Question about Boyd's stock

I just got a LH thumbhole stock from Boyd's for my Axis 243. For $160 total, I very happy. Love the feel and can't wait for the weather to break so I can shoot it. There is one small problem - the barrel touches the inside of the barrel channel near the end of the forearm. Looks like the whole channel might be a tad off - or I somehow screwed up putting the action in the stock. So, my question is whether it is better, in your experience, to take a bit of sand paper to the barrel channel, or try to glass bed the action to center the barrel in the channel. I've never bedded an action, so I could become a real pain with questions if I try it. I'm leaning toward the sandpaper solution, but I have an open mind

If the action is crooked in the stock, bedding it will not straighten it out. I would take a picture of it installed and contact Boyd's with your concern. But otherwise you will have to sand it down...

Yes, if the stock isn't tweaked/warped just wrap an appropriate sized round dowel with sandpaper and relieve the stock where it touches the barrel.

Brian

Thank - what I thought, but wasn't sure. Sanding is easier. Any suggestions what finish to use?

hi my two cents here - i had one for my Axis 223 installed it and just wasn't pleased with it - ended up selling it - from what I read afterwards is that the quality isn't what it used to be with Boyds - perhaps they are better now - not sure will not be purchasing a Boyds stock anytime soon

I actually was over my friend's house yesterday opening up the barrel channel of my Boyds Pro Varmint. It was for a lighter profile and I needed to open it a good bit. He had some easy tools to do it so i figured I would try them but in the past I have used a dowel and sand paper as well on other stocks. Took us a little while and some elbow grease but it cleaned up nice.

Last evening I had some time, so I pulled the action and barrel out of the stock. Figured I'd just sand and try until I got what I wanted. When I took the action out, the little plastic do-dad that lock the mag in place fell out. I put it back in and it felt loose, so I pushed pretty hard - felt as it it "snapped" into something. At that point, I set the action back in the stock and - BOOM - barrel looked like it fit perfect. "Weird" came to mind, but I snugged down the front retaining bolt (started in back first time) and everything still looked straight. Snugged the rear and it STILL looked straight, so I torqued everything down, put the rifle away, and marked this one up to some kind of operator error. Weird - but I like weird.

I was going to suggest loosening the action screws and try "resettling" the action into the stock and retighten the screws. Sometimes they get misaligned while installing them Not uncommon at all. Glad it worked out for you.

I have bought, sold and installed 100's of Boyds stocks. They often require minor fitting, sometimes quite a bit of adjustment and even bedding, but I still like them. THey are affordable, functional and quite nice, I think.

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Originally Posted by foxx

I was going to suggest loosening the action screws and try "resettling" the action into the stock and retighten the screws. Sometimes they get misaligned while installing them Not uncommon at all. Glad it worked out for you.

I have bought, sold and installed 100's of Boyds stocks. They often require minor fitting, sometimes quite a bit of adjustment and even bedding, but I still like them. THey are affordable, functional and quite nice, I think.

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Yeah,Buddy!!Lovin this one

My action area seemed to fit like a glove. Nice and snug. I need to get out and shoot it and make sure everything is sitting right but it sure looks like it is a solid fit. And the stock looks great as well.

http://i.imgur.com/9wX0YUf.jpg

Rob01 - Like the way it looks - Woodland Camo, right? Just one small problem, man,,,don't know how to tell you this......your bolt is on the wrong side ;);)

Yeah it's their Forest Camo. I almost went for the Zombie but glad I went with this when I got it.

And that bolt is on the RIGHT side. You must be one of those backwards guys LOL :becky:

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Originally Posted by Rob01

And that bolt is on the RIGHT side. You must be one of those backwards guys LOL :becky:

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LOL!!!! But we are the only ones in our "right" mind... :peace:

I have two Boyds, the fit is excellent on both, both seem to shoot better than I can. No plans to bed them (my brother did the EABS I got for me)

There is no quality issues at Boyds, actually its amazingly good (EABS not so much)

I have opened up channels on two of them. The one Boyds that came on a BTH111 and was pencil barrel channel. Used a broom handle, HEAVY GRIT sand paper (30?) and it worked out good.

The EABS I ordered and did not want to wait for the optional bull channel so I got the Varmint contour when it was getting a bull barrel. Same thing, easily done.

Boyds is easier as there are only two s high spots to sand down vs a longer EABS chancel area.


I used Formbys to seal the sanded area.

