About PGW
Large enough to provide the best product on the market, but small enough to know its customers by name.

Precision Gun Works began as Columbia Precision Woodworking in Uvalde, Texas in 1979. Charlie Jones purchased the business, and began making precision-machined buttstock patterns using his personal rifle collection for models. Charlie worked with his son, Gary, and the business stayed small.

Charlie and Gary added other rifle and shotgun stocks to the line, moving the business to Kerrville, Texas and expanding the manufacturing facility. In 1993 the pair purchased a state-of-the-art twelve-spindle Italian carving machine, and the business really took off. Charlie discovered that his real love is in the gunsmithing end of things, while Gary excelled at the exacting work of pattern-making and machining. PGW grew as its reputation for finely crafted semi-finished buttstocks spread among the gunsmithing and firearms collecting communities.

 In 1998 Gary purchased the business from Charlie. Although small by today's business standards Precision Gun Works has refined the production of smooth, precisely inletted American Black Walnut buttstocks and expects to market several thousand pieces this year. In addition to the stocks you see on these pages, PGW also manufactures pieces in large quantities for retailers such as Numrich Gun Parts Corporation, Brownells, Dixie Gun Works, and MidwayUSA.

Charlie has retired and opened his own company, Charles Jones Gun Parts, offering many hard-to-find Winchester and Marlin parts. See his website at www.chasjonesgunparts.com.

When you phone in an order to Precision, or call with a question, you'll speak to Gary, the owner. PGW prides itself on quality and service - large enough to provide the smoothest, closest-fitting gunstocks on the market, and being small enough to know its customers by name.

!

About Our Stocks

Precision Gun Works original issue-style replacement stocks are manufactured to the most exacting specifications using special duplicating equipment of the highest accuracy. Specially designed pattern stocks, derived from original stocks and checked against actual rifles, are used in the manufacturing process. These proprietary patterns have been designed to meet three very important criteria:

  • Faithfulness to original issue stock designs
  • Accuracy of wood-to-metal fit
  • Ease of fitting and finishing

Because of the refinement and accuracy of our stocks and machining process, you will never receive a rough-cut or excessively under- or over-sized gunstock from Precision. We use the utmost care in manufacturing to ensure that Precision Gun Works stocks are the closest fitting, most accurate semi-finished stocks available. Even the novice can achieve professional results with only a minimal amount of work. We are confident you will be pleased with the quality of our stocks.

Wood Quality and Grading

Natural black walnut coloration varies from pale camel to dark coffee color, from rusty brown to almost a purple tone. Most of the wood we procure, however, remains in the fairly neutral "middle range" of those coloration extremes. We try to machine the stocks and forearms in quarter sawn, or edge grain, although it's not always possible - depending on how the stocks are laid out on the rough walnut. Please be aware that none of the early manufacturers provided stocks and fores in matching or specific grain styles. (Some of our stock photos appear with a yellowish color due to the lighting. The graining of the wood, however, is representative of our widely varying types. View more than one photo to get a good idea of the varieties.) Please be aware also that we do not machine stocks and forearms from the same piece of wood. We do our best to find a good match for our customers, but a set will never be from the same tree!

After machining and light sanding, our stocks are shrink-wrapped in poly to protect the wood from changes in humidity (which cause warpage and shrinkage) and minor dings. We also clearly mark the make and model of the stock or forearm so you can be sure that your order has been properly filled. These are the hallmarks of a Precision Gun Works stock - accept no substitutes!

Again, early firearm manufacturers did not match wood grain or coloration - they were busy trying to get as many of these rifles out the factory doors as possible. However, today's consumer is seeking a good match between buttstock and forearm, and we do our best to provide this.

Degree of Finish

Precision Gun Works semi-finished stocks are the very finest available in the industry today. To insure the highest quality and historical authenticity, we select only the best American black walnut from the midwestern region of the United States, properly dried and hand-selected before machining. Our semi-finished stocks are fully contoured and are machined approximately 1/16" oversized. The inletting is left just slightly tight (approximately .005 - .010") to enable you to attain the best possible fit for your particular firearm. In our manufacturing process, we take great care to machine our stocks as close to proper finished dimensions as is practical - still maintaining adequate tolerances to allow for slight variations among individual rifles. Neither tang screw holes nor buttplate holes are drilled.

All Precision Gun Works semi-finished stocks are fully detailed, ready for final fitting to your rifle. Following the machining process, buttplate contact areas are sanded to a close fit and, where applicable, the throats of the stocks are opened and sanded. Our exclusive SmoothCut carving process assures you for a smooth outward surface, virtually free from rough machining marks. This saves considerable time in final finishing. For the best value in replacement stocks, Precision Gun Works' extensive line of semi-finished stocks is unequaled.

Current Manufacture / Non-Original Issue Stocks

Some manufacturers are currently producing replicas of original Winchester rifles. For the most part, our original Winchester stocks are not interchangeable with these newer replica stocks. Some of our stocks can be made to work, such as the 1876 Winchester on the 1876 Chaparral, but they do require more time, effort, and knowledge to obtain a satisfactory fit. 

Brownings are a similar situation; with additional work, some of our stocks will fit the Brownings, whereas others will not. Please do not be misled by salesmen who have only the sale in mind. The only way to own an authentic Winchester, built to Winchester specs, is to purchase The Real Thing. If you're willing to accept a less-expensive knockoff, you may have to live with the wood it comes with.