Squat Squad, welcome back to Slav Guns. So you bought a rifle that shoots well, and now you want to get the most out of it for your next hunt or range day without spending more on the stock than you did on the gun. That’s the situation the GRS Fenris was built for. Is this Norwegian stock a practical Scandinavian solution, or just another IKEA purchase nobody actually needs? I put one on my Howa 1500 to find out.
Disclosure: GRS/FX provided this stock for testing and evaluation. GRS did not see the video before it was published, and I received no compensation. The video was published in September 2023, so check GRS for the inlets that are available now.
I covered the Fenris in a written piece back in 2023 (GRS Fenris Rifle Stock: Everything You Need). This one goes with the video and answers the question I get asked most: who should actually buy it?
TL;DR
- What it is: a fiberglass composite stock from GRS, a Norwegian company, aimed squarely at the US market.
- The standout feature: push-button length of pull and comb height adjustment, with no tools and no spacers. That’s rare at this price.
- Drop-in: it’s rigid enough that you don’t need to bed the action.
- Uses your existing bottom metal: my Howa still runs its original internal box magazine.
- The catches: no M-LOK on the forend, and the angled grip is right-handed. The left-handed version is only made for Tikka.
- My verdict: for a hunter on a budget, it’s very hard to beat. If you have a Remington 700 or Savage 110 and you only care about precision, I’d look at other options first.
Why a stock is the first upgrade so many people make
Modern manufacturing has changed rifles a lot. Precision machining means you can buy an affordable factory rifle that shoots far better than it has any right to. The catch is that whatever is bolted to that barreled action is usually where the company saved money. You get rifles that shoot lights out but have stocks that seem designed for somebody with very strange proportions.
That’s why a stock or chassis is such a common first upgrade, and why the market is packed with metal chassis and high-end stocks. Justifying a premium chassis that costs more than the rifle is an uphill argument, especially if you have a spouse. Stocks like the Fenris, the KRG Bravo, the Boyds At-One, and even the Sharps Bros chassis won’t give you every feature of a top-tier chassis. What they do give you is what you need to get the most out of the rifle.
Who is GRS?
Most American gun owners have never heard of GRS, but they’ve been around a long time and their stocks have shown up on a number of Savage rifles. I’ve talked with them at previous SHOT Shows and they’re good people. GRS is far better known in Europe, and the Fenris looks like the product meant to break them out of that niche here: a really good product at a very competitive price point.
The two things a stock really has to do
To get the most out of a rifle you really only need two things:
- A rigid platform for the barreled action. Wood stocks traditionally had to be glass or epoxy bedded, because wood breathes, swells, and shrinks with humidity, and flex is bad for precision. The Fenris is a fiberglass composite that’s strong, lightweight, and rigid enough that you don’t need to bed the action. That saves time and money and makes it a true drop-in for most people.
- Adjustable comb height and length of pull, so the stock fits you instead of you contorting yourself around the rifle.
Push-button fit is the real selling point
What makes the Fenris unusual for the money is the push-button adjustment. Push a button and you can quickly set and lock both the length of pull and the comb height.
- Length of pull: plenty of stocks offer it, but most do it with spacers that need tools. If you’re sharing a rifle with someone at the range, somebody ends up with the short end of the stick, or you spend your range time pulling and adding spacers. With the Fenris it takes seconds.
- Comb height: this puts your eye in the middle of the scope’s eye box, so you can get behind the rifle and take the shot without hunting for the right head position.
Honestly, the adjustment mechanism is one of my favorites I’ve used on any stock in this class. The Boyds At-One also adjusts comb and length of pull, but it isn’t as smooth.
Grip, texture, and the details
The stock is textured everywhere you hold it, it comes in a gray finish, and it has quick-release swivel studs front and rear. The biggest design choice is the grip. You’ve seen the trend in precision shooting toward a more upright, vertical grip, which puts your hand and trigger finger in a more parallel position so you can press straight back more consistently. GRS goes a step further and angles the grip outward a bit. It’s very comfortable and puts almost no strain on your arm.
The downsides
- It’s built for right-handed shooters. As many as one in eight people are lefties, so this is a real deal breaker for some of you. A traditional vertical grip works for both. GRS makes left-handed versions of some of its stocks, but for the Fenris that was Tikka only.
- No M-LOK on the forend. M-LOK is common at every price point now, and you want it if you swap bipods around or use the new trend of shooting off a tripod with an ARCA rail. Without it you’ll need a saddle-style mount like the Sunwayfoto SM76, which is how I had mine on the tripod.
- You keep your existing bottom metal. That’s good if you’re happy with your setup. If you want to convert an internal box magazine to AICS-pattern detachable mags, though, that’s extra money, and some competing chassis are already set up for AICS mags.
- Uncommon inlets can take a while. The common ones were easy to find, but for less common actions in the US you may wait a few weeks.
Inlets: where GRS really shines
Every stock company makes Remington 700 and Savage 110 patterns. Once you move to less popular actions or ones that are common in Europe, the choices drop off fast. When I made the video, the Fenris was offered for:
- Remington 700 long and short action
- Savage 110 short action and Model 10 short action (basically the same thing)
- Bergara B14 long and short action
- Tikka CTR, T3, T3x, and T1x
- Howa / Weatherby 1500 short action
- Mauser M18
Mine is on a Howa 1500 barreled action running the factory internal box magazine.
So who is it for?
Every day I come across products that most people have never heard of. That doesn’t make them bad. Sometimes it just means the marketing strategy isn’t great, and one of my goals with this channel is to give good people with good products some exposure. For every GRS stock out there, MDT probably sells hundreds or thousands of chassis. That doesn’t make the Fenris inferior. The fit and finish punch above its price.
- Howa 1500, Mauser M18, Tikka, or another action with limited options: absolutely, go for it.
- Basic Remington 700 or Savage 110 that’s only for precision: I’d still lean toward the KRG Bravo, which is more target-focused and a bit more modular. Or spend a little more on the Sharps Heatseeker chassis plus a grip and stock of your choice (here’s my Heatseeker write-up).
- Hunters, especially hunters on a budget: the Fenris is extremely difficult to beat and absolutely worth a look. It might even talk you into picking up a less common donor action like a Mauser M18.
Want one? Check the GRS Fenris lineup at OpticsPlanet for current inlets and stock. For the rest of your precision rifle gear, check out Anarchy Outdoors, and the gear I actually run is in my Amazon picks.
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Keep on squatting.
Would you put a Fenris on your hunting rifle, or does the lack of M-LOK or a lefty grip rule it out? Tell me in the comments.
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