Have been looking for a lightweight hunting stock and all but had my mind made up on a manners eh1, which I am having trouble finding. Been doing some looking and came across the grayboe Phoenix. Looks rather interesting and just wondering if anyone has tried one out? One of the big pluses for me is the weight and having an adjustable cheek piece. I need a very high one on all my guns.
- Thread starter smokinbobf4
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I had a terrain for a minute.
Felt like a pretty decent stock for the money. Biggest complaint was the barrel was offset in the channel.
For the money, Grayboes are probably pretty tough to beat IMO.
Felt like a pretty decent stock for the money. Biggest complaint was the barrel was offset in the channel.
For the money, Grayboes are probably pretty tough to beat IMO.
The Phoenix stock is extremely new. I doubt you will find many people with first hand experience with them.
Having said that, I too am interested in that stock for a later light rifle build.
Having said that, I too am interested in that stock for a later light rifle build.
Haven't touched the Phoenix, but I've been very happy with my Ridgeback. The built in bubble level is what sold it for me and I don't have any barrel channel alignment issues.
Looks pretty cool
The bubble level is a nice feature. The whole stock looks pretty decent and about what I am looking for. Just don’t know much about grayboe
I was just looking at the Pheonix this morning and they have my attention.
I have a Kelbly Atlas bedded in a Renegade and have no complaints.
As to the comment of the barrel being of center I wouldn't know since I had to open the channel up for an M24 profile.
I have a Kelbly Atlas bedded in a Renegade and have no complaints.
As to the comment of the barrel being of center I wouldn't know since I had to open the channel up for an M24 profile.
I believe the Phoenix is a Ridgeback that has had weight reduction and no side rails. Functionally and ergos wise it should be the same.
Awesome! I was thinking the same thing just no info out there. If it’s a solid stock I think it will do very well for the money and weight. Let us know when you get it!
You think Mcmillan is making the same quality stock, calling it Greyboe and selling it for less? Because that is not how any of this works. You need to go do a little research on stock construction, then maybe you will realize why these stocks are cheaper, and you wont come here shooting your mouth off making stupid comments. Manners and macmillan cost more because they are better. McMillan opened greyboe to join the mid priced stock market.
I do understand that grayboe May be sub par compared to a lot of the big names which is why I was asking about this particular stock as it checks a lot of the boxes for me. I have not tried a lot of different stocks as everyone near me just uses what comes on the gun. I do have a McMillan game hunter, krg bravo, mdt acc, and I did find a manners eh1 that should be here tomorrow. Trying to find what I like best. Don’t want to count this one out for future builds if it is a good stock. To be honest, the bravo so far is my favorite stock, it fits me perfect. Just wish it was a pound lighter and it would be on all of my hunting guns.
I'm not sure traditional FG layup construction is better. Stocks made that way are more expensive because FG/CF layup is a time and labor consuming process. It's also a very old process. Meaning that as manufacturing knowledge and material science moves on, more efficient manufacturing methods are developed.
Less expensive sometimes can also be higher quality, if you understand what you're looking at.
The Ridgeback has the built in adjustable cheek rest as well as adjustable length of pull with a spacer system, and the cheekrest is an option for the Renegade. Price is $180 installed to have it added.
I'm not trying to talk you out of it if you love this stock, but...
Honestly, if I was going to swap two barreled actions onto one stock I would not buy something that is pillared and needed to be bedded to wring maximum precision out of it, but would buy a mini-chassis that did not require bedding to achieve a high level of precision. For $400 you can get a cheap minni-chassis like an Oryx that should swap barreled actions far, far better than something pillared.
I'm sure there are those who will disagree, but swapping actions is where a mini-chassis beats the hell out of a pillared stock. Just using the pillars and not bedding everything is not going to give you nearly as much performance for 1/3 more money.
I think it's a cool looking stock that looks comfortabe to shoot. Not trying to MF it at all, but I'm not sure its the right/best tool for the job you describe.
any updates on this? could make for a great elk rifle stock...
Still waiting on mine going on two weeks. I’ll be hunting with it here soon and coyote hunting as soon as it comes in
Looks like a great stock, I like that they deleted the m-lock rails at 3 and 9'oclock. I liked ridgeback for a target stock, but it really didn't do well hunting in bad conditions. Fucker held water under the barrel channel and water got behind the side m-lock rails and cause light rust. Worked well otherwise. No regrets
I purchased one with their new hunter dbm for my 6.5CM. Looked to be at least a pound lighter than anything with similar features. Excited to drop over 2lbs from my HMR stock. Going on 34 days since ordering the multicam black, hoping it will ship this week.
