doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com recommend a stocker

I'm considering having a DS Lefever re-stocked. The original has a couple of cracks in the wrist area, none severe, and the gun is very shootable, but I'd like to upgrade an otherwise fine condition gun. I'd appreciate any recommendations for a good stocker.

Larry Schuknecht at Dutchman Woodworks. He's done two for me. Both excellent jobs. At really good prices.
http://www.dutchmanwoodworks.com

Just know this: when you spend $1500 minimum on wood and a high quality re-stocking on a field grade gun, you are very upside down financially. That may not matter to you if you are committed for life to the gun. Otherwise, if the gun fits you, consider sending it to one of the master restoration experts, two or three which reside here, and let them make it beautiful (and proper) again for a lot less.

Even some of those Durston Specials had some decent French walnut.
JR

Randy Murray, Murray Gun Stocks, in Oregon. Did one for me, a faux sidelock Tobin, it was excellent.
Google him.

Best,
Ted

Hi, my recommendation is The Stock Doctor. Dennis is top notch and great to work with. He does quality work and stands behind his work as well. Can't say enough good about him.

http://www.thestockdr.com/

Good Luck!

Greg

John,
A restock is a major expense and undertaking, but, good things can sometimes happen. At the time I restocked the Tobin, Randy had a supply of English walnut that his father had purchased 20-30 years prior. The wood was beautiful, but, sized such that it really was only usable on small frame shotguns. He had stocked a lever action rifle or two in it, but, said that wood with that much figure looked out of place on a lever gun.
I think my cost on the wood was $250-300. I got a $100 or so off the price total by selling him the original stock to use as a pattern. He had been a stocker for 30 years at that point, and had never seen a Tobin. Both events, good deal wood, and him needing a pattern stock, were blind luck that lowered the price.
I sold the gun, years later, for what I had into it. It was cast for a lefty, had beautiful wood, and was a sub gauge, 16 in this case. Stan Baker opened the chokes, fixed the "stepped" forcing cones, and the barrels were rust blued, so it wasn't just the cost of the restock that went into the gun.
Not sure I could pull that trick off again, and I'm doubtful it would have happened with a 12 gauge.

Best,
Ted

Thank you, gentlemen. John, I am well aware of the upside/down nature of re-stocking. Despite the fact a field grade will never command the same price or respect of a high end grade, most are as well built in all the essentials, minus the exquisite engraving, fancy lumber and attention to detail. That said, I do intend to keep and use the gun and will leave it to the next guy when, to parse Gene Hill, "the bullet with my name on it, fired 70 plus yrs. ago finds me." In the interim, however short it may prove to be, I'd like to carry a fine piece of crotch grain black walnut when I take this gun afield. Call it the cabinet-maker in me -- forty plus years -- that casts a critical eye on anything wood.

Will, few of us fiddle with these old guns intending to make money. I am deep in the hole with a number of mine and will never recover the money in them. But I'm happy, I do these things for fun and write off paper loss as the cost of my fun. To heck with it! I'm 75 and just finished having a Piper Super Cub airplane completely restored to show condition. There is no way I could recover what I have in it but frankly I don't care. I wanted to wrap up my 50+ years of flying in a pretty airplane. Go for the restock!

Brian Dudley (on this forum) did this for a shotgun to double rifle conversion:


He also does a lot of Parker refurbs.

I am looking for a stocker who does not have a 2 or 3 year wait time. I am pushing very close to 80 so I can't wait to long.