i bought a browning varmint stalker in 204 ruger and dont like the composite stock so ordered a boyds thumbhole in short action, the stock showed up today and i was like a kid in the candy store. now for the bad part, the new stock is too long for the short action 204 and too short to be a long action. i cant seem to figure out what is wrong, when i set the action in the stock the magazine is about 1/2 in shorter than the cut out, and the cut out for the recoil lug is about 1/2 in too far forward. can somebody please tell me im not crazy, and do boyds sell the right stock that i need.

thanks

With the action in the stock, recoil lug in place, do the action screws line up? I checked Boyd's website and they only have stocks for the A5 and also the ABolt. The Browning website calls the Varmint Stalker an X bolt. I am not familiar with either so I have no experience with Boyd or Browning. Here is the Browning link I found, I hope it helps. AL

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/f...amp;type_id=203

Some say it is an A Bolt ll and I don't know if that action shares the same dimensions as an A Bolt either. Sorry, AL

If the rifle has an A-Bolt action, check with Browning to find out what action length they used. Browning made a super-short A-Bolt action for the WSSM cartridges and they may have used that length for the .223 family of cartridges. Winchester cataloged the .204 Ruger in their super-short WSSM actions, although I don't know if any were actually produced before the plant closed.

The super-short/WSSM actions were about 1/2 inch shorter than the short-action .308 family actions.

thanks guys for the help. it looks like it is the super short action so off to the wood working station to fill in some empty space. i hope it works. thanks again guys.

Can't you send it back?

If Boyd's doesn't inlet a stock for the super shorts you can get one from Richards Microfit Gunstocks; they make some nice ones.

http://www.rifle-stocks.com/actions_available.htm