Here are my first impressions on it. I hope to finally get it out to the range this week and see how she feels with a hard recoiling 45 cal muzzy.
Just got the notification mine shipped today, hopefully will be here this weekend. I'll be just waiting on my Bighorn Origin and assembling everytbing once that comes in. Will let everyone know what i think!
I threw my 45 cal muzzy in the Phoenix and shot it last weekend. It seemed to do well with the stout recoil. I’m taking it hunting this week while I chase elk.
Any updates on the Phoenix?
Finally received my Phoenix today, 60 days from purchase. I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding a few questions, but I may not be that impressed with the craftsmanship. Overall the stock feels nice, and is 22oz lighter than my HMR stock. The stock weighed in at 1010g (35.6oz *with 28g/1oz heaver cheek riser knob [40g vs 12g low profile screw]*, which is a little heavier than Grayboe's claimed 32oz. However, I'm less than impressed with the attention to detail and craftsmanship on a few parts of the stock (buttstock, inside grip, action screws, and recoil lug area). My HS Precision and Bergara stocks had smoother finishes in the action (great, now I'm certainly going to have to bed it) with no visible defects on the stock. We shall see how the company replies, and hopefully it does not take another 60 days.
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I had a similar grayboe experience. Red Hawk took it back and gave me a full refund but man was it sloppy. Little pin holes all over the finish, paint flaking off, areas not even painted at all. Also same as yours the bedding area just looked like hammered shit.
I want to give them another shot with a Phoenix but after seeing this idk.
I want to give them another shot with a Phoenix but after seeing this idk.
I am also interested in the Phoenix...
Anyone use one enough yet for some input on feel and fitment?
Anyone use one enough yet for some input on feel and fitment?
Finally received my Phoenix today, 60 days from purchase. I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding a few questions, but I may not be that impressed with the craftsmanship. Overall the stock feels nice, and is 22oz lighter than my HMR stock. The stock weighed in at 1010g (35.6oz *with 28g/1oz heaver cheek riser knob [40g vs 12g low profile screw]*, which is a little heavier than Grayboe's claimed 32oz. However, I'm less than impressed with the attention to detail and craftsmanship on a few parts of the stock (buttstock, inside grip, action screws, and recoil lug area). My HS Precision and Bergara stocks had smoother finishes in the action (great, now I'm certainly going to have to bed it) with no visible defects on the stock. We shall see how the company replies, and hopefully it does not take another 60 days.
Are those finger prints in the last picture between the black and green?
Wow ! No doubt a picture is worth a 1,000 words .
I don't think its finger prints...not a typical fingerprint anyway... looks more like fabric from a decal they used.
Yeah, thats pretty much how my Greyboe looked too. It shot fine, but its like the Walmart version of quality stock. Generic finish, generic inlet, lower quality construction, cheaper price, good enough for 99% of shooters. Bed it and slap some paint on, and they look ok. I added some texturing to the grip and left side flush cups to mine also.
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I have a Bergara Premier Ridgeback in 6.5 PRC . They did I think a great job on that, plus its a great shooter. So reading about low quality of the Phoenix was discouraging .I WAS thinking of selling my Cadex Strike Nuke EVO and getting the Phoenix. The Cadex is a work of art, just dang heavy.
Finally received my Phoenix today, 60 days from purchase. I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding a few questions, but I may not be that impressed with the craftsmanship. Overall the stock feels nice, and is 22oz lighter than my HMR stock. The stock weighed in at 1010g (35.6oz *with 28g/1oz heaver cheek riser knob [40g vs 12g low profile screw]*, which is a little heavier than Grayboe's claimed 32oz. However, I'm less than impressed with the attention to detail and craftsmanship on a few parts of the stock (buttstock, inside grip, action screws, and recoil lug area). My HS Precision and Bergara stocks had smoother finishes in the action (great, now I'm certainly going to have to bed it) with no visible defects on the stock. We shall see how the company replies, and hopefully it does not take another 60 days.
Any response from them yet?
I'm sure that Grayboe will strive to make you happy.
With that said, I think your criticism of the craftsmanship is a bit extreme.
Were you expecting the hydrodip to be pristine where it is not visible (as in, hidden by the spacers/recoil pad)? Similarly, at the rear action screw what were you expecting to see? I see the dip film torn apart slightly, but again in an area covered once the action is installed. I see those issues as a manufacturing understanding what actually matters and not getting sidetracked on the things that don't.
For the paint in the action area, is it the fact that the whole area is painted that is bothersome, or that there are some bumps in it?
Grayboe offers stocks that work for a wide variety of actions. Are they as refined as other, more expensive option? No, but because that is not the market they are targeting. If you want a flawlessly machined inlet, they are not your huckleberry. For that matter, I've see some very flawed McMillan and Manners inlets, and HS precision stocks with extreme issues.
