Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Laminated blanks - Boyds, Richard's Micro-fit, other?

Looking on-line for a laminated wood stock blank and Boyds and Richards both offer them. Boyds' is 2 1/4" wide while Richards' is 2 1/2" but other than that the dimensions of both are suitable for sporter stocks.

Boyds charges $39.99 for a standard nutmeg or pepper laminate, Richards charges $69.00.

Does anybody have anything good or bad or say about either? I'm wondering if they both don't get their wood from the same supplier. Boyds gets theirs from Rutledge, I don't where Richards gets theirs.

Boyd i wouldn't but chit from Richards again , worst customer service of anyone to deal with

One thing that you have to remember is that Boyeds are cut to fit ALL of that type action. So the fit is not as good as if you do your own fitting of the action.
I have use Richards for many of my stocks and have given them my own wood to cut. They like all business are on a time frame and you have to exceot that when you order from them. Have you ordered a barrel lately, 10-12 week is the norn for most mfgs. I will say Helen is not best to keep in touch with you but is there to answer questions. Nothing get by her.

I would be buying a blank of wood, not a semi-inletted stock. That blank would be given to a local guy who would turn it into a vry closely inletted stock.

Just wondering if the $30 price difference for basically the same product indicates any difference in their laminated wood or not. Boyds advertises shipping in 1 or 2 business days for the wood colors I'm looking at.

Not saying it's still the case, but at one time there was only one company making the laminate and selling it to all other companies.

Boyds and Richards are the same laminate and comes from Rutland laminates www.rutply.com
Its also used by a number of other stock makers. I have been using it for a number of years on rifles from .22 to .495A-Square and its very good stuff.

Thanks, I suspected as much.

(Rutland, not Rutledge � don�t know why I typed that.)

Hi Jim,
thought you put Rutlands anyway.....must start wearing my glasses...just can never find them!
Couple of other companies are doing the same stuff. Laminates afield, and another one called Coniseu laminates, or somthing like that, but you may as wel get Rutlands, they are good to deal with.
I have had blanks of Richards and had no problems, just got to phone them early in the day.
Cheers,
Paul.

I've had fine service from Boyd's. Fast shippping and great quality. On an aside here- anyone know a company building semi or inleetted laminates for a Tikka T3? Boyd's is not (yet) producing them...

I don't know if he has the T3 inlet pattern, but you might give Donnie Gemes a call.
660-438-4568

Richards do inlet stocks for T-3's check out the bargan list as well.

Has anyone purchased a blank directly from www.rutply.com and then had the stock custom built by a smith/maker to your specs? I'm curious how much work it was to start with a laminate blank, how it worked out, who you used, etc.

Haven't tried to buy one directly from them but they will make up blanks. From their website:

"Panel Sizes available (L x W)
51� x 16.5� (1295.4mm x 419.1mm)
35.5� x 12� (901.7mm x 304.8mm)


Thickness available
From 1�- 3" (25.4mm to (76.2mm)
Panels sawed into Gunstock blanks on request" (bold mine)

I'm guessing you'd have to buy the whole panel which would make two blanks at least but I see you can get a custom thickness. Glad you mentioned this, I hadn't thought of it and it's definitely worth a call to them.


On the second part, that's what I'm fixing to do. It's no different than working with a walnut blank. In this case we'll make a pattern out of maple or something, bondo it here and there to make it just the shape I want, then duplicate that in a pantograph on the laminate blank. At that point it's exactly like any other semi-inletted stock, just needs some final fitting of the action, barrel inletted if necessary (depends on whether you duplicated the barrel channel from the pattern), maybe some fine finish shaping and sanding and adding the finish of your choice.

I'm using the stockmaker I've posted about in the Custom Rifles forum to make the pattern and semi-inletted stock, and a local guy here in Boise will do the final work. I'll post how it all turns out.

Just read some more on Rutland's site - it looks like the minimum order is 4 panels which is way more than I need, so it's going to be a lot more economical just to order from Boyds. $39.99 for a blank isn't too bad.

You could always get an un-inletted stock from Richards and get your guy to inlet it.
I buy the blanks from Rutlands in batches, so I thought the mininum of four was for export only.
You may aswel get a blank from Richards, they have them in stock so you wouldn't have to wait.

That is a bummer. I had hoped to avoid one of the pre-inletted stocks as it's not clear how ggod a fit they will offer to the barrel & action I am plannning, given the stock design I want.

I guess the only approach would be to get the 4 panels, use what you need and then try and individually sell the rest...or go in with a couple guys on the 4-panel buy and divide it up, assuming the panel measurements work for all planned buyers. That would take a good bit of coordination though. Keep me posted...and I will look up your thread in the Custom Gunmaker forum to see who you are using for stock work.

I just got a Boyd's Thumbhole for a Ruger 10/22 and am pleased with the quality of the material and the fit.

The problem which exists is that the offered designs may not fit into what the customer wants. This is why Jim is looking at buying the panel. This is the best way to get what you want. The other alternative is to order an oversized, shaped blank which will allow you to get what you want in the finished stock. GD

Richard's sucks!

Boydes will sell you a blank. At least they used to.