Can only speak from one experience with Boyds, and like AtlLaw lodge a complaint.
Bought a Ross Birchell Thumbhole stock from them for a custom Ruger 10/22 I was building a couple three years ago. Stock was advertised as a 100% finished drop-in and $169.
All of the inletting is shallow, so shallow in fact that when dropping the action in 1/3 of the safety is still trapped between wood, and the rear tang of the action is well above the finished wood of the wrist, etc. It's also so shallow in the barrel channel that even with the action sitting high and dry and shallow as inletted the barrel wouldn't even come close to going into the action. IOW, the barrel channel would need even more wood removed from it than the action area would to mount the stock to the barreled action.
100% finished drop-in? BS!
Customer service? Don't know, they never answered the phone when I tried to call several times, ignored all my emails and a couple of letters.
The stock is beautiful and I'm sure would work with lots of work removing the excess wood that they were suppose to have removed but didn't for what would actually be a 100% inletted drop-in stock. I'm not talking just some sanding, this stock would take a lot of chisel and scrapper time as well as the sanding. The stock disgruntled me enough that the 10/22 I have about $750 into so far (not including scope or mounts) still remains in the corner of the safe unfinished, and probably never will be finished.
Does anybody have to ask if I would ever buy a Boyds stock again?
I didn't think so.
Good thing I am not a fan of the Ruger 10/22 at all (in fact, I don't know why I even built the GD thing). Makes it easier to just leave it as is - as a reminder to never buy anything from Boyds again or any more 10/22's.
