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One of a Kind 56 Bison
and silly things you'd never dream
of ...
One of a kind 56
Bison ... (An article for thought)
I made this rifle a few years ago.
Started it for myself - finished it for a customer. This is perhaps
the most popular pic I've ever posted and the rifle has been a
solid hit for many years. In fact, though the pic has been off
the site for some time, I continue to have it e-mailed back to
me from folks who evidently copied it and they continue to ask
about it.
Now, you might wonder why I'd ever
take down such a popular picture. Let me illustrate a few points
which explain the most difficult parts of this entire business.
Just a few things you'd never imagine in 100 years. I explain
things in detail here on the site. I know you read them if you
wish - or you don't if you wish. Nevertheless; this is why I don't
have a simple brochure. If I did, it would only cover 1% of the
questions I'm asked. I'd then spend 150 hours a week explaining
all this stuff (one person at a time) by phone. Not good.
First: The pic was taken for a magazine
cover. I have a larger version with more background - it's striking.
I secured the real skull and real buffalo pelt. Worked for two
days for the pic. The cover was promised. Then, when someone else
bought more advertising ... back room deal ... ya dee da ... cigar
smoke ... no cover. That's how it works.
Now: You'll note the rifle has no sights
on it. They were not made or fitted yet at the time of the photo
shoot (since I was trying to make the copy deadline for the magazine).
However; for about 4 years now, I've been explaining how you'd
shoot such a rifle without any sights. Reason #1 I dropped the
pic. ;?)
You'll also note the exceptional wood
grain. I'd hand picked through about 600 tons of walnut, selected
about a dozen planks that looked promising, and one small plank
was this tiger walnut. A shot in the dark. So, for about 4 years
now, I've been explaining to folks that I don't have a room full
of this tiger striped Walnut, and I can't just quote a price for
that feature. Reason #2 I dropped the pic. ;?)
Many of you will have heard me grumble
about "wood" from time to time, and wondered why. Mainly,
it's because it confuses the cost of the project so badly, and
the proportions of the cost vs. the work involved becomes hopelessly
muddied. After working about 200-300 hours fashioning "steel"
into a living, breathing, accurate object of wonder; the star
of the show becomes ... the "wood".
Most folks have no idea of the actual
relationship of skill/tools/time requirements between making the
action and making the stock. So, I'll mention here that the action
takes about 95+% of the skill, tools, and labor to complete. The
only thing I can't control is the wood's grain. I can't grow the
stuff ... well ... not fast enough anyway ;?)
On the professional "wood market",
figured woods are very expensive. That's fine - that's their market.
However; the rub comes in that most everybody today feels that
a fine custom rifle should have a classy chunk of wood to go with
it. Look at a few dozen antique PCP's, and you'll find some seriously
plain, light weight, straight grain woods. Won't do today though
in many minds. Wood rules. Thing is, the numbers don't quite stack
up. Here's why ...
As stated above, the action is 95+%
of the investment. I practically make my stocks for free in order
to sell a completed project. Now, let's take for example ... a
PCP rifle I'd sell for $4K. It's a proven good investment, but
hardly an inexpensive "airgun". I know that. Now ...
Here's the facts: That $4k barely pays
to build the action, maintain my equipment, keep the web site
on-line, and provide field support for the completed rifle over
the next few years. If we feel a custom rifle just "should"
have an exotic figured stock, then let's go look for some exotic
wood. We're going to start at about $500 and can quickly go to
$1,000 or much more for a blank from a dealer. If we don't go
with a dealer, then we'll have a few other problems like availability,
stability, guarantee against internal flaws etc. Alot of folks
seem to suggest they can just trade an old bass boat to a neighbor
for the walnut tree that fell on his garage last winter .... That
seldom works ("why" is another very long story involving
milling, seasoning, internal flaws, size, condition ... ). But
...
Let's say we decided to buy a nice
blank. Let's just be optimistic and say it was $500. We bite the
bullet - make a couple of more payments, and have all we need
... right? "Wrong". We've just complicated the stock
project several times. First, figured wood is ALWAYS much more
heavy. Most folks were already gonna gripe that the rifle should
only weigh four pounds "with" the five pound scope on
top. Now, we've added another 3-5 lbs. just in the figured wood's
additional weight. This will end up making the sporting rifle
into a wall hanger because nobody will carry it out of the den.
Subconsciously, however; it will end up being my fault for making
the rifle too darned heavy! ;?)
Now; the factor which makes figured
wood into "figured wood" is the fact that the grain
goes in every which direction round Robin Hood's barn and back.
You can't just cut and machine the stuff. You have to "sneak
up" on it - real slow. And, you have to know how. Yes ...
