the most basic breakdown of stock types is into one-piece and two-piece stocks. a one-piece stock is a single unit from butt to fore-end, such as that commonly found on conventional bolt-action rifles. two-piece stocks use a separate piece for the butt and fore-end, such as that commonly found on break-action shotguns, and lever-action rifles and shotguns. traditionally, two-piece stocks were easier to make, since finding a wood blank suitable for a long one-piece stock is harder than finding short blanks for a two-piece stock.