Gun Stock...

Gun Stock... · 04-18-2009, 09:31 PM

Can anyone help with a gun stock I'm wanting to make? I just have a 20ga my father bought me when I was little and want to pass it down to my son. I have some birdseye maple I was wanting to use and for payment I can send you a much wood as you request...Birdseye maple, Ambrosia Maple, Cherry burl, cedar burl, walnut burl, dogwood burl( just a little bit of it left)...Please let me know if you can help...

Thanks so much Chris B

PS I have the gun still together so you can probably use the old stock as a template.

scsmith42 · 04-18-2009, 09:54 PM

Chris, there are special lathe's used to rough out gun stocks. You might want to check on Google to see what you come up with.

Below is a link to some custom stock makers.

http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/customgunmakers.shtml

Tar Heel · 04-18-2009, 11:16 PM

Have you considered that, if you change the stock, you really aren't passing to your son what your dad gave to you. Some of your burl would look really nice but, IMHO, putting a new stock on it would take something away. Just a thought.

Kyle · 04-18-2009, 11:52 PM

Gun stock material takes a long time to dry. The minimum for a walnut blank in NC is 7 years.

The claro and bastogne listed on old tree are dried for at least 5 years.

Burl doesn't make a good gunstock blank and is hard as heck to dry without major distortion.

MrAudio815 · 04-19-2009, 03:08 AM

Hey Chris,

I Know a guy here in the Goldsboro area that made a Beautiful Gun stock out of a Walnut Root. It was a very large root. He is much like Erasmussen and can make anything out of anything. I could ask him tomorrow, if he has time to make one. Will probably need to know some dimensions of the 20 ga or at least the make, model and age, so we can look it up.

Best of luck if he's busy. He is in his late 70's.

Just looked at the link Scott Smith's posted and holy cow check out these prices: http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/shot....php?woodid=16

You could buy another gun for those prices!!! But then again I have never seen a gun stock like that, except the guy here in Goldsboro with is walnut root stock!

And here is how to choose the blanks: http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/sawcuts.shtml

Truefire · 04-19-2009, 06:11 PM

Chris with all of your experience turning bowls I don't see why you wouldn't be able to produce a fine stock for a 20 guage shotgun. It is not like inletting an action out of a much longer piece for an entire rifle action and barrel which is a time involved task.

But with minimal tools such as a good bandsaw, some rasps and files, a flat mortise chisel and various sandpaper you should be able to produce a very fine aesthetic and functional gun stock for your 20 gauge. Then when you pass the gun on to your son later in life, you can include the factual statement that you made the gun stock for the gun.

I really don't they it isn't something you couldn't do with your experience to successfully tackle. I have made Osage Orange Longbows and have learned when dealing with projects like this, that the best advice is, to work on it only when you are in the mood to work on it. To do otherwise is a great way to end up with a disaster....

Now some of the technical issues involved is that you would want to measure your son's length of pull to ensure the stock will fit him accordingly.
1. Measure this from the inside bend of his elbow to his first index finger.
2. Measure from the trigger to the rear of the action whereby the wood stock will eventually seat. Deduct this measurement from the total length of pull and you have the total length of the wood piece.

Next would be you could do some research to develop custom drop of comb and rise or drop of the stock's heel where it would seat on your son's facial makeup; to make a truly custom stock. Or you could simply follow the design of the original stock on the shotgun if he is shooting the gun great now with that original stock.

And if he is and you aren't familiar with the "custom" making issues of measurements and so on, simply use that stock as the template as you mentioned earlier.

Work on it when you are in the mood to do so and it'll look good.

Cannot wait to see you post a few pictures of it up here on the board in a few months or so.

Chris

MrAudio815 · 04-19-2009, 09:37 PM

Hey Chris,

I talked to the guy I know that built a gun stock to see if he had time to make one, and he said he is quite busy. He did say he had a Walnut piece cut out for a gun stock, he cut out when he was 23 about 40 years ago. So If you would like me to get it for you to try to do it yourself I can. Or I could try my hand at it. Either way I would love to have some of each of the wood you have for payment.

Sincerely,

Matthew

liftnaleg1 · 04-20-2009, 10:55 AM

Mr Audio and Chris thanks so much for all the info...I would be interested in the walnut stock if he wants to sale it...Scott I'm going to look at those lathes here in a second.....I was hopping maybe someone on here had one that is why I had asked. Maybe someone will pop up and say hey I can do it...

Thanks again guys for all the help.

Mike Davis · 04-20-2009, 11:55 AM

They aren't so much a lathe as they are a duplicator, the pattern is secured into position A that has a follower wheel which moves the cutter on position B where the new blank is secured. The pattern and blank slowly revolve while the cutter advances along while being moved in and out from center in accordance with the pattern.

In the old days each stock was cut and carved by hand, which is how the patterns are still developed. For a single custom stock there is no need to make a pattern, but sometimes they are made in a softer wood and mistakes or changes are filled in with auto body filler (aka Bondo). That is why the labor often runs into the $thousands.

I have modified stocks and made pistol grips but never a complete stock.

There is always the opportunity for a first time. But be advised, I am a very slow worker and while it may seem very expensive my hourly rate is rather low.

I would like to see the SG in question and offer an opinion on the suitability of working together on it.

ACobra289 · 04-20-2009, 07:56 PM

I don't know what kind of shape the SG is currently in, but have you thought about seeing what a gunsmith can do with it? A gunsmith near me restored a shotgun for a friend of mine. The stock was cracked and broken. My friend and I both assumed he would have to put a new stock on it. I was amazed when the gunsmith told me he was able to save the original stock. I don't know how he did it (fiberglass?), but it looked awesome. He also did a great job on restoring the metal parts.

I don't remember the exact cost, but I think it was around $220 to restore the whole shotgun. Granted, that's not cheap, but the shotgun had a lot of sentmental meaning to him and he thought it was well worth it.

This was quite a few years ago, so your milage may vary on todays cost.

Tom Dunn · 04-24-2009, 12:16 PM

I'm curious as to what type shotgun you have here, a single shot, double barrel, pump or what all?

Kyle · 04-24-2009, 01:19 PM

check these out..

http://www.mckaybrown.com/

Mike Davis · 04-24-2009, 01:31 PM

WOW!!!

Tom Dunn · 04-25-2009, 02:21 PM

Beautiful guns!

And lets not forget, a fine firearm deserves a fine case to carry it!

liftnaleg1 · 04-26-2009, 12:34 PM

Gorgeous Guns....WOW...Mine is just a single shot 20ga model stevens...It is in perfect condition I just wanted to change the stock and arm over to a really neat wood to start it passing down through the family...I know the models isnt worth anything, but I thought I could add a personnel touch to it to make it something great.