Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles McMillan isn't half as good as the Stockade stock!

I've been contemplating a stock purchase for my LH Savage and the choices were the McMillan Savage Sporter and the Stockade Hunting Sporter.
The Mickey is $445.50 from Rick Bin and the Stockade is $300 from Kevin Rayhill at Stockade. The wait times are about 4 months for either.
The price on the Stockade is attractive but what decided it in favor of the McMillan was when I called Kevin Rayhill at Stockade to inquire. I told him I was trying to decide between his stock and the Mickey. Right away he says "Well that's an easy decision, the McMillan isn't half the stock that ours is they're junk"
I wasn't about to get into it with him but just told him that he'd just made my decision for me and I was going with the McMillan.
This Rayhill guy has a very high opinion of himself and everyone else is a hacker and a putz. He called Fred Moreo, probably the leading Savage specific gunsmith in the world, a fool and a idiot.
I expect people to promote themselves and their products but if you can't do it without bashing your competitors then I don't want to do business with you.

Even folks like me that don't believe in paying the price of a mcmillan rarely dispute their quality.

If he would have guaranteed his was better...?....in your opinion or something that would have been cool. Just to bad mouth other companies is bad business and good on you for going with McMillan...!!

The internet can make ya or break ya in business, he just screwed himself with that comment...what a dumbass.

Regardless what was said, I would use whatever stock i liked better. That being said, I went with mcmillan because I could never get Stockade to give me an actual weight of their stocks. Call him back and tell him you want to build a Savage without a nut, and see what he says...

A little off subject, but I got a little perturbed this past weekend, when one of my hunting buddies told me that he didn't want me to handload for his daughters .223 anymore. Not because the 53gr TSX's haven't slayed the deer and hogs, but because the guy who own's the gunshop (in his small town) convinced him that handloads are unsafe.

Oh well. He's the professional, and one less person I have to load for.

A coupla months ago I called him and that guy can talk your ear off. I told him I liked nutless Savages better and he basically said I was a fool.
That was when he said how much of a dumbass Fred Moreo of Sharpshooter Supply was and how only he knew what to do with Savage rifles.

As to which stock I like better I have no reference point since I've handled neither.
Have you gotten your Mickey yet DC?

I would find it hard to buy a stock that cost more than my gun...

How can you build a Savage without a nut. I thought it took a nut...

HA! Couldn't resist that one...

No, guessing end of summer. Everyone told me the "Sporter" was NOT the way to go though, FYI.

The suggestions I had was the Savage Classic but I really like the open grip of the Sporter.
Haven't gotten a hold of Rick Bin yet so I may just go with the Classic.

PM sent DC.

NSA... we may not agree on the value of Obama to this world but I heartily agree with your take on this issue! Anyone that needs to come off slamming a product like McMillan in that fashion would not be able to give me the time of day.

Cardinal rule of Salesmanship, never bash another product or competitor. It makes you look desperate.

Did he elaborate on what made handloads "unsafe" ?

The shop losing out on blammo sales made the handloads dangerous.

There are 3 reasons to choose a synthetic stock.

Greater strength
Better consistency in changing environmental conditions.
Weight reduction.

Even the cheapest tupperware stocks will meet the first two criteria. When choosing an aftermarket stock it really comes down to weight, at least for me. I have no interest in any stock with a metal block molded into the stock to give it strength. If I want a stock that heavy I'll save even more money and go with laminated wood. If Stockade and B&C were truly building a good stock, they wouldn't need the aluminum blocks in them.

I've had good luck with High-Tech, Brown Precision and McMillan. McMillan ain't the cheapest, but they do offer a good stock that meets my criteria. They offer the most options, and in my experience are the one most likely to bolt right on the gun out of the box with the fewest problems.

+1.
The guy shoulda just said, "yeah the McMillian is a fine stock but ours is better because...." and then give a salesman line of chit.

I've long ago realized that gun shops are absolute piss poor places to obtain information regarding firearms. Still looking for one that has knowledgeable employees regarding anything not [bleep] "tactical."

Those guys behind the counter at a gun store don't make that much and I guess that feeling of superiority they develop is an offset to their lot in life, dictating their demeanor and conversation. Smoke is a good way to hide one's insecurity and inferiority...

There are a few that are the "real deal" and they are always a pleasure to deal with. They are the ones that are confidently humble...

Not hard to differentiate...

This is a one-man shop, and took my friend for a dummy ,which he is when it comes to reloading. He told him that his rifle would "blow up" eventually, and that he needed a big company to sue when it did. I guess he wanted to sell him some factory ammo...whatever.