The Trade of Stockbuilding

[Matt304]

I've come to the conclusion that a career in my life needs to revolve around firearms for me to be happy. I'm 24 years old, went to college for computers, and know a lot about them, but the field is not keeping me mentally where my heart desires. The old saying, "do what you like, not what pays the most" has really hit home on me.

I've pondered the various modification fields of firearms, and I really think the idea of building wood stocks would be a challenge and a career I would actually enjoy doing. At this point, I am ready to get out there and begin learning what is involved in doing it.

I'm looking for any advice as to where to start. If you are a gunsmith located within driving range and don't mind someone looking over your shoulder, I would love to come watch. If there is a school, or general source any of you stockbuilders out there would recommend attending, I'm ready to attend.

If you have any suggestions on this subject or any words of advice, please do tell.

Thank you very much,
Matt

 

[rcmodel]

Well, it seems to me, stockmaking, stockmakers, wood stocks, and the old guys who buy them are a dying breed.
All the younger generation is brainwashed into wanting black composite/plastic stocks with all the accessory rails they can get molded, screwed, and glued on to them.

To learn to do the very high quality of stock work necessary on high dollar guns would require an internship with one of the big name gunsmiths or arms manufactures still doing that sort of thing. And the very high quality exhibition grade wood necessary is getting very scarce & expensive.

There are good gunsmith schools such as the Colorado School of Trades who still teach stockmaking, bedding, checkering, and finishing.
But I believe starting out, and making a living at stockmaking alone would be a very hard row to hoe today.

rc

 

[Matt304]

Well, it seems to me, stockmaking, stockmakers, wood stocks, and the old guys who buy them are a dying breed.
All the younger generation is brainwashed into wanting black composite/plastic stocks with all the accessory rails they can get molded, screwed, and glued on to them.

To learn to do the very high quality of stock work necessary on high dollar guns would require an internship with one of the big name gunsmiths or arms manufactures still doing that sort of thing. And the very high quality exhibition grade wood necessary is getting very scarce & expensive.

There are good gunsmith schools such as the Colorado School of Trades who still teach stockmaking, bedding, checkering, and finishing.
But I believe starting out, and making a living at stockmaking alone would be a very hard row to hoe today.

Rcmodel,

While I know exactly where you are coming from, I was hoping the skills learned would lead me to building not just high-grade wood stocks, but all types of stocks. Even painted target stocks seem to be doing quite well, and they do not require that high grade of wood like the Bastogne Walnut.

I feel that with determination and the right goals, focusing on the right models, it can be done. I hope you do not prove me wrong.

 

[rmfnla]

MATT303, I'd say it's up to you to prove rcmodel wrong (and I suspect he's hoping you do so).

Good luck!

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I have a good friend with lots of wood and a duplicating machine. I have seen his work and it is first class if anyone is interested in having an old stock made new. PM me if you are interested and I will put you in touch with him.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The old saying, "do what you like, not what pays the most"

It won't take long for reality to set in and you see the foolishness in (some)old sayings.

 

[rcmodel]

Yea!
That old saying worked when you had chickens, milk cows, horses, a garden, and a corn field in your back 40.

Not so much anymore when you have to pay for grocerys, gas, taxes, insurance, and rent.

rc

 

[Matt304]

I guess you could say that I'm simply confused at this point as to where I really want to be, career-wise. 3 years working a desk job has shown me how much I don't want to live life working a desk job. I've always been in the garage or shop building things in my free time, so naturally I've begun to feel that type of environment is the one I should be working in. Joining the Air Force has come down to a final resort at this point, if I can't figure something out soon that works for me.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Life has a way of happening. You probably won't realize your "calling" in life until you look back and see what you've been doing for the last 10 years or so.

 

[Zeke/PA]

There is a local low keyed stockmaker who has been around for a number of years.
The guy does exceptional work and his "old double" restoration projects are outstanding to say the least.
However, this kind of Craftsmanship is not necessarily "natural" and MUST be learned.
However, you either have this kind of talent or you don't.
The "learning" phase of course is necessary to bring out or expose your natural talents.

 

[justashooter in pa]

stockmaking was viable as a business during the 1950's and 60's because so many people were converting surplus rifles into sporters, and no modern manufacturing methods existed by which stocks could be made cheaply for a wide variety of surp guns. the low prices of the surp as-is and the willingness of stockmakers to live without cable TV, a cell phone, internet on a new laptop, 3 children in college, a 401K plan, 2 new cars, heat in the wintertime...allowed a stockmaker a reasonable margin.

today you can get synthetic moulded stocks for just about any type of rifle for under a hundred bux, while the price of even low grade blanks of juglans regia are through the roof. the only way to make wood stocks at a margin is to cut and dry your own wood (20 years), use a stock replicator to do roughing, and smack on a high gloss finish that a serious gunny would not accept on a custom stock, but a newb wouldn't know the difference between.

i should also note that fine motor skills learned behind a keyboard do not translate well on the workbench. making love to a piece of wood is different than anythign else you've ever done before. you would be starting from the beginning, no matter how clever you are.

you were born 70 years too late for all the fun. roy dunlap was the last of the greats, and he's long gone. there's no more shoes to fill, cause he took the last pair with him.