We live in a time where people are expecting perfection, but generally unwilling to pay the price for what that actually costs. Why does Chad Dixon charge what he does for a bedding job? Because perfection takes time and attention which is not cheap.
We want to grab parts from 10 different companies, slap them together in our garage and then thrown our hands up in disgust when things don't function perfectly. Bed an action to a stock? Blasphemy!
When I order a stock, I expect that I will need to bed it regardless of who manufactured it. Why? Because no matter how good the inlet, it will never be as good as a bedded action. Many people skate by without bedding because, quite honestly, they are unable to shoot to a level where they can understand the influence of bedding. There are a lot of sub 0.5 MOA rifles out there, but many fewer sub 0.5 MOA shooters.
I've had the pleasure to work on a lot of stocks over the years, from many different manufacturers. I've seen some very expensive stocks that get delivered to the purchaser looking like a beaver chewed on them. Far worse than anything you are showing, but honestly how they are expected to be delivered. Why? Because it is known that the end-user will need to spend some time with them making them perfect. Ever see the video of a Bansner stock being inlet with a router? And we complain about a couple bumps in the paint on a CNC inletted stock...
We live in good time for the precision rifle world. It's amazing how far we've come in only a handful of years. But even with the quality of the products generally out there with little lead time, we should expect to spend some time making things "just right".
With that said, I think your criticism of the craftsmanship is a bit extreme.
Were you expecting the hydrodip to be pristine where it is not visible (as in, hidden by the spacers/recoil pad)? Similarly, at the rear action screw what were you expecting to see? I see the dip film torn apart slightly, but again in an area covered once the action is installed. I see those issues as a manufacturing understanding what actually matters and not getting sidetracked on the things that don't.
For the paint in the action area, is it the fact that the whole area is painted that is bothersome, or that there are some bumps in it?
Grayboe offers stocks that work for a wide variety of actions. Are they as refined as other, more expensive option? No, but because that is not the market they are targeting. If you want a flawlessly machined inlet, they are not your huckleberry. For that matter, I've see some very flawed McMillan and Manners inlets, and HS precision stocks with extreme issues.
We live in a time where people are expecting perfection, but generally unwilling to pay the price for what that actually costs. Why does Chad Dixon charge what he does for a bedding job? Because perfection takes time and attention which is not cheap.
We want to grab parts from 10 different companies, slap them together in our garage and then thrown our hands up in disgust when things don't function perfectly. Bed an action to a stock? Blasphemy!
When I order a stock, I expect that I will need to bed it regardless of who manufactured it. Why? Because no matter how good the inlet, it will never be as good as a bedded action. Many people skate by without bedding because, quite honestly, they are unable to shoot to a level where they can understand the influence of bedding. There are a lot of sub 0.5 MOA rifles out there, but many fewer sub 0.5 MOA shooters.
I've had the pleasure to work on a lot of stocks over the years, from many different manufacturers. I've seen some very expensive stocks that get delivered to the purchaser looking like a beaver chewed on them. Far worse than anything you are showing, but honestly how they are expected to be delivered. Why? Because it is known that the end-user will need to spend some time with them making them perfect. Ever see the video of a Bansner stock being inlet with a router? And we complain about a couple bumps in the paint on a CNC inletted stock...
We live in good time for the precision rifle world. It's amazing how far we've come in only a handful of years. But even with the quality of the products generally out there with little lead time, we should expect to spend some time making things "just right".
They have been fairly responsive to my emails. They received it earlier this week to weigh it to verify it is heavier than advertised in order to possibly issue a replacement or refund.
I think the criticism is warranted. They sell it as “Arrives to you drop in ready, bolt your rifle on and go shoot” and the majority of shooters here can see that it’s not up to par and drop in ready.
The dip is not the issue. The pillars have been painted/dip over, action and lug inlet are rough, and pits in the stock/grip makes me think there is air pockets in the mold. All of these could add up to issueS. I have an McMillan MC3 that’s cheaper and it at least had a smooth inlet, no air pits, and exposed pillars.
We also live in a time where perfection has never been so cheap! That’s why thousands on the hide have successfully built very accurate rifles out of parts from 10 different companies. Hell, I assembled one of my rifles in 30 minute used budget components and they work perfectly! The age of stocks needing additional work is dying as customers demand true drop in ready and most companies are delivering.
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Figured I'd close out my contribution to this thread. Grayboe received the stock, weighed it at 34oz, and offered me a full refund. I took the refund, shelved my plans to hunt with this rifle, and will build a sub 8lb 300PRC next year for anything my 270win cannot handle (elk).
