sad day for the Drilling

[greyling22]

I've got an uncle who showed me his newest acquisition last week. it's a drilling 3 barrel rifle/shotgun combo. really neat. and the stock is broken off at the wrist. sadness. anyway, is there any outfit out there that makes a stock for a drilling? (I don't have the exact model, but I can get it)

 

[azyogi]

Brownell's sells a repair kit.

 

[greyling22]

sorry, I guess I need to clarify, the stock broke off at the wrist and everything back of that is gone. He got the gun for dirt cheap, but without a stock.....

 

[highorder]

There are plenty of reputable stock makers out there that can assist. Price and leadtime will vary. Details about the drilling... Calibers, etc?

 

[ArmedBear]

Here's one place that specializes in replacement/restoration type work:

http://www.classicgunstocks.com/homepage.html

 

[oneounceload]

Depending on what company made the drilling, they might be able to help - either with a new stock or point you to the person that can make one. Since the break is behind the wrist, you still have that part attached to the stock showing the inletting? maybe with that, a good stock maker might have an easier time, (and thus not cost so much) in making a new one

 

[PJR]

He got the gun for dirt cheap, but without a stock.....

It won't be a dirt cheap fix. A good stockmaker can make a replacement but start thinking in terms of $1,000 and up, way up depending on the configuration of the receiver.

It might be possible to fashion a replacement stock that would attach to the pistol grip depending on how much is left and it's condition. This would be somewhat cheaper as the stocker wouldn't need to worry about inletting. Matching the wood and getting it to look reasonable might be a challenge but I've seen some amazing work done by top stockmakers.

Or you could start a new trend. PGO Drillings! The latest in tactical innovation.

 

[PTK]

PJR, what are you on about? I know a pile of gunsmiths who will make a stock for MUCH less than $1k.

 

[ArmedBear]

Yeah, it won't be $50 or anything, but $1K would only be the price if it was one hell of a piece of wood.

 

[19-3Ben]

Or you could start a new trend. PGO Drillings! The latest in tactical innovation.

AHH!!!! You beat me to it!!! I was gonna say he should take a hack-saw to the barrels (all three!!!), sand down the stump of stock remaining, and get the tax paperwork done to be NFA compliant.

You think it would be scary looking down the barrel of a sawed off double-barrel. Imagine a sawed off drilling!!!!

 

[PJR]

PJR, what are you on about? I know a pile of gunsmiths who will make a stock for MUCH less than $1k.

Have they made any for drillings, double barrel shotguns, sidelock or sideplate guns? It's a custom gun and a bit different than a production model.

For a decent stock, fitted, finished, checkered and inletted for a proper fit with an adequate stock blank (i.e. not fancy) $1K is about where one starts.

What we don't know is what the action looks like and the time it might take to fit a stock. Is it a sidelock? Is a boxlock with a scalloped action? Drillings frequently have a barrel selector inletted in the wood. Any one of those make fitting a new stock more time consuming and for a gunsmith time is money.

Here are some good stockmakers. Check the prices. Note the prices do not include the blanks.

http://www.canyoncreekgunstocks.com/Display.asp?Page=pricing

http://www.gunstockmaker.com/Custom Stocks.htm

http://www.josephbrazier.com/news/39/custom-wood-made/

http://www.jschaferstockmaker.com/

Even the shop that AB posted is well north of $1k (sorry AB.)

http://www.classicgunstocks.com/price.html

The best the OP can hope for is that it is a simple stock from a relatively common maker, perhaps a square back action and he is lucky enough to find a discarded shotgun stock that can be successfully fitted to the gun.

 

[greyling22]

thanks for all the help. so basically nobody know of somebody who makes them all the time. that's ok. now I know that we're looking at custom work I can go from there. thanks!

 

[PJR]

thanks for all the help. so basically nobody know of somebody who makes them all the time. that's ok. now I know that we're looking at custom work I can go from there. thanks!

It would help if you posted the maker. If for example it is a Merkel or a Krieghoff they are both still in business and might be good places to start.

If however it's one of the long since departed Drilling makers then it's a custom job.

 

[TehK1w1]

But either way, it's probably well worth the expense if it's in good shape.

 

[highorder]

I just want a pic, and a caliber description...

 

[rcmodel]

PJR, what are you on about? I know a pile of gunsmiths who will make a stock for MUCH less than $1k.

Not for a German drilling I betcha!

They have some of the most complex inletting of any gun stock ever made.

To match the quality of the rest of the gun will require the services of a master stock maker, not Charlie at the gas station who restocks mauser 98's.

rc

 

[PTK]

Not for a German drilling I betcha!

They have some of the most complex inletting of any gun stock ever made.

