A step-by-step how to with complete photographic support for every detail of the art of working wood into rifle stocks. Comprehensive coverage of the techniques is illustrated to gain skill and/or understanding of the professional gunmaker's craft. An unparalleled achievement, destined to become the bible for students, professionals or those who appreciate custom rifles.

Contents:

Introduction to Inletting the Semi-inletted Stock

Introduction to Inletting: Definition of inletting - Inletting black - Patience - Workbench - Tools - Types of lighting

Inletting the Trigger Guard/Magazine Box into a Semi-inletted Stock: Alignment and initial fit - Inletting the corners of the box - Flat scraper - Trigger-guard tangs - Outside radius at rear of box - Proper clearance between box and action

Inletting the Barreled Action - Section 1

Rough Inletting: Inletting guide screws - Leveling - Outlining barreled action onto stock - Choosing the right chisel - Rough inletting the half-inch barrel channel - Repair of mistakes - Alternate methods for difficult wood - Barrel channel rasp

Rough Inletting the Barrel Channel with the in-cannel Gouges: Muscle control - Hand positions - Control of fine cuts

Inletting the Barreled Action Semi-inlet - Section 2

Finish Inletting: Insertion and removal of barreled action from the stock - Marking points of contact - Chisels - Flat scrapers - Tang - Curved sidewalls of receiver - Recoil lug mortise - Receive ring - Fisher Inletting scrapers - Barrel channel scrapers - Half depth determination - Inletting complete

Finish Shaping the Stock

Introduction to Finish Shaping: Definitions - Line flow diagrams - Stages of shaping - Design history - Lighting

Section 1 - Fitting the stock to the individual shooter: Physical characteristics of the shooter versus stock fit - Stock dimensions - Length of pull - Location of grip - Drop at heel and comb - Cast-off - Pitch - Toe-out

Section 2 - Introduction to the tools used in shaping: The smooth-cut plane - Palm plane - Bull nose plane - The spokeshave - The In-cannel gouge - The straight chisels - Nicholson 50 rasp - Crossing file

Section 3 - Shaping begins - profiling the buttstock: Toeline - Nose of Comb - Top of wrist - Modification of Tang - Sides of grip

Section 4 - Shaping the sides of the buttstock: Line flow diagram - Right side of buttstock - Toe-line - Top and sides of comb-line - Left side of buttstock - Shaping areas adjacent to the cheekpiece - Ghostline of cheekpiece - Cheekpiece fluting

Section 5 - Rough shaping the combnose fluting, the top and upper sides of the wrist: Comb nose fluting and tip of wrist - Pistol grip and finger clearance arch

Section 6 - Shaping the body and fore arm of the stock: Body - Profiling the forearm - Rough shaping the fore arm - Finish shaping the forearm - Ejection port and bolt handle recess

Sanding and Stock Finishing

Sanding - Section 1: Right Side of the Buttstock - Side Profile Line of the Wrist - Lower Right Side of the Butt and Lower Rear Portion of the Grip - Toe-line and the Small Radius at the Rear of the Grip - Lower Left Side of the Buttstock and Grip - Behind and Below the Cheekpiece - Front of the Cheekpiece - The Cheekpiece - Front of the Grip - finger Clearance Arch - Upper Wrist and the Comb Nose Fluting - Body the the Stock Through the Receiver Area - Forearm

Stock Finishing - Section 2: Stock finishing essays by Dave Wesbrook, Monte Mandarino, Mark Silver, Ed Webber, Richard Schreiber, and Bruce Farnam

Appendix I

Inletting a Steel Buttplate: Curved Sides of the Plate - Cutting in the Tit of the Buttplate - Spotting-In - Use of a Curved Riffler - Use of the Flat Scraper - Inletting Completed - Layout of a Skeleton Buttplate - Grinding the Draft

Appendix II

Tools Used in Stockmaking: Channels - Gouges - In-cannel Gouges