Good to hear they are good to work with I guess.... I was hoping a few more people would have some hands on experience with this. I appreciate the the people that have giving their opinion so far.
For a light weight hunting stock take a look at Bansner. I have and love all my McM but for a light weight hunting stock the Bansners are nice.
Anyone else with updates on these?
Grayboe claims the tikka version will be out in the next couple weeks and I will likely place an order for one.
Grayboe claims the tikka version will be out in the next couple weeks and I will likely place an order for one.
I just finished up reviewing one and I like it, I think it's an awesome value in terms of weight, features, and lead time. I got mine in Woodland Camo which arrived within their stated 4 week lead time.
That stock has some of the same traits as the other one in here like an air pocket up in the grip and a divot under the recoil pad. I had a feeling I knew what caused them but I emailed Grayboe and corresponded with one of their reps about what I was seeing. I have to admit the rep's candor and honesty was pretty great and he confirmed that the air pockets and divot were a result of their molding process. It's the same with the action inlet, that whole section is molded in so that's why there could appear to be some unevenness in certain places. It's not perfect but it saves a ton of time and cost by not having to mill the stock or completely finish areas of the stock that will be hidden. He also said that if an air pocket occurs someplace like in the action inlet it's filled in with the same material the stock is molded from. So for me, I wasn't all that upset about anything I saw with the stock, a skim bed job would likely take care of everything, which most people who get this kind of stock are likely to do any way, me included.
I saw the one guy's comment about the weight so I weighed mine, it's right on the money at 32 oz with the big t-handle knob and three LOP spacers. I ended up dropping two Bergara barreled actions into the stock and despite the perceived unevenness in action inlet I didn't have any problems with accuracy, both were sub-MOA with factory match ammo. Although I didn't have any problems with the cheek piece coming loose I went ahead and threw a 1/4" shaft color on it so that I could return it right where it needed to go after cleaning. My only real problem with the stock occurred with my Bergara HMR, it turns out that the cocking indicator sticks out just enough that it prevents full travel of the bolt. Not a big deal, five minutes with a round file and I was in business. It turns out that Grayboe is aware of the issue and if you order the stock for a Bergara ( I didn't, I just ordered it for a Remington 700) they'll notch out the cheek piece to clear the cocking indicator.
Off a tripod, in the prone, and off barricades the stock was comfortable and felt solid for only weighing 2 pounds. I'm planning to put my AAC-SD in this stock and again when I torqued that action into the stock, all seemed good to go but I still need to get to the range to zero.
That stock has some of the same traits as the other one in here like an air pocket up in the grip and a divot under the recoil pad. I had a feeling I knew what caused them but I emailed Grayboe and corresponded with one of their reps about what I was seeing. I have to admit the rep's candor and honesty was pretty great and he confirmed that the air pockets and divot were a result of their molding process. It's the same with the action inlet, that whole section is molded in so that's why there could appear to be some unevenness in certain places. It's not perfect but it saves a ton of time and cost by not having to mill the stock or completely finish areas of the stock that will be hidden. He also said that if an air pocket occurs someplace like in the action inlet it's filled in with the same material the stock is molded from. So for me, I wasn't all that upset about anything I saw with the stock, a skim bed job would likely take care of everything, which most people who get this kind of stock are likely to do any way, me included.
I saw the one guy's comment about the weight so I weighed mine, it's right on the money at 32 oz with the big t-handle knob and three LOP spacers. I ended up dropping two Bergara barreled actions into the stock and despite the perceived unevenness in action inlet I didn't have any problems with accuracy, both were sub-MOA with factory match ammo. Although I didn't have any problems with the cheek piece coming loose I went ahead and threw a 1/4" shaft color on it so that I could return it right where it needed to go after cleaning. My only real problem with the stock occurred with my Bergara HMR, it turns out that the cocking indicator sticks out just enough that it prevents full travel of the bolt. Not a big deal, five minutes with a round file and I was in business. It turns out that Grayboe is aware of the issue and if you order the stock for a Bergara ( I didn't, I just ordered it for a Remington 700) they'll notch out the cheek piece to clear the cocking indicator.
Off a tripod, in the prone, and off barricades the stock was comfortable and felt solid for only weighing 2 pounds. I'm planning to put my AAC-SD in this stock and again when I torqued that action into the stock, all seemed good to go but I still need to get to the range to zero.
Thank you for the feedback, great to hear.
would you mind getting a measurement of the forend length? I’m planning on running a full length arca rail on mine. Currently have an unused Henderson precision 12” rail and figured that should work, but don’t want it hanging off an excessive amount.
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