Every so often somebody posts wanting to know what everyone thinks about Richards Microfit. Today I got a stock I ordered from them and thought I would post a few details and pictures of the stock right out of the box.





It is the Old Classic Pattern, grade A claro, ebony tip. It cost me $139. Form your own opinion.

Scott

Dr, Pictures came out really bad, hard to get any idea. Did you use a digital camera? I have had the same problems at times with picture taking and found that if I took pictures outside in natural sunlight they come out alot better... I have been considering purchasing a couple of stocks from them myself and would love to see how good your really is.

I corrected the colors in Adobe Photoshop & will post them. The stock looks like it is certainly worth what you paid for it.

Did you get the 99% fit and how well did it fit? I have been thinking about ordering one in Laminate or Carlo walnut with the rounded forend for a VZ project I have going.

I did get the 99% fit and it is close but I'm not sure it is that close. The bottom metal lacks about 1/4" of pressing all the way in. The action is closer to fitting. The barrel channel will take the most work.

The pictures are indoors with a flash - it was dark when I got home. If I get a chance I will take an outdoor photo this weekend and post it. The wood does look very dark - much darker than the english walnut stock I got from Richards last year.

Scott

barrel channel looks tilted to the right hand side (offside)

best looking finish (??!?!) i've seen from RMF

caliber the barrel channel.. they are known for missing straight

jeffe

Well better a tight fit and have to do some trimming than gaps.

Does the bottom metal and screws line up good with the reciever?

Those pics did turn out bad like a painting. Maybe to blown up. Try a smaller picture.

Looks like a pretty short grip , not that thats bad.

Is the check piece a shadow line?

Like to see better pics.

Is that for a Model 70?

I have used RMF on several occasions and find them to be very good stocks. Especially for the money. I have noticed that there wood stocks need more work than their laminates though.

I think you got yourself a very nice stock for the money and you should have a great time fitting it to your barreled action and finishing the stock. Best of luck to you on the project and be sure to show us pics of your progress.

quote:

Originally posted by GSP7:
Is that for a Model 70?

Looks to be a M98 Mauser. The screw hole in the recoil lug is the tip-off.

the only thing that really counts is how she looks and feels after you get done with her. Please come back and show us the before and after.

Again I appologize for the picture quality but I wanted to get the pictures before I had done anything at all to the stock so people could see what to expect.

It is for a sporterized VZ-24.

The barrel channel is a little less than straight but I always ask for a narrower channel than I need so I can try to correct this.

Scott

I Think my biggist gripe about Richard's is their paterns are rather narrow. They are OK for a slender stock, but they leave you with no material to work with. You can however order them with a bit more wood on the outside. They are a good buy for the money.

that's a nice looking $139 stock. After seeing the one last year with the two pieces of wood glued together, run through the duplicater and sold as 1st rate. I don't know if I could ever do buisness with RMF

Terry

I've order a couple dozen stocks for those jokers over the years, and I never ONCE received one that was nearly that nicely inletted, shaped, or grained for that for that $. I stopped using them a while ago. Either they have changed their ways or you got REALLY lucky.

quote:

Originally posted by 9.3x62:
I've order a couple dozen stocks for those jokers over the years, and I never ONCE received one that was nearly that nicely inletted, shaped, or grained for that $

Slow learner???

I've had good luck with RMF, but wouldn't mind giving Jeffeoso's Gunstock Emporium a try when it opens. (Jeff, I need a 376 Steyr bad)

The stock looks good. You might have gaps near the tang, I'd like to see a photo after final inletting is done.

The figure is good for a grade A, typical of Richards from what all I've heard. Good grain through the grip also. You'll have a real looker on your hands when she's finished.

FYI, Their factory seconds are a good deal, you can get an exhibition claro for around $170.

Best of luck with your project.

Dan

Scott,
odds ON the entire inlet is 5degrees off... which means gaps...

good looking stock, in any event.

try taking a pic WITHOUT zooming... digital zoom kills pics...


for what it's worth, i just took my stock machine out for another drive....

looks like i've got .025 NET to get "rid" of....

jeffe

Here you go Doc.

I thought I heard that they are starting to use CNC on some stocks, maybe just a rumor. I'm expecting one of the same pattern soon. I'll post a pic and let the peanut gallery judge My success rate with them is about 50%.

DrScott..thanks for posting the pics..that should make a nice handle for your rifle...I am waiting on a semi-fancy claro walnut dual grip thumbhole stock from them myself...If I get a piece of wood like that I will be satisfied..

Zeeriverrat1

I got the photo cleared up. See my post above.

Doug,

Thanks for fixing the photos. The ones you posted are much closer to the real color.

Scott

I am going to order one of Richards stocks in the next few days. Any suggestions I should tell them to do or not to do? This will be one of thos new Tack driver stocks.

After waiting for almost 3 months, the two stocks that I ordered from Richard's Microfit Stocks finally arrived. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. The action inletting is superb, but the outside shaping of the stocks are horrible. My Fajen stock was 100% better.

I don't mind doing the work, but one of the two stocks may be salvaged and I may keep it, but the other can't. For example, one of them is the Modern Classic with a varminter forarm. It is very obviousely that the forearm was hand carved (looks like it was done by a kid using a hand held dremel tool), but the line just fades on one side as it goes down the stock. It looks like too much was taken off and then sanded smooth. It also has a knot in the butt stock. Even though I ordered AAA Claro, it was very little (if any) features to the point that they charged me less because they even felt it couldn't pass as AAA Claro. The bottom of the stock near the fron has a huge gouge, so the entire bottom must be sanded down to make it flat.

