I know some turners with over 4000 patterns. Now that is a LONG time in business. However, some times one needs to copy an original and it is easy to do if one is not ham handed. Electrical tape covers the wood and special glues add wood for attachment points that do not give but come off when needed. I copied a minty original Hawken stock this way. It was a $50,000 gun.
Stockers would always like to have the metal done or redone after they work it and the ham handed guys especially.
As far as the financial end goes, some names are greatly overrated and over priced and some are new but greatly underrated who charge very reasonable amounts. A site like this can identify both.
