First custom gunstock

[Lee Persons]

Yeah i probably will take the advice and go with a preinletted one. I dont have the money or shop space to buy a drill press or planer and hand drilling holes might come out straight for a tobacco pipe but i doubt "good enough" will be accurate for a gunstock. Thanks everybody

 

[Ckgworks]

I have made a few stocks from blanks with a just hand tools, and everything said by others sums it up! It's alot of work, but if you are determined you will perserver......start with a nice block of walnut, without tricky grain for your first one. Not many other woods work as nice as walnut and still have the strength. I cut a large Walnut tree into blanks 6-7 years ago, and still have a few extras around. Keep in mind when looking at blanks, air dried vs kiln dried wood. That's where the big cost difference in blanks often lies.......If you decide to go the blank route, and are interested, send me a PM. I'll see what I have left and if there's any that interest you. I'm more the type to encourage you to try it.......even if you don't succeed, you will learn a bunch in the process, and if it's fun the time isn't wasted! Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

 

[shortgrass]

Every hand made stock is an 'individual'. No 2 are identical, no matter how hard I've tried. There will be some details, that are the 'traits' of the maker, that you'll find in each stock, but, identical? Nope! Each becomes a unique rifle (or shotgun).

 

[Riflehunter1776]

Richards makes a nicer stock than Boyds. If you have skill, time and patience, you can end up with a true work of art. Boyds will come more drop-in ready, if you are just looking to tighten some screws, but IMO they are clunky and bland looking. I regret the last Boyds stock I bought and wish I had stuck with Richards.....I was trying to save time...

 

[Doublezranch]

I have done several stocks now. Shortgrass has the perfect explanation. First and foremost, it's a ton of work. The reward however outweighs the months of working your hands to the bone. You will know within the first hour of having your blank if it's for you or not. You will quickly see why these stocks are so expensive to buy finished.

 

[shortgrass]

Stock making, or working with a pre-inlet requires concentration. Every time you remove a sliver or wood with a chisel, gouge or file you can screw-up. Stock making is not hard to learn, but it is difficult for many to put into practice. I've never had to "work my hands to the bone", because the work is not physically hard, but mentally challenging. I have to stay right after it, to complete the work in a timely manner so I can move on to the next project. As a side note, I find the laminates to be the worst to work with. Give me a blank of English Walnut over any other, 'cause it can cut so cleanly with a sharp chisel or gouge.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

Okay, I'm bought into this thread. Can some of you with experience please start showing off a little?

 

[Doublezranch]

338 Texan, 375 Zayne, 340 Zaylea Ann. Each stock took no less than 3 months. Even if you get a semi inletted stock, it's by no means ready. There's lots of fitting...lots. I have even see them with the action screw holes drilled incorrectly.

 

[Lee Persons]

338 Texan, 375 Zayne, 340 Zaylea Ann. Each stock took no less than 3 months. Even if you get a semi inletted stock, it's by no means ready. There's lots of fitting...lots. I have even see them with the action screw holes drilled incorrectly.

Beautiful my friend

 

[Doublezranch]

Thanks. These are the last three I've done. I'm doing one for a friend and one more for my youngest sons build.

 

[Pauleye]

Check Richard's micro fit stocks. They have walnut 95% inlet stocks for $75.00 and up. St ladt if you make a mistake You won't be out of as much money. I am planning on trying one myself. I enjoy the challenge.

I have three Richards microfit stocks and they are excellent

 

[Orange Dust]

Wow thanks for all this advice. And yes, it is a really big undertaking for me. My main problem with buying blanks is finding one with enough wood in the butt for a vertical grip, but that may just be me looking in the wrong places. I have read about partial inletted stocks some but never looked into them. I kinda feel like using a partial inlet stock makes me a "cheat" but i have to be honest with myself in that it does take an immense amount of skill. Right now my synthetic stock is covered in crafting styrafoam for a "vertical" grip, self adhesive medical tape, and a slice of 2x4 to raise my cheek weld. It looks abomnibale but only costed about 10 bucks lol. Are there any pre inletted stocks that are left unshaped? I would like to customize a shape if i could.

The easiest way to go is to order a semi finished blank from Boyds, Richards, etc. Most of them, will leave "extra wood" in areas you want to fit to you. In your case the comb and grip area. They usually won't even charge extra, the wait is just a little longer. Find a style you like and they just won't run the duplicator over those areas. Smaller places that don't use a cnc can do this easily, you just have to ask. Places that use a cnc may charge extra

 

[19elkhunter51]

If you, as you say, have never done any stock work, I will agree with all the others in saying you are getting ready to take a really big project that is very complicated. Everything I have read is all true. Stocks have been made from many different types of wood but there is a reason that walnut has been the standard for over two hundred years.
I put a semi-inletted stock on my fathers Springfield 30-06 many years ago. I first looked at purchasing a walnut blank but decided that I had neither the tools or the time to complete that job not to mention the fact that I really didn't want to spend that kind of money on a blank only to make a mistake and ruin the blank. I can not remember where I purchased the stock (Brownells?) but I do know that I spent most of the spring and part of the summer completing the new stock. That did not include any checkering. My Dad still carries that gun when he goes elk hunting.
Using the semi-inletted stock isn't "cheating". It will give you an amazing feeling of accomplishment when you finish and it will be as custom as anything you could pay for. It will always be "yours".
Someone else mentioned the number of project stocks left in the corner after a rough start. I know that I thought long and hard several times about throwing my Dad's stock on the scrap heap and buying a completed stock. I am glad I didn't do that and I have an immense amount of pride in that stock.
If you start, don't make it a job. Make it something that is a joy to work on and look at.

 

[rogerstep]

Love my Walnut Stock by ACCURATE INNOVATION not cheap but worth every penny.
Snow, Sleet, Rain, Fog it's been through it all and passed with flying colors. Not a fan of
conposite stocks The 338 shoots great, looks great I can't figure out how to post
a picture otherwise I would show it off.