede, more comfortable than the slick Fox Tactical cheek piece but not as cushy as the Hunter's Specialties cheek piece. The green-on-black color combination is the only flavor available, so you either like it or you don't. You can store five rounds of centerfire rifle ammunition on the outside in elastic loops.
Scoring:
Construction - 5/10 (estimate 1-3 year service life)
Comfort - 7/10
Storage Capacity - 113 marbles
Ammunition storage - 5 rds centerfire rifle, no shotgun options available.
Adjustment strap length - 7.5"
Strap count - 3 vertical and 1 horizontal
Color options - none
Left handed options - none
Hunter's Specialties Rifle Shell Holder with Pouch - $11.49
The stock pouch from Hunter's Specialties (HS) seems the most genuine of the three pouches. It lacks the features of the Fox Tactical pouch and has no color choices or left-handed options, but it might be the best pouch if you're actually headed out into the wet and wild woods. The entire unit appears to be nylon rather than cotton, a win over the other two pouches, although the nylon weave is fairly loose so while the pouch won't get waterlogged, it also won't keep much water out. The HS pouch is also the only pouch with hook-and-loop backing on the entire underside for maximum strap length adjustment. It also features the best cheek piece, a comfortable and padded bit of faux suede. The HS pouch has the biggest pouch of all three but maintains a narrow profile, adding volume through its pouch's height rather than its depth. A massive flap of thick fabric protects your gun stock from the strap buckles; ugly, but less fussy than the three smaller flaps used by the other pouches. The other two pouches seem like something an engineer came up with because it looks cool to have ammo hanging off the side of your stock. The HS pouch seems like it was designed because there was a legitimate need for a simple, sturdy all-weather stock pouch, and then they added a few ammunition loops (choose five centerfire rifle or three shotgun) on the side for good measure.
Construction - 8/10 (estimate 2-6 year service life)
Comfort - 8/10 (as good as it gets outside genuine suede or nubuck)
Storage Capacity - 177 marbles
Ammunition storage - 5 rds centerfire rifle, or 3 rounds shotgun
Adjustment strap length - 8.5" and highly adjustable via full coverage hook-and-loop backing on bottom
Strap count - 3 vertical and 1 horizontal
Color options - none
Left handed options - none
The stock pouch from Hunter's Specialties (HS) seems the most genuine of the three pouches. It lacks the features of the Fox Tactical pouch and has no color choices or left-handed options, but it might be the best pouch if you're actually headed out into the wet and wild woods. The entire unit appears to be nylon rather than cotton, a win over the other two pouches, although the nylon weave is fairly loose so while the pouch won't get waterlogged, it also won't keep much water out. The HS pouch is also the only pouch with hook-and-loop backing on the entire underside for maximum strap length adjustment. It also features the best cheek piece, a comfortable and padded bit of faux suede. The HS pouch has the biggest pouch of all three but maintains a narrow profile, adding volume through its pouch's height rather than its depth. A massive flap of thick fabric protects your gun stock from the strap buckles; ugly, but less fussy than the three smaller flaps used by the other pouches. The other two pouches seem like something an engineer came up with because it looks cool to have ammo hanging off the side of your stock. The HS pouch seems like it was designed because there was a legitimate need for a simple, sturdy all-weather stock pouch, and then they added a few ammunition loops (choose five centerfire rifle or three shotgun) on the side for good measure.
Construction - 8/10 (estimate 2-6 year service life)
Comfort - 8/10 (as good as it gets outside genuine suede or nubuck)
Storage Capacity - 177 marbles
Ammunition storage - 5 rds centerfire rifle, or 3 rounds shotgun
Adjustment strap length - 8.5" and highly adjustable via full coverage hook-and-loop backing on bottom
Strap count - 3 vertical and 1 horizontal
Color options - none
Left handed options - none
Fox Tactical Stock Pouch and Cartridge Holder - $10-16
This one is a little hard to point to a brand or price for, because there are so many sellers claiming it as their own. The one I received was sold by "Acid Tactical" but the tag on the inside flap says "Fox Tactical" so we'll go with that.
The Fox Tactical (FT) pouch is the cool kid on the block, offering modular ammunition capacity from 0 to 14 cartridge loops, several color options, rifle vs shotgun loop sizes, and right- or left-handed models. All this choice comes in a package that looks about as durable as the competition, and the FT pouch is the only pouch to feature steel strap buckles (all others use plastic). The FT pouch comes with two 7-rounds strips of cartridge loops backed by hook-and-loop fastening, which mates to hook-and-loop backing on the inside and outside of the stock pouch. Thus, you can carry up to 14 rounds in reserve on the inside and outside, or only 7, or none, as you see fit. The storage compartment falls somewhere between the smallish Allen pouch and the generous HS pouch, and is a tightly-woven synthetic fabric with an inner liner that would keep its contents dry better than either of the competition. Points are lost on comfort as the cheek piece is textured but slick vinyl, less comfortable than the soft faux-suede of the other two pouches, and downright unpleasant to put your cheek on after an hour or two under a hot sun. However, rainwater beads up and easily wipes off the FT slick vinyl cheek piece, whereas the faux suede of the other two pouches absorbs water readily.
