Just trying to be creative and think outside the box. Have any of you tried or heard of alternatives to traditional cut checkering? Meaning, something to give texture and decoration to a rifle stock in the usual places. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not sure how nifty, classy or cheesy they would turn out.

1. Burned in. Like with an old wood-burning pen or soldering iron. The traditional shape would be made from random marks/dots burned into the surface of the wood.

2. Inlay. Cutting and checkering a piece of ebony or other contrasting hardwood and inlaying it into the stock. Ooooh, wouldn't ivory be cool?!!!!! Like a whole bunch of elk ivory studs embeded in the grip and forend!

3. Sandblasting. What would it look like if the traditional shape of the checkered areas were sandblasted instead of cut? Hummmm....

Any other bright ideas out there? Anyone want to poke fun?

Good question.

My experiences with sandblasting is the softer parts of the wood get eaten away, leaving it weathered and worn looking, but usually not in a nice way.

Your checkered ivory inlay sounds cool and would be a way to save a stock screwed up by bad checkering.

Burning is hard to get even, the speed of the burning tip has to be constant or the lines get wider or narrower, but might be worth trying on a BB gun for the heck of it.

Most "alternatives" I have seen have been poorly executed, and if anything took away value from the firearm. The only exceptions I can think of is the roccocco carving on early Pennsylvania rifles, although this wouldn't easily lend itself for the same purpose of checkering. this type of decor is time consuming and dificult to do well, and will take more time than a proper checkering job. i would suggest you get a hold of Monte Kennedys' Chekering and Carving of Gunstocks.

Stippling, Waldog.

Cut a border just like you were gonna checker. Stone a radius on a $10 "engraving pen" and bang the hell out of the wood inside the borders,

Seems to me that Anschutz did that to some high dollar target guns.

I use "Spray Grit" from Brownells. The same stuff one would put on a Fiber Glass Stock.

Works great. If it need touching up, just give it another covering.

I like the idea of stippling, I've had that on my Pardini target pistol and it works really well. It doesn't look as elegant but I think it would be an excellent idea for a good sturdy hunting or target rifle.

Howdy,

I got a neat effect by outlining the grip area with modeling clay, heating a half pound of regular BBs, then carefully pouring them while really hot into the area, and using a tack hammer to pound them into the wood. It turned out sort of stippled and burned together. Worked really well on Birch.

Coach

fish scale carving like the custom german guns and rifles. beautiful if done well, and no one else has it.

If I can get my camera together I could send youan email with my old merkel 16 guague with the scale patterns.

Jamie

Hey that sounds interesting, post it here too!

Hi all, saw a rifle stock at a gunshow that was sprayed with Rhino Bed Liner material. It was done as a demo for a custom truck shop. Lots of colors and very,very tough

Hey Jameister, I bought a custom .240 wby mag with the fish scale checkering, and it does look extremly cool and unusual.You said this is done on german rifles, and I have been trying to find out what,when and where this rifle was made.

I think you ought to get back in the box, this is getting wild, shade tree machanics are running amuck....

I like what Sako does on there synthetic stocks with the soft foamy rubber grips. I would love to try this but I hear it has a tendancy to peel off if not glued properly.