E. Arthur Brown Thumbhole Varmint Stock Review
After looking over the various aftermarket stocks online, I decided the buy a Thumbhole Varmint Stock by E. Arthur Brown in their Camo color to replace the plastic stock on my sons new Model 12 FV in .223.
Here's the website; http://www.eabco.net/Savage-Thumbhol...n_p_14233.html
I ordered online and the process was quick and easy. Cost is $169.00 and I chose ground shipping for an additional $14.00. I placed the order 9/9/2015 after confirming via phone call that they had one in stock, and it arrived 9/15/2015, coincidentally with my Savage model 12FV i'd sent back to the factory for some warranty work. Luckily I was home and could sign for the rifle, or that would have been delayed.
The box the stock came in was in good condition with no tears or holes. The marking on the outside indicated it was made by Revolution. Go here to see what they make: http://www.revolutionstocks.com/sava...ge12stocks.php
Opening the box I found the stock nicely wrapped and padded, with Receipt enclosed. After unwrapping, I find a well made stock made of three color laminate (brown, green, gray) finished in a satin clear, with a nice fitting recoil pad and three sling/bipod attachments. Also installed are two STEEL pillars with integral washers that are recessed into the wood. Also in the box is a spare action screw the correct length to fit the front mount.
After careful inspection, i found only one flaw in the finish, a minor fish eye that had been touched up just aft of the bolt notch. Hardly noticeable, and probably will be less so once it's assembled. Otherwise, a very good looking stock.
I temporarily assembled my FV action and blind magazine into the stock to check fit and found it to be about like an original stock. The recoil lug slot is narrow and some material will have to removed before epoxy bedding. After tightening the front action screw and slowly tightening the rear, I see a lot of barrel movement upward as the rear screw is drawn down. So this stock will need to be carefully bedded to eliminate possible stresses on the action.
The steel pillars are easily removed and have groves machined into them to lock them securely in place during epoxy bedding, a nice touch that my Savage 12 BVSS lacks. They are also much larger in diameter than the originals. This should help eliminate any tendency to split the laminate while in use, particularly after epoxying in place.
The two forward sling/bipod attachments are held in place with approximately 1/2 inch of course thread, so should not be trusted to hold without bonding in place or replacing with through bolt and nut style attachment. A routed out area in the forearm makes this possible. The rear attach has a more robust 1 inch of tread.
With everything in place temporarily but snug, I shouldered it a a few times and found it to be very good fitting in design, my eye finding the scope quite easily. Placing the bipod up front, it felt very good and the additional weight of the stock (1525 grams or 3 lbs. 5 oz) countered the heavy FV barrel nicely.
One thing that did not fit…at all…was the model FV steel trigger guard. It was too wide and too thick. I substituted the trigger guard from my BVSS and it fit perfectly, so I'll have that and a bipod/sling attach to order from Savage before completing the assembly.
I'll update this again once I've completed the bedding and provide some pictures of the whole process.
For now, it looks like a good product at a good price.
