Well I thought I would breathe some life back into this thread. Here is that Herters stock I have been working on for my Remington 722 in 222 Rem. You're probably wondering why I haven't touched the foreend yet.

Well the biggest reasoning is the foreend is filled with birdseye and fiddle. If you attempt to use anything like a plane or spokeshave decent sized chunks tend to break off. Since my friend Jim Kobe was off to Reno this weekend I haven't had to chance to bring it to his shop. As I want to pare off as much of the excess wood as I can with his bandsaw. I still have alot of fine detail work to complete here even with butt and grip area. I think once I have it to the final sanding I will torch the wood as taught by Alvin Linden in his stock finishing pamplet. Of course I got that idea from Grandview!

-Mike Cayford

Nice job Mike...I really think you've done well with the shadowline cheekpiece.....

Did you find that stock in Morristown?

BTW I use a 40 grit belt on a 6 X 48 belt sander to shape those foreends....it's really not a lot of work when you go at it that way....

I also think it is coming along just fine!

Rod took a look my Herter's (custom) stock and described it
this way:

Quote:

---

Stock: Obviously a custom stock, a competent if amateur job. Wows and dips
are absent on all surfaces. However, many corners on the forend, the
magazine area and around the cheekpiece are rounded away, losing the crisp
shapes a true custom stock should have. The finish very nearly, but not
quite, fills the grain. It is either a satin oil worn glossy or a glossy oil
worn somewhat satin. I suspect the latter. There is no checkering, which
should make refinishing a snap. It would be possible to sharpen up the edges
during refinishing. The inletting is custom quality. The action is bedded,
but the bedding is a little ragged up front. The barrel is neither
free-floated nor pressure bedded. This needs attention too, before the rifle
can reach full potential.

---

Just goes to show: never hand a stock you think was finished to a professional, he will surely find something to change
- mike

The Herter's catalog was great. It usally had all sorts of tips and crazy information. All thier stuff was "Model Perfect" or "Vit Glodo" (whatever that means).

As a young boy in the mid 60's, receiving the new Herter's catalog ranked up there close with Christmas and my birthday. Picture a Cabelas and a Brownell catalog combined with all the quality stuff taken out And that Iraqis Information Minister that was always talking trash even up til the time the M-1's were rolling past his office building, well, I think he apprenticed as an ad copy writer for Herters.

I still have a set or two of their reloading dies. They sold for about four bucks when RCBS were ten. It was always a roll of the dice when you bought something of theirs as to quality. I once ordered one of their "guide model expedition quality model perfect" rifle slings. It was simply a cheap men's leather belt, modified slightly so it could serve as a sling. Even at age 13, I knew junk when I saw it.

I also have a full box of 6mm Jacketed bullets, 85 grain soft point "micro precision wasp-waist sonic" bullets. Never tried any of them, I just keep them around for the "look at these stupid things" conversations.

Their reloading presses, which were made back when iron was apparently real cheap and alignment not considered too important, took unique shell holders that subsequently locating was a big problem. There are probably hundreds still in use, anchoring duck boats throughout the midwest.

And who can forget the .401 Powermag? It was a .41 Magnum-like revolver, built in Germany as I recall. Finding ammo for them makes a 5mm Remington seem practical.

A few years ago I saw one of the kin to Jaques Herter's selling duck decoys and surplus stuff again, with a minature catalog styled after their old orange/black/yellow catalog.

Good 'ol Herters, those weren't the days!

There's a heck of a history at Ahlmans as well. Larry (Capp's son) is the owner and a swell guy...He's first class but I'm not sure he's the smith Capp was.

Capp died of complications from working around bluing salts many years ago and built some very fine guns on Mausers and Springfields.

I have a (pre Remington) .35 Whelen that he built on a '98 Mauser with birdseye maple and a barrel from a .35 remington.

I always stop in when I'm driving by.

I have a U9 in .338, but think it might be a rebarrel. It shoots very well. I have a Sav 110CL LH with a Herter's carved stock,and wouldn't take for it.Herter's also handled some tough reloading presses. I have a six hole turret that, when they were still in business, you could send the turrent back and they would drill another set of holes for a total of twelve.I still use couple of their loading dies. I have a couple of boxes of their ugly "Wasp waist" bullets, but have never reloaded one.I do reload some of their "bronze points," and like them. A lot of their bullets were made by Hornady. Looked like the end was put on with a pencil sharpener.I have of their catalogs, and the prices were enough to make a grown man cry.
I believe someone is still making duck decoys under the Herters name.