I have been told that Fox Sterlingworth stocks cannot be successfully bent due to the use of American Walnut.
My sample of one says that the rumors are correct. I have a Sterly 12 that I took to a nationally known and highly respected gunsmith to have the stock bent. He did not hesitate to bend it or to charge me for the bend, even though he blew out a big chunk of walnut alongside the top tang. Would have been salvageable if he had not glued the chunk back, badly, with what looks like Acraglass. No easy way to get a good glue line now, so it just sits in the case waiting for a solution. That was the second time he completely botched a wood repair and the last time I used him.
