Stock bending
 

Who would you recommend for stock bending nowadays? I need to make some more cast in a straight stocked gun.

Thanks!

The only one I knew was Glen Baker at Woodcock Hill in Benton, PA. I have seen a Perazzi he did and it was well done still holding after many years. But he's passed on, he has someone there who does it now (with oil I believe) and others on here I know will say yay/nay on his skills.

The Couple times I have had stocks bent, I think I would have been better off throwing the money right in the garbage afterwards.

One was a Parker Repro. two attempts to bend for drop resulted in no change and all I had was a gun so gummed up with oil that it would barely open or function without a full cleaning.

The second attempt was on an english gun to remove cast and bring it back to neutral. Within 6 months the cast went back halfway to where it was when I started.

The two guns were done by different people.

That's going to be a really tough one Josh, with the long trigger guard tang...





.

Mike Orlen in Massachusetts.

We’ve sent several to Orlen to be bent . We’ve not heard anything negative back from our customers so I assume they stayed .

Josh,
I just had Dennis Smith (The Stock Doctor) bend a draw bolt stock on an RBL28. I also had Dennis bend a Perazzi DC12 draw bolt stock. Both came out perfect! He is the one I would recommend you contact. His phone number is (541) 483-2182.

All the best,
Buddy

Dan Rositter (SR) has done it and I think he still has the heating/bending jig in his shop. He still uses the Custom Stocks & Steel business name.

If memory serves the stock bending jig referred to by Mike was originally made by the late John Van Patten, respected gunsmith in Milford, PA. When John passed the jig came into the possession of a Parker man familiar to many of us, and he put it “on loan” to Dan Jr. before he went to G&H.

I've only had a couple done, both Fox, but Mike Orlen did them and they were perfect, cheap and quick. Had a couple of old time stocks bent for cast and drop and turned them into lethal frouse and quail guns.

Mike Orlen bent a Smith for me many years ago. Brought the drop at comb up 3/4” and it stayed. Most won’t attempt an LC Smith, because they crack, or are already cracked.
Danny Patton (retired, shoots on the Parker team at the Southerm most years) bent an unshootable 3” drop at comb Greener hammer gun for me. He brought the drop at comb up an incredible 1 1/2”. It was straight stocked English walnut.
Thin shell English bends easier than American black walnut. Straight stocks bend easier than pistol grips. But wood is unpredictable and you are rolling the dice, because any can crack when bending.
Mike Orlen uses leather straps to pull the heated wood. He has done so many that he can feel the tension on the straps, and knows when to stop.

I, too; have had Mike Orlen bend the stocks on two guns. The first was a American black walnut stocked 1913 Fox Sterlingworth w/a PG that had 2 3/4" of drop. I asked Mike to bend it up as much as he felt comfortable, it was returned having 2 3/8" of drop. It stayed until I decided to turn the gun it into a full-custom Fox a couple of years later. The second was an English walnut straight gripper that was bent down ~ 1/8" and ~ 1/8" more cast off added. It has stayed. Neither gun showed any signs of having been bent.

Incidently, both guns were shipped via UPS, WI to MA and back. Both guns were shipped at separate times and both were delivered back to me the eighth day after being sent out - and that included weekend days. If I should need bending in the future, Orlen will get the job.

Mike is terrible about answering his phone, and worse returning messages. That said, if you call right around 8AM, you might get lucky.
I took a set of barrels up to him a couple weeks ago to "Grind Out Metal", as greg would say. I went into town, had a cup of coffee, and picked them back up an hour later. Unfortunately he 'ground out' a wee bit more than I asked in the right barrel. Another set he did for me was within 5 tenths of what I asked for.
His last price list/service sheet is over 4 years old, and I know he no longer does some of the things on his list.

We've had him thread for chone tubes and bend stocks and ninety percent of the time its been what i thought was quick .

I think I would seek the advice of David Trevallion before I committed to having the work completed.