Hatchers rifle stocks

[trevort]

Hey Camel

The forend on my Richards stock is long and flat bottomed. I would be happy to take it to this mob to copy the pattern if you wanted one. would suit shooting off the door rest

[Camel]

Thanks macka, Ill have to check it out.

Trev, thankyou for the kind offer mate, I may just have to take you up on that. Though your stock is a bit different to what I am used to I will look into it.

[trevort]

we will have to arrange you trying it at a get together

[frl0173]

I received my new semi finished stock from Hatchers on Friday.

It is a XX grade stock that I think will come up very nicely once it's finished, I have to open up the thumb hole slightly to fit my hands as well as the action ever so slightly but that was all expected.

Once I have finished the minor shaping and finished sanding it I'm planning on an oil finish, just not sure which yet, so this is where I ask what have others used and recommend. I have used True in the past but I don't think thats the finish I'm after.

[MISSED]

I like the look of that stock Frank

Truoil is more varnish and dryers than oil and should only be used to fill the shelves at Gunshops.

[dashooter]

Looks good. Definitely interested.
He ain't gunna sell much though if he doesn't fix his email address issues on UsedGuns.
Trying to send query on stock options on his ad's is a non event.

[frl0173]

Looks good. Definitely interested.
He ain't gunna sell much though if he doesn't fix his email address issues on UsedGuns.
Trying to send query on stock options on his ad's is a non event.

Yeah I know I did get in contact with him via his mobile phone though which he then sent me his proper email address, he did tell me that he did try to fix it on UG.

It didn't seem to trouble him too much as I had to wait 3 weeks for him to make up one as I didn't like the one he had on UG cause it had a knot in it, I had to wait till he cleared the back log from the first round of adds on UGs and by all accounts he is still pretty busy.

[HATCH]

Hi Blokes

A mate of mine alerted me to this thread (plus a few on AHN that I am yet to get to...) and don't want this post to come across as a blatant plug but thought Id better clear a few things up, as well as say G'day!! Yes its true, I obviously have in my possession a good number of Geoff Slee's original Patterns after purchasing them about two years ago (the wheels have been in motion for this business for quite some time!!). In that time I have had to sell my previous business & house in S.A, relocate my family to Vic, import some machinery, build a workshop & set it up etc. etc. - a rather lengthy drawn out & often frustrating process! Anyway, I am now in a position where I am machining stocks off the existing patterns I have: there is still a lot of work to do both workshop & product development/improvement wise until I get things where I want them but at least these things are available to be purchased again. Making a dollar after a while without a pay cheque is pretty good too! My website is very close to completion which will have a list of available patterns and lots of other relevant info. I appreciate the interest and if you want any questions answered please feel free to contact me here or give me a buzz on 0429 773 986


Cheers,
Cameron Hatcher

[HATCH]

I received my new semi finished stock from Hatchers on Friday.

It is a XX grade stock that I think will come up very nicely once it's finished, I have to open up the thumb hole slightly to fit my hands as well as the action ever so slightly but that was all expected.

Once I have finished the minor shaping and finished sanding it I'm planning on an oil finish, just not sure which yet, so this is where I ask what have others used and recommend. I have used True in the past but I don't think thats the finish I'm after.

Hi Frank, glad you got your Thumbhole & you are happy. Looking forward to seeing the finished job!

[HATCH]

Looks good. Definitely interested.
He ain't gunna sell much though if he doesn't fix his email address issues on UsedGuns.
Trying to send query on stock options on his ad's is a non event.

Thanks mate, I was aware there was a problem a few weeks ago & I thought it had been fixed but obviously not so. Feel free to send me an email at cameron.hatcher at trusafe.com.au

This is only an interim email though until my website is finished and new ones activated.

Cheers,
Cameron Hatcher

[Camel]

G'day Hatch, good to see you are on here mate, I will be getting in touch with you for some stocks for my Zastava M85 rifles.

I noticed you had been on here since 2010, very slack of you not to jump into the cess pit and have a bit of fun, please post more as we need more interesting stuff to read.

[dashooter]

Looks good. Definitely interested.
He ain't gunna sell much though if he doesn't fix his email address issues on UsedGuns.
Trying to send query on stock options on his ad's is a non event.

Thanks mate, I was aware there was a problem a few weeks ago & I thought it had been fixed but obviously not so. Feel free to send me an email at cameron.hatcher at trusafe.com.au

This is only an interim email though until my website is finished and new ones activated.