To match the quality of the rest of the gun will require the services of a master stock maker, not Charlie at the gas station who restocks mauser 98's.

rc

Yes, for a drilling. Why is that so hard to believe? Most of the guys I know that work with stocks do so for about $35/hour. Even with a nice piece of walnut, there would have to be a lot more hours into it than you think for the price to break $1k.

In my own experience, it doesn't take long to make a stock or do inletting, even complex inletting. The time consuming part is carving and/or checkering. If the gun were restocked with a nicely checkered piece of walnut, then yes, well over $1k would be easy to do.

 

[greyling22]

I'd post pics but I didn't have my camera at the time, and how I'm in another city. I called my uncle and he was too lazy to go to the safe, but said as he recalls it's a german drilling, and the rifle barrel is an unknown caliber, but similar to the 303.

I want names and numbers myself to see what exactly it is.

 

[ArmedBear]

They have some of the most complex inletting of any gun stock ever made.

Ah. That's different.

To match the quality of the rest of the gun

Were/are they all created equal?

I suppose, if it's a high-end gun, it's worth a grand to make it usable again.

 

[PJR]

Yes, for a drilling. Why is that so hard to believe? Most of the guys I know that work with stocks do so for about $35/hour. Even with a nice piece of walnut, there would have to be a lot more hours into it than you think for the price to break $1k.

Would you please provide names, contact information and references for this "pile of gunsmiths" who will make a stock for "MUCH less?" Would you please provide if possible pictures of their work from people who've had work done by these gunsmiths on drillings or similar firearms?

I am extremely interested in finding a stockmaker who will do quality work that includes a "nice piece of walnut" for under $1,000 on a gun that requires complex inletting like a drilling. I'm sure the OP would like to know these names as well.

 

[Virgil III]

I also have an old drilling made by a "who knows"gunmaker. The stock,although completly intact,is old and brittle.I thought about restocking it but to have it done right ... well , lets just say PJR knows what he is talking about.Anyone who doubts that,start getting quotes as if the gun was yours.To greyling 22,good luck finding out who made the gun.Merkel and Kriegoff actions don't come dirt cheap so yours, like mine was likely made by one of the many long gone German gunmakers.The only identifying marks on the gun is the names Krupp Stahl.They made barrels and supplied many of the gun makers of the time.Unfortunatly, most of these old drillings don't appraise very high'1800-2500 for fine examples.Mine looks real good over the mantle.

 

[Virgil III]

I also have an old drilling made by a "who knows"gunmaker. The stock,although completly intact,is old and brittle.I thought about restocking it but to have it done right ... well , lets just say PJR knows what he is talking about.Anyone who doubts that,start getting quotes as if the gun was yours.To greyling 22,good luck finding out who made the gun.Merkel and Kriegoff actions don't come dirt cheap so yours, like mine was likely made by one of the many long gone German gunmakers.The only identifying marks on the gun is the names Krupp Stahl.They made barrels and supplied many of the gun makers of the time.Unfortunatly, most of these old drillings don't appraise very high'1800-2500 for fine examples.Mine looks real good over the mantle.

 

[Dave McCracken]

A note about Drillings.....

While these were made by a myriad of makers, a few things were in common.

Few were cheap. Cheap German guns had less than three barrels.

Lockworks were as complicated as Sicilian Politics. Oft a Greener style safety on the side of the stock head was combined with a barrel selector on the tang that raised a rear sight(and sometimes a front one also) when the rifle barrel was picked.

Triggers were complex also. Oft the rear of the two triggers could be "Set" to make the front trigger fire with a few oz pull.

Between these features, inletting the head of the stock CORRECTLY requires the expertise of a brain surgeon and the patience of Job.

And oft the rifle portion of these old timers is for an old time cartridge. Various 9.3mm cartridges and the old 25-35 Winchester are common. So is the 30-30.

Sidelocks and boxlocks are both found, and engraving ranges from bad to great.

If I needed to restock a Drilling in order to use it, I;d ask myself some questions.

Like......

What do I want to do with this? Most Drillings run a bit heavy for the uplands and are 16 gauge, not the best choice for waterfowling.Weights on the ones I've handled start around 7.5 lbs and go up.

What can I use the rifle barrel for?

Are the chokes too tight for my sports? Many are at least a Mod, and some verge on "Are you kidding?!". And few of these are good candidates for tubes.

Has this been cursed by The Demon of Short Chambers? While some do have 2 3/4" chambers, most are 2.5" and some guns lack enough metal in the right spot to have them redone.

All that aside, plenty of these are carried and shot by happy owners every day.

Were this mine, I might have it done with a game gun style wood set,good pad and made to my dimensions. The 9.3mm cartridges are useful for deer sized game up to elk for the 9/3X74mm and oft camp meals can be made from grouse,etc.

It would not be cheap, but it could be terrific.....