Over ten years ago I had Doc Roland @ MPI build a few stocks for me. I'm close to Portland so I drove down and had totally custom stocks made up. One of the few if not the only guy doing fiber glass for a magnum CZ at the time. Super light of course, Kevlar reinforced, cast off built in, specific LOP, drop box mag, long, thin and shallow wrists, short narrow forearms and all the while me asking to keeping the weight down over and over again. I figured I'd only need to do it once for each gun.

My old .416 Rem Mag in a well used MPI stock


I have since shot one MPI stock over a 1000 rounds of .416 Taylor on a 7.5# fluted 19" Winchester, then used that same stock on another Winchester 22" .416 Rem. mag with more rounds through it now. One of the other stocks went through as many 458 WM rounds before rechambering that rifle to 458 Lott.

I like the MPI stocks..they fit me and are made exactly the way I wanted them. What is not to like? They have held up fine for me.

The last stock I had done was for a .505 based on a Rigby case. Shooting 600g bullets at 2200fps+ in a rifle that weights 8lb 11oz.

Our .505 test mule and a couple of the other .505s rifles got ACRA-Bond Laminates. The last built rifle was to be mine and I wanted it to be super light and durable. I had honestly never thought twice about the durability of MPI or the ACRA-Bond Laminate stocks.

Life some times gets in the way. Once my .505 rifle was "done" it was put in the safe and promptly forgot about for ten years.

Partly because of this forum I had some renewed interest in the .505. In July out of the safe it came and off to the range I went. Forgetting a few basic things like I had not cut the express sights, changed out the original CZ trigger for an AHR trigger and hadn't totally sorted out the feeding on the rifle. I should had done all that when I finishing the other rifles 10 years ago. Easy to forget all the details required this far down the road.

Not that it was going to matter much. Turns out I'd have plenty of time to remember and sort all that out. On my 9th round of 600g ammo through this rifle I snapped the wrist on the "new" but now 10 year old MPI stock.

10 years ago the best MPI stock and their labor to get it done cost me $700 and change. Not sure what it would cost to duplicate today but looks like more that $700.

The broken 505 stock


9 rounds of ammo and a broken stock. Nothing I could remotely begin to repair. I thought, "OH, well...shit happens."

So I called Wayne up at AHR and asked if he had a laminate stock to spare...turns out one of his customers did. So I was back in business. But Wayne was surprised at the MPI breaking and suggested I call Doc at MPI. I thought why bother? Not like I want to spend another $700+ even though the other MPI stocks I've been shooting are still going strong with thousands of rounds through them both. Big and heavy as they are the CZ laminate would work fine for me.

CZ laminate


I few days later I did call Doc at MPI. I explained the situation to him..."10 year old stock...snapped on the 9th round...and the dog ate my home work." Me thinking I didn't even want to cough up the cash to fix this one. But didn't want to totally waste my original investment either. Doc didn't bat an eye. He listened to my story and then said, "Box it up and ship it down. I'd like to take a look." Never a mention of a repair cost, or that the stock was a full 10 years old. Nothing that I had expected to hear. And Doc thought it might be repairable. Got a call two days layer asking. "could I please send down the trigger guard and bottom metal".

4 weeks later, proceeded by a phone call, the stock shows up at my door step via FED EX. I have my stock back, looks brand new, prefect glass to metal fit, no sign of the damage other than the stock is now 2 oz heavier and just a tiny bit thicker in the wrist....but still way skinnier than the CZ laminate I cut down.

I have worked in the gun business for 3 decades. I have fought and typically lost similar dicussions with more than one well established business in the industry. Generally I find most everyone is looking for a way out of any kind of responsibility. Quality customer service is hard to fine and at times it is simply impossible.

MPI stood behind a 10 year old product and replaced it at no charge to me. I didn't ask and they didn't have to offer. It doesn't get any better than that. I thought they should get the "thank you" in a public forum.

The new .505 MPI stock

Shoot it first. If it holds together after 100 rounds, then you have something to crow about.

George

May it serve you well, and any who own it after you!!!

I have nothing good to say for MPI stocks ... and gluing one back together in a (semi)big kicker doesn't impress me.

Wow, Bwana Dane, you haven't shot it in 10 years? Glad we got you excited about actual bigbores again.

I ended up with 3 of their M-14 stocks and they were junk. I was to embarrassed to sell them. Landfill now.

I have one of his stocks on my 416 taylor. I sent the action to Doc along with a list of wants and needs and the ideal finished weight along with the flush mount swivels. 4-5 weeks later it was back at y gunsmiths for some other final work and it was EXACTLY what I wanted.

Doc is good people.

I have an MPI BR stock on my 222 Rem. I am very happy with it! Some on this forum (including Saeed I believe) don't like them. I'm fine with my purchase. Not exactly a big bore though!
Peter.

Doc is a good person, yes, but attention to detail
and quality of the lines could be improved.

His undertanding of a "good finish" internally and
most other peoples are poles apart. The fact that
people can't see it once the gun is in the stock
is not a good enough reason IMHO.

I have a couple and have been very happy. They are the 16oz or lighter versions. However the largest was a 340PDK. Don't know if I would try one with a 505.

I have my 505 in the cz mag stock ,I opened up to fit the montana ph. I have 60 or so hunting loads and 10 max loads through the rifle with no problems so far.

I had mpi put a extra layer of glass in action wrist area. I used jb weld to do the bedding. I have at least 6 other mpi stocks from 22 lr - 308 with no problems at all. When he sends them out they are not finished stocks and require a fair amout of skill working with fiberglass type products, and and are only rough bedded


jd