Richards Microfit Gunstocks Grades?

i think you can call and ask for them to send example of the grades. the only stock from them i have now is my 1909 argentine, i believe it was a semi fancy from the seconds bin on the right side there is a small knot just under the receiver ring. you can't beat there stocks for the money.

This is a semi fancy, it's actually probably the nicest piece of wood I've had yet.

Whoops wrong picture....couldn't see it for the red X....


This one was what I wanted.

I cannot remember exactly, but I think this was made A grade walnut. Either way, I was expecting more figure than I got from what I ordered. I was expecting claro walnut and I think I got black walnut. It sure finished a lot darker than I expected. I had an oddball action, and I'm hoping that is why my "95% inlet" looked more like 50% inlet and 70% shaped. All I had here hand tools, dremel and a belt sander. I bet it took me 100 hours to get the stock complete. I will not use them again. I might try Macon next time.......

Jessesky said:

Hey Guys,

I’m working on a vz-24 build. I’d like to get an English or French walnut stock for this rifle. I understand Richards microfit will take a lot of finish work. What I haven’t been able to get a sense of is how well they grade their wood. Richards has English walnut I’d like to order. I am looking to get either grade AA or AAA.

Do any of you have photos you can post of your stock and the grade of wood you ordered? (It can be any Wood, not only walnut)

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greyling22 said:

I cannot remember exactly, but I think this was made A grade walnut. Either way, I was expecting more figure than I got from what I ordered. I was expecting claro walnut and I think I got black walnut. It sure finished a lot darker than I expected. I had an oddball action, and I'm hoping that is why my "95% inlet" looked more like 50% inlet and 70% shaped. All I had here hand tools, dremel and a belt sander. I bet it took me 100 hours to get the stock complete. I will not use them again. I might try Macon next time.......

Click to expand...

So another option is http://mnrcustom.com/ He will send you pics of the wood selection in your price range. Now what I really recommend doing is making a patern stock. Get a cheap stock from Boyd’s or eBay. Inlet and fit your action, mag well or what have you, and your length of pull and butt plate. The. File, grind,fill with bondo, and shape that stock to exactly what you want in size dimensions, feel, shape, fore end, you name it. It’s a lot work but that pattern will fint like a glove when you are done. It will be ugly but yours.

Next send it to MNR and they will use the wood you select and build your stock out of it using your pattern as the templet. You will then have to finish inletting the inside and finishing the out side. But it’s worth every bit of the work. No joke it’s going to easily double the amount of time you spend on your stock. But you get a glove that fits every part of your body, hand, and face made out of the wood you pick out. With the amount of time it takes for your to make your pattern stock to ship to him, you have time to save up for the added cost. WORTH EVERY PENNY.

Here is another option too. But I have not used them. http://gunstockinletting.com/riflestocks.html and don’t know anything about them. Only a couple exchanged emails cause I want some custom 10/22 and rem 700 manlicher stocks.

MNR is the real deal. You will do as much work after with your company you are thinking of but this route will yield a rifle built for you.

Who is doing your barrel? I have aVZ as well with a shot out military barrel that needs replacing. With either 30-06 or 35 Whelen if I can?

I’ll look for pics of my small ring kar98 Mauser manlicher stock that MNR did for me. It’s basic wood nothing fancy but that because I was learning at the time. Still am. Didn’t want to break the bank. But it was great working them.

This is their semi-fancy Claro walnut. The lighting and the finish I applied (matte tung/linseed with a 220 grit sand, non-reflective on purpose) don't show the figure very well, but it is pronounced through the buttstock. This is the dual grip thumbhole, and the ergonomics are excellent. This stock is Claro.


This is a Grade A in American walnut, finished BLO/artist grade turpentine with a turpentine/beesewax coat and buff. Once again, the lighting is not my friend, but this stock is quite striking throughout the buttstock with more subtle color, figure and contrast throughout. This is their Frontier Sportster style, and it is an extremely comfortable shooting stock. This stock is American Walnut.


I've been quite satisfied with them. My largest complaint has been the long lead time to get a stock. On the bottom rifle, they sent a RH inlet when I'd ordered LH. They made it right, with paid shipping on the return and expedited production on a correct replacement. They upgraded me a grade of wood, and I had the new stock within a week.

Both were inletted very well. Surprisingly the Mauser was closer than the Savage, but both only required minor work with a hobby knife around the recoil lug and a couple of ticks with the Dremel around the Magazine well and trigger group.

Here are some photos of my '17 Enfield (US Rifle of 1917) with a Richards AAA fancy stock. with American Walnut.
A LOT of work, like about 2 months of cutting planing,shaping, fitting, sanding sanding sanding and then a coat of Minwax Antique oil finish every 3 or 4 days with some rubbing and steel wooling between coats. That was another 4 months. I did not do the checkering, or the blueing but all other work including the metal of the rifle was done by me by hand, no power tools.

I suspect they are a bit generous with the grading. Exhibition grade claro walnut stock for $379. It is pretty typical for that grade of walnut to sell for $1000+ for just a blank. In english walnut blanks easily go for several thousand dollars.