From the moment I picked up my Weatherby Vanguard I knew the stock HAD to be replaced. It was just… awful. The plastic was thin and tacky looking, and there was no way to free float the barrel in its standard configuration. After poking around for a while Google dropped me at the website for Boyd’s Gun Stocks, makers of hardwood stocks for just about every bolt action rifle, shotgun and small caliber gun under the sun and most for under $100. It was too good to be true — a quality hardwood stock and CHEAP? Inquiring minds (mine) needed to know if they lived up to their advertising. So I bought one.
The stock I decided on purchasing was a “Classic” finished stock (walnut) that, they claim, would not require any work beyond minor fitting (which they claim any novice could do) to get it to fit your particular rifle. On that front they were true to their word, as I only had to sand a little bit around one of the corners in the cutout for the baseplate for the thing to fit. Once it was in I was impressed by the quality of the wood and the feel of the finish. The stock felt and looked better than any of my other rifles.
I mean, just LOOK at that. The way the blued metal compliments the dark wood stock is, to me, beautiful.
I suppose I should talk a little about the tech specs of the stock. Boyd’s classic stocks come with two reinforcing screws for added strength (brown spots above), but they are hidden so well and perfectly sanded that they look like part of the wood. The stock also boasts a “classic design” pistol grip (the kind California wouldn’t mind) that fits my hand very well and encourages proper trigger finger placement. It also comes with a 1/2 inch recoil pad on the butt of the stock, something I often wish my Mosin Nagant m1891/30 had. Also included in the “finished” stock are sling studs to attach your slings to, something I’m definitely going to need next weekend in Texas.
The best part about the stock isn’t the reinforcing or the looks, it’s the fact that a “sporter” profile barrel is perfectly free floated without any additional modifications. I didn’t have a dollar bill handy for the picture, so please accept this receipt as a stand-in to prove the free floating qualities. Having a “free floating” barrel is HUGE in terms of improvement in accuracy. That single change cut my group size roughly in half at 100 yards.
I did have one issue, however. The cheek piece on the stock is designed to align your eyes with the top of the barrel, which would be useful if the rifle had iron sights. But it doesn’t, it has a scope which is typically a bit higher than the top of the barrel. A cheek riser fixes this issue but I would have liked this stock a little better if it came from the factory with just a tad more material, just enough to raise your eye most of the way to the scope.
In general I was very impressed with the quality of these stocks. Not only are they perfectly cut to fit each firearm but they also feel great, look beautiful and increase accuracy. The lack of a proper cheek weld when using a scope is annoying, but for around $100 I’ll live with it.
Boyd’s Classic Gun Stocks
Specifications
Models Available: Most “sporting” rifles and shotguns
Standard Price: $92 – $119
Ratings (Out of Five Stars)
All ratings are relative to other similar products. Overall rating is not mathematically derived from the constituent ratings.
Ergonomics: * * * *
With the exception of that cheek weld issue it’s a fine stock. The pistol grip feels natural and the forend is swelled just enough to give my hand something meaty to grip without adding much weight.
Ease of Use: * * * * *
It slides onto your rifle without much complaint, and after that it just works. Some minor fitting may be required, but it’s nothing that can’t be handled by a Leatherman in less than 5 minutes.
Overall Rating: * * * *
I really don’t think you can buy a better stock for around $100. It’s beautiful wood that has been sanded smooth and expertly finished, and it fits your gun without much complaining. There are other models of stocks available as well, but I’ve always been a sucker for the “traditional” rifle look.
Should have added one of these to my gift guide. It is truly sweet.
Thanks for the link.
Really lovely. Practical, simple, beautiful. And inexpensive enough you’re not going to be afraid to take it out and hunt with it. I actually like the lower stock, ’cause that lets you buy a riser of exactly the right size, so you can get a perfect cheek weld with whatever scope & rings you have. A nice leather one with some cartridge loops would look really good with that wood and blued steel.
It also comes with a 1/2 inch recoil pad on the butt of the stock, something I often wish my Mosin Nagant m1891/30 had.
My MN 91/30 has a recoil pad, and it doesn’t help one little bit. Just so you know.
I own a few Boyd’s stocks (M1 Carbine, M-1 Garand, Ruger 10/22, etc) and I have always been very impressed. Excellent quality and service.
Their selection is mind boggling. Thanks for the link
Great review and pics. Thank you.
