My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

I know of one so far, let's see if more show up.

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My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby CJP1 » Sun Jun 02, 2019 5:19 pm

I purchased a solid birch stock from Boyds last year for my RAR 450 BM. I had to open up the action screw holes slightly to be able to install V3 Precision pillars under the V-blocks. I was shooting some rounds with 300gr Hornady XTP Mag bullets recently over my chronograph. I wanted to stay at or below the Hornady recommended 2200 FPS for that bullet. I hit that speed after 10 rounds being fired. I cleaned the receiver, chamber and barrel and put it in safe. It was in there a couple weeks before I got it out to clean the outside of the rifle. When I removed the action from the stock I noticed what looked like sawdust on the underside of the action. Upon closer inspection I found that the bedded rear V-block had come loose. There were also cracks in the stock behind and on both sides of both action screws where the wood was inlet for the magazine and the trigger. I don't know for sure if it was the 300gr bullets that caused the cracking or it happened over time. It sent a chill down my spine as I realized that I came very close to being injured or possibly killed from action/scope hitting me in face/head. If you have a Boyds stock, I highly recommend that you keep an eye on your stock for cracks by the action screw holes.
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby Hoot » Sun Jun 02, 2019 7:34 pm

the first question that came to my mind was, besides those 300 XTP's, how many other 450b rounds had you put through the rifle approximately? If the pillars came right up to the bottom of the v-block, screw tension should not have caused much stress to the stock under recoil. I assume the rear of recoil lug is snug against the cutout for it in the v-block? Never heard of a Boyd's stock failing that way but have never really plied the interwaves about the topic.

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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby CJP1 » Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:28 pm

Hoot,
I would have to say that I put between 50 and 100 rounds through it with the Boyds stock on as I was checking velocities of loads with Hornady bullets. They suggested no faster than 2200 FPS. The wood was dry and not oil soaked. The V-blocks were right up against the cut-outs in the bottom of the action. The action screws were tightened to 40 inch lbs.
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby Hoot » Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:19 pm

My ignorance was obviously showing when I assumed that by "bedding block" you meant something like this:

bedding block.jpg
bedding block.jpg (31.91 KiB) Viewed 11354 times

Admittedly that is for a single shot Rem 700 but its a lot of aluminum, even with a mag opening cutout.

Still short of a manufacturing malfunction, I would still expect the stock to have taken that kind of punishment. I'm no authority on the RAR but isn't it available in 300 WM? I've shot a bolt action 300 WM (once!) and compared to a 450b, they are in two different leagues. I forget if you said, but is your stock a laminate product? Laminates make for incredibly strong stocks.

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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby CJP1 » Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:15 pm

Hoot,
It was a solid birch stock not a laminated one.
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby plant_one » Sat Jun 08, 2019 8:57 am

have you gotten ahold of boyds about it?
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby CJP1 » Mon Jun 10, 2019 6:55 pm

I haven't gotten ahold of them yet. Might be time to do so.
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby CJP1 » Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:17 pm

I got an email back from Boyds today. They said occasionally a stock can split. They also said that they don't recommend pillar or glass bedding their stocks because opening up the action screw holes to fit pillars weakens their stocks. I still haven't figured out why they don't want their stocks glass bedded when they sell the bedding kits. Then they wrote that their stocks are built and designed a certain way to hold up to recoil of the firearm. They then apologized for the issues that I had and would recommend in the future to avoid bedding the stock. The stock was splitting above the pillars and to their sides. It was also splitting on the side openings for the magazine and the trigger where the wood was pretty thin. The stock was actually splitting behind their supplied V-blocks. If anything the bottom of the stock was made stronger by beddind the pillars into it. No more stocks from Boyds in my future.
Last edited by CJP1 on Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby Thom28 » Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:29 pm

I was reading on another forum about the problem a gentleman was having with Boyd stocks. He had spent over $250 for a stock and forearm for a Marlin Lever action rifle. He paid for the most expensive grade of Walnut they offered.
When he received the items they were definitely not the grade he had paid for. When contacted he stated Boyd they would not take them back without paying a $50 restocking fee. Needless to say, he was not very happy.
Quite a few others chimed in with problems they have had with Boyd stocks. Needless to say, there are some problems with these stocks.
Hope things work out for you Cal.
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Re: My stock is coming apart (Warning to others)

Postby CJP1 » Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:48 pm

Tom,
In a way I guess it has turned out ok as I stripped eveything off of the stock and threw the stock in the trash. I only paid $80.00 for the stock. I also sold the rifle to a fellow from Howell. I gave him a very good deal on it and we both walked away happy.
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