Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Stock milling and cutting inletting

Checking a few places to mill a 3 piece laminate blank for a Kimber 84L action with Bartlein barrel that does not match factory spec. What’s the going rate for taking a blank to a bedded stock ready for finish? tia

It's not fair to ask a gun/stocksmith the cost of something like this without details. You need to send him pictures, existing dimensions, and desired end-state specs for him to come out with any kind of estimate. When you don't, to cover his ass he has to frontload with a heft cushion in the estimate he gives you - then you think he's an a-hole for being so expensive. Any "going rate" you get from this poll will be misleading if you use it as a target cost.

There is really no 'going rate' for work like this....it's all about time. Your best bet is to work with someone that specializes in stock work like this. That's especially true when dealing with a laminate....and how close the blank is to what you want for final profile. Inletting is one thing and external shaping is another.

Hopefully this can help narrow your search a bit. -Al

If you intend to have the blank machined, it will need a pattern to copy. Then you will need someone who will do it. Making the pattern will take almost as long as doing the stock directly from the blank. The price you request will be the price of a complete custom stock. The price of the blank is usually added to that.

We're it me I would stick the thing in my pattern maker's vise, break out the inlet black and chisels, and not spend a nickel on it.

Just call a stock company that cuts the Kimber action stocks and laminates and have them open the barrel channel. If you are going to free float the barrel anyway, the difference between a 3/4" and 1" channel is max nicks.

However a laminate is not a wood stock, they have different hardness layers at different grain runs and glue out the wazoo. Glue burns up bits. Every time you burn up a bit you must reset the duplicator. I only cut laminate stocks for myself.

Wasn’t asking for a quote just a range. I’ve been seeing anywhere from $1000 to $4000 depending on the work considered. A pantograph seems to be the way most commercial shops go with in-house patterns to copy. Then there’s the issue of availability. Waiting lists are the norm but I expected that. Many stock makers aren’t taking new business. But I did find a shop to do the work though it’s in Kalifornia but not on the coast. Actually got a telephone call in response to my email inquiry the same day. Will be 2 to 3 months before the work can start and will be $1200 to $1600 depending on optional details.

As for my OP I agree I didn’t give much info. And Jkob as far as a pattern to copy I had that in mind from starting this project previously then having to delay. The shop I spoke with has a 84M pattern and will have my 84L barreled action to modify it or redo as required.

Rapier, laminates are a hassle I’ve learned due to the glue especially. Luckily this shop offers laminates routinely. This laminate is a bit different as well. I bought it from Serengeti Arms years ago. It is a 3 piece Claro with only 2 glue seams. My understanding is the original wood is turned into 3 slices with the center having the grain in reverse direction. The 2 outside panels retain the look of a solid walnut blank.

Thanks for the replys.

And next up is metal work. I need bolt jeweling, floorplate initialed with a border (nothing elegant), case coloring the receiver and floorplate, and nitride finish for the barrel and bolt handle. Still waiting on a yea or nay from Turnbull on the case coloring. This isn’t exactly a retro piece and I’m not sure they’ll take the job.

Suggestions for this work appreciated.

What about Alex Sittman of Masterclass stocks? I know he does a bunch of stock work for some fellas that use a bunch of laminates.

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Richard's Microfit might be able to inlet a laminated stock for your barreled action.
I don't know if they would accept a customer's blank, though.

I’d check with LongRifles Inc.

https://www.longriflesinc.com/colle...g-services-3d-surface-machined-inletting

John

Stock work is taken care of I hope. Interesting conversation with Turnbull today about case coloring a Kimber receiver. No can do. Said they’d never done one and were fearful of warping. Also said they do not do model 70 or 700 either for that reason. But lots of times “no” is a good answer.

That Serengeti stock can be pretty much be treated like a regular walnut stock
. I've had them inlet and profiled and they didn't care. Been a while. My last one was done by Gentry.

I would be interested in seeing a pic of your vise. I use the Versa-vice. Thanks ,Alan

John, have you used Longrifles, Inc? Their website shows pretty impressive work.

This is my home made stock vise. I got the channel and ell brackets from my gunsmith.

One end is a camera tripod with quick release (requires a hole in the buttstock for a 1/4x20 threaded insert.
the other is a drill vise. This is not for inletting :-)
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this also works and is cheap. can use a 2x3 and 2 handscrew clamps (probably $30 to make)

I have not personally used them. They often post on their processes on Sniper’s Hide and one of the post I recalled showed how they inlet flat top stocks using their CNC machines. I was impressed with the apparent quality of work. If starting with a flat top stock, they are the ones I would have inlet it.

John

Not sure if this is applicable, but the Shurley brothers use CNC for duping and inletting don't they?

A full setup CNC milling machine with a laser reader or a file library would be much easier to run stocks on, expensive to setup initially. I just use a one off duplicator with pattern stocks in my small shop.

Just for info, Richards lists the your wood cut for $75 today. That is a plus, plus price and best to call first.

A few years ago John Vest was quoting $400 for a full duplication. He has a Hoenig machine, which is supposedly capable of high-precision duplicating and inletting. I remember John saying that a full duplicating and inletting job takes him 8 hours. I don't know if he is still taking work.