The "D' stocks are a little nicer...they are of the same wood, but usually a little better grade. This doesn't seem intentional. On a guess, being a bit larger in dimentions, the "D" stocks can't be made out of "sticks" and they have to use slightly larger sized blanks...which happen to be less prone to problems (but not immune).
Proably with the wood is that many of the stocks have large areas of fill to cover cracks.voids, knot-holes, etc. the fill they use is sone odd synthetic stuff (a lot like dense closed cell foam)...they just don't seem to be able to reject stock wood. The finish they use is more like a pint/varnish; it covers the wood and hides the imperfections. It's the type of finish that lines on top of the wood like paint and hides the grain. Never know what is under there until you remove the finish and look, and by then it's too late to go back if it's raw-ugly.
I've cured a couple of raw-ugly stocks with lots of fill, but it's hard work.
Here are three (standard stocks...not "D" models) that have been refinished...one was easy, but the 78 and the 79 were hard fights. Look carefully, and you can see two spots (long wide filled cracks) of fill on the 78's butt stock.
this 2078 is made from the same wood...but it certainly looks different.
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Guess the bottom line is to go with the standard wood, and look for an after market stock after you've found out that it either (1) is so butt-ugly you can't stand it or (2) it doesn't fit you well enough to use (although those stocks are very well desgined for fit).
