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Joined: Jan 2001
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Chris Schofield of Walnut Grove Gunstocks finished my Model 70 stock this week so I drove over this morning to pick it up and also customize the LH Ruger 77 pattern he was making.

With two stainless Model 77's and plans for a third blued one, I wanted to see if the laminated blanks offered by Boyd's and others would be wide enough for the pattern he's making. But on the hour drive over I kept thinking about that nice piece of walnut that's going on the Model 70 and visions of stainless/walnut kept going through my head. By the time I got there my mind was pretty well made up, it was just a matter of picking out the right blanks.

Starting the day: a nice surpise brought out by his lovely wife, muffins and coffee.

[Linked Image]

He checked the fit of the M70 stock and then we went to work on the M77 pattern. He started with a factory hawkeye stock I sent him and added a nice shadow line cheekpiece. I like the trim profile of the factory stock and the slender forend but the pistol grip seems too thin for me and the nose of the comb crowds my thumb too much. He bondoed the grip out to a more rounded shape with some taper toward the bottom and moved the comb nose back, doing a little at a time with me feeling it in between so it's just right.

Once he got the cheekpiece, comb and pistol grip just right, it went under the bandsaw to get almost cut in two at the grip. A wedge inserted and epoxied in place gives it 3/8" cast. We discussed whether it was cast on for a leftie or cast off since it goes away from my face, but either way, I end up with a stock that fits me exactly.

How to make cast-whatchamacallit.

[Linked Image]

A sample of the wood on the Model 70 stock. These were just wetted down with alcohol to bring out the color, my poor photography skills don't do justice to the rich chocolate color and nice fiddleback. When this thing gets a real finish on it it's going to positively glow.

Right side:

[Linked Image]

Model 70 stock, left side:

[Linked Image]

Something that's really special to me is that this wood is Idaho walnut from Fruitland, ID. I wasn't born here but spent the best 13 years of my life in Fruitland and consider it my home town in Idaho. Pretty neat to find this from a local tree.

While Chris was working on the M77 pattern I started digging through his pile of blanks. That was fun (understatement font here). grin

Decisions, decisions. These are a tiny portion of what he has lying in big piles in his shop.

[Linked Image]


Hmmm, maybe...

[Linked Image]

The one in the middle shows promise...

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_02699.JPG[/img]

A bit closer look at that one.

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_02709.JPG[/img]

The Final Three:

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_02739.JPG[/img]

Starting from the left side of the picture next to the little plant:

#1 on the left is going on the M77 SS .308. Again, my natural light photography doesn't capture the rich color and fiddleback in this one, but you get the picture. wink

#2 from left is a blank I've had for 10 years and I decided to finally use it. Not as pretty overall as what I bought from Chris but a well laid out piece of quarter sawn walnut with some contrasty color lines. It will go on the SS .25-06.

#3 from left is going on a left hand blued M77 .243, whenever Ruger makes some more. That's wax on the butt end so it looks a bit funky in the light, but it's a nice reddish color with dark streaks and IIRC that's a really nice feather in the end there. I'm still learning a lot of stock making and wood terms from him.

#1 and #3 are Idaho walnut so that will make them even more special to me.



Now, for another shameless plug. Chris was going pheasant hunting today at 11:00 so I got there at 9:30, but he ended up working with me until 1:30. He really likes to get things right.

Plus - I'm not going to tell you how much I paid for those blanks you see, but I'll guarantee it's a lot less than you would think. Looking at other sites that sell blanks, his prices are half or less of what some of those guys want for the same grade walnut or even stuff not as nice.

I almost didn't want to mention that to him but he said he wants to keep his blank prices reasonable to build up clientele. Frankly - the cost of the two blanks I bought from him, price of making two pattern stocks and then the price for cutting three separate semi-inletted stocks is going to cost less in total than one blank of "fancy" or even "semi-fancy" walnut would cost from some of the other on-line sites.

Once again, a nice morning spent with a nice guy. If you're looking for a semi-inletted stock you really should contact him. Just wait until after he comes back from elk hunting next week and makes my stocks first... wink

http://www.walnutgrovegunstocks.com/

P.S. If you're into maple he also has piles of beautiful maple blanks with quilting and bird's eye and all that stuff the maple guys like.



Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
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WOW!


30-06 till i die, the greatest round ever!

I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy!

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Jim...does WGG work with the laminate blanks from Boyds...even though you didn't go that direction?

Joined: Jan 2001
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Yes, he can work with those.


Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
Hit the target, all else is twaddle!

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