Upgrading Your Gunstock – Boyd Hardwood Gunstock Review – Thompson Center Muzzleloader
Upgrading Your Gunstock – Thompson Center Muzzleloader Stock Upgrade
Indiana has had a traditional and for many modern hunter’s rough past when it comes to hunting with certain type of firearms. I grew up and still call Indiana home and still struggle with some of these regulations. Just a few years ago did we finally have the ability to hunt with rifles, yet it is still not legal to hunt with rifles other than what use pistol cartridges on public land. I grew up hunting for the most opportunity, which included grabbing gear that made the most bang for its buck in terms of opportunity. Since I hunt a lot on public land, and Indiana has both a firearms and muzzleloader season, buying a muzzleloader was a logical move.
I bought the Thompson Center Omega way back, and have used it every single year since. Now years later as I hunt a majority of public land, I’ve come to use more than ever, relying on it for both firearm and muzzleloader season. I also have expanded my horizons and use it for Kentucky early and late muzzleloader seasons. Since the Omega Muzzleloader has become a huge tool for me, I felt it was time for an upgrade.
I have never found anything lacking on the Omega besides the stock. You could guess that old Realtree APG camo is lacking in a world where first lite camo and sitka reign supreme, or that of wicked solid colors could match any camo pattern or terrain. Yes, a focus on the “look” is a big thing when the gun looks like you’re still back in grade school in my opinion. Camouflage like the realtree APG present on my Omega dated it bad, so I started searching for an option that would hopefully upgrade the look and feel, but also give it more enjoyment when using it. If I could find one that gave more performance too, that was icing on top! The first choice that appeared was Boyd’s Hardwood Gunstock.
Boyd’s Hardwood Gunstock
Boyds uses only top-grade hardwoods; because a hardwood stock performs! Every gunstock is dried to exacting specifications to ensure rigidity and stability then sealed with chemical-resistant finishes for long-lasting durability and performance in all weather conditions.
Price: $181+
Prices start around 181 – and increase the more custom options you choose that do not fall into the free category.
- Custom Stock Build
- Custom Wood Color/Finish
- Custom Length of Pull
- Custom engraving or stippling
- Custom Recoil pad or standard boyd pad
About Boyd’s Hardwood Gunstocks
Boyd’s is going to be your best bet for upgrading your rifle, muzzleloader, or even more, after all, Boyd is the largest aftermarket gun manufacturer in the business. Boyd’s gunstocks in over 255 different gun brands and over 1,200 models within those brands. Chances are your gun has an upgrade.
They have robustly built their customizer. As a marketing guy in the outdoor industry, this is something I can appreciate. I’ll touch on their customizer, but if you do anything right now, I would check their upgraded gunstock customizer.
Hardwood vs Synthetic Gunstock
While its true synthetic stock takes the win in many areas, hardwood stocks like Boyd’s have a few on their board! Before I grabbed one I checked out what they had to say about this upgrade for your firearm.
- Hollow plastic stocks flex too easily compared to rigid hardwood laminate stocks, this can affect the point of impact.
- Hollow plastic stocks are easily affected by temperature extremes compared to hardwood laminate, by nature being more stable in temperature extremes.
- Hollow plastic stocks transmit recoil easily compared to recoil reduction in hardwood laminate stocks.
- Hollow plastic stocks are dull and ugly, the hardwood laminate biggest gain is the dramatic upgrade in appearance.
Building Your Gunstock with the Gunstock Customizer
- Step 1: Choose a Make, Model and Action
- This is where you will be selecting your firearm make and model to see what available options are.
- Step 2: Choose a Gunstock Shape
- You will have a set of options after choosing your make and model. My make and model for the Omega Muzzleloader came out with the following options:
- Step 3: Select Gunstock Options
- Here is where you can really drill down the details of the custom hardwood gunstock build, and where admittedly I missed out! Take a note of the small options like finish, length of pull, and the one I wish I snagged, stippling to give it some texture.
Thompson Center Boyd’s Hardwood Gunstock Specs
The build I selected as I went through the customizer was the featherweight thumbhole stock. I’ve never owned a thumbhole stock and was very very pleased with it so far. Such a big difference and shift from the old stock is a change well received.
Weight – I thought the real advantage may come down to weight, after looking at this the synthetic stock in Realtree APG that came with the omega weighed 37 oz. The new Featherweight thumbhole hardwood gunstock came in right at 39 oz. Practically the same weight, so with that ruled out it was down to how I felt the performance panned out.
Thompson Center Boyd’s Hardwood Gunstock Specs
The build I selected as I went through the customizer was the featherweight thumbhole stock. I’ve never owned a thumbhole stock and was very very pleased with it so far. Such a big difference and shift from the old stock is a change well received.
Weight – I thought the real advantage may come down to weight, after looking at this the synthetic stock in realtree apg that came with the omega weighed 37 oz. The new Featherweight thumbhole hardwood gunstock came in right at 39 oz. Practically the same weight, so with that ruled out it was down to how I felt the performance panned out.
PROS:
CONS:
After shooting the Omega a few times I felt much more comfortable shooting the thumbhole and the higher check rest I got out of this was definitely more enjoyable! Overall the big advantages were aesthetic, and contact with the muzzleloader, and overall felt the muzzleloader gained major character advantages. The barrel vents, thumbhole, and coyote laminate finish just enhanced the muzzleloader’s characteristics from a 2/10 with the Realtree APG to a 10/10! As mentioned above, the big mistake I made when selecting through the customizer was the stippling to give some better texture, something I know will come in handy on cold hunts and or dealing with the weather.
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Ready to buy? Boyd’s Hardwood Gunstocks can be purchased directly from their website or through retailers like Optics Planet.
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AUTHOR BIO
Weston Schrank is a hunting industry professional with years of whitetail management and hunting experience in the Midwest. He is currently expanding that experience in the mobile hunting world, and the world of western hunting.
Instagram- @wes.schrank
