Stock Extension Treatment

[Bruce Day]

With respect to the checkered stock extension, I think a person needs to ask "what is the intention?" Obviously, it is to be conspicuous. It draws attention to itself. The eye first draws in the entire gun and then is drawn to the stock butt. The extension could be any wood grain pattern. There is no need to painstakingly match grain and growth ring spacing.

The other approach is to take the time to select as close to a wood grain match as possible, then using the artist's touch, finely paint grain lines across the joint. I've seen some that if I had not been told that it was an extension, I would not have known. These guns are more integrated, more fluid appearing, the eye is not drawn to a single feature. Mark Larson, Dennis Smith, David Trevallion are masters of this craft.