[King Cobb]

I am reading Doug Stewart's very enjoyable book on side x sides and I have come across a term that is driving me nuts. He keeps calling gun stocks "stalks"....is this and English english vs American english type of thing or is it a spelling error that made it past editing? I have never in my life hear of a stock refereed to as a stalk. Now, this is in no way a real criticism of the book as it is an enjoybable read and I recommend it, but it makes me curious as he uses the term repeatedly.