I stumble into a couple of Mauser sporter barreled actions.
They are definitely worth stocking. I have made over 100 stocks. I expect that any stock blank I am sent is capable of being inletted with no gaps.
I would order the old Classic #102. In the past I have had bad luck with Richards. How are they doing today?

Bad Luck? I have used Richards off and on since 1970 when me and Roger were building rifles at WVU (They frown on that now) I used Herter's J and U9s.
. I have never got a bad one and always better wood than expected.
Not sure what guys expect; they are semi inletted and require hand work.
Now, they have installed a new CNC machine and offer some drop in fits; I got 3 of them recently; two for Enfield and one Mauser and they are very good; not sloppy and some hand work is required but not much. I usually get the Old Classic. Sometimes Modern Classic.

I tried them once. Back then I mostly used Fajen, Western gunstock in California or planks. The one I got had the action and barrel inlets pointing different directions. The but stock end had two spur drive impressions. I call them a few years ago an the person on the phone did not know anything about gunstocks.

Thus I ask a sincere question.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Bad Luck? I have used Richards off and on since 1970 when me and Roger were building rifles at WVU (They frown on that now) I used Herter's J and U9s.
. I have never got a bad one and always better wood than expected.
Not sure what guys expect; they are semi inletted and require hand work.
Now, they have installed a new CNC machine and offer some drop in fits; I got 3 of them recently; two for Enfield and one Mauser and they are very good; not sloppy and some hand work is required but not much. I usually get the Old Classic. Sometimes Modern Classic.

Tom, I hope they have made a good change. Their wood looks nice, but the ones I bought looked like Bucky Beaver chewed them out.

I had them duplicate a piece of my own wood and they messed it up royally!

I had to cut the mag box way down or the bottom metal would have been proud. I had to remove so much so that the tip of the trigger had to be trimmed down to fit the trigger guard bow. Mag box is now good for 2 rounds of WSM instead of 3.

I made it all work but was still a shit show when I called and they pretended not to know anything about gunstocks.

Zeke

Always interesting when one person has extensive good experience, and everyone else has reservations. Don't know how companies operate that way.

My own experience with them is I ordered a P14/1917 stock without the safety area cut out, as the receiver was modified to a Lapour 3 position, and no side safety. I asked them to just block out that area and not cut it, I could work with whatever they left there. Twice, they shipped me a standard inlet stock, even after they called me and acknowledged the special no safety cut instructions. They wouldn't try a third time, just sent my money back.

I definitely recommend you guys avoid them. Come over and I will show you some from them, recent ones. I have also had them do custom changes, like leave out the P17 safety cut; No issues. True, the girl on the phone is not totally knowledgable. For some reason, some people attract disfunction and others attract positive things.

they are okay - though in the early 2ks, i had to build my own pantograph as i couldn't wait 1/2 year plus for long stocks

they are fine for a semi custom sporter

i used a bunch over the years. never had a problem with the actual stocks, i guess i expected to have to work on them. the thing that bothered me with them is the time involved to get anything

The PLT is about 8 weeks.

so where else to go for a semi inletted blank or rough shaped stock?

Thanks for the feedback. I expect to finish inletting and shaping the stock. When they remove wood necessary for making a quality stock I have problems. I do not patch new wood.

Sounds like the consensus is to not use them.

Any other ideas? Boyd's is now way to expensive for what you get. Others I used to use are gone. I only want a started classic bolt action stock. I expect to remove a bunch of wood and finish the inletting.

Do you have the wood?

I have a bunch of wood........

I guess what I am looking for is an old boyds or herters type of thing to bang out a saleable rifle without too much fuss. Those stocks had lots of extra wood and the worst of the inletting was mostly done. That made it it fast to make a nice semi-custom sporter without too much fuss.

quote:

Bad Luck? I have used Richards off and on since 1970 when me and Roger were building rifles at WVU (They frown on that now) I used Herter's J and U9s.
. I have never got a bad one and always better wood than expected.
Not sure what guys expect; they are semi inletted and require hand work.
Now, they have installed a new CNC machine and offer some drop in fits; I got 3 of them recently; two for Enfield and one Mauser and they are very good; not sloppy and some hand work is required but not much. I usually get the Old Classic. Sometimes Modern Classic.

How about some pictures ?

Here are 3 I just got. I got the 99% drop in, in the semi fancy grade. I dropped a random 98 receiver into one in the picture; it needs about .035 removed to sit all the way in. The Enfields fit similarly.
HOWEVER, do not buy anything, based on what I say. Some guys can never be satisfied. You are on your own; just because I always get good stocks does not mean anything.

The stock on top, is it the old classic ?

Top two are Old Classic and bottom one that is finished is the modern classic.