The other stock is the Marksman and I can salvage it. The sides are raised where the barrel start by design. However, the rise is uneven -- one side starts about 3/4 inch before the other. The nice thing is that I can remove the wood on the longer side and make it match.

They both have a chunck on wood that looks like a tumor at the same place in the left side near the action. Kind of odd. Looks like some problem with there CNC code as it is identical on both stocks.

Neither stocks have a flat bottom -- they are both on a slant.

However, look at this puppy I got today from Gatewood Stocks:



It took my breath away as I unpacked it. It came almost ready to be sealed. Maybe a couple hours work of finish sanding. For $280 I got a perfect stock in Exhibition Quality Claro Walnut. Claude Gatewood is awesome.

Regards,
Kory

Kory....tell me more about gatewood...address etc....my stock router just went tits up!!

KOry,
I have to disagree with you, that slabsawed piece of claro form Gatewood is not properly laid out for a gun stock IMO....I much prefer the RMF stock pictures with proper layout.

Ray,

I think I understand what you are saying, but please explain further. Keep in mind that I'm comparing the Gatewood stodk to the two stock I got from Richard[s, not the stock listed above.

Regards,
Kory

I would guess he is refering the the way the grain runs through the wrist of the stock.

quote:

Originally posted by Ropes:
I would guess he is refering the the way the grain runs through the wrist of the stock.

Agreed, Ray has a very valid point. I should have taken pictures of the Richard's stocks before I returned them. You'd see why I was so happy when I received the Gatewood. Richard's doesn't garantee anything. You could order AAA and end up with nuch worse. They will make no attempt to give you a better stock, but they are honest enough to downgrade the stock and reduce the price accordingly.

Kory

Kory, If I payed for exibition and got that stock I'd be pissed.

quote:

Originally posted by Oscar Makonka:
Kory, If I payed for exibition and got that stock I'd be pissed.

I paid $250 (AAA Quality) -- much less than what I paid for the RMF stocks. I guess our expectations are quite different. I am very happy with what I got and the picture does not do it justice.

Kory

quote:

You could order AAA and end up with nuch worse. They will make no attempt to give you a better stock, but they are honest enough to downgrade the stock and reduce the price accordingly.

Kory, what they should do is cut another piece of wood that fits what you ordered and stick the one they sent you on their bargain page. I see nothing admirable in sending a down graded piece of lumber at the reduced price. But it's a crap shoot and we all know it when ordering from these guys. At least in my experience they don't refuse to return a persons money if not satisfied, that sure as heck can't be said of Great American. I'm surprised that guys knees are still in one piece. I'm still waiting for the old classic I ordered..... I hope it turns out well. It is for a Savage but .............

I would expect some good fiddle in any Claro blank that costs over $75, but we all have different tastes. Glad you got one you're happy with, that's what matters most.

Dempsey, I actually had a long talk with RMF about the exact same subject today. I happen to agree with you, but their reasoning is that they way until there are X number of orders for a certain stock, then they setup for that and run that many stocks. It may be a month or two before they run that stock again.

When Claude wasn't happy with the first stock, he tossed it and started again. It took him two week longer than we stated, but I was OK with it.

The Modern Classic from RMF had decent fiddle (not as good as the gatewood stuck) but they screwed up the varmint style forarm so bad, I felt it was not salvageable (as a varminter). The Markmans wood wasn't that great, but it was still usuable if I'd put 20 to 25 hours into it. I just didn't want to do that -- not right now. I have 5 project rifles going and just want to finish them so that I can shoot them this summer. Tick tock tick tock ....

If I were more talented at this, I could probably turn both of them into nice looking stocks, but I'm just a newbie at stock work. I know Kevin Weaver buys stock from RMF and he consistantly produces excellent looking rifles. It's a matter of talent and time, both which I lack.

Kory

Kory, I bought a book called professional stockmaking by David Wesbrook and it help me out a great deal. It's very well done.

I can sorta understand Richards thinking, but would still be a little pissed. I order a old classic once with a varminteer forearm once and I was also dissapointed. It took them so long I kept it and made the best of it. I never really did like it and eventually sold the rifle. It was a very accurate varmint rig in 257wby but everytime I looked at it my blood boiled.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu C:

quote:

Originally posted by 9.3x62:
I've order a couple dozen stocks for those jokers over the years, and I never ONCE received one that was nearly that nicely inletted, shaped, or grained for that $

Slow learner???

No decent alternative.

After 13 weeks I received mine. It is over inletted on the sides of the trigger guard and looks to be so on one side of the recoil lug, and people bitch about too much wood left to remove. The pics are terrible but all I have. I took them at work and emailed to myself and I think they were killed then. The close up of the cheek peice is the only one I didn't have to alter, the rest were dark. For what they do and for the price they charge I'm satisfied. The wood is english in their version of exhibition. It's for a old Savage, long story, no turd polishing jokes

Terriable situation. I dont think I will buy from richards.

It is a crap shoot, but aside from spending several times as much for a rifle that doesn't warrant it the alterantives are slim and none. Besides I still enjoy playing around.

Kory,
what I am saying is grain structure to be perfect in my mind must begin at the heel of the stock then flow up into the pistol grip and go straight down the forearm or maybe with a tad upwards...To do this it must be quarter sawn, and all stockwood in my mind should be quarter sawn...

One also needs to look a grain structure from the end and on top as to how the grain flows, not just the side, the side is the easy part, but it does not tell the real story...Also the Richards appears to have two knots in the area of the bolt slot, a minor imperfection...The other stock is just flashy and poorly laid out for a gunstock IMO..but I don't care for marble cake slab sawed wood, its by my own defination "clown wood", just colorful and prone to warpage IMO...