Dad always did my stocks for me. I'm somewhat skilled at it but I had nowhere near his talent for woodwork. But I do remember quite well that very same gripe about lock panels. If I remember correctly, he fashioned some tools specifically for it that seemed to make his life much easier. Something about radius vs. flats or some such. He always made his stocks from a blank but did send them to a friend of his to drill the rod hole and have the retainer set in. He said something about not having a long enough drill bit or length guide to do it perfectly. He still has 2 blanks of Turkish Walnut to drop the twins 7mm-08's when they grow out of the ones currently in use.