Very good I'm looking at the serengeti Hunter style the difficult choice will be deciding on a stock blank.

I have a modified Cheetah pattern on a 300 Mag. While not a big bore, the stock handles recoil very well. I like the stock a lot. Rod, Larry, and KC are great people to work with also. I couldn't have asked for better service and the product is exceptional.

Does anyone have any experience with Serengeti stocks? I'm looking for a new stock for my 80's vintage model 70 .375, opinions.

Serengeti just finished my 375H&H a couple months ago. Not only did they do a VERY nice job all the way around on the stock but worked over the action to where (after cycling the bolt about 50 to 75 times), it feeds and is smooth....real smooth! Larry said I would have to work it between 100 and 200 times before it would loosen/smooth up. It didn't take quite that long. But, back to the wood and stock. If you are not completely familiar with picking out a blank for your stock I would suggest letting Rod & Larry help guide you. Or, another knowageable and trusted individual in stock craftsmanship who knows how to better guage the quality of wood you really want. When whomever suggests to buy the best you can afford, believe in their opinion. It will pay off. But, on the downside, if you have it laminated it is only going to look only so good no matter how much the cost of the blank. Don't get me wrong here either, they do a GREAT job at Serengeti but it's still laminated. And tough!! Rod, Larry, & KC are truely great people to do business with and work hard to satisfy every wish. Good luck in your decision.

There is some truth to FourTails comments - insofar as you can see the lamination in the Serengeti stocks. The slimmer the stock, and the more colour variance in the blank, the more obvious the lamination will be. That said, I have also seen stocks where from a distance it was darn tough to see that the stock was laminated (obviously, at close range, seen from directly above or below the stock, you always see it). The trick is in the colour variation of the blank. If this is an issue for you, let that be known to Larry or Rod, and have them help you pick a blank that has little colour variation. You'd be surprised at how discrete the lamination can be.
- mike

I should be receiving mine in a few days. I'll let you know when I get it.

Rcastro, I'll bet you have a smile on your face when you see it. Mike

I had a very bad experience with Serengeti early on. The rifle had to be sent back the first time because of inexplicable errors on their part. The second stock broke because it was improperly bedded! I ended up taking it to a custom stockmaker for repair and salvage of the project. I would never do business with them again.
Paul

Here is the story of PPOD from Wisconsin. He entered into an agreement with ACRAbond and Mel Smart for a drop-in stock to fit a left-hand Remington long action. After Mel passed away, and we tried to piece together his business commitments, this was one of the projects yet to be completed. His email records and notes did not tell us what caliber the rifle was so we had no detail about how to carve the barrel channel. Upon contacting the customer, I learned that a custom barrel was in the process of being installed and we (the customer, the gunsmith, and I) discussed who should do the barrel channel. Eventually, it seemed the best remedy would be to send the barreled action to us when complete, as we could then carve the barrel channel and properly finish the stock.

Let me point out here that I was under no obligation to complete this stock or any other existing ACRAbond project. At this point, I had no legal involvement in ACRAbond. Mel was a close friend and the financial burden of the indebted company would have been catastrophic to his widow and so it seemed like the right thing to do. I was a stock finishing hobbyist stepping into chaos. Lamination, Panograph carving, inletting, final shaping and sanding, checkering, metalwork – everything – was already outsourced except for applying the finish. That I could do, and no one else wanted to. Just figuring out who owned what was a nightmare.

Once I decided to make a go of it, I formed Serengeti, and started dumping in funds from my personal savings. Bought a truckload of wood. All the tools and machinery to bring lamination in-house. Moved to a new location and upgraded shop and buildings. Eventually, we bought the ACRAbond patent and legally took on all the old ACRAbond obligations.

This particular project was a mess from the get-go as there was no barreled action and we were not sure about the ACRAbond left-hand pattern. Marian Smart wasn’t even sure she had been paid and we had to ask the customer to verify his records. A mess. When we finally decided to do the barrel channel, I asked the gunsmith leave the custom barrel in the white, as there is always a risk of marring the finish when inletting.

The barreled action arrived, but with a blued barrel installed and a second barrel in a custom contour, in the white, enclosed. Our first mistake was making the assumption that the in-the-white barrel was the new barrel. We installed it. Bad execution? You bet. Lesson? In hindsight, it’s always better to delay and call. Wouldn’t happen today. We have Larry and KC in the front office now. Part of our learning curve. Make no assumptions. Double-check and document everything. Anyway, the original stock now had an inappropriate barrel channel.

