Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Resources to learn how to make rifle stocks

Hi folks,
've been interested to learn how to make rifle stocks (wood) for a long time.
Are there any resources that you can suggest where a novice may start?
Any good books, videos, or other resources that I haven't thought of?

I have done quite a bit of woodwork but everything I've done has always been with right angles, gun stocks seem quite a bit more complex.

I'm thinking to grab the bull by the horns this winter and to make something simple for a .22 I have laying around.
Never hurts to learn a new skill.

Thanks in advance

There was a thread about a guy in MT or someplace out west where they made stocks from wood blanks a half year ago - do some searching on “class” ... and other words with stocks.

Wesbrook - Professional Stockmaking

Takes patience, but mostly is a function of blending a lot of straight lines.

This book has a whole section on shaping, proportions, checkering, etc. The finishing info is dated, but the rest is still valid ; https://www.amazon.com/NRA-Gunsmithing-Guide-Updated/dp/0935998470
I have the first edition of this book and it covers every aspect stock making. I have not seen this second edition, but it is likely as good or better : https://www.amazon.com/Gunsmithing-Projects-Second-Publishing-Company/dp/187935683X

Look up Steven Dodd Hughes Fine Gunmaking, he gives weeklong classes in his shop in Montana. If you're seriously interested in learning stockmaking there is no better hands-on experience than one of Hughes classes.

The Westbrook book is excellent, along with the Alvin Linden book "Restocking a Rifle" and "Checkering and Carving Gunstocks" by Monty Kennedy....

Some of the information is a bit dated in several of these books, but the basic information and instructional references are excellent...

Bob

Larry Potterfield covers many stockmaking topics in his series of Midway gunsmithing videos.

Find someone within a reasonable distance to mentor you through a build.

+1

+1

I built a few over the years for myself, go slow and take your time

Thanks very much for the replies gents.
Watch this space, I'll post a picture of my first stock!

A thoought... People often say they are using a very plain (cheap) blank because they are afraid they would screw up an expensive one. The problem is they have nothing "invested" emotionally and by the end of the project they just want to get done. The result is a bland stock they never really like.

So look around for a decent blank with good grain flow and some character. It will make the project a lot more interesting and in the end you will really appreciate it.

Do like Sitka Deer says. As a retired stockmaker you will put a lot of time and effort into it so use a blank that will reflect your efforts and something to be proud of. Jerry Fisher was my instructor in Gunsmith school and there is a guy who can really make a beautiful stock out of a blank.

+1...
I would add a couple things to this- many people who start stockmaking don't understand the relationship between what you see in the blank and how it looks once you cut all those curved lines and different shapes across the lines of figure and grain. What looks like a relatively plain piece of wood can actually turn out to be a really outstanding stock if you understand the grain patterns and how to lay out your stock on the blank... I've had some $25 blanks I picked up when I first started making stocks that were outstanding when they were finished and I've had some $125 blanks that were extremely bland once I got them shaped... a mistake on my part not reading the figure in the blanks when I bought them...

Look at the blank from all angles before laying out your money- especially the end grain- to see how the grain runs and twists in the blank... then think about how you lay your stock out on the blank to take advantage of the best part of the grain and/or figure... sometimes it just can't be done and you have to walk away from a blank that seems really great at first glance but just doesn't work in the final layout...

Bob

Hello Folks,

I am Les Brooks a retired gunsmith and a stockmaker. I made my last stock in 2010 and made a written article and posted over on AccurateReloading site. It had over 110,000 hits on the article and I covered how to make a stock from a blank with only hand tools. The Hunt101 picture host went down and took all the pictures of my projects down. I saved all of the article and wrote it up with original pictures. I now have a DVD or USB drive with lots of info in stockmaking. I went thru TSJC in 1961-63 and in 1992 to teach stockmaking for a couple of years until the school found someone for an instructor. Send me a PM and I will get back to you.

Tag for later

Pictures of a blank about to be cut into a stock by hand tools.



https://i.postimg.cc/PqHJ5fHX/IMG-0076.jpg

as said above go slow think about what you are going to do, might get a semi inlet stock to get your feet wet, modify it?