The first time I ever laid eyes on a Boyds stock up close and personal, I have to admit that I was both intrigued, and hooked. A buddy of mine brought his newly restocked Ruger up to our Idaho deer camp, and after five minutes of holding that beautiful chunk of wood, I knew that I was going to have to try one for myself.
So a couple of months after the hunting season was over, I ordered not only one, but two new Boyds stocks for two of my rifles, a Ruger Hawkeye Model 77 in .270 Winchester, and a Savage 110 in .300 Winchester Magnum, both with synthetic stocks.
Because spring bear season was only about a month away, I decided to tackle the Savage first. This heavy barreled Model 110P was a rifle I had previously used in my law enforcement career, and after retiring last fall, my goal was to use its inherent accuracy and magnum power to transform it into a viable long range bear rifle.
After the successful restocking of my Savage 110, it was time to do the deer rifle build for my Ruger M77 Hawkeye in .270 Winchester. For the Ruger, I chose Boyds Prairie Hunter stock in satin finished coyote laminated hardwood. Then as options I added fish scale checkering, a Laser cut “Deer Pattern”, black one inch Limbsaver recoil pad, and even had my initials laser engraved just behind the bolt.
After updating my rifle’s action, and trigger guard screws with new Allen bolt screws which I purchased directly from the Ruger factory, it was time to remove the old synthetic stock and replace it with the new Boyds Prairie Hunter. I had my fingers crossed, hoping that the installation process would go as smoothly as it had on my Savage rifle, and that my Ruger’s action would “drop right in” to the new stock without any problems…and much to my delight, it did!
I am extremely happy with both of my Boyds replacement stocks. They have gone above and beyond meeting all of my expectations.
And I can’t wait to show off my “new” Ruger deer rifle this fall at our Idaho deer camp. Heads will definitely be turned!
