Does anyone have info on the methods surrounding making custom synthetic stocks? Joe Smithsons work comes to mind, but so far he won’t share any information regarding their manufacture. I know Mr. Echols has his stocks as well but believe that was a collaboration with McMillan, made in batches where every stock was the same. I’m talking something more one-off.

Joe and Brett's stocks handle beautifully and are wonderfully built. He says they have almost as much time into building them as they do with a wood handle, which is why they charge what they do

D'Arcy's McMillian stocks also handle superbly and due to their being "mass produced" are much cheaper.

I think Stuart Satterlee makes one-off synthetics - might check with him.

If I was to go custom synthetic (fat chance) then I'd inquire at Bansner & Company of Adamstown, Pennsylvania because they are only 45 minutes from my home.
They answered my phone call questions without being in any rush some years back. Got a good feeling with them. Their stocks are built of carbon fiber and fiberglass.
OR , Smithson, D'Arcy, Stuart and then some.

Talk to Stuart Satterlee.

I have often pondered the same thing and might yet try building a one-off for myself one day. My thought was to shape a core, wrap it in fiberglass, sand, and paint with something tough like bedliner.

You'd need to have lots of glass or a bedding block in the action area, depending on the core material. I've thought of foam for lightest weight, but just not sure enough of the process details yet to give it a shot...

Your situation is obviously different if you are trying to build something for a paying customer, but please let us know what method you come up with.

Or one can start with a quality factory stock and saw, shape and glass it until it meets your criteria.
That's what I did with a Brown Precision stock 38 years ago when I built "Old Ugly" my 458 Win.

I suppose my alll time favorite plastic stock was the old Pacific Research, it just fit and measured like an American custom...ONly need I had or have for a plastic stock is wet Alaska!! I can handle the rest with wood, so far anyway..

I like McMillan stocks on heavy kickers. They are tough and heavy enough to help with recoil. I have a couple carbon fiber stocks on other guns for weight reduction.

Boy find me one in an English style with a little drop at the heel and some cast and I’m in.

Offhand, I can think of at least three ways to do a one off composite stock that do not involve molding a finished stock pattern.

1. Full laminate shaped and inletted as
desired. press to cure the blank.
2. Chopped FG core, machine inletted, hand laid
shell, vacuum bag to cure the shell to the
core.
3. Same as #2 but with a sealed balsa wood
core.
#2 does require the core be rough molded first
basically a tapperd 2x6 that you shape and
inlet then add shell material.

There are a million videos on youtube on making fiberglass forms, and covering things with carbon fiber.

I make no pretense about my feelings abou plastic stocks...But looking at this thread, perhaps an aternative is the laminated stock... look over the stock blanks offered by Lamnia of Finland.

Here is the US, the blanks I find look more like a LGBTQ banner. Lamina offers some pretty decent looking laminate colors. One, called WAC, is quite attractive (tan/brown)

Hell for strong and can be made to about any measurement and has the undeniable warmth of wood

Heavy though

Well...I have here in the shop a Dakota plastic stock and it weighs just over FOUR POUNDS,...

I can't make any wood stock that heavy unless I add lead

BTW the Dakota stock design is really not all that bad...Noticeably, the butt is on the skimpy side...at least to my eye...I'd bet in an attempt to bring down the weight.

quote:

Well...I have here in the shop a Dakota plastic stock and it weighs just over FOUR POUNDS,...

I can't make any wood stock that heavy unless I add lead

On heavy kickers a heavy stock isn't a bad idea.

Adding lead is common and cheap way to bring the weight up.

When weight is needed, I make sure that the weight is where it does the most good.....in the barreled action.

Adding lead to the stock only adds stress to the stock...bad idea

I've done a couple with balsa and carbon fiber laminate. You can add a hardwood, aluminum, or SS bedding block. After shaping you can wrap it in carbon fiber cloth.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Little:
Joe Smithsons work comes to mind, but so far he won’t share any information regarding their manufacture.

Can you outline with photos and blue prints how to build a falling block double rifle for us?

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Little:
Joe Smithsons work comes to mind, but so far he won’t share any information regarding their manufacture.

Can you outline with photos and blue prints how to build a falling block double rifle for us?

Have you tried YouTube?