Cheers,
Cameron Hatcher

Hi Cameron,

All good. It was the ad's for the Mark V and Howa/Weatherby that bounced the email back (I didn't try the rest).

Was wondering how advanced your options were going to be on stock finish/fit. You'll have to forgive me but the Boyd's business model comes to mind (as its the most common one I know).
Do you have any plans in the future to provide customers with an "option up" facility? I'm thinking checkering or recoil pads as an example.
MISSED has already got the stock oil/rubbing market cornered.
I'm thinking of getting a stock for a long action Weatherby (to start with) in the not too distant future. Just looking around at options ATM and while Boyd's look good their direct international export policy of nothing over $100 USD kills off the things I'd be looking at.

Cheers,
Rob

[trevort]

Good luck with it Hatch.

Does your patterning machinery allow you to copy existing stocks.

I am sure the guys in travel distance would be happy to provide samples as my post above

[HATCH]

G'day Hatch, good to see you are on here mate, I will be getting in touch with you for some stocks for my Zastava M85 rifles.

I noticed you had been on here since 2010, very slack of you not to jump into the cess pit and have a bit of fun, please post more as we need more interesting stuff to read.

Cheers Camel, yes I've been here a while but am pretty slack at posting on all forums really! Always like reading other blokes hunting stories & looking at cool stuff so will try be a bit more proactive!

Good luck with it Hatch.

Does your patterning machinery allow you to copy existing stocks.

I am sure the guys in travel distance would be happy to provide samples as my post above

Yes mate it does; The duplicating machine allows basically any shaped object to be installed between centres and a copy produced. Ill try put a pic up to show what I mean.

I am happy to copy off other peoples patterns and have several other customers already doing this. Insured postage on a stock is relatively cheap: A boxed up and bubble wrapped thumbhole stock from Melbourne to Charters Towers last month cost about $30 if my memory is correct.

[HATCH]

Hi Cameron,

All good. It was the ad's for the Mark V and Howa/Weatherby that bounced the email back (I didn't try the rest).

Was wondering how advanced your options were going to be on stock finish/fit. You'll have to forgive me but the Boyd's business model comes to mind (as its the most common one I know).
Do you have any plans in the future to provide customers with an "option up" facility? I'm thinking checkering or recoil pads as an example.
MISSED has already got the stock oil/rubbing market cornered.
I'm thinking of getting a stock for a long action Weatherby (to start with) in the not too distant future. Just looking around at options ATM and while Boyd's look good their direct international export policy of nothing over $100 USD kills off the things I'd be looking at.

Cheers,
Rob[/quote]

Hi Rob

The final fit and finish of machined stocks I sell is probably the most common question I get. Boyds stocks are obviously a massive company, and would have a lot of machinery & processes that enable them to provide the option up features & 'drop in' fit stocks so to speak. Things like laser checkering, CNC sanding & coating would make it a pretty streamlined process. They would probably have the action of every model they provide a stock for and 3d laser scan it so they can transfer that data to their CNC machinery programme. This in turn gets matched to whatever outside profile they want to be produced. All very expensive gear if you buy good quality stuff. Guess they can do this when they are pumping out stocks in the hundreds each day!

The patterns I have are a mix of fitted to the action & not fitted - i.e. back in the day when they were made, for some of them the action was on hand so they have been fitted to suit that action (sometimes glass bedded even -obviously providing a much closer fit once copied on my machine) and others simply copied from the factory stock to obtain the inlet. If the factory stock was slightly out or inletting oversize compared to the barrelled action, then if I copied that one for one then those discrepancies would be transferred to the job. For this reason I tend to err on the side of caution and machine inletting slightly undersize unless specified, you can always take more wood out but its pretty hard to grow it back! Not all of my patterns are marked fitted or not fitted either! This combined with slight variations in action dimensions over the years all adds up. Its about getting the right mix of what the customer is happy with - not having to remove heaps of material for inletting but at the same time ensuring their are no big gaps that will ruin the job - this combined with providing a service that I can still turn a living out of as well!

As far as offering other services, yes it may happen down the track, but for the moment I am flat out supplying semi-finished stocks off the duplicator. I'm not fully set up for any of the two piece stuff that needs the stock bolt hole drilled through the butt (Lee Enfields, martinis, Ruger no1's etc) and I have a feeling their will be a reasonable demand for those as well! The amount of hours required to do a good job on a lot of those extra services are hard to charge for as well, checkering & finishing being the worst.

Cheers