stock not its barrel this point is important as placing stress on weapon barrel would introduce an element of inaccuracy to an otherwise highly accurate weapons system finally it has been found desirable that no horizontal stress be applied to the weapon lest accuracy be affected thus the unit is designed so that the fastening stresses are applied vertically not horizontally here it is understood that vertically denotes the direction parallel to the plane of the drawing sheet in fig2 those in the art will appreciate the necessity for tight manufacturing tolerances as the fit must be carefully chosen to provide secure gripping of the weapon stock without applying so much stress that the element itself runs a risk of damage at the same time sufficient stress must be applied to provide a steady reliable firing platform flexibility can be enhanced by adding side rails 104 to one or both sides as desired as shown the side rails are attached by screws but a number of designs are possible within the skill of those in the art as illustrated the side rails conform to the picatinney standard permitting the use of illuminating or night vision devices but any configuration that seems useful for a particular purpose can be employed such auxiliary rails can be fastened in place.