I’m looking into one of the thumb hole stocks they have for my new 760 pump rifle. I really like the way the factory stock snaps up to my shoulder and I’m not sure if the Boyd’s will do the same. But the look of the pepper laminate is down right sexy. And the price is a out 60 bucks. Nick can you tell me if the fore arms they have are interchangeable on the pump?
Just wanted to comment that Boyd’s makes a Monte Carlo stock with a nice cheek piece. I have one on my Marlin XL-7 (270 Winchester) and it’s great. Perfect alignment with the scope. I like it so much that I ordered one for the Winchester model 70 I just picked up.
I have been lokking at these stocks for my wincester aM70 since hs in 05 i finnally bought one for it after reading this thank you for posting. im also a classic wood guy.
that plastic crap is just that i got the pepper classic stock think its goning to look verynice thanks agine u got me to pull the trigger with your review
I need a 597 gun stock can you help me ? larry
I have a Boyd Prairie Hunter stock. I need a recoil paid to extend the Length of Pull. Do you have a recommendation?
Thanks.
Can anyone tell me if i can apply a few more coats of poly to the stock to brighten it up a bit?
I ordered a forearm from Boyd’s for a Rossi model 92 project. They shipped me a damaged forearm that was broken into at the front end. I called about sending back for a replacement. They said they would send a UPS return label. That never happened. I paid and shipped the forearm back. They refused to replace saying the forearm had been altered. I do not do my own stock work I use a local gun smith. I only open the box found the damage and returned exactly what they had sent me. So they screwed me out of $50 when over the years I have ordered hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of product. I have had minor quality issues before from them but the gun smith had always fix it. I would recommend caution when dealing with Boyd’s or that you not trust or use Boyd’s.
Do you have a stock to fit the new long-action Remington 770 in 30-06?
Picked one up for a Mosin 91/30 that’s being sporterized (yes, in a 100% reversible manner). The Boyds stock looks good on the action, gotta say. It’s basically a drop-in fit. The stock buttpad does help some, but a LimbSaver or a Pachmayr Decelerator would be yet better.
For $100, it’s a good deal.
– T
I ordered a laminated stock for my Savage 93H with Bull Barrel as a replacement for my OEM stock. I was pleased with the stock’s look, finish and fit. It looks and feels much better than the plastic OEM that came with the rifle and the stock aligned with my scope – did not have to purchase a cheek pad. It did take awhile for the stock to be shipped; although their website does say they are behind and it would take one more week than normal for shipping (no definition of normal was provided). Boyds did email me a tracking number.
Using their stock finder guide it kept pointing to the MKII receiver which took me awhile to find out if I had it or not. Basically the new receiver is longer than some of the earlier model 93 actions and mine was the MKII type. If you have the earlier shorter receiver these stocks will not fit.
I also purchased a new magazine plate and trigger guard assembly that Boyds recommended. The mag well 12/32 hex head screw was to long at 1.1 inches. Midway carries one that is 0.92 inches long and it worked. The hole in the stock for magazine plate wood screw was to big. I took a toothpick and inserted it into the hole and taped it flush with a plastic mallet and removed the excess. It provided a enough meat to seat the wood screw.
Overall not a bad experience.
It’s a great product, but God help you if there is a problem and you need Boyd’s Customer Service to resolve an issue. Their customer service, both policies and execution, are the worst I’ve seen in 20 years for any company in any industry.
I totally agree with Don. I hope you get a good stock and don’t need any help from customer service. If you do you’re just SOL.
I finally did get the correct stock from Boyd. One minor tweak and it fit great. I glass bedded it and my barrel is free floating and the action and back two inches of the barrel are rigidly attached to the stock.
To complete the tale: When I was notified that Boyd had received the incorrect stock I had returned to them, I started trying to contact customer service. Two days later after multiple phone and e-mail messages (none of which were returned, I called and got a brand new customer service rep. (Amanda: two days on the job). I explained the history and asked when the correct stock would be shipped. She said she would do some research and call me later in the day … and she actually called back!!! She explained the stock had gone to engineering to determine what was wrong with it. I took a very deep breath and explained there was nothing wrong with the stock other than being the wrong stock. She asked if she could put me on hold for a few minutes. Five minutes later she was back on the phone, said all the paperwork was straightened out, they did have the correct stock on hand and as soon as she hung up the phone, she would pick it up and hand carry it to shipping. The correct stock shipped that same day.
