I've had similar experiences with less than adequate finishes on the stocks of my guns. My Merkel 247SL arrived with about 70% of the pores filles so I sanded it down, refinished the stock, and put on a leather pad over a 3/4" extension. It now looks better than most finishes I've seen on the highest grade guns. It's actually satisfying doing the work myself and bringing out the true quality of the wood by letting the hand rubbed oil lift the color from the grain. I have a collection of Weatherby's that I've stripped of the ugly polyurethane coat and applied a best grade oil finish and they all look superb.

So, while I'd rather have an impeccably finished stock straight from the maker, I also welcome the opportunity to do the work myself. By the way, all of my rifles get a London orange Silver's pad!