I am looking for a source for low priced stock blanks. My purpose is to buy a few for training purposes, as I am learning to make gunstocks. I have the bases pretty well covered for finding the high end goods, but I'll refrain from the nice stuff for a while. Not that I won't procure a few in the mean time! If any one can give me some leads I am most appreciative.

David Schnabel

Here's a couple of sources

Numrich Gun Parts Corp sells laminated blanks for about $35.00 ea.

http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=578010&chrSuperSKU=

Boyds Gunstocks

http://www.boydboys.com/

Here are some sorces for stock blanks.
http://bullberry.com/blanks.html
http://www.righteouswoods.net/woodmenu.html
http://www.gunstockblanks.com/index.html
http://www.curlymaple.com/index.shtml
http://www.dressels.com./
http://members.aol.com/tigerhunt4/
http://www.wineland-walnut.com/grades.html
http://www.gobywalnut.com/
http://www.gstorm.com/stockblanks.htm
These are some suppiers of blanks that I have links for.
Ray

Just a thought by someone working on his first stock.

I think practicing on a few cheap stocks is a waste of time. It takes just as much time to properly fit a decent piece of wood then a poor one, and I'm not about to invest 40 hours, or more, into a plain piece of wood. I also think that if you have a 1/2 decent piece of wood, you will be more committed to doing a good job, then when using a piece you don't care for.

Certainly practice checkering on scrap wood, but re-consider buying several cheap stocks to practice on. Figure what they'd cost, and put that into your first stock blank. For $200 you can get a piece nice enough to make you proud of your work, as well as nice enough to keep to let you know what your first project looked like, and to compare to others in the future.

I agree completely with Paul H.

"Any job worth doing is worth doing well"

[This message has been edited by Phantom Duck (edited 01-12-2002).]

I agree with Paul on that one, but he is a lot faster than me at 40 hours..It takes me that long to checker one...

I have some nice two piece blanks in the $300 to $1500 range and a couple of $2000 one piece blanks..but off and on I have some $500 one piece blanks and recently sold some $100. blanks to Dan McCarthy who posts here and he just sent me some photos of them...I obviously sold them too cheap by about a 500 dollar bill.....His 585 looks real nice for a hunnert doller bill.....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Thanks guys,

Paul H,

You and the others certainly have a valid point and I will definitly give it some thought. My purpose for getting a few cheapies is more or less to satisfy my own experimentation concerning checkering and finishing. That said, I already have a 26 year old blank of french I procured at a gunshow for a song. I'm only looking for one or two more to refine my skills on. As far as time is concerned the aforementioned blank I purchased is the same age as I... so I have plenty to spare!

Thanks again

David Schnabel

Some of you guys have obviously never ruined a nice piece of expensive wood by carving it way too big for the barrel and action to fit into. What would you do then? look for a bigger gun? I carve gunstocks in my spare time, and have been doing this for 5-6 years. I am still learning the machine. I try to do the inletting on the extra tight side to leave some wood to carve out by hand. But one little slip and you have a ruined piece of wood. I have a very nice piece of quilted maple from Oregon. I am still a bit hesitant to try it. I have made about 300 stocks, and each on gets me a little more confidant. I will keep practicing , just like the doctors do.