I guess I could try Richards again.

The barreled action to do first is a 1924 Serbian Mauser. The overall length of the action is 8 1/2" and the spacing for the action screws is 7 5/8". The ring is 1.4".

Is that "standard" large ring or something weird?

Thanks

Yes you have the wierd one; the 24 Yugo. Intermediate length. Standard length is, .2 longer.

I just ordered two Mauser stocks from Richards yesterday, both laminated.

One is a Std M98, in their Cascade sporter style

The other is a intermediate Yugo 24, in the # 102 old classic but with a Left Hand cheek piece

Will report once I get them.

J Wisner

quote:

I just ordered two Mauser stocks from Richards yesterday, both laminated.

One is a Std M98, in their Cascade sporter style

The other is a intermediate Yugo 24, in the # 102 old classic but with a Left Hand cheek piece

Will report once I get them.

J Wisner

I don't get the popcorn cartoon. Just me I guess.

Just interested in seeing how something turns out.

in general, it means "i am just going to watch this"

I haven't bought a Richard's since they started the new CNC, but I always got better than expected wood. They always required a good bit of fitting, but it is better to have material that needs removed and not need material added on!

Ok, I see now. Well it will be at least 8 weeks lead time so that is a lot of popcorn.

quote:

I haven't bought a Richard's since they started the new CNC

That changes everything regarding my doubts about them.

I was think about getting one of them. I asked my “well known” gunsmith who would glass bed it for me. He said, “not no, but hell no.”

The ones who won't use them need to sell fully custom rifles at $10K each; Richards are not for that market.

This is the only thing I would use a Richards stock for: It "might" work for making a Pattern stock but one would probably go broke buying acraglas to fill the voids

Come down and I will show you 3 I just got; no voids to fill. I get it that the top custom makers don't like them (or any other machine made stock); that is not the market they are for. I posted a picture above; that is the max voids in the ones I have. Look at the picture; that gap is not what the top custom guys will do, but, it doesn't cost $5 K either.
These are for the guys who can't afford a (fill in your favorite stock maker here) price.
I have zero stake in the matter either way; I just report facts as I, currently, and personally, see them.

I ordered one a long time ago, It didn't show up and my cc was never charged, 2 or 3 years later it showed, no explanation, nada, and it was the an awesome piece of English, it did have light gaping, so I glassed it and gave it to my son, who liked it..It was fine for a using gun but not something Id sell for a custom rifle..but IMO any custom rifle should come from a wood blank...and in some cases its ok to send your pattern stock to a good stylist, most guild members do, some even deny it!

An update to this thread.

On Jan 5th I mailed my order to Richards.

The order slip I got later shows they wrote up my order on Jan 18th.

I called and talked to a woman the middle of March which would have been at the 9 week mark, she told me yes they have my order and it would be a couple more weeks before it was ready to ship.

I emailed them the 3rd of May asking for a update, took 3 days for a response, and it was simply I would receive a invoice by email and the stocks will ship on 5/7

Yesterday 5/13 the stocks arrived.

The inletting is done by some type of CNC, I can see the tool paths top and bottom in the inletting, the out side has been rough sanded, with like a 40 grit flap wheel, or rasped to remove as much as the outside tool marks.

Will be a week or so before I have time to start the inletting work, then will be able to see how much extra wood there is on the out side

Also got a note on the invoice ( that was with the stocks ) that was dated Jan 18th, that I under paid $ 4 for the shipping cost

16 weeks since they wrote the order up and until they shipped them

The wood looks good, what I have measured in the inletting is undersize enough to clean up, extra wood on the outside in places.
Good thing I was not in a hurry

J Wisner

Yes their lead time is rather long; what is the alternative and I will use them.

I ordered 4 stocks from them on April 2 with a quoted lead time of 8 to 10 weeks. I made the order over the phone. The lady told me that they would bill my credit card two weeks prior to the stocks being done. My credit card was billed last week. So maybe I will get the stocks next week. I checked their website and they are now stating 6 to 8 week lead time.

Good fit is just a bit of accu-glass away.

How many have you used in the past 3 years? The ones I get now are not oversized at all; the old ones pre CNC, actually needed .010-.020 of wood removed to get a perfect fit. Have used them since 1970.
Of course the only true custom stock MUST be made directly from the blank with NO machine tools used in it's construction. Just as Ray envisions.
Anything less is not a true stock.
However, that is not what these stocks are for, and they don't cost $8K either.

Got an email from Helen at Richards that my stocks are shipping next week.

Good; did you get the CNC or the pantographed ones?
IE, 99% or 95%?
Some of their pattern offerings are not in their CNC machine so they use a hard pattern. Like a Siamese Mauser, can't get in 99%.
We expect a full report.