Why do people embed coins in their rifle stocks??

[Chuck R.]

A couple years ago I spent time working in the Ukraine on an old Russian base not far from the city of Lviv. The city has a converted their medieval armory into a museum, which I toured a couple times. It's full of weapons, on par with the Smithsonian and the Wild Bill museum in Cody. People have been decorating and individualizing weapons since their invention. Even cavemen probably had their version of a "BBQ Club". Maybe it's got to do with a combination of downtime-boredom or individual expression, but people have been upgrading tools since free time was invented.

 

[whughett]

I'm usually not a fan of embedding or engraving, but that looks great.

The grips for that ROA were made by a forum member in exchange for a chunk of Clario Walnut. ROA grips all have Rugers logo in that spot so I copied that with the rim idea.

 

[Speedo66]

I guess people have a need for art in their lives, adding decorations to a rifle is a form of that.

When you can't hang pictures, you can even add drawings to the caves you live in.

 

[Archie]

It's full of weapons, on par with the Smithsonian and the Wild Bill museum in Cody.

Wowzers!

People have been decorating and individualizing weapons since their invention. Even cavemen probably had their version of a "BBQ Club". Maybe it's got to do with a combination of downtime-boredom or individual expression, but people have been upgrading tools since free time was invented.

It seems mankind, and especially males, have been proud of their weapons for a goodly while. And one has to have a proper grip on a firearm, sword, dagger or club, right?

 

[Trashyshoots]

Then there are the WW2 “Sweetheart” pistol grips.....

View attachment 944088

I really want to do these with some clear grips and old timey pictures of the dogs or the wife.

Or go full clown and do pictures of the 1911 I'm having built as sweetheart grips for that same 1911

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Photo under clear plastic. Plexi I think, again I THINK it came out by then.

I used to make clear or colored grips sometimes for my paintball markers, never did a photo tho.
Actually I still have a plate of plexi, i should make a few more scales.

Often fabricated from the cockpit canopies of damaged/crashed/written off planes. Our Scoutmaster was a flight engineer on B-29s and described trading plexi to Gis in exchange for all sorts of loot.

 

[Picher]

Perhaps some guys inlet a coin from the year they harvested that huge buck, bear, or moose with that rifle?

 

[kBob]

My Dad wanted me to find him "Pearl" grips for his revolver and inlet a Mercury Head dime he had in his jewelry case with his birth year.

I was appalled at 15 when I took out my M1 Carbine and he had placed silver backed blocks like car decorations with black lettering for my initials on the right of the butt stock . Lucky for me they had sticky backs and I easily pried them off and scrubbed off the residue. I stopped storing my Carbine loose under my bed after that as well. Who would have thought a kid would need to keep his rifle safe from his parents?!?!?!?!

Maybe it has something to do with that whole growing up in the depression thing or being raised by one who did.

-kBob

 

[Sniper66]

Personalizing guns used to be more popular. Lots of gun guys prefer all original and dislike personal touches. It used to be popular with Ruger Single Six owners and old lever saddle guns. I've seen several with a date carved in the wood and lots of initials, usually crudely hand-carved (no dremels back then), which to me adds something interesting to the piece. I've even found SS numbers carved into the stock. I find myself wishing I had the story to go with the carving; same with coins.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I

It's firmly established millennia ago that hickory is the superior mammoth killer, and that's that.

Hickory IS good but you really cannot beat a good piece of ash...

 

[Sniper66]

Hickory IS good but you really cannot beat a good piece of ash...

That's been my experience!!

 

[Varminterror]

Personalizing guns used to be more popular.

Used to be?

There’s no shortage of custom AR’s, 1911/2011’s, Glocks, Sigs, 870’s, 10/22’s, AK’s, Ruger revolvers, Rem 700’s, Savages...... you name it out there in the world today. Cerakote, hydro dip, anodizing, bolt on parts, custom machined aftermarket parts, prefit barrels, self timing brakes.... I’d contend personal firearm customization is demonstrably more prevalent today than in any other era.

Might not be a coin embedded in the stock, but I’m not shy from stick a patch to a stock, adding stickers to my optic, or wrapping a youth silicon bracelet around my mags and optics - or adding a LEGO dinosaur out front on my rail. There really are “No Excuses” for not having your firearms reflect an expression of your self.

 

[gotboostvr]

Used to be?

There’s no shortage of custom AR’s, 1911/2011’s, Glocks, Sigs, 870’s, 10/22’s, AK’s, Ruger revolvers, Rem 700’s, Savages...... you name it out there in the world today. Cerakote, hydro dip, anodizing, bolt on parts, custom machined aftermarket parts, prefit barrels, self timing brakes.... I’d contend personal firearm customization is demonstrably more prevalent today than in any other era.

Might not be a coin embedded in the stock, but I’m not shy from stick a patch to a stock, adding stickers to my optic, or wrapping a youth silicon bracelet around my mags and optics - or adding a LEGO dinosaur out front on my rail. There really are “No Excuses” for not having your firearms reflect an expression of your self.

View attachment 944871

Took me a minute to find the Dino!

 

[Varminterror]

Took me a minute to find the Dino!

I had my barreled action out of the stock to install the rail on the stock a couple of years ago. I had the epoxy curing with the stock sitting on the bipod on my bench. I was on the phone for a while in another room, when I came back, my son had LEGO (plural) all over my bench and his baby dino was in a “nest” in the recess at the front of the rail. I thought it looked pretty good there, and as a 6 creed, a Velociraptor - “Swift plunderer” - made a lot of sense. So it became the first and only rifle I’ve ever given a name. “Blue,” named after the Jurassic World character represented by the toy.

 

[courtgreene]

So this thread got me thinking, and I just came up from the basement where I’ve been... you guessed it... embedding one of two coins into a rifle stock. Pics when the epoxy cures.

 

[gotboostvr]

I forgot all about this, an old Mossy 500 I had...



Yes, that's Christopher Walken.

 

[Trey Veston]

My grandfather was a tank crewman in WWII and spent a lot of days huddled inside a tank in Italy. He fabricated some grips for his issued S&W out of the windscreen of downed German plane. American flag on one side, and his dog and his favorite hunting spot on the other...

 

[courtgreene]

Promised pictures. We were born together in 1981. He died in 2019. After his reaction to the clown in the movie “it,” I called him Penny.

 

[Demi-human]

A fitting tribute. My condolences.

Nice job! A perfect “that’s why”. May it it bring you happiness forever.