I am thinking of ordering a walnut unfinished gunstock from Boyds. Has anyone here used one of there stocks? If so... how was it? What grade of wood did you recieve? Was the VIP inlet close...ect ect.

Thanks
Bill

I have used them a couple of times and will not use them again. The stocks were not a good quality wood had knots and were inleted off center, they would not make them right.
The stocks I received of the vip inlet were over inletted oversize.
I have found Great American Gunstocks and Richards Micro Fit stocks much easier to deal with, and better quality material.
Thats my opinion

I’ve had bad experiences with both Boyd’s and GAG.

GAG has very nice looking wood and great patterns, but I consider their inletting and customer service very poor at best, based on my experiences.

The consensus from numerous other threads on these companies seems to be that it’s a “roll of the dice†when you order from them or if you have a problem. Some guys have gotten good stocks and good service...most have not.

quote:

Originally posted by Rolland:
.....The stocks I received of the vip inlet were over inletted oversize.

Same here.

And, the one I got(VIP laminate) was obese on the outside. After inletting, the bottom metal was count-sunk into the stock by at least 1/4". I had to take a 1/4" slab off the bottom(from rear guard-screw to tip) then re-shape.

"Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed."

I like the lines of their JRS stock a lot. I'm still waiting on my damned Lee-Enfield butt stock to get here so I can comment on it. I have noted that in general, their inletting is slightly off centered and all the Boyd's stocks I have purchased were in need of glass bedding. For the price though, I didn't expect a high dollar custom.

The next stock I buy will have been custom turned to my liking. Boyd's isn't a terrible place to start, but nowhere I'd like to finish.

Thanks to everyone for there opion and words of wisdom. I think that I will put Boyds on the back burner and go with Richards Micro fit.

Thanks
Bill

quote:

Originally posted by wmwise:
Thanks to everyone for there opion and words of wisdom. I think that I will put Boyds on the back burner and go with Richards Micro fit.

Thanks
Bill

Bill,

Their shop is about 15 minutes from my house, so if they screw with you, “you want I should pay em a visit???â€

Thats nice to know Rick. I looked on there site, and I am going to get a stock for my Weatherby in AAA Fancy Walnut, Monte Carlo style.

I will give ya a holler

Thanks
Bill

I got 2 unfinished laminate 10/22 stocks. Not a problem with either of them.

I'll use their laminate stocks for a hunting rifle, but their inletting is too big for a custom. No matter how nice the chunk of walnut is, gaps in the inletting make a rifle look terrible.
-Don

Got one for a M1 Garand 3 years ago. It fit like a glove.

I've had two boyds and would not buy another. I won't deal with a company who will not stand behind their product.

I have used a couple boyds stocks and the were ok inlettings was off but fixable.
ive used a lot of fagin stock and only had one that was off.
richards is something else!!!
I ordered two one for a 10/22 ruger that was in stock,was to ship same week as ordered. after several emails and a threat to cancel my order it came, it took 4 weeks.
I was told that it had been returned to stock by mistake.
The second stock is a blue coral bench rest stock 3" forearm.
they quoted 7-8weeks.
I call after 8 weeks they said they were a couple weeks behind, "Ok"
I called after 11 weeks, still a week behind. "ok"
After 13 weeks they call and need up dated credit card info, "ok"
It was to ship the following Tuesday.
I waited and received a call on the 8th day, that I need to call them, that there was a problem with the shipment.
I called and they told me it was involved in an accident and had burned up in a box car,
they were to break into there regular production, Thursday 10 days ago and make the stocks that had been destroyed.
And it would ship the next Tuesday 5 days ago after 14 weeks 6 days , it arrived,
nice stock easy to finish little tool marks the inletting was 95% as ordered.
whine off.
Dave

The boyds stocks aren't high quality stocks.. but for 70 bucks, what, exactly, can you hope for.

I find their JRS stock to be decent, and the shape can be fixed. If they had a more classic stock, i think that their patterns could be better.

