Reproduction Military Stocks, Do People Want Them?

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Frost Cracked

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A question I had been pondering lately, is the issue of restoring Milsurps to full configuration, and the difficulty of finding parts, especially wood.

Are there any good sources out there, for Military Rifle stocks in the original Versions? Enfields? Mauser K98s? P-14s, Swedish Mausers? Ljungmans?

I know Boyds produces full length stocks for both the M1 Garand, and the M14, and at one point did as well have stocks for the P-14 and the P-17, as well as the American Krags... but is there anybody else?

In addition is there anybody in Canada that does this sort of thing?

I'm asking because I'm considering the possibility of doing something like this myself, and would like peoples honest opinions, on whether there's a market or whether there's an interest for it?
I'd not be terribly interested in doing reproductions of common rifles, or things you can allready get ahold of from Boyds or the like, my focus would be specifically on military rifle stocks. Adding metal parts as well may be a possibility.

Please let me know what you think, and/or whether someone may be already doing this. Thanks.
 
I'd love to see a repro Norwegian Krag carbine stock. There are a lot of sporterized N.Krags out there for very reasonable prices,
But you rarely see an unsporterized stock. I'd buy one for sure!
 
There is a market for unusual/uncommon repro stocks . As long as you don't try and compete with readily available stocks , you'll probably have more work than you can handle . I've been doing it off and on for years and turn down more work than I take in . This isn't an add for work , so no PM's please lol . Good luck .
 
I could use Gew 88 and 1893 Mauser repros.M91 Mosin and Gew88 repro cleaning rods are on shopping list as well since real deals have rusted away somewhere.
Every time I google gew88 stock I get posts of folks looking for repros of those on various forums yet nobody is making them.
I think there was someone in Pennsylvania who did a bunch of years ago and stopped for whatever reason.
 
Good luck finding planks of decent wood at a good price. Not much to be had unless laminated.
Walnut is very scarce in planks long and wide enough for a long rifle.
 
diopter said:
Good luck finding planks of decent wood at a good price. Not much to be had unless laminated.
Walnut is very scarce in planks long and wide enough for a long rifle.
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That's a very good point. On that note, where would I even go to look for that sort of thing? Lumber Yards? Or will I have to find guys who already have this sort of thing, and buy off them?
 
You need to contact Flying Pig, who is a member on here if you want a idea of what is required (for a while he was making repro Ross stocks).

The reality is unfortunately for most stocks, most the people who are restoring the firearm are doing it because it is cheaper than getting a original. When you factor in the actual costs to make something like a stock, it is usually cheaper just to buy a intact original and the original is worth more anyways (as a original firearm is always worth more than a restored sporter).

The reason you don't have many people doing is the profit simply isn't in the market unless it is for relatively rare and expensive firearms. A example of that would be the Ross simply because most were sporterized, and very few are original. Those that are original are in the 1500$+ range now, which means when you can buy a full length sporter for 350$ and add a new wood stock on there for 600$ your still ahead. Most milsurps you can't do that as the price of either the original is too low, or the sporters are too high.
 
there is no shortage of walnut planks in Ontario.
being able to turn them into a sellable product ,at a reasonable price ,is the problem.
 
I had this same idea several years ago. Flying pig and I yakked about it several times.

The machine to duplicate the stocks will set you back thousands of dollars which isn't terrible.

The largest issue is finding suitable wood blanks. They also have to be seasoned and of the proper moisture level before you can inlet them. Also you need donor stocks that you can use as pattern stock to duplicate.

It's doable and the market is there but I'm thinking from my own experience the amount of time it takes to duplicate and inlet a stock it pretty hard to charge even 20 bucks an hour by the time you're done. I figure by the time you set the duplicator up, duplicate the stock and then inlet, sand and do final fitting it would take 30 to 40 hours per stock.

Also a milling machine would be a must as you could quickly inlet the barrel channel and make it perfect and straight.

Don't get me wrong I still think about doing it from time to time but the initial investment and time spent making stocks made me decide it's not for me. If people were willing to pay say $700 to $1000 per stock it may be worth my time but I just don't see me spending 40 hours on a stock and then charging $500 for it.
 
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Personally I would be perfectly fine with laminated stock,just not the rainbow colored ones like Boyds and others sell.No final finish so I can do my own BLO.

I need repro stock not to replace original but to save original stock from wear, tear and handling when shooting rifle.Metal can handle 150 years of use-wood can't.
 
Frost Cracked said:
That's a very good point. On that note, where would I even go to look for that sort of thing? Lumber Yards? Or will I have to find guys who already have this sort of thing, and buy off them?
Click to expand...

I was looking into finding a wood source for Swiss Products when they were hoping to get into making replacement stocks for K31 and M1911 long rifles.
They bought a stock replicating machine and never found a source of wood.
To be economically feasible the planks need to be the right size so that you get at least two complete stocks per plank , else you have too much wastage.
Have to allow for the thickest part of the stock when looking for dimensions.
Then there is the problem about quality.
You can order a Pallet of wood and find out 90% is unusable for stocks due to imperfections, cracks, knot holes etc. AND you can't return it.
Not even getting into whether it was Kiln dried properly and long enough. planks have to be straight with no warpage.

