If you send a stock to have it duplicated on a machine, does it destroy the original stock? How close can it be duplicated? Virtually drop in? or lots of work? I have an old stock that my dad had custom made in Japan (when he was stationed there) for an old sporterized Springfield. It's pretty nice, but has lots of carvings and doodads instead of checkering, and I've thought about putting a different stock on it just to take it out and hunt with it. TIA Jeff

Jeff,
The pattern stock is not ruined but you have to figure some way to put it on the machine. It is cut with the pattern between centers and a mandrel attaches to the stock. The rear one is no problem. I would hazard a guess that people who do this a lot will have gizmos (technical term) for attaching in the barrel channel. If you want a drop in, you are best off having it done on a Hoenig or something similar like a Dakota duplicator. That will get it very close with little work to inlet. You could have the operator do the intletting also. It would add cost though

Jeff:



The "pattern" stock generally winds up with burnish lines running with the bore. Even if the guy doing the machining is very careful, a stock like yours would not fare too well. In fact, I would be hard pressed to use any finished stock as a pattern. JMHO!



I have heard of guys taping the pattern stock to reduce the marks. It does eliminate any scratches, but the stylus burnishes the marks into the wood even through the tape.



Oops! I must have been posting at the same time as Chic. I hate to go against what Chic said, but the above has been my experience.

Jeff,
Listen to Roger, I was not thinking about finishing but rather trashing the stock. He makes good points.

Masking tape helps, but yes, you will liekly get burnish marks to some degree on the original stock. You can screw a piece of wood in the barrel channel that has a large end for the duplicator center to be driven into. This si screwed into the barrel channel as would be done when checkering a stock