Stock refinishing isn’t complicated, but it is easy to do poorly. In this piece, I walk through how I evaluate a stock, address structural issues before cosmetic ones, and build a traditional oil finish that preserves lines, checkering, and character instead of sanding them away.

Recoil is an unavoidable part of shooting, and the larger the caliber, the more you feel it. While it can’t be eliminated, recoil can be managed through options like recoil pads, muzzle brakes, and suppressors.

Revolver accuracy isn’t mysterious, and it isn’t luck. In this piece, I walk through what cylinder throats actually do, how to measure them, and why a thousandth of an inch can be the difference between clean groups and heavy leading.

A gunsmith’s education doesn’t end when school does. The most valuable tool in the shop isn’t always a machine — sometimes it’s a book. In an age where digital content disappears overnight, a physical library preserves the knowledge that keeps the trade alive.

Day to day journal entries from a Canadian moose hunt in Quebec. It was a 13-day, unguided, outfitted hunt. We filled both of our moose tags and had an amazing time. This is unedited, roughly worded, and a very picture heavy blog!

A story of a bison hunt in North Dakota using an 1874 Sharps rifle that I built on a C. Sharps Arms action.

There’s a certain satisfaction in using a machine that may have helped build Super Cubs to now build rifles. This is the story of a 1958 Buffalo Forge drill press and the unlikely path that brought it into my shop.

At some point, most gun owners end up with a firearm they consider refinishing. Maybe it’s a family heirloom that’s seen better days. Maybe it’s something that caught your eye in a gun shop rack—rough around the edges, but full of potential. The question always comes up: Will refinishing this hurt its value, or help it?

Rifle and shotgun builders will spend countless hours reviewing gunstock blanks to find the perfect blank for the job. First and foremost, the size is essential as it needs to be large enough for the project at hand. Functionality, beauty, and affordability are considered if it meets your size requirements.

Over the past four years, I’ve carried my custom-built G33/40 just about everywhere I’ve gone. Chambered in the timeless .270 Winchester, I’ve taken it all over North America. This is what I liked and didn’t like about my rifle.

Stock Duplication is not as simple as it sounds. There are a lot of different processes involved with machining an accurate copy of a stock.

If you've spent any amount of time looking at stock blanks, you will know that there is no such thing as "just walnut." French, English, Black, Bastogne, Turkish, Italian, and Claro are all names you will see pop up. So what's the difference? What is Claro Walnut? Is there a difference between Turkish and Circassian?

We didn’t set any guidelines for what we considered a “classic” rifle. It just had to be old and have some kind of cool factor built into it. What do I consider a classic? A model that was built with quality in mind, not quantity. Pre-64 Winchesters, early Remingtons, and in my case, early 20th-century Austrian hunting rifles.

Welcome to “From the Bench!” This is a blog for my shop Highland Custom LLC. If you aren’t familiar with what a blog is, it is a place for me to write about whatever topic is on my mind at the time. This will all be firearms/hunting related, sometimes technical, sometimes not. It is a great place for people to get ideas about custom work and to inspire people to get out in the field and enjoy themselves.