Dunlap "improved" Brown Bess stock patern

[Telgan]

Has anyone ever tried Wayne Dunlaps's improved Brown Bess stock patern? His webb site says more drop and more comfortable to shoot. Made to match Pedersoli Bess parts and pree inlet, almost like a Pedersoli Bess kit. I have a one that I'd like to restock. A photo would be great as well, if anyone has tried one.  Thanks, Tom

[Michael]

Tom,

In all honesty it lacks in many areas. Let me explain.

A friend asked me to assemble one for him. He used a Jap Bess barrel, lock and mounts in one of Wayne's stocks made for the Jap Bess parts. On the one I worked on the butt piece is not inlet for the butt piece from the original gun. It was inlet for a more correct 2ND model butt piece so I had to get a casting from Reeves Goehring. Most of the inletting for the rest of the mounts were a little on the ' loose' side. At time it required some creativity to get the parts in the stock which generally required the use of glued in slivers of wood and the use of wood filler. The gaps were not bad but they were not as good as what could be achieved by inletting them without the machine inletting. Also the ramrod hole is not drilled in the lower fore stock. The ramrod grove is machined in the upper fore end. I had no problem drilling the hole, however I set up all my guns from the blank and I drill all my ramrod holes.

I think the over all stock is much better and more historically correct than the factory stock but in the case of the one I worked on it could have used a little more tweaking. I think some of the problem come from the use of the factory stock as a master pattern. The improved stock just reproduces all the bad machine inletting from the original.

This is just MY opinion based on working on one stock. I know nothing else about any of the other precarves Wayne sells.

Just my two cents worth

Michael

[Telgan]

Thanks Michael, That's kind of what I was looking for. What did you think of the additional drop configuration in terms of shootability and fit ?

[Michael]

Tom,

The stock definitely fits and feels better than the factory stock. Keep in mind that this was for a Jap Bess, the Pedersoli may be totally different. There is more meat on the stock and the swell at the entry pipe is fuller in the hand. On the whole it is a nice variation from the mass produced factory stock. My take would be that this re stock is not for a novice.

Michael