I do know how ... from 28 years of stalking the stuff. Here's
how: You have to have all the cutters three times as sharp as
usual. The stuff is hard and brittle. You can't just mill the
groove for the pressure tube. Certainly not. You often have to
glue backer strips onto the outsides of the stock while milling
or else nasty "chunks" of your burl will simply "pop
off" during machining. Bummer. Eventually, you'll have to
cut and grind these backers off again (and hope the wood doesn't
split and/or crack when you do). You see, alot of figured wood
has the structural integrity of an oatmeal cookie (that crappy
structural grain is what makes it pretty). After you mill the
voids, you can come back the next day and find the whole thing
is now banana shaped because you fiddled (relieved) the internal
stresses present in the wood. The wood now wants to seek it's
new dynamic tension balance. So, you are best to partially mill
the voids (letting the stock somewhat oversized for future corrections)
and then let the wood stand for a month or so to normalize once
again. You have to come back and sneak up on it again later (and
hope it's in a better mood).
You can do all this on a $28,000 shotgun
(especially when the action of the $28k shotgun is production
made in the first place). You cannot do it on a $4k action (actually
handmade) by simply paying the additional flat cost of a figured
wood blank (...that's still $4k to me and a dozen new headaches
to boot). I'll also ask you to believe this (which most won't).
I'm occasionally sent the e-mail address or url of a place that's
just going to end ALL of my wood problems. It's right there -
just click and ship! Simple. Right. Well, I've e-mailed and called
a few. They don't respond. If you speak to them by phone, they
don't follow up and do what they say they will. If you send them
a pattern, you never hear from them again. You try them and see.
This is the whole reason I work for myself. I know that I'll do
what I say I will do. And I have no desire to introduce a weak
link into the program.
"Wow ... all I wanted was a pretty
stock". Exactly. Everybody does. Oddly, people will go to
a stock maker and gladly pay a huge price (because it's then a
separate new project). However; for my experience, most folks
seem to see this super stock as a simple "accessory upgrade")
and really aren't thinking that it should double the cost of the
project. And, in my mind, when I've devoted 200-300 hours of skilled
labor for my $$$'s, I'm not real excited to see a pc. of wood
get just as well paid for having a lousy structural grain and
instability! ... (that's humor ... ;?)
My point is well proven by the obvious
fact that there are businesses which take commercial actions,
fluff them up a bit, add some lipstick, and a figured wood stock,
and then charge as much as my "hand built" custom rifles.
Such a project has the customer agreeing to buying a known (say
maybe a $1,500) action. Said customer then agrees to pay out about
$3,500 additional for the stock and polish job. Hey ... for an
additional $3.5K over the cost of my action, we can talk some
serious wood too! ;?) ha ha. But anyway ... reason #3 to drop
the pic. "Don't fuel the figured wood debate".
Let's wrap this up ... (finally ...!)
Everything I make is unique. There
are several ways I've found to do various things. This Bison is
a proven winner. However; I didn't turn in my pencil and sketch
pad (or my ability to design and/or innovate) when I completed
this particular PCP. Still; when I show new Bison models, I often
get a howl of pain (and an e-mailed pic) from those who liked
this one. I have to go back and tell everyone that they can have
what they want to purchase. I must also make sure everyone understands
that this pic was NEVER the base price Bison. This was a special
one-of-a-kind. Reason #4 to drop the pic. ;?)
Well, that's why I pulled the pic.
But; I give up. ;?) It's back posted again. I'm glad you like
it. I do too. I'll just go on explaining all of the above, over
and over, and thus add a few more years to the waiting list ....
ha ha ;?)
Yes, you can have a figured stock.
It's just very expensive and it's often heavy. But; I don't want
to saw up your neighbor's tree. Yes, a figured wood stock will
add a significant amount of "curb appeal" to your rifle.
But, I'm not going to work the stuff for free in order to jack
up the resale, and I won't take the rap for it adding weight to
the rifle. I can't "skinny down" the action to compensate.
If you want, you can buy the action alone. I've had a few folks
want to do this. They then proceeded to learn quite a few interesting
things about having custom stocks made by professional stock makers.
Maybe you'll find a superior naive craftsman such as I once was
25 years ago. I was challenged into quite a few projects which
netted me another $20 for another three weeks of aggravating work.
;?) I just don't have the time, the energy, or anything to prove
at this point.
Thanks for reading. Might not be all
of you, but a significant number of folks tell me they enjoy the
"logic" of the site as much as the pics. I tell you
things you'll never find printed in the "happy... happier...
even more happy" magazine articles where everything is dreamy
every few months or so. ;?) I give you the truth, and you get
it today. Thanks.
Hey .. this coffee mug is empty ...