Compared to GAG, which is ALWAYS off, I don't have alot of problems with the boyds. The boyds stocks are either fixable or they replace them without a load of crap... which makes them far better than gag to me.

Richard's micro fit, perhaps the inletting can be better, but I've had them running off at 10deg or better.. and for a 10 week wait on turn around, that's horrible.

jeffe

I've been looking at Boyds laminated stocks...

From the three I've seen the inletting was one "right"
(atleast well enough for beater guns that are Going to be glass bedded anyway)

It does amuse me greatly to see people selling the unfinished (need sanding and varnish) ones on Ebay for considerably more than any JoeBlow can buy them directly from Boyds for....

AllanD

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
It does amuse me greatly to see people selling the unfinished (need sanding and varnish) ones on Ebay for considerably more than any JoeBlow can buy them directly from Boyds for....

AllanD

That's a good thing, It means you can go ahead a buy one and if you don't like it, sell it for a profit.
-Don

Bill:

Read the thread above: Need a duplicator for a mannlicher stock'

I've posted a bunch of info that'll be a good fit for you guys.

I've never bought a stock from Boyd's. My arms are long enough I have to use a 14 1/4" LOP, otherwise they won't fit. Boyd's refused to cut special length of pull for me. Fk 'em I decided.

MidwayUSA bought Fajen out some yrs ago when Fajen went down the tubes. I ordered a semi from Fajen it came with a cracked toe. I called and they shipped a replacement right out. I returned the broken one and told them: "IF you're going to destroy this, I'll pay $15 delivered". I got it for that, chipped the piece off and glued it back on. One of my finest stocks. very pretty grained. So was the replacement. Both were listed at: $85+s&h.

I've had much better results having my wood rough turned by Eddie Shulin in Trinidad CO. Details in the suggested read.

He's great when it comes to time!!! Gets them shipped out within ONE week.

George

George,
I take even longer LOP that you.. the boyd's stock, with 1" pad, breaks 15"

jeffe

I've used four Boyd's stocks in the past four years; one LA laminated sporter for a Remington 700, two Ace Varminters for Remington SA 700-Vs, and one GI-style replacement for an M-1 Garand. All were "fully inletted" (drop-in) with exteriors unfinished, except for the Garand stock. It was a fully-finished drop-in.

I was well satisfied with all four. The various M-700 stocks are laminates, the Garand stock is not.

The Garand in particular fit VERY well...a tiny bit of very fine chisel work to the wood "ramps" inside the stock which control the tightness of the stock/action assembly when the trigger guard is closed, and it was done. Just like a new GI stock in appearance, but an even better than new GI fit.

The other three were exactly what one would expect and were very well done for the price. After a bit of rasping and finishing work, all look (and shoot) well for me. The wood doesn't grip the barreled actions like it grew there, but it doesn't suffer from "gaposis" either.

Naturally, their "master" they use for the inletting isn't exactly the same size my barreled actions are. But then my actions aren't all the same size to .001" in every dimension either.

I figger that's why God invented wood working tools and epoxy. I just pay my money then apply whichever is needed.

You can always open up inletting that is too tight (the best way to have it) and you can fill up gaps in inletting that’s too loose (sloppy, but it still works.) However, it ain’t at all easy to fix inletting that is crooked and canted in the stock...and that was my primary problem with both Boyd’s and GAG.

Boyd’s is slightly better with customer service than GAG...but that doesn’t take allot.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rick 0311:
You can always open up inletting that is too tight (the best way to have it) and you can fill up gaps in inletting that’s too loose (sloppy, but it still works.) However, it ain’t at all easy to fix inletting that is crooked and canted in the stock...and that was my primary problem with both Boyd’s and GAG.
QUOTE]


I don't disagree with that, Rick. He just asked if any of us had xperience with Boyd's, and I was listing my experiences with them so far. If I had a bad experience, I would have listed it too.

