Custom Gunstocks

[jplonghunter]

I have an opportunity to purchase existing custom gunstock business. Anybody have any thoughts on viability of this enterprise please give us some feedback.

jplonghunter

[Rapier]

JP,
I own a stock blank company. I specialize in AAA or better class wood blanks. I own a duplicator that I made myself and do finished custom stocks. The finished stocks I do primarily for myself. I sell blanks and do on occasion have a stock blank inletted or do the inletting myself for a customer. My clients are pretty much gunsmiths and gun shops for resale or finish. This is a hobby business. I own a very successful multi-million dollar business besides.

In general:

The stock business is fraught with problems. For 95% of the shooters, the best stock is a synthetic, at least in their expert opinion. So you are looking at a very small client base, folks who want wood and only wood.

Two problems here; first, most wood aficionados only want great wood and second they have little or no idea what it takes to produce a fine finished stock or the money involved to do so. A good quality finished stock can cost $2,500 to $3,000 and sometimes that is the cost of just the blank.

If you have never made a stock from blank to 100% finished and mounted on the gun, you really need to do this, before you dive into the deep end. The knowledge required to produce a fine finished piece of wood on a gun can be years in the gaining.

The well known stock makers command good money, they have spent years getting to that point. No one is waiting to hand a new guy a handful of money to build him or her a stock, by "The New Guy."

Specifically:

On this stock making business, if they have a big inventory and the inventory is mostly common grades, do not jump in. That is what happened to Fagen and Bishop. They had hundreds of standard grade blanks and pre inletted stocks, that no one wanted. They failed to see the change in their customer base.

You might be able to buy used equipment and stock blanks, for a lot less. Want to advertise and get known, use the Internet.

Several companies are now making faux wood stocks. These stocks have a thick plastic covering with beautiful fake grain, heat wrapped around "hardwood." This is a direct attack on the wood only customer base of custom stock makers.

Now for the big lesson: business is business, whatever you are making and selling, baby rattles or gun stocks. You must produce and sell enough product to make money and enough money to pay the bills and yourself. The gun business, any form of the gun business, is a very tough business. With low margins and high labor cost, wood stock making is about as bad as it gets.

Hope this helps.
Ed

[jplonghunter]

Ed

Have done numerous stocks tree to finish,primarily muzzle loaders. I greatly appreciate your input.

Ray

[BILLY D.]

Rapier

I just don't think you could have explained that any better. It's alright for every body else to make $50 an hour but when a smith asks that much people wet themselves. They think he buys all his supplies and machinery at Harbor Freight at a 75% discount rate. Don't happen.

There is no such thing as a bad hair day. If there is the smith has to replace what is done incorrectly. Everything must be spit perfect, no ifs, ands, fors, nors or buts.

I am not familiar with stock making but did repair a few and also watched it being done. Crap cannot be turned into a chocolate bar. But some customers think their poor grade factory stock is or can be turned into a high grade walnut stock in the blink of an eye. That don't happen either.

Tupperware has almost taken over the stock business. People want stainless and synthetics. Blue and wood are almost out. Not avant garde.

JP if you are hell bent to do the stock business you have bigger ones than I do and I applaud you. I certainly wouldn't count on the business to feed a big hungry family though. If you can mass produce stocks with a half fast finish and make money good.

Best wishes, Bill