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Cole Gunsmithing Revolutionizes Custom Stockmaking

Technology and entrepreneurship have been wed in dramatic fashion in a machine-shop outbuilding at Cole Custom Guns, in Harpswell, Maine- and as that marriage involves fine double guns, we wanted to have a look. Rich Cole has been at the gunmaker's bench for many years and has built a reputation as one of the best sources for custom-built Beret-tas and a selection of beautiful walnut for stock upgrades, so this is not exactly a backyard-garage-business start-up. But this new project has that same feel of pioneering enterprise.

A few moments in front of the room-size CNC machining center and you know this is not the workspace of the American custom gunmaker of a few years ago-and it's even farther removed from the legendary handwork of the heyday of the British gun. It's machinery of the scale that would be at home on the line of a well-capitalized Italian gunmaking factory or in an ultra-modern German plant. (The vertical milling machine is large enough to climb into to clamp the premium-grade walnut blank between the horizontal spindles.)

And here's where the beauty of Cole's vision lies: Among the first to apply this technology to custom guns of modest cost, he offers premium-grade stocks of personal dimensions with machine-made efficiency and consistency. His company specializes in custom stocks for Beretta 680 series guns-offered as a retrofit or as the basis of a true custom build-and also can stock a new Zoli or Caesar Guerini to customer needs. German and Italian plants may feature similar stockmaking technology, but they cannot offer fully custom stocks on any but their highest-grade guns. Bespoke craftsmen may offer this same finished product, but not at this value or speed. And be assured that after Cole selects an inletted blank in Italy and then turns it into a modern marvel of computer-controlled milling, he applies the final strokes by hand and fits the wood to the receiver the old-fashioned way. The wood's final finish reflects the same enduring handwork.

In adapting the computer-controlled machining technology for custom stockmaking, the heart of the task for Cole's small shop was creating the digital model that then could be manipulated in many directions and dimensions for a finished product that fits the customer. From within a base model, the computer program had to be able to comprehend the dimensions of a thin-wristed straight English stock with a wisp of a comb as well as the aggressive radius and chunky cheekpiece of a target gun. That proved a daunting hurdle for Clifton Wilson, the 20-something whiz kid who runs the program for Cole while running his own business, Maine Tool & Ma-chine, on-site. (Wilson literally grew up with the technology, modeling shapes for the same machines in his father's shop.) According to Cole and Wilson, much of the small-shop CNC work programmed today is set up for essentially two-dimensional operations with metal parts of a known thickness.

The programming was a monumental investment. "These are pretty complex shapes to create," Wilson said as the milling machine threw scented bits of expensive walnut sawdust in all directions.

"We want to be able to accommodate people who can't buy a gun off the shelf and make it work with minor adjustments," Cole said.

The project the day I visited was being cut from a beautifully marbled blank for a customer who wanted a full pistol grip stock with a slight palm swell. A professional fitting had prescribed more cast at the face than at the heel, and with those dimensions entered, the milling head swept back and forth over the wood, shaving the block into recognizably sumptuous curves. It was fascinating to watch the piece progress as we talked, and inside of two hours the stock was roughed out and ready for Cole's finishing file strokes and sanding.

At his bench, Cole quickly cleaned up the machine's work, not just smoothing the gentle striations left by the end-mill cutter, but also easing shapes here and there to meet his human and expert expectations. The blanks are inletted in Italy by one of the same firms that supplies them to Beretta, but Cole fits each receiver by traditional methods, with transfer dye marking high spots and chisels removing them until the metal just fits-everywhere-into the wood.

Cole Gunsmithing can arrange for a fitting on its premises, less than an hour from Portland, or can recommend a gunfitter near prospective clients. Customers who visit have the option of choosing blanks themselves, though considering the wood Cole has in stock, that could challenge all sense of budget restraint. (Much of the inventory can be viewed online as well.) Prices range from $505 to $875 for the wood and $1,200 to $1,500 for the milling, checkering, in-stalling and finishing. Custom stocks can be retrofitted to Beretta 680 series and semi-automatic shotguns as well as Antonio Zoli and Caesar Guerini guns. They also can serve as the basis for a complete Cole custom shotgun, with a dizzying menu of Italian engraving, metal finishes and wood grades from which to choose. To learn more about the full list of options, contact Cole Gunsmithing, 800-650-2653; www.colegun.com.

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