I see so many posts with complaints about Boyd’s stocks I wanted to state my experience. I previously purchased a CZ 455 Varmint with a Boyd’s thumbhole installed from the factory. I was so impressed that I wanted to upgrade my older Ruger 10/22 with a thumbhole stock. I had some reservations because of all the negative posts regarding slow shipping and poor quality, but I went ahead a ordered a Rimfire Thumbhole stock with a standard factory barrel channel. PERFECT TRANSACTION! Ordered on a weekend and it was shipped Monday from the factory and arrived in Florida on Friday. Beautifully made stock with a beautiful price $99. Granted, mine was a standard spec stock and immediately available. This was a very positive buying experience and would recommend!
I can second the comments made by merbeau in Feb 2015 the Boyd’s stock that fits a Savage 93R bull barrel has a base plate screw hole that is predrilled way too large. Glad to hear about the toothpick idea, however ridiculous. After emailing CS twice I received a response a week later with only generic information and a link to their website. No help whatsoever. A quality stock with a major flaw
The website was set up kinda crappie I accidentally ordered a short action immediately after i called to change my order only to be put on hold and hung up on after getting through to an answering machine i emailed the sales department the customer service department everyday only to not get an answer then when they produced a shipping label and tried sending it i called right when they opened the doors finally contacting a lady named Amanda she then told me that she canceled my order would not swap out stocks and charged me 15% canceling fee for the item i was not impressed this place is crap for customer service they only want your money not to be helpful do not order through them unless they are the only ones manufacturing a stock for you rifle
I bought a classic stock in nutmeg to replace the tupperware stock on my daughter’s Axis. Not only is it a a beautiful stock, but the accuracy of the rifle was immediately improved (though it wasn’t bad to begin with). I think it took 10 minutes to fit it, if that.
I bought a Boyd Nutmeg laminate for My Rem 700 7-08 ADL…. I ordered Classic style, with the black forend tip and the ribbon checkering and with the pacmeyer 1 inch recoil pad. I received it 10 days later and it was a perfect fit and looked awesome as well. I did wallow out the inletting for the action and the recoil lug to glass bed it. it looks SOOOO much better then with that black plastic stock that comes with the ADL. It always shot well…1 inch 5 shot groups but now if I do My part I can squeeze 5/8 inch groups center to center. I also added a timney trigger since this was a trigger recall gun and I didn’t want to wait 3-4 months to get My gun back…….
How do you feel about making a Winchester 101 butt stock, using the materials you shown us. Are you up to trying one?
Their stocks are usually excellent buys as fit and finish are remarkably good and their prices are very reasonable. Delivery right now is slower than it has ever been. I guess because they are going through growing pains.
However, I cannot understand why a company with a production schedule closes down for an entire week when there is a holiday. Anyone with any kind of business management or administration degree/experience would know that this is a BAD practice. Closing on the holiday, yes, but the entire week??? Really????
So I ordered a stock on line on a Saturday night and immediately noticed that I made an error on the order. I called on Sunday morning and left a message to not complete the order and got no call back on Monday. I called on Monday and could not get anyone in customer service to answer the phone. I left a message and got no call back. Left a message to not begin work on the order until I had a chance to discuss. Once again, absolutely crappy customer service. I sent an email on Tuesday morning and finally got a call back……not from my messages…..i guess. Well they stated that cancellations or changes were not allowed and they were doing me a FAVOR by charging me a 15% cancellation fee. BS BS BS. If they would have followed up with me timely, this could have been resolved. Their web site states that they are way behind on production, so this wasn’t or shouldn’t haven been an issue. Let the $40 I had to spend be a warning. Don’t order from these guys. Can’t coment on their product because I never will have an opportuinity to do so. They stick it to you. Don’t do business with this company.
I ordered a walnut stock and forearm for my cva scout in november.three weeks later I got it .I ordered ingraving I took it for granted that the butt and forearm would both be ingraved..no just the butt witch I can live with.the fit was not good but I thought I would try it.after shooting I noticed two cracks on top wear wood meets metal(wood there was really thin).I sent it back got my new one today (Christmas eve) they forgot the ingrained I paid for…I still need to check fit but it look way better than the other..no happy..gonna call monday
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