Grayboe stocks now inlet for Savage 110!

[pdog06]

https://www.grayboe.com/products/phoenix

[J.Baker]

I purchased one of their Renegade stocks for my ARC Nucleus 6x47 build a few years back. Their patterns are nice, but I found the forend to have quite a lot of flex in it. It got better after we glass bedded it and filled in the extra space in the recoil lug pocket, but it still wasn't as rigid as I would have liked. Other than that I had no real complaints - painted finish was nice, inletting was very good, etc. Basically a good midrange stock that I'd say is a step up from the likes of a B&C or Choate, but not near as nice as a Manners or McMillan.

[BFlynn]

Was wondering how you like it. I had looked at Grayboe bc they make the stock for the Pork Sword.... the the forend seemed really wide, and I don't know anyone that had used their stocks.

[Dave Hoback]

Nice shape on those.

[pdog06]

Nice review Jim. Was wondering how they compare.
I have a Manners T6-A inletted for a target action and the Grayboe Phoenix looks darn near identical in design. Even down to the friend width and with the finger slots down the side.

[Whynot]

- painted finish was nice, inletting was very good, etc. Basically a good midrange stock that I'd say is a step up from the likes of a B&C or Choate, but not near as nice as a Manners or McMillan.

I purchased a grayboe stock a few years ago - it wasn't directly from the company but a huge sale from a store that was not going to carry them anymore. Overall happy with it- but (basing this on a sample of 1) would not put its quality above that of a B&C. That's not saying anything bad about it because B&C makes some good stocks. The paint on the grayboe was very nice- but mine chips very easily- and then it leaves a weird white primer showing. I'm not sure what the greyboe's cost when not on sale- but if it is close to a B&C then I would pick another up-- but if a big price difference then personally didn't see anything to justify that.

But they have so many different options that it is impossible to compare companies by a single purchase.

[pdog06]

This one starts at $649, plus more if you want special paint or accessories.
I really like my Manners and it was $750, and was curious how this would compare since it looks very very similar in design to the Manners t6-a. Sounds like it’s not as solid(from a review of 2…)

[J.Baker]

The paint on the grayboe was very nice- but mine chips very easily- and then it leaves a weird white primer showing.

IIRC that's not a white primer, that's the actual color of the material the stock is made out of. I had to open the barrel channel in mine a little to accommodate the M24 contour of my barrel and once through the paint it was solid white and the dust from sanding it out was super fine - almost like chalk dust. Very easy material to work, which is probably also why it's got a little more flex to it than you find in some other polymers commonly used for stocks. I ended up having Fred add an adjustable comb to it, then scuffed up the entire stock for a custom rattle can camo job so I can't really comment on the durability/longevity of the stock paint.

[Dave Hoback]

Grayboe and most upper end stocks are made of Fiberglass. They use fancy words…Solid, Homogenous, Fiberglass Epoxy Matrix! WOW! That sounds Awesome!, LOL! Which, in normal person terms mean: Stiff, Epoxy imbedded Fiberglass sheet that is all the same throughout, LOL!

And yes, any laminated composite like Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber, G10/FR4 & Micarta Phenolic all make a very fine almost powder material when sanded.

[J.Baker]

Grayboe and most upper end stocks are made of Fiberglass. They use fancy words…Solid, Homogenous, Fiberglass Epoxy Matrix! WOW! That sounds Awesome!, LOL! Which, in normal person terms mean: Stiff, Epoxy imbedded Fiberglass sheet that is all the same throughout, LOL!

And yes, any laminated composite like Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber, G10/FR4 & Micarta Phenolic all make a very fine almost powder material when sanded.

Might want to do a little more research on the Grayboe stocks Dave, as they are definitely not constructed using the traditional fiberglass shell/foam core method we are used to seeing from McMillan, Manners and the like. Rather, the Grayboe's are made using a (best guess) injection molding process with a fiber reinforced epoxy (think glass filled nylon or fiber reinforced concrete). The construction material is consistent from the outer surface to the very center.





These aren't the best pic's to show this as the stock has been painted, but the key areas we're looking at are mostly unpainted and have minimal overspray so they should be sufficient. It's obvious looking at the edges of where it's been cut or machined that there's no outer shell constructed from matting/mesh. Both in the inlet area of the belly of the stock, under the butt pad, in the barrel channel and where we cut into the comb to incorporate an adjustable cheek piece the material is 100% consistent the whole way through.

The owner/founder of Grayboe is Ryan McMillan (Gale McMillan's grandson) and his goal was to make stocks using more modern methods and materials that could be more easily produced and sold at a lower price point than his grandfather's old-school hand-laid stocks. Labor is the biggest cost in a hand-laid fiber shelled stock, so he knew he had to eliminate that step of the manufacturing process to achieve his goal. Molding is the only viable solution to minimize labor and machining costs to ensure he could make and sell them at the price point he wanted to be at. At the time I purchased my Renegade they were $300 for the basic stock and another $100 for the Mesa Tactical M5 AICS bottom metal. Prices have obviously gone up as I purchased mine in 2018 - well before the pandemic and the resulting inflation.

Again, I can tell you first hand that these stocks are far from the stiffest stocks out there. Having handled or owned synthetic stocks from most manufacturers currently available on the market, I can say that both Bell & Carlson and Choate stocks - both of which are molded polymer based stocks and typically cost less - offer more rigidity than the Grayboe's. That said, once you glass bed it and fill in the gap in the recoil lug pocket they flex far less and IMO are comparable to a B&C or Choate in rigidity at that point. Most going to an aftermarket stock likely plan to glass bed it anyway so it's not a significant negative from where I sit.

[Dave Hoback]

Never said it was the same process. Wasn’t referring to the process they are made at all. Simply the funny wording they use. The outer shell is still Fiberglass laminate, yes? While the inside is the epoxy with Fiberglass shards. (The “concrete” like you said.) It’s a cheaper way of doing things. A Laminate skin with the reinforced Epoxy making the interior. It’s still Fiberglass.

[sharpshooter]

There no epoxy to it, it's all polyester...including the bondo like filler.

[Dave Hoback]

Well I guess they are lying then. I typically go by what the company says.

[sharpshooter]

Dave, have you ever cut into one?

[Dave Hoback]

No. But I don’t happen to have a Chemical Analysis Spectrometer to discern the exact composition of the material either.

Once again, I was simply going by what Grayboe says on their site. It could very well actually be Polyester resin and they are simply using the word epoxy for whatever reason. Quite honestly I don’t care what it’s made of. The whole point of my post was pointing out the comical nature of the wording companies use. So if you are concerned with them saying Epoxy, while you believe it’s Polyester, please, by all means, take it up with them. I’ll continue trying help members here in ways I can.

[Robinhood]

[deadduck357]

Good news on the Savage offerings.

I've had a Renegade on one of my 700s for about 4 years now and I'm 100% pleased. No complaints here.

[Whynot]

Also- just got a email from Grayboe that shows they are having a 40% off black friday sale......