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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.

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