A layperson named Steve McIntyre did just that, after reading the IPCC's 3rd Assessment Report and seeing the prominently featured "Hockey Stick" based on a paper by Mann et al., and wondering, hmm... perhaps this study is reproducible?

The rabbit hole that McIntyre and his colleagues have found themselves in over the last 10 years has, in my view, demonstrated the value of hacker-types taking an interest in climate science.

See here for a paper detailing the point where McIntyre's descent into the rabbit hole began: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~rmckitri/research/McKitrick-hockeyst...