Question on Rudy Etchen

[J. Scott Hanes]

I knew and shot with Rudy from 1980 until his passing. The stocks you refer to were made by Fred with dimensions custom made for the shooter. Rudy did not make stocks. He just shot his accurately.
We became friends when I went to Shreveport, LA on my first field sales assignment and he took me under his wing. At that time, Rudy was still in the Oil & Gas business and was shooting excellent scores on the trap field. In fact, I shot with him at the Shreveport Gun Club in August 1982 when he broke 100x100 in doubles with his 870 / Etchen Special stock and Peters ammunition; a feat he first completed 30 years before with the same gun and also Peters ammo at the Grand American in Vandalia as the first to break 100x100 with a pump gun.
There is an old article from Field & Stream by Grits Greshem about Rudy and his thoughts on shooting all shotgun disciplines and in it I believe Rudy mentioned that there had been around 150 Remington 870's with authentic Etchen Special stocks and as I remember around 30 Parkers. Most would have had the silver grip caps with the "Etchen Special" notation. Not all, but most.
Rudy was a great friend personally and with Remington. My other great friend and former boss, Art Wheaton, became even closer to Rudy over the years when Art came in as VP of Marketing and Sales, as Rudy was more prominent in consulting to the CEO of DuPont and later the President of Remington. A really great guy who could be comfortable around the CEO but really enjoyed being with any shooter who wanted to 'talk guns'