Custom stocks and grips?

[jpfrog]

I know I'll get a lot of "Just go buy one" responses, but I have a question related to custom wood rifle stocks, and it also applies to custom wood 1911 grips.

My buddy has let me hunt his ranch for as long as I've been into hunting, and I'd like to thank him and his dad with something special that you can't just go to Brownells or Cabela's and pick off the rack. He has a lot of nice to very nice firearms, but he always uses the same Remington 700 in .270 when we deer hunt. His factory BDL stock could use some refinishing, but I got an idea. He has hundreds of acres of mesquite on his ranch- how cool would it be to make a custom stock for him out of wood from his ranch?

I was hoping some of the members of this forum could help me understand the steps involved...I know the would probably has to dry, or be fired in a kiln, for quite some time. From there, what is involved? Is there anyone out there that does this already and simply requires that you ship your wood to them? I figure if Porsche can make custom interiors for cattle ranchers using hides from their ranch, surely someone can do something with wood.

Thanks in advance!

 

[shortgrass]

I have been making stocks, from blanks, for 20 years. I did one one using Mesquite,,,,, I won't do another. It is the most brittle, unforgiving, hard to carve because the grain goes this way and that, splintery wood I have ever worked with! It,also, tends to have voids in it. English Walnut is the only way to go! my 2 cents

 

[Joel Russo]

I have been making stocks, from blanks, for 20 years. I did one one using Mesquite,,,,, I won't do another. It is the most brittle, unforgiving, hard to carve because the grain goes this way and that, splintery wood I have ever worked with! It,also, tends to have voids in it. English Walnut is the only way to go! my 2 cents

What shortgrass said.

 

[climb-101]

you can do one out of spalted maple, im sure there is one or two out there but i havent ever seen one. My next custom will have that for a stock.

 

[jpfrog]

Yeah, I know there are a lot of other nice woods to use, but he's got mesquite on his place so that's what I was hoping to use to make it a little more meaningful.

 

[shortgrass]

Guaranteed,, that'll be 'learnin' the hard way, either with dollars or disappointment or both! As for 'drying' a stock blank,,, takes 2 or 3 years,,,, then its best to have it in storage in the shop for 10+. The older the better. Gives it a chance to 'stabilize'. Nothing worse than using 'young' wood and having it 'move' later. But first, ya' gotta' find someone who can/will cut your blank properly for layout and stability. Many claim they can, fewer do!

 

[Joel Russo]

Guaranteed,, that'll be 'learnin' the hard way, either with dollars or disappointment or both! As for 'drying' a stock blank,,, takes 2 or 3 years,,,, then its best to have it in storage in the shop for 10+. The older the better. Gives it a chance to 'stabilize'. Nothing worse than using 'young' wood and having it 'move' later. But first, ya' gotta' find someone who can/will cut your blank properly for layout and stability. Many claim they can, fewer do!

What shortgrass said again.