Major problem with Boyd's Tacticool

[pwdnt]

Hello everyone,
had a terrible day at the range on saturday. I am shooting a model 11 in .308 i had replaced the factory stock with a Boyd's Tacticool stock that I had pillard and bedded. went shooting on saturday to sight in the scope and after sighting it in I noticed my shots were wandering all over the paper shot a few more times and after a few more shots every single time I cycled the bolt the accutriger would lock up like the blade, I knew something was wrong so I immediatly stopped shooting and head home to inspect the rifle. Turns out that the boyds tacticool had cracked vertically right infront of the recoil lug, the crack measures aprox 3.5 inches and goes all the way through the stock,it had cracked so violently it created a fissure in the devcon I had used for the bedding compound, the trigger issue was also explained by the stock cracking, when I removed the action to inspect the trigger i noticed there was pieces of wood in the trigger mechanism and one of those pieces had bent the trigger return spring,the adjustment spring and the leaf of the accutrigger. so my question is because i modified the stock by installing pillars and bedding the rifle do you belive Boyd's would honor their warranty on the stock? If they don't or even if they do I don't know if I would ever feel comfortable using a Boyd's stock but would be willing to give it a try. If Boyd's does not honor their warranty I am looking at other options the options i am looking at right now are the McMillar a5 the stockade prariedog special or the manners t5a or t4a what have been your experiences with these stocks and which would you preffer to own of these and why?

[sixonetonoffun]

Give boyds a call. Go from there. I just pillar an skim bedded a tacticool tonight. Funny thing is there is a flaw in it exactly where you described. Maybe I should reinforce the barrel channel a bit. Would not be an issue if they offered an aluminum bedding block.

[tomme boy]

Happens when cheap plywood is used. Sounds like it needs a cross pin in that area. Please post some pictures.

[sixonetonoffun]

They do have cross pins but maybe they need more. One is right at the front of the forward action screw. Ya have to grind slightly to position the pillar. A 3/8th pillar just touches it. If the pillar was larger I think the pin would be compromised.

[Dennis]

Yes, just give Boyd's a call.

[pwdnt]

http://i62.tinypic.com/t6fkwj.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/bezm92.jpggave boyds a call they said im may not be covered and they requested pictures so here they are. please forgive the chips in the bedding it wasn't like that until the stock broke.

[FW Conch]

That sure looks like "junk" laminate :-((

[limige]

I was really surprised by how light the tacticools are compared to their standard laminates that are half as wide. Im not sure what they build them with but they are not nearly as solid as the standard laminates in my book.

[tomme boy]

They are using that lightweight laminate that they do not offer anymore. Everyone cracked. There are all kinds of cracks in the bottom of that stock.

[pwdnt]

did a count of the brass from the range trip. this is after 20rds down range. i was told i would have an answer today about them covering the stock with warranty, it is well past closing time and no answer. not impressed, no contact after i called them besides an email 5 min afterward that i would have an answer by eod today.

[sixonetonoffun]

They are likely to cover it. We are the market for this product. Why wouldn't they cover it to put us all at ease? Was me I would say it looks like your modifications may have exposed a slight.defect. But since the defect.is there we will replace it this one.time. yaya yada yada. Savage Shooters keep spending money and recommending Boyds products. On the.other hand you knew the warranty ended the minute you powered up the drill with a grin.

[Savage6x284]

Lousy laminate haphazardly assembled likely loses a customer.
I too would expect that Boyd's would cover it.
Even if they do it still bothers me that they had to think about it for more than 15 seconds.
The non-response also rankles me.

I am an unabashed fan of McMillan stocks and they would be my recommendation.
I really need to try a Manner's someday. All the good reports I hear about them leads me to believe that the Manner's will rank right up there with McMillan.
I've had one Stockade and IMO these rate far closer to B&C and Hogue than to McM or Manner's. Not bad but not great either.

If you go with McM I'd recommend going through Rick Bin at 24HCF. He prices below factory direct prices and he has a ton of McM experience. He'll steer you right if you need a bit of help.

[BlueDog]

I too ran into issues while drilling my Tacticool for pillars. While drilling my stock split in the exact center by the rear action screw. In response (after a thorough cussing) I opened up the pillar holes, and filled the space with extra bedding compound. I also inletted the stock for extra bedding during the bedding job. I am not sure what wood laminate Boyd's is using but it is pretty crappy. I love the stock shape, but is is far FAR from the usual hardness of a laminate that I've dealt with. It's very soft, soft enough I can dent with my thumbnail with a hard push, and I've had various chip outs in various places. If I had to do it over again, I would choose the "custom" option and pick from one of their colored laminates, it's only a $15 upgrade (and longer wait time), but I am kicking myself for not doing it.

[pwdnt]

so i recieved a reply about 20 min ago. they would like me to send the stock back at my expense to determine whether or not they are going to cover it under warranty. im starting to wonder if a dispute on my cc would get this resolved faster. oh well i will be sending it in today to see how it goes.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

The stock has been "modified" from the way it was shipped. It didn't have a crack in it when it left the store. It's out of warranty!! IMHO, you're SOL because you modified it.
If Boyd's decides to do anything for you, consider yourself lucky. And be sure to say THANK YOU for anything they do for you!

[foxx]

I don't think you modified it in any way that it was not intended to be. They certainly should expect and anticipate that the majority of their customers will add pillars and bed their stocks. If they were to say what you did was altered it, then they would lose all credibility with their customers.

[aubie515]

While I agree it was "modified" Boyd's along with other Savage vendors understands that Savage owners tinker...which is why most of us own Savages in the first place. If Boyd's does not resolve the issue, IMO this is going to cause issues for customers.

Granted, Boyd's stock aren't expensive, but it's beside the point if they do not remedy this issue. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see the outcome. I hope that the OP has the issue resolved.

[Savage6x284]

Replacing the stock under warranty would be great PR at very little cost to Boyd's.

Refusing to replace it could be some lousy PR for Boyd's with a potentially far greater price tag.

Justified or not the old adage holds true.

Treat me right and I'll tell 100 people. Treat me wrong and I'll tell 1000.

This would be a no-brainer if I were calling the shots at Boyd's.

[cranebird]

Look at post #371 in this thread.

http://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?29093-Laminate-replacement-for-AXIS-BOYDS/page25

[Carvera]

Can someone clarify for me, but do the Tacticool stocks come with pillars from Boyd's or does one have to install them?

I ask because if they come without, wouldn't you have to modify the stock in order to make it work?