Checkering a gunstock is not like riding a bicycle! ARRRG.

[ken erickson]

I had gotten pretty good at hand checkering back in my gunshop, gunsmithing days. Recently I had decided to rework my second built rifle stock when I attended Colo. School of Trades, circa 1981. Part of the course requirements was to build a minimum of 3 rifle stocks from blanks, all hand inletted, no rough turning or duplicating allowed.

The rifle in question is a Interarms MK10 barreled action in .243 Win with black walnut stock. Like many inexperienced stock makers I left too much wood though out. Fast forward 40 years and I decided to slim the stock down and re-checker.

This is the first panel which would not pass muster if I was charging a customer. I knew I was out of practice, its been 23 years since I did any gunstock checkering, but Jeez, I was having trouble getting even spaced lines with my vintage MMC power checkering head. Come to find out a special tiny screw that holds a miniature bearing had come un-staked and allowed the carbide cutter axle to disengage from the bearing. After fixing the problem the next panel is coming along much better.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Looks great!

 

[ken erickson]

Looks great!

Thank you for the kind comment. Pictures on the interweb do have a way of hiding flaws, lol. Cars and tractors always look better than in person.

 

[85Hokie]

Brother - you get an A+ for the grade - looks awesome !

 

[Tughill Tom]

Very nice, noting compares to Walnut stock.

 

[D2Cat]

Ken, I know nothing about gun stocks, what i do know is that for several years what you show in pictures of work done, it is always detailed and excellent. Your design and build of the mechanism to get you on your tractor is tops though!!!!!

 

[ken erickson]

Thanks for comments guys! Much appreciated.

My seat lift has worked really well over the years and was a fun build! I am bringing the tractor back to my house after deer season and going to modify my hand control for the HST and give it a good wash and wax. First one since ownership.

Side two of the grip is done, went much better than the first. I am glad I can not see both at the same time! LOL. Not sure if I am going to do a wrap around on the forend or two separate panels.

 

[Tughill Tom]

Thanks for comments guys! Much appreciated.

My seat lift has worked really well over the years and was a fun build! I am bringing the tractor back to my house after deer season and going to modify my hand control for the HST and give it a good wash and wax. First one since ownership.

Side two of the grip is done, went much better than the first. I am glad I can not see both at the same time! LOL. Not sure if I am going to do a wrap around on the forend or two separate panels.
View attachment 135233


View attachment 135234

I vote for the full wrap.

 

[jaxs]

Very nice. Around 40 years ago my brother and I harvested Black Walnut logs from Granddad's farm. On advice of a cabinet maker we discarded stump and roots as well as log above base of first limb. We found out after the fact that figure like in your buttstock comes from stump and where limbs junction with trunk. I've built and hired people to build items I hope to be family heirlooms and I still have a couple hundred board feet. The best compliment I've ever received was when I overheard my daughter-in-law tell her neighbor if she could only save one tangible item should her house burn,"it is my hope chest".
I haven't tools nor skill for checkering but have imo improved stocks with what I call stippling. Draw outer perimeter of design on graph paper with suitable size squares. Tape paper to stock then use lite hammer and punch with parallelogram or rhombus ground on point to dimple line intersections. By coloring in squares of paper interesting patterns are possible by not stippling the colored blocks. Kind of shade tree or hillbilly when compared to your checkering but doesn't require near the skill or tools. Have you seen result of this procedure and care to comment on it?