I'm about to trash the synthetic stock on a Vanguard short action 243 Winchester and restock with either a Boyds or Richards laminate wood stock. The project will include glass bedding and installation of a Timney trigger. Any feedback on your experiences with Boyds vs Richards products would be helpful. What say Y'all?
Hi, I've used the Boyds stocks on several rifles and have found the quality very good for the price. But please remember that there is usually a certain amount of minor inletting involved with most any after market stock.
As for the trigger , I have been using of the Timney triggers on a varity of rifles since the 1970s and they will fullfill the needs of 90% of the shooters out there.
However the vangauard/howa trigger system if properly tuned and setup is in my opion every bit as good as the timney trigger.
The only experience that I have had with any Boyd stock was with one of their walnut replacement stocks for the M1 Garand. That one was a very high quality stock. I have never had any experience with Timney triggers, but they do have a great reputation.
Like grcsat posted, the Howa trigger is a pretty decent design itself and can be cleaned/tuned up into a very good trigger. Nothing wrong with replacing it with a Timney though since that's pretty much a drop-in mod. You might lose the 3-position safety function with the Timney (if your Vanguard has it).
I haven't used any Boyd's stocks so I can't speak for their quality other than hearing what others have posted about them, which has been nothing but good.
Personally, I replaced the wet-noodle synthetic on my older Howa1500 with a Hogue Overmolded full bedding-block model. Many of the current Howas come with the pillar-bedded Hogue Overmolded.
BUT...if you're wanting wood, I don't blame you either. Real wood is normally my preference too. I don't really care for laminated because they get kinda heavy but they do hold up in the weather better than a regular wood stock.
I put a Lam-tech on mine and love it. Hard to beat ole Walnut for looks or laminated for durability. I haven't tried a Timney for a few years but have been using some Rifle Basix lately and have been impressed. Not a Jewel but then they don't make them for Vanguards either. Its hard to get the last bit of creep out of the factory trigger without severe modifications; I'd recommend a replacement myself. I haven't messed with the 3 position safety triggers yet.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! The comments are on point and helpful. Keep them coming. I used a Boyd stock on a Savage 93R17 and found the action area structurally weakened by excessive wood removal. A significant amount of time consuming glass work was required to rebuild the area prior to the actual bedding process. Project turned out fine, stock looks nice and the rifle shoots very well. I would like to avoid the extra work if possible on the Vanguard. The Richards stocks are significantly more expensive. The real question is - is the inletting overdone like the Boyds ? The Vanguard is my "truck gun" and gets hard use. Stock strength and stability are a necessary requirement. Yes guys I'm a "Woodie"
I have Boyd Thumbhole Varmint laminated stocks on a Howa 1500 223 Rem, a Rem 700 17 Fireball and a Rem 700 221 Fireball rifles. There were no problems with the inletting but I did glass bed the three actions with about two inches of the barrel. The rest of the barrel is free floated. I have not tried any other brand of after market rifle stocks . The first Boyd stock was ok so I did see any reason to change brands.
Project has been completed. I did order a Boyd's laminate stock for the Vanguard and found the inletting to be very good. It was vastly superior to the stock they furnished for my Savage 93R project. It could have been used as a drop-in. However I did glass bed it and installed a Timney trigger as planned. The rifle looks nice and shoots like a "laser". Thanks to all for your helpful comments.
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