Construction - 7/10 (estimate 2-4 year service life)
Comfort - 6/10 (marginally better than a plain rifle stock)
Storage Capacity - 149 marbles (without inside cartridge loops)
Ammunition storage - 14 rds centerfire rifle (modular), or shotgun options available.
Adjustment strap length - 9.5"
Strap count - 3 vertical and 1 horizontal
Color options - Black, Green, Tan, Camouflage(s)
Left handed options - Yes
This one is a little hard to point to a brand or price for, because there are so many sellers claiming it as their own. The one I received was sold by "Acid Tactical" but the tag on the inside flap says "Fox Tactical" so we'll go with that.
The Fox Tactical (FT) pouch is the cool kid on the block, offering modular ammunition capacity from 0 to 14 cartridge loops, several color options, rifle vs shotgun loop sizes, and right- or left-handed models. All this choice comes in a package that looks about as durable as the competition, and the FT pouch is the only pouch to feature steel strap buckles (all others use plastic). The FT pouch comes with two 7-rounds strips of cartridge loops backed by hook-and-loop fastening, which mates to hook-and-loop backing on the inside and outside of the stock pouch. Thus, you can carry up to 14 rounds in reserve on the inside and outside, or only 7, or none, as you see fit. The storage compartment falls somewhere between the smallish Allen pouch and the generous HS pouch, and is a tightly-woven synthetic fabric with an inner liner that would keep its contents dry better than either of the competition. Points are lost on comfort as the cheek piece is textured but slick vinyl, less comfortable than the soft faux-suede of the other two pouches, and downright unpleasant to put your cheek on after an hour or two under a hot sun. However, rainwater beads up and easily wipes off the FT slick vinyl cheek piece, whereas the faux suede of the other two pouches absorbs water readily.
Construction - 7/10 (estimate 2-4 year service life)
Comfort - 6/10 (marginally better than a plain rifle stock)
Storage Capacity - 149 marbles (without inside cartridge loops)
Ammunition storage - 14 rds centerfire rifle (modular), or shotgun options available.
Adjustment strap length - 9.5"
Strap count - 3 vertical and 1 horizontal
Color options - Black, Green, Tan, Camouflage(s)
Left handed options - Yes
Final Thoughts
My personal favorite is the Hunter's Specialties pouch, for its simplicity. Maybe it's all in my head but I just trust the HS pouch the most, because it isn't trying to do everything. It's a sturdy black pouch to hold stuff on your rifle, nothing more and nothing less. On my hunting rifle, the most "serious" rifle I own, I use the HS pouch, and it has served me well (although I'm not a fan of the big "HS" logo on the side).
I like the Fox Tactical pouch, too. It looks nifty and holds a good amount of stuff. If the HS pouch wears out, I'd happily swap the FT onto my hunting rifle and I'm sure it would do a good job. I also have a friend who is left-handed, and I had no choice but to point him to the FT pouch as it is the only pouch in this lineup available in left-handed models. That's saying something in and of itself.
The Allen pouch is fine and does the job, and I wouldn't have any issue picking it up if it was the only one on the market. However, it feels the flimsiest, holds the least amount of stuff, and is the most expensive entry in this lineup, so unless you NEED a pouch that day and it's the only one available, you're better off elsewhere.
I like stock pouches, a lot. The ability to customize the height of your rifle's comb height is fantastic, and the pouches themselves are cheap, useful, and kindof make your rifle look "practical". For the price, there's little reason not to pick one up.
Happy shooting.
My personal favorite is the Hunter's Specialties pouch, for its simplicity. Maybe it's all in my head but I just trust the HS pouch the most, because it isn't trying to do everything. It's a sturdy black pouch to hold stuff on your rifle, nothing more and nothing less. On my hunting rifle, the most "serious" rifle I own, I use the HS pouch, and it has served me well (although I'm not a fan of the big "HS" logo on the side).
I like the Fox Tactical pouch, too. It looks nifty and holds a good amount of stuff. If the HS pouch wears out, I'd happily swap the FT onto my hunting rifle and I'm sure it would do a good job. I also have a friend who is left-handed, and I had no choice but to point him to the FT pouch as it is the only pouch in this lineup available in left-handed models. That's saying something in and of itself.
The Allen pouch is fine and does the job, and I wouldn't have any issue picking it up if it was the only one on the market. However, it feels the flimsiest, holds the least amount of stuff, and is the most expensive entry in this lineup, so unless you NEED a pouch that day and it's the only one available, you're better off elsewhere.
I like stock pouches, a lot. The ability to customize the height of your rifle's comb height is fantastic, and the pouches themselves are cheap, useful, and kindof make your rifle look "practical". For the price, there's little reason not to pick one up.
Happy shooting.
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