Gunsmithing 3-6month waits

[outlawkyote]

I know the chassis is all the new fad but just not for me, I prefer wood or Mcmillan stocks. Many of those really dont suit me either so out of necessity I started building my own.
It took several tries before I finally started getting the hang of it so usuall built with inexpensive woods until I finally ordered my first blank from Boyds stocks. Still not exactly what Im wanting but Ive got some ideas for future builds.
Anyhow, Would just like to show n tell a little.
Dont look too close, There are some mistakes here n there.

 

[Maxduty]

Good job. That is some dedication there. I can appreciate the craftsmanship.

 

[seanh]

Sweet, nice work

 

[outlawkyote]

Thanks for the compliments, Im hoping things will get better as time goes on since Ive got 4 blanks ordered. I just cant believe that a person has to wait up to 6 months to get a nice stock when I can usually rough one out in a couple hours and be shooting it in a week using not much more than a router and angle grinder.
Is anyone else building stocks by hand that might be able to give me some tricks or secrets to help get my inletting done more proficiently? At present I rely a lot on bedding to fill my mistakes.

 

[pabrousseau]

Great job you've done there. Impressive

 

[1moaoff]

As far as I letting. Try a manual mill with a Dro

 

[Wannashootit]

Is anyone else building stocks by hand that might be able to give me some tricks or secrets to help get my inletting done more proficiently? At present I rely a lot on bedding to fill my mistakes.

I bought a stock duplicator from Radarcarve about a decade ago...not the most rigid machine out there ( I did some mods to remedy this), but it's not five grand either like a Terrco.
If you're doing strictly one-off's a duplicator doesn't make sense (obviously).

But with one, you can rough out a blank made from whatever you got, quickly shape/fair to what you want with the help of Bondo. It's must faster getting to the end, if you know you can quickly work with Bondo to get there. Inletting? for the pattern stock- it's cut out rough and oversized, then an action is bedded into it. This gives the pattern stock precise inletting.

Once a pattern stock is made, I've used it to help cut another one- then do slight modifications to it (wider forend, different grip shape, etc.) to create a new pattern. Makes the process much faster.

I believe the Radarcarve is now sold on Ebay under this name:

Gunstock Blank Carving Duplicator- Walnut to Stock in Short Time | eBay

Includes a nice selection of cutting bits, each with a stylus to match. In Australia, uses the GMR-1.

www.ebay.com

 

[outlawkyote]

I have this bookmarked , It looks like the same machine. I just cant justify the money for making a few stocks here and there. Would love to have one though.

Model One - for volume production work

The ultimate for volume production work, this basic carving duplicator will carve objects up to 8 inches in diameter by any length needed.

www.carvermaster.com

Years ago I had Joel Russo send me a pattern that I altered with bondo and sent it back so he could duplicate it for me. Prices on his stocks have gone up considerably and still that 3-6 month wait period.

As for inletting, Ive been using a mill but even that sometimes gives me trouble trying to get everything measure out right, Ive been cutting a little large and still having to hand dermal to get the spots that rub or touch.
This is supposed to be a hobby out of necessity and at the present time Im not wanting to invest a lot of money into it. I dont build very many rifles annually.

 

[TriggerJerk!]

Excellent job and photo chronology of the build. And a special thank you for posting something about firearms instead of politics.

 

[Wannashootit]

Have you looked at Richards Microfit??
A LOT of different designs, much more than Boyd's.
They are unfinished, and the inletting is rough- but that's not a consideration with your skills.

 

[outlawkyote]

Yes, I purchased a Wolverine stock from them, Turned out really nice, wish they offered it in a wider forearm though.

 

[Gregor.Samsa]

This is excellent workmanship! I love the DIY approach!

 

[outlawkyote]

Thank you

 

[Smokenaces]

Impressive work! Most anyone can order a stock and make minor adjustments to fit but this takes a bit more skill.

 

[outlawkyote]

Roughed in another one this morning
It's a grey laminated blank from Boyd's and I put hickory caps on it. Should look really cool when I get a sealer on it. The grey should get a lot darker and the hickory should stay about the same color.
Next is aluminum pillars and the finish the in letting
It's 34" long but I have a barreled action with a 30" shillen barrel with a 1.22" contour with no taper.
Hope I don't mess up now,

 

[sgtsmmiii]

Thanks for the compliments, Im hoping things will get better as time goes on since Ive got 4 blanks ordered. I just cant believe that a person has to wait up to 6 months to get a nice stock when I can usually rough one out in a couple hours and be shooting it in a week using not much more than a router and angle grinder.

I think the issue becomes when you multiply that amount of work X 100 +/-, plus all of the additional stuff they have to complete, plus the phone calls and having to listen to the person talking for 20-30 minutes about all of the other neat stuff they ( and their daddy & grand-daddy ) have/ had.

I like my stuff quick just like everyone else but I understand all of the other BS that comes with it.

 

[outlawkyote]

I agree, its not their fault. Its your fault and everyone that gets in line for products before I do. lol
I've been tinkering on guns ever since my dad gave me my first 22 (about 47 years ago). The waits were never this long. My first McMillan stock only took 3 weeks to arrive at my door and my gunsmith only took 4 weeks to have a fresh shillen barrel screwed onto my action. That was back in the mid 70s.
Powder and bullets were never hard to come by and PTG only had a 2 week wait on a custom reamer.
How times have changed!
Now I'm reduced to building from scratch if I want something in a timely manner.
As a side note, when I owned my electrical company, I hired more help and purchased more tools when we got overly busy. People wouldn't accept being told they would have to wait 6 months to get their electrical fixed.
If everyone would start doing more for themselves maybe the gun industry would strive harder to keep up with demand?
I'm doing my part. Lol

 

[acudaowner]

thank you for sharing the pics it looks real nice , I can hardly wait to see your dyi project if you decide to make one . I also would love to try to make my own stock someday .
Because what little boy doesn't grow up to want there very own collection of priceless master pieces

and save the west from big bad bart and his gang of cut throats and save the girl..on his faithful steed

 

[outlawkyote]

You should try. Its not easy but its a labor of love, do your first one out of cheap material. The first stocks I made were kinda horrid. Lol

 

[Hawkeyemm]

It’s always good to see someone DIY it. Something I would like to try someday but, between reloading, live fire, dry fire, physical training, and work.....yeah it’s not going to happen right now.

 

[outlawkyote]

They are getting easier every time I build another. I ordered two more blanks. A coyote laminate and a pepper laminate. Im thinking about cutting up the pepper laminate to use for the forend cap and grip cap. We'll see what happens

 

[FisherT&C]

I loved doing wood stocks, I haven't touched one in 4 years. I didn't do too many either, it was always a hard sell with the turn around time. You really got to take your time when your whittling on an expensive piece of wood. Then when I would hand someone their rifle they would say something to the effect of "wow! I'm never gonna shoot this, it's too pretty. "
That's why I gravitate towards competition shooters, they put stuff through the ringer and let you know what the capabilities of your work are.
VERY GOOD WORK! Sir.

 

[outlawkyote]

Thank you