Just received a Boyds Pro Varmint stock with adjustable cheek piece for my Savage Mark II heavy barrel through DIP products, and wanted to give my initial impression.
First impression is the paint on the stock looks dead-flat and chalky. It is epoxy-based with moderate random texture. The inletting is fairly rough, and the receiver sits in very snug. The barrel is basically free-floating, but I may remove a bit of material as you can feel a slight resistance at times.
I decided to sand and paint it with a automotive chip guard coating (SEM 39813) I've used on rocker panels. It's acrylic and has a slight texture with a satin finish that is very durable and better looking IMO.
Boyds flat finish is very similar to the finish on the HS Precision stock on my model 10 FCP, so I plan to paint that one as well.
Here's a photo of the stock after repainting -
The top is a HS Precision stock with a very similar finish to the original Boyds stock. The bottom is the Boyds stock after painting with the SEM Satin Chipguard. The texture is original and not altered much by the chipguard.
I like the way thay finish came out. I gotta try some of that chipguard!
Vietnam Vet, Jun 66 - Dec 67
Thanks.Originally Posted by GaCop
I like the way thay finish came out. I gotta try some of that chipguard!
I really like the finish. It's Satin with minimal texture. Oil wipes right off, unlike the stock finish. It has a slight rubberized feel to it.
Here's it is assembled -
Not quite as much gloss as it appears in the photo due to the glare from the overhead lighting.
I sanded the original finish with 150 grit sandpaper and scuffed the hard to get areas with a Scotchbrite pad, wiped it down with denatured alcohol, masked the critical areas and the buttplate, and gave it about 2 medium coats. Don't go too close or too heavy or it will run. Stay back and go just enough to get it looking wet, then wait 10 min and do it again - maybe just slightly heavier. It seems to want to smooth out fine without any dry areas.
Scope is otw.
With the scope mounted on the 20 MOA rail -
Overall I like the stock, except for the original finish, but I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. This rifle always shot well in the original stock, so it should do as well or better.
I have two of these stocks on a pair of model 10 223 varmint rifles. Both have McGowan varmint barrels and I had to sand out the barrel channel in both to make the barrels fit, no problem, I expected that.
I got a little overzealous with the action screws in one of them and cracked the web of the stock between the screws. At that point the rifle shot like crap. I cleaned out the wood at the crack and filled it in with epoxy then I pillar and epoxy bedded the action. Problem fixed. Be careful not to over torque those screws or you will crack the stock.
My repairs worked so well that I went ahead and pillar and epoxy bedded the action into the second stock. Both rifles are now tack drivers and with that huge stock, varmint barrel and tactical scope each weighs 13 1/2 pounds. (rock chucks don't mind though)
I had tried a Boyd's At-One stock and did not like it at all because the comb and butt pieces were not solid. (I'm willing to sell that stock) Both of my Pro-Varmint stocks are fitted with the adjustable cheek piece and extra LOP to fit me better and I really like them.
I have mine torqued to 35 in.lbs front 25 rear. How much did you have yours set to when it cracked?
The At-One caught my eye initially, but I decided I like the more traditional look and fit of the Pro Varmint better and it's very close to the HS Precision stock on my Savage 10.
Here is the Boyds Pro Varmint (foreground) on the Mark II compared to the HS Precision on the Model 10 -
When I cracked it I did not use the torque wrench. I just tightened it down with an allen wrench, guess I don't know my own strength.
Now that I've pillar and epoxy bedded both of my Boyds stocks I always use the torque wrench and tighten both screws to 35 in lbs.
Thanks - I should be good then.
I have heard of people torquing up to about 65 in lbs, but that seemed excessive to me - and may be too much for the stocks.
Yep. Since I just used an allen wrench I have no idea how tight I made it. The take away is that those Boyds laminated stocks will crack if they are tightened down too much.
Really great tip on the chip guard. I like it great looking rifle !
One question does anyone every pillar bed the Boyds stocks?
D
Last edited by DDinMN; 12-02-2019 at 10:16 PM. Reason: finish thought
Yes, I have two model 10's in 223 and I pillar and epoxy bedded both of those actions into Boyds Pro-Varmint stocks.
I love the SWFAs on guns!
I thought 65# on a bedded front action and lug were normal and let the tang float with 25#?
My gun seemed to tune best here.
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Good information and pics of a well done stock coating.
Might be fine, but I was going by this article - https://www.accurateshooter.com/tech...torque-tuning/ - and a few other recommendations I've seen.
50-ish seems fairly common as well. 35 seems about the minimum I've seen recommended, but some do like more.
How does the interior of the stock look? Is there a lot of "meat" around the recoil lug and the screw holes? Is the material very hard and sturdy?
The stock was for my Mark II .22, and it dropped in and fit well.
Seems pretty sturdy and well-made to me, but honestly I didn't study it that closely before installing it.
My Model 10 FCP .308 has a HS Precision stock, which would be a better choice for a CF rifle in my opinion.
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