Pump action shotguns are great. They’re powerful, simple to use, reliable and relatively inexpensive. There are, however, some downsides to most entry level pump guns. Some of the same things that make those guns so inexpensive make them fit the shooter poorly and are generally unattractive.
Boyds Gunstocks is looking to improve both of those issues with their At-One adjustable stocks for popular pump action shotguns. I decided to give it a go on my dedicated turkey gun, the Remington 870 (Boyd’s also offers options for rifle stocks, too).
Installation should take you less than 30 minutes. Be advised, the instructions included are for installing the Boyds stock, not for the necessary disassembly of your shotgun. You’ll need a basic understanding of how your shotgun works and how to remove the butt stock and remove and disassemble the fore stock. If you don’t know, Youtube is your friend.
Once you have you have the butt stock and fore stock disassembled and removed, the installation of the Boyds At-One stock is pretty straightforward. There is only one challenging portion.
The installation instructions tell you to “use a 3/16 Allen wrench to tighten the butt stock to the adapter to approximately 45 to 50 inch-pounds…”. Good luck with that. If all you have is an Allen wrench, it needs to be quite long, and there’s no way to know inch-pounds.
I would highly recommend using a screwdriver with an Allen tip. You’ll find it much easier. If you have a driver that will tell you inch pounds of torque, that’s the only way you’ll know when you’re at 45 o 50 inch pounds. Otherwise, just tighten it until you can’t.
The overall fit of the At-One adjustable stock is ok. There’s a large and uniform gap between the adapter and the receiver. There is also a bit of a gap on the other side, where the adapter meets the butt stock itself, but this is far less noticeable.
Despite those gaps, the stock is quite solid. There’s no movement or wiggle in it at all. The butt pad sits wide on the shoulder and reduces felt recoil, especially since it can now be in the correct position for my head.
The laminated wood itself is nicely finished and looks great, as does the hardware, although the style is more suited to a rifle or slug gun than a bird gun. The bottom of the butt stock as well as the fore stock are both flatter than the originals and would fit well on a bag or in a deer stand.
The wrist is widened as well, and the Boyds At-One stock includes a larger, more pronounced palm swell.
Since my turkey gun has been rattle-canned, the stock sent for review doesn’t really match the color scheme, but you can choose from 12 different color options when ordering one for your gun. My sample would look much better on a stock shotgun, but I don’t have any of those.
The whole point of the At-One stock set is the ability to change is length of pull as well as the comb height. There is no adjustment for cast or for heel drop. With the push of a button the rear of the stock extends and locks in place. The same goes for the cheek piece.
Be a little careful here, as if you pull straight up on the adjustable comb, you can pull it right out. The button itself then can fall out. If you did this in the field, it would be pretty easy to lose that little black button.
If you’re someone who does everything with the same shotgun, the ability to change comb height is particularly nice. The At-One lets you quickly adjust your shotgun’s comb height to fit irons or a scope with ease.
Boyds At-One is filling a gap that a lot of people don’t know they have with the At-One stocks for pump action shotguns. If you have a synthetic stock on your pump gun, this will be a massive improvement in both feel and appearance. It will also help you easily get the right length of pull and adjust the comb height as well.
Boyds At-One Stock Set for the Remington 870 12 Gauge
Price $175
Overall * * * *
Installation was easy if you have a torque-measuring driver or just a long Allen wrench. The wood and the hardware are attractive, far more so than the synthetic stock many cheap guns come with. The ability to achieve a better fit with push-button ease will certainly reduce felt recoil and improve your overall performance with the gun. A point off for the receiver-to-adapter gap and the easy possibility of losing the hardware in the field.
Not excited about the square grip. Doesn’t look very comfortable in the hand.
It is uncomfortable and would really hurt on a 12G shotgun. Even leather gloves are not enough to overcome the square edges.
I didn’t experience that. I shot it using birdshot and slugs without issue.
Dat gap though.
I was looking Boyds sometime ago when I replaced the stock on my 7600. I eventually just went with a 870 synthetic. What shied me away from Boyd’s were the number of complaints I saw about customer service. They may have and I hope they have improved on that score.
I apologize in advance, for I haven’t been in the hunting and sleet shooting game since high school, but aren’t sporting shotguns meant for point-shooting? Doesn’t a precision match rifle style stock kinda negate that whole concept?
I assume the idea is to accommodate slug gun shooters as well as bird hunters.
It is very important for a spoting clays, skeet, or trap gun to fit properly. The gun needs to shoot where you are pointing it. It needs to fit so that the gun points to where you are looking.
That stock has a thingy that goes up and a separate thingy that goes back. Repeatedly. Nosense in paying 175 bucks for something that’ll get bump stocked in a few months.
I own an AT-One stock on a savage A17 and it sucks..The square edges do not allow for a solid grip and finally took sandpaper to the stock. It is still not comfortable and no way I can imagine that on my 12 G.Versa-Max. Sorry, I love Boyd’s stuff, but the At-One is a flop, big time.
Or my 870
I just built a Remington 870 for trap shooting using the AT-one stock in coyote laminate. Noticed the gap also, but figured out it is the spacer plate between the stock and the receiver. Take that flat washer type spacer out and the adapter fits snuggly up to the receiver. Instructions don’t mention that. I too found the squared off grip to be a little annoying. Just figured out were to place my grip so the corners are in the folds of my fingers. Shoots nice at trap. The extendable LOP is a little wiggley or twisty, but there is no slop with the in or out adjustment. The stock is a little light and messes with the balance of the gun. There doesn’t seem to be any place to add additional weight or install a recoil reducer. I like it, looks good, and so far, shoots nice.
Do these fit the Remington 870 express?
Do these fit the Remington 870 express with a wood stock?
Yes boyds has one that fits that gun