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rick 0311:
You can always open up inletting that is too tight (the best way to have it) and you can fill up gaps in inletting that’s too loose (sloppy, but it still works.) However, it ain’t at all easy to fix inletting that is crooked and canted in the stock...and that was my primary problem with both Boyd’s and GAG.
QUOTE]


I don't disagree with that, Rick. He just asked if any of us had xperience with Boyd's, and I was listing my experiences with them so far. If I had a bad experience, I would have listed it too.

Alberta, I know you would have...and I started out by saying that the opinions on these companies would vary a bit. Some people swaer by them, others at them.

I have used 3 Boyds JRS laminates and been satisfied with all three. Minimum fitting required on Rem 700 little more on the 2 Mdl 70's. Only Richards was over 10 years ago and was pleased with it except it had one knothole. Called them and they gave me a partial refund promptly. Fit was only fair but wood was really nice piece.

Jeffeso?:

I phoned them and asked what length, was told somewhat too short and from that, wouldn't be long enough even with a 1" pad.

So I passed on them. Didn't like their attitude.

"We don't do any custom cutting, take what we make, or get it elsewhere".

Suits me pal!

Thanks for the reply. Won't be going to them long as Eddie Shulin's still healthy enough to keep turning them.

George

I used a Boyd's JRS last month for a Mauser. The stock had to be set up in a mill and the receiver inletting deepened 1/4" everywhere to get the depth right. TG was inletted first as that's how I was taught to start. Once the bbl was inletted (got a uni channel), I then had to plane 1/4" off the top of the stock to get the woodline to index at the bbl midline. Also, to get the screw geometry right, I had to set the action back about 1/32" in the inletting because the geometry was milled off center. This required a small 1/32" walnut patch at the back of the rear bridge next to the bolt handle to make up the difference. There was also un-necesary gaping at the receiver which disappeared pretty well once it was bedded. ALOT of wood had to be removed on the forearm to get a decent "classic" profile. Also, the rear action screw hole was drilled way off center in the inletting. I had to enlarge the hole and pillar bed the action to correct that.

Lastly, I DESPISE their idea of drilling a 1/4" hole into the stock for the safety screw to recess into. It realy limits how much you can thin the stock in that area without breaking into that hole. Every other mauser stock maker doesn't drill the hole, alowing you to minimum dimension it to your parts. For this flaw alone, I would not buy another.

The stock turned out pretty well in the end, but for a plain stock I would not go to that much effort again. Next time I'm going back to Richard's Microfit. They suck too, but for the effort they have better grades of wood, at least.

gerogeld

quote:

MidwayUSA bought Fajen out some yrs ago when Fajen went down the tubes.

Actually Larry Potterfield who owns Midway, bought Reinhardt Fajen some years earlier (mid 90's I believe) and modernized it, thinking that with state of the art equipment, they would make a bundle of money. They ran it for 5 or 6 years and then closed it down. It never did go bankrupt, they just sold off the assets and even kept the Fajen name. Mark Stratton attended the auction and bought a lot of blanks and patterns and he can probably shed some light on the date if necessary.

Henry Poll of GAG (Great American Gunstocks) was the son of the owner when it was sold. He spun off of Fajen as did Fred Wenig (heard he left before the closing) and I also heard that Boyds had worked there also. Thought you might need a trivia fix this morning.

BTW, during one of Mark Stratton's summer gunsmithing schools in Trinidad (a great class I might add) we visited Ed and his shop. He does do a good job at a very decent price.

quote:

Henry Poll of GAG (Great American Gunstocks) was the son of the owner when it was sold.

Chic, just a question and I may well be wrong, but if I remember correctly from a conversation with Henry 10+ years ago, he is from the Bishop side of the gunstock world? Again I might be wrong, I've slept and gotten drunk at least once since then and haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn Express lately.

Thaine, you might be right. It was about 10 years ago that I heard it from him also at the NRA show in Seattle. Henry told us that they showed up for work one day and his father told the family to clean their desks, it had been sold. Quite a shock.

Bishop did merge or was bought by Reinhardt Fajen, so maybe that is where I got my wires crossed.