- 32 inch standard barrels
- configured to balance specifically on the hinge pin
- 8 lbs 13 oz total weight
- english walnut, cut in the late 70s
- checkering 24 lines per inch, modified pattern with ribbons
- beavertail style forend modified to be slimmer in shape
- buttstock reconfigured in shape to achieve balance point specifications
- waterlox finish approx. 15 coats
- Length of pull 15 inches with .7 pad, .5 and .9 included as secondary pads
Completion time four months, start to finish. Two months to try out the pattern stock, and two months to finish the final stock
Thoughts on my new stock:
It rocks…I am a surgeon and by nature very OCD. I met Mr Bauder at our state shoot and it didn’t take long to strike up a conversation about shooting, stocks and what I liked/didn’t like about my new shotgun. My shotgun is a Perazzi HIgh Tech and I had it fitted and custom ordered. My midlife crisis, way better than a corvette, was this ordering process and the gun. When it got here it shot well, mechanically perfect but I just didn’t settle with it well. At every shoot, I would have to premount and line up the gun to be confident in my mount. Well, Neal paid attention to our conversation and watched me shoot the next day. He then looked at my stock and made some notes on a piece of paper. He handed it to me and said to send that paper, along with my gun, to him if I wanted to change my stock.
A bit of time went by and I decided to give it a shot. The worst that would happen is, he would make me a try stock that I didn’t like and I’d revert to the old stock. I got the gun back from Neal with several recoil pads and options to tweak. The only change I made was to go one shorter pad. Next I practiced about 200 rounds before the next tournament. Not only did I get HOA but after the main, 5 stand and supersport I had only missed 6 birds combined. That night I called Neal and said “Make it!”
He of course was flattered but said no. Me made me try it out more and see what else needed to change. Doing what I was told, I practiced and shot a bit more but didn’t find anything not to like. I opened the thumb just a bit over the top of the comb but otherwise left the try stock alone. The very next tournament was the World English and it was my first world championship either viewing or participating. Not only did I love the course, the gun was perfect. I finished 4th in my class and was amazed at how easy the gun was to shoot. Remember back when I said that I had to mount and check the gun before every station? It was at the World English that I noticed I was ignoring the gun. A reliable mount, easy cheek pressure and a more upright stance came naturally showing off Neal’s vision and careful craftsmanship.
Now that I had two tournaments in hand, Neal let me make the final stock. As you can see the wood is amazing and the attention to layout and fit are second to none. Thanks Neal for making my midlife crisis even better! See you on the Parcours.
-Thomas Owen