Benchrest stock makers

[Dusty Stevens]

I tried to buy their molds. It was all good until one day Jim called and told me they were not gonna make stocks but didn't want to sell their molds either. I didn't understand but it wasn't my call. Like Dusty, I wish someone was making a good and affordable composite stock. Not much available out there but wood and the high dollar carbon fiber stocks. Those guys were already behind. I'm sure it's worse now. Maybe Jim will change his mind and sell them to me...or to someone willing to make them.

I like the way their molds were made, split top from bottom. It allows a inlet fixture for different actions to be bolted into the top half of the mold so that the stock comes from the mold already inletted.

I bet with all this modeling stuff they have these days like faro arms or laser scanners it wouldnt be too much to have a mold made

 

[riverwolf1]

Who would be the go to guys ? Teddy and panda actions

Jeremy Mataya

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I thought you were going to cut the bottom of the stock off to give it the angled bottom which I would have thought would take off quite a bit of weight.

It seems to me that short-range Pinterest is shrinking to such a small market that it's not really worth anyone's time to make a short range within the rules stock especially for cheap.

Maybe it's time to drop those old rules simply because the market can't sustain them. Maybe it's time to rethink the entire short range of interest paradigm to make it fit the modern world instead of trying to make the world fit that very specific set of rules. Just a thought.

Its still too heavy. You need a foam filled composite shell or a very light wood to make weight good. Even most painters cant paint one without going overweight. We’re going to see how it goes though once its inletted. Gonna give it a try for sure. Id love for it to work

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I bet with all this modeling stuff they have these days like faro arms or laser scanners it wouldnt be too much to have a mold made

I believe I can make them but I'd rather not have to.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I tried to buy their molds. It was all good until one day Jim called and told me they were not gonna make stocks but didn't want to sell their molds either. I didn't understand but it wasn't my call. Like Dusty, I wish someone was making a good and affordable composite stock. Not much available out there but wood and the high dollar carbon fiber stocks. Those guys were already behind. I'm sure it's worse now. Maybe Jim will change his mind and sell them to me...or to someone willing to make them.

I like the way their molds were made, split top from bottom. It allows a inlet fixture for different actions to be bolted into the top half of the mold so that the stock comes from the mold already inletted.

I have made a layup fiberglass stock. More along the style of how McMillan does it than Kelblys but close enough. That kind of work SUCKS. Its very messy and your breathing/handling stuff that cant be good for you. Not that burning cutting oil is... I think part of the problem is finding guys willing to do that kind of work, theres a lot better jobs out there. And I sure dont see it being profitable for a one man shop. But if you want to do it, molds are not that hard to make. Basically they are made off of a blank. I dont know about Kelblys, but we and not talking cnc machined molds here.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I have made a layup fiberglass stock. More along the style of how McMillan does it than Kelblys but close enough. That kind of work SUCKS. Its very messy and your breathing/handling stuff that cant be good for you. Not that burning cutting oil is... I think part of the problem is finding guys willing to do that kind of work, theres a lot better jobs out there. And I sure dont see it being profitable for a one man shop. But if you want to do it, molds are not that hard to make. Basically they are made off of a blank. I dont know about Kelblys, but we and not talking cnc machined molds here.

Kelblys molds were mirror polished steel. They weighed 200lbs plus and had about 80 bolts holding them together. They may have even been 500lbs. They have to be massive to deal with the heat.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Kelblys molds were mirror polished steel. They weighed 200lbs plus and had about 80 bolts holding them together. They may have even been 500lbs. They have to be massive to deal with the heat.

Ya thats a different animal. They probably dont want to sell them because to replace them would cost a fortune.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I heard of one company that makes very high end stocks saying their molds were $100,000. They are made for baking in an acetylene atmosphere though so they may even more substantial. Ive been trying to get one of the current higher end composite stock makers to make a run so they can see how much demand there is. No luck for the past 5yrs though.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I heard of one company that makes very high end stocks saying their molds were $100,000. They are made for baking in an acetylene atmosphere though so they may even more substantial. Ive been trying to get one of the current higher end composite stock makers to make a run so they can see how much demand there is. No luck for the past 5yrs though.

I agree that a mold like that may cost even more than that. Here's a video though, from Kelbly's website that shows them in the first steps of building a stock and A mold. Later it shows the finishing touches. Somewhere I've seen a video that shows the guys at Kelbly's building a stock in much more detail than this one does but I haven't found it yet. The molds used in that video were fiberglass in appearance and looked the one in the video linked below. Most people would be pretty shocked at how few BR stocks Jim said they made in a year. Perhaps they have others but this is what is in a video or two.
Fast forward to the 1:00 mark.

 

[Evan]

Question from an outsider to SRBR, how has it played out to cut shorter barrels and choose lighter contours to allow the use of laminate and standard wood stocks? It seems like the only way forward if the rules and market remain as they are.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Question from an outsider to SRBR, how has it played out to cut shorter barrels and choose lighter contours to allow the use of laminate and standard wood stocks? It seems like the only way forward if the rules and market remain as they are.

