The hard plastic buttstock on the AR15 chews up my shoulder and it's all bruised after a day of shooting. Need something with a softer buttpad like BCM or Magpul's MOE SL Carbine Stock or CTR Carbine Stock (don't know the difference between commercial or MIL-Spec stock - I have a Colt 6960 - if I went with Magpul, do I need the commercial one or MIL-Spec one? ).


What is the best valued one, I don't want to spend $70?

Cool. Thanks, the pic really explains it. I wish everyone just did straight mil-spec. Any benefit to having the back slanted?

The slant is not definitive. The question is the diameter of the tube and there are tubes in both diameters both with and without the slant. The only purpose to the slant is to look better with an M4 style stock on it fully collapsed.

If you have a factory Colt you have a mil-spec size buffer tube.

As for stocks, the MOE SL is a good choice in a more standard style stock. The CTR is also a good stock, and even has a cushion type rubber buttpad available (I'm not sure it it fits on the MOE SL or not).

Something else to consider if you've never tried one is one of the larger "cheekweld" type stocks. A larger, more comfortable cheekweld might help you keep a more stable stockweld. I like the SOPMOD/Crane type stock for this application.

In the old days the manufacturing method used for the mil spec stocks was a lot more complex and expensive. The commercial size stocks were much easier and less expensive to manufacture. With the manufacturing that is available now there is not as much of a price difference.

How about a slip-on recoil pad?

Thanks for the idea, but don't want to do that.

Limbsaver makes a very soft recoil pad that attaches to the back of a number of Magpul buttstocks. I have one on my wife's AR and she loves it.
Limbsaver Recoil Pad for Magpul Buttstocks

Tomac

This post nails it as the Limbsaver pad work well, very well.  Put one on an un-shootable 30-06 that had an awful bite and the LS turned it into a completely different feeling rifle, place them on several 12ga shotguns and would never go back as well as a 300 wsm that was a joy to shoot.  Their customer service is good too, had one that deteriorated somewhat after using it for maybe 8 years and they replaced it no questions asked.

I have a .300 with the Magpul CTR + enhanced butt pad. It shoots almost as soft as a 10/22. Amazing.

Adaptive Tactical for $35 at Joe Bobs Outfitters.

I bought the strike industries viper stock and put their aftermarket softer rubber pad on it, I love it and its nice on the shoulder

+1 to SL. Hands down the best stock Magpul has put out yet
I used to like the CTR. Thankfully there's a bunch of guys who are scared to try something less sexy looking so I got almost purchase price for the 3 CTR's when I sold em and replaced them with SL's orSL-K's

The B5 stock has a softer pad than my Magpul STR.
The mil-spec B5 stock, my personal current favorite, should run around $55.