We sincerely apologized and offered to refit the proper barrel and make a brand new stock using any AAA grade blank from our inventory the customer wanted. No charge. We also upgraded the finish and checkering at no charge. And instead of using drop-in specs (somewhat loose wood to metal fit), we used a new process we were developing for a more precise fit.

But we did not bed it. The original order was for a drop-in. ACRAglas bedding was never ordered or paid-for. Today, we believe ProBed 2000 to be far superior to ACRAglas. The cartridge was a 35 Whelen improved. Shooting a 200gr or larger bullet. Because of the tighter fit, there was no room for setback and, without bedding reinforcement in the recoil lug area, setback it did. After some range work, the bolt handle knocked off the triangular bit of wood behind the notch. Later, this happened on my Mel Smart special-steel wool-ACRAglas bedded stock too. But that was a .375 H&H, and one of several reasons why we went looking for a better solution. In our testing, ProBed 2000 sustained 12 consecutive discharges in an 8mm Rem Mag with the butt of the rifle planted against a 12 inch Fir. Dennis Olson still shudders when he considers that I did this to one of ‘his’ stocks.

The customer assigned blame for the fracture to us and we learned another lesson. Sell up to include all appropriate services. Today, if the customer will not let us bed using our proven process, we send him a “you’re at risk†letter saying the stock might crack or fracture from recoil. Get it bedded by a professional.

At this point, I received an inflammatory email titled “broken stock-broken trustâ€. However, customer satisfaction is our highest priority. We offered repair, replacement, or refund to no avail. The customer replied he did not want to hear from us again. His email also stated he would take every opportunity on Internet forums and elsewhere to tell people how we are not a company someone should do business with.

I am dismayed at the public attitude of this customer as we really went the extra mile for him. In the end, when all else fails what can one do but offer full refund? Offer declined. He kept the stock. Did we do everything right? No. But he did not tell the whole story.

In closing on this sorry affair, I’ll say we gained from this experience. It became clear that we needed more focus in documenting details on every project. We built a database that prompts pertinent questions during the sales process. We confer by telephone – not email – before starting each project. We have several checkpoints during the process where our customer support (KC) calls to update the client on the project, complete with pictures. And with all this attention to detail, we still build a few free stocks now and then. However, we have satisfied customers.

– All but one –

Email documentation on all facts above available to post if necessary.

As we can see there is always two sides to every story. It's refreshing to hear Serengeti side of the situation, & I applaud them for there reply. Especially admitting they did make some mistakes, but tried to solve them.

Based on what was explained above, if I ever go with a wood laminated stock for a project, Serengeti will be on my "short list" to purchase one. I like a company/person whom calls a "spade a spade".

Thanks for that Rod, that was a refreshingly honest reply, and one that gave us an insight into the trials and tribulations involved with making stocks. A side of the coin most of us never see. From your days at MRC you have always come across as a person who puts customer satisfaction very high on the list of priorities. That attitude may cost you up front, but it also assures you of a crowd of devoted customers.
- mike

Rod and I communicated many times by e-mail and phone thru the course of this experience and our relationship ended up polarized. As I related in my post, this occured early in the history for Serengeti.The inexplicable part was replacing the correct barrel with an incorrect barrel of another caliber without checking with either the gunsmith who did the work or myself. I continued to work with Rod after this mistake and he had complete control of the gun during the "recovery" phase. We discussed a wide variety of issues related to the redo of the stock and Rod never mentioned Acra glass during this phase. When he finished, he sent me an assembled rifle thet appeared ready to shoot. There was no recommendation, warning or disclaimer regarding the bedding of the rifle. What he does not contest is that the rifle was not properly bedded and the stock subsequently broke. At that point, I was dealing with a new company that couldn't seem to get it right and took the gun elsewhere for repair.

Rod relates that they have changed several procedures as a result of his experiences with my rifle, so something good has come of this. It still doesn't change my experience from a bad one to a good one.
Paul

I've had my Serengeti Stock for a couple of months now, and I couldn't be happier. It started out as a Winchester Mod.70, classic stainless in 375 Ackley. Rod & Larry helped me select a beautiful piece of AAA Claro. I went with the standard checkering, and oil finish, and also added a Pacmeyer Decelerator Pad, glass bedding of the action, and their SereCote metal finish in flat black. It shoots sub MOA. It is, however a laminated stock, and you can see the laminations. But it's a hell of a lot prettier looking than any other laminated stock on the market. Larry and K.C. kept me informed every step of the way, as far as the progress of the work, and it was delivered on time. I'd recommend them to anyone, and I'll use their services again, without any hesitation.

Well I got my Serengeti stocked rifle this week and I couldn't be happier. Have not got a chance to fire the rifle yet but I believe my next stocking job will go to Serengeti.