I had a very bad experience with MPI.
I am sure you have seen the ads in Handloader or Rifle mag.
"Want Accuracy?" "Lightweight, strong and extremely stable" Right? WRONG!!!
I had a five year battle with MPI:
They messed up the first stock in many ways. It was a Dakota classic blind magazine for a 300 win mag. At first I got some great groups with the rifle, just as I did with the original walnut stock. It suddenly wouldn't hold POI or group size. I checked the action screw tension and the front screw was loose. I tightened it and the groups came back. This repeated several times. When the front action screw sunk into the stock so far it bottomed out in the reciever's threaded hole I knew something was wrong. I thought it needed an escheon, which it did not have. I argued with Doc and he insisted it didn't need one. I ended up sending it back with the rifle mind you. (Second time)
It came back rebedded with an escheon. It just didn't shoot after that. I took it a local gunsmith. He showed me several things. It was bedded with the barrel tilting upwards at the muzzle end! They also had used a premade 13.5 LOP stock that had the rear swivel stud in place. They simply trimmed my special order stock to my shorter LOP. The stud was very close to the pad.
I complained and sent it back a third time, without the rifle.I wanted my money back. The ads in their pamphlet said they guaranteed satisfaction. The best I could do was a promise that they would make it right. I said I cannot send the rifle as McMillan had it. I had given up on using that 300 in that stock and put the 300 in a McMillan. It has never failed in any way.
In the meantime MPI agreed to stock any M70 rifle like the 300 I would give them. I found a 30-06. I sent it to them. Are you counting the rifles shipped? (3) It came back and seemed like it was going to be fine. The 06 had a floorplate and believe it or not this darn stock had the front action screw "loosening" too. It turns out the bedding material was compressing causing the screw to loosen! After much discussion I sent the stock and rifle back! (#4) It came back pillar bedded. All seemed fine until around 300 rds later the rifle began double grouping. I took it apart and the pillars were rubbing on the reciever and there was an aluminum rub pattern, left and right. I decided to recess the pillars and it again shot well. For a while. Finally the bedding under the floorplate hinge sank and caused the aluminum pc to crack! It also split near the rear trigger guard. The trigger guard was beveled so it would part from the bedding material more easily. The bevel looked like the trapizoidal shape of an ice cube. It acted like a wedge and split the stock lengthwise.
I had really had it by now and sent the stock back. I demanded I get my $450 back! I was stalled and told they would could make it right. The conversation with Doc went on for quite a few days. I said they had on numerous occasions tried and it was not working. He said he could fix it, send the rifle.
They never got a rifle from me again. I ended up writing to the Attorney General of Oregon. That ended up with numerous counter claims from MPI for all the work they did for me. In the counterclaim letter I was called a thief, a conman and many other names. The att. gen did not act.
I wrote the Att. Gen of Az. Same sort of scene. If there were many claims against MPI then they could act.
I was a poster at All Outdoors at the time. I had several others come forward to tell their stories. BackPack Hunter got me in touch with a guy that broke his MPI stock in just a few shots. It was a 505 Gibbs, if I remember correctly.
I wrote Don Polacek the advertizing Director of RIfle and Handloader. He said he would talk to Doc. He said I was not the first person who had contacted him with dissatisfaction with MPI. He told me that he would drop MPI from the advertizing if he could not get an anwser. I talked with Don Polacek on the phone and then sent him a copy of this long story. He never did drop the ads and I never heard about it again.
FINALLY? MPI had that second stock and my $450. I cannot say enough about this bad experience. I waisted a ton of money on shipping, the stock and a great deal of ammo. The total time of this fiasco was around 5 years. I ended up selling the 30-06 even through it shot well in a wood stock. Everytime I picked it up it reminded me of this mess.
So....you may have satisfaction or you may not. Your choice.
My opinion is to stay AWAY. Get a McMillan. I have five and they ALL have worked perfectly.
Sorry for being so long...had to get it out....they may have my money but I will bad mouth them till hell freezes over.