One supplier:
http://www.langevinforest.com/en/wood/raw-lumber?p=1

Finding a lumber mill that cuts their own logs AND have the Stock woods you need is the problem.
Need wood like Walnut, Beech, Birch, Maple, maybe cherry.
Most people would want walnut and that is the hardest to find.

http://theswissriflesdotcommessageb...tive-from-Mr-StMarie-concerning-stocks?page=7
 
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donor said:
Personally I would be perfectly fine with laminated stock,just not the rainbow colored ones like Boyds and others sell.No final finish so I can do my own BLO.

I need repro stock not to replace original but to save original stock from wear, tear and handling when shooting rifle.Metal can handle 150 years of use-wood can't.
Click to expand...

Laminate might be something I could feasibly do in shortage of solid planks. I would not be intending to finish them, and leave that up to the buyer, whether they wanted to use BLO, Tung, Shellack, Or Trem-Clad (ugh.)


Tinman204 said:
I had this same idea several years ago. Flying pig and I yakked about it several times.

The machine to duplicate the stocks will set you back thousands of dollars which isn't terrible.

The largest issue is finding suitable wood blanks. They also have to be seasoned and of the proper moisture level before you can inlet them. Also you need donor stocks that you can use as pattern stock to duplicate.

It's doable and the market is there but I'm thinking from my own experience the amount of time it takes to duplicate and inlet a stock it pretty hard to charge even 20 bucks an hour by the time you're done. I figure by the time you set the duplicator up, duplicate the stock and then inlet, sand and do final fitting it would take 30 to 40 hours per stock.

Also a milling machine would be a must as you could quickly inlet the barrel channel and make it perfect and straight.

Don't get me wrong I still think about doing it from time to time but the initial investment and time spent making stocks made me decide it's not for me. If people were willing to pay say $700 to $1000 per stock it may be worth my time but I just don't see me spending 40 hours on a stock and then charging $500 for it.
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I found a couple of machines that vary in price from about $1200 (US) to $10,000 (US) and would likely probably buy on the lower end. Between myself and friends we have a good supply of military stocks to use as templates. I would be producing what would be considered a roughly finished stock, with all the important parts done. Individual fitting would likely need to be done, on a rifle to rifle basis, which is the same I've experienced from Boyds stocks.

I also have the potential to add the metal bits as well.

As far as wastage, any left-over bits or parts that couldn't be used to make full gun stocks, I'm considering that they have the potential to be hand-guards, Buttstocks (Enfields I'm looking at you), Grips for Pistols, or a dozen other usages.


IF, and IF, I go looking into this, I would expect to be able to offer something solid by about this time next year. I don't do shop work in the winter, cuz my shop isn't heated.
 
There is also Alberta Gun Stocks, who currently has a thing for Ross rifles as well. Pretty sure Bill isn't a member here, but I got 2 stocks cut a few months back and I thought his price was very reasonable, especially considering that his target stock pattern wasn't for a Ross, but he made it work out quite nicely. I never did ask what a full length, military stock would cost, but I know he has done several already. Probably some others around here who have dealt with him

Nothing was finished though, they both need some fine touches to fit everything, but they were pretty darn close when I got them.

Bill was also able to thicken up the factory sporter stock a bit. Makes it feel nice and solid, but doesn't look out of place at all, and hopefully it will prolong or prevent any cracking issues.

Just something to keep in mind: duplicating one stock over and over is one thing, but it's nice to be able to do some custom work to help gain more customers.

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Whenever this subject comes up I wonder if there's any support for a synthetic full length stock.

I know it sends shivers of horror down the purists backs, but if companies like ATI can make synthetic sporter stocks, how hard would a full length synth reproduction be?

They could be done in a desert tan, a brown, an olive drab, a black...

Just thought... and perhaps not a good one, but.
 
I'd like a new stock for one of my Walther DSMs, bubba'd to death sometime in the early 1950's, but it ain't never going to happen.

My cousin has a huge pile of cherry outside in the backyard - trees were almost fifty feet high, and had goodly trunk diameters. So far we haven't figured out quite what to do with 'em, apart from making 20 million cherrywood toothpicks.

tac
 
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I think most people would buy a new stocks for their milsrups even if they haven't been cut down just to save the original ones. Or if they are restoring one. I'd love to find a P-14 stock set original or repo they are hard to find this days.
 
Getter said:
I think most people would buy a new stocks for their milsrups even if they haven't been cut down just to save the original ones. Or if they are restoring one. I'd love to find a P-14 stock set original or repo they are hard to find this days.
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So would I . I think the OP would do well with P-14 / M-17 repro stocks . Most of the issue stocks I've seen for sale are in pretty bad shape , and they're not exactly giving them away .
 
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