Boyds Cavat: On the last Boyds I ordered a Bull channel even though the current heaviest barrel is a Varmint Contour (that could change)

The cut is very close to the Varmint. I am not sure a Bull would clear at the end or the sides out towards the end.

If not I would have no problem sanding that down as well. Not sure if I got a varmint channel that was marked down wrong. Its the only miner issue with Boyds I have come across and I could easily fix that.

I also have one in the Camo Green Forest. Hard choice, that was one I asked my wife on. She has a better eye for that than I do.

The VT Thumbhole I got for my 111 DB Mag 6.5 Creedmoor Build, was hitting on the bottom of the recoil lug. I measured the depth in the stock and the depth on the recoil lug and the stock was lacking .020" for being deep enough, I undercut it so it no longer hit and then I had to sand a bit extra from the barrel channel because it was hitting on the bottom. I originally opened up the channel for the Heavy Palma Barrel and thought I had it until I found out the recoil lug was hitting.
I am installing Pillars and Bedding the action, so while researching the bedding of the Savage action I found that the rear tang should be free floating and the recoil lug should have a few thousandths clearance on the bottom and a bit on the sides and front. That is when I started thinking about the new recoil lug I installed and wondered if it was larger in all directions than the factory recoil lug. So I decided to check it and the rear tang. the rear tang was hitting quite hard because of the tip caused by the recoil lug hitting, it got better after I undercut the lug and re sanded the barrel channel but it was not completely floating so I sanded that area a bit until I could slip a piece of paper under it.
I guess that is why on their site they say it may require minor fitting here and there.

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Originally Posted by RC20

I have two Boyds, the fit is excellent on both, both seem to shoot better than I can. No plans to bed them (my brother did the EABS I got for me)

There is no quality issues at Boyds, actually its amazingly good (EABS not so much)

I have opened up channels on two of them. The one Boyds that came on a BTH111 and was pencil barrel channel. Used a broom handle, HEAVY GRIT sand paper (30?) and it worked out good.

The EABS I ordered and did not want to wait for the optional bull channel so I got the Varmint contour when it was getting a bull barrel. Same thing, easily done.

Boyds is easier as there are only two s high spots to sand down vs a longer EABS chancel area.


I used Formbys to seal the sanded area.

Boyds Cavat: On the last Boyds I ordered a Bull channel even though the current heaviest barrel is a Varmint Contour (that could change)

The cut is very close to the Varmint. I am not sure a Bull would clear at the end or the sides out towards the end.

If not I would have no problem sanding that down as well. Not sure if I got a varmint channel that was marked down wrong. Its the only miner issue with Boyds I have come across and I could easily fix that.

I also have one in the Camo Green Forest. Hard choice, that was one I asked my wife on. She has a better eye for that than I do.

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Bud Ive got a safe full of rifles with boyds under them. But this last one I got was pure crap! I went for a high gloss finish because this rifle is going to sit right at my back door for killing what needs killed in my yard. A savage 11 308 with a heavy barrel and a detachable mag. So I knew I was going to re channel the barrel. But other than that it should have mated up fair. Well considering they didn't even send the color I wanted coyote because I think its pretty looking and this rifle is a back door man so it can be pretty shiny and neat looking. So I ordered up a Thumbhole (knowing Im going to channel and pillar and glass bed it and re shape the handle and cut a index finger grove in the blocky handle to have a straight trigger pull. So I understand what has to be done. What I got was nutmeg thumbhole stock. The inlet is wacked. I spent 5 hours with my drimel and my files and its a fit now.
The color Ill deal because Ive got a few in nutmeg already. I DIDN'T have a coyote, because Im a realist and dont want a rifle that is bright and shiny to let my target know its on. But This is only for the house so I want to make it like a piece of art.
So the finish "High Gloss" you know like when you see a new high gloss stock its as pretty as a new hundred dollar bill. What I GOT was a rattle can job. That looked like a kid did it ,and we wouldn't want it really sealed. Ive got bare wood all over and holes in the finish from air bubbles.
The bottom metal inlet is garbage also.
So you see the quality control is not what one would expect. So yes there is a problem.
Now is it a good stock for the money Yes!
And I would never have expected to get a stock from them so bad but I did.
Will I buy again? Yes But I always expect to completely pillar , bed and tutch up the stock. If I didn't know how or have access to tools I would buy a stock elsewhere that is Really Drop in ready.
The