You'd have to cut a LV contour wayyy short, maybe not even legal length! Even still, the bbl has to be long enough to make it beyond the front of the bench too. With enough work, you can get the laminate down a lot but it's still tough to make weight, period. There might be someone doing a bamboo laminate or similar but laminates are just too heavy, overall. I don't know of anyone specifically catering to doing it on more than on occasion and pretty much as you say, out of necessity too. Still hard enough, but a 13.5lb gun is at least doable with some work. 10.5lb guns just don't leave much room for a heavy stock. They just are not a realistic option for a 10.5lb sr br rifle. Not saying it can't be done at all but it'll take a lot more than most people are willing to do or sacrifice. Again, we really do need a moderately priced sr br light stock maker. Even most of the cedar(or similar) custom wood stocks from people like Hunter and Bat are are getting really hard to find.

 

[std7mag]

Has anyone thought to give Jesse (@jghoghunter) a hollar and ask about his stocks?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I agree that a mold like that may cost even more than that. Here's a video though, from Kelbly's website that shows them in the first steps of building a stock and A mold. Later it shows the finishing touches. Somewhere I've seen a video that shows the guys at Kelbly's building a stock in much more detail than this one does but I haven't found it yet. The molds used in that video were fiberglass in appearance and looked the one in the video linked below. Most people would be pretty shocked at how few BR stocks Jim said they made in a year. Perhaps they have others but this is what is in a video or two.
Fast forward to the 1:00 mark.

That must have been a prototype mold i didnt see it when i was there. The real issue with the stocks is mcmillan got the new owner so theyre out, kelblys stopped and scarbrough went to over 2yrs lead time all at once. I have one of the last klub stocks new with the last polished panda. Scared to sell em now

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

That must have been a prototype mold i didnt see it when i was there. The real issue with the stocks is mcmillan got the new owner so theyre out, kelblys stopped and scarbrough went to over 2yrs lead time all at once. I have one of the last klub stocks new with the last polished panda. Scared to sell em now

Me too. Hard to find at all.

 

[Evan]

You'd have to cut a LV contour wayyy short, maybe not even legal length! Even still, the bbl has to be long enough to make it beyond the front of the bench too. With enough work, you can get the laminate down a lot but it's still tough to make weight, period. There might be someone doing a bamboo laminate or similar but laminates are just too heavy, overall. I don't know of anyone specifically catering to doing it on more than on occasion and pretty much as you say, out of necessity too. Still hard enough, but a 13.5lb gun is at least doable with some work. 10.5lb guns just don't leave much room for a heavy stock. They just are not a realistic option for a 10.5lb sr br rifle. Not saying it can't be done at all but it'll take a lot more than most people are willing to do or sacrifice. Again, we really do need a moderately priced sr br light stock maker. Even most of the cedar(or similar) custom wood stocks from people like Hunter and Bat are are getting really hard to find.

From a quick look at a barrel weight calculator, it seems like you could get about 12 ounces going to 18 inches from 21, which would make a lot of difference.

I do all my own stock work, and you can make a wood or laminate stock that is competitive and fits the rules for pretty much every other class and form of competition. Seems like the 10.5lb class is going to die out or the guns used will morph.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

From a quick look at a barrel weight calculator, it seems like you could get about 12 ounces going to 18 inches from 21, which would make a lot of difference.

I do all my own stock work, and you can make a wood or laminate stock that is competitive and fits the rules for pretty much every other class and form of competition. Seems like the 10.5lb class is going to die out or the guns used will morph.

I agree that they can be a very good stock. Jus heavy is all. How light can you make one?

 

[Evan]

I agree that they can be a very good stock. Jus heavy is all. How light can you make one?

Here is an experiment of mine with titebond-laminated 1x6 redwood boards from lowes. This one has no inlet or final forend shaping and weighs 2.2 pounds. I suspect if I inlet it and clear coated it, it would end up in the 2-2.2 pound range.

 

[spike-55]

I heard of one company that makes very high end stocks saying their molds were $100,000. They are made for baking in an acetylene atmosphere though so they may even more substantial. Ive been trying to get one of the current higher end composite stock makers to make a run so they can see how much demand there is. No luck for the past 5yrs though.

that sounds a little high??? i bought our molds for the tire plants and they would typically run 35-50K for a 2 piece mold that would be 500-700 lbs and using high pressure steam to cure the rubber. segmented molds would be substantially higher and heavier but not anywhere in the 500K range-less than half that. unless they are using some type of super exotic materials forgings, even for one offs are not crazy expensive if you can make enough widgets without mold degradation before ROI
stan

 

[Dusty Stevens]

that sounds a little high??? i bought our molds for the tire plants and they would typically run 35-50K for a 2 piece mold that would be 500-700 lbs and using high pressure steam to cure the rubber. segmented molds would be substantially higher and heavier but not anywhere in the 500K range-less than half that. unless they are using some type of super exotic materials forgings, even for one offs are not crazy expensive if you can make enough widgets without mold degradation before ROI
stan

I bet yall got a pretty good deal on molds

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Heres a mcmillan mold. They use wood like the boat mfrs do