Minelli Magazine - Shooting Sports

Which services are offered today by the best custom gun stock makers

Written by Alberto Franchini | January 16 2020

Choosing the gun stock maker that best suits your needs is not to be taken lightly because it can affect your clients’ satisfaction. In fact, if the manufacturer’s service is poor, this will have a negative effect on your customers’ buying experience and, therefore, on your business. Before selecting your supplier, you must consider several factors. In this article, we will discuss what services a competent wood manufacturer should provide.

Custom gun stock makers: tips to understand if you can trust them

For most Americans, guns are not just simple firearms. They are part of their culture and traditions. Many people receive their first gun as a precious gift at an early age, and they learn how to use it during childhood. Maybe they go hunting with their dad or participate in some shooting events. Some people keep their grandpa’s gun as a treasure and pass it down from one generation to another; others are real collectors and buy a new gun more than once during the year. Maybe they want to own the new model or love the technical improvements of the most innovative firearms. You can understand how difficult it can be to satisfy clients’ expectations and requests, which are increasingly challenging.

The five signs that make a manufacturer reliable

The possibility of offering high-quality products to your clients depends a lot on the manufacturer you select, especially if you want to guarantee perfect wooden-made gunstocks built on the needs of their owners. Today, in fact, a great many suppliers claim to be expert custom gun stock makers, and you must know if they can actually create customized objects by offering some specific services. Let’s review them.

Codesign & prototyping during the design phase

Codesign is fundamental when you want to create a personalized component. It means that your partner has the experience and expertise to help you improve your product before production and able to give useful advice based on his knowledge. The best custom gun stock makers are also expert consultants, with an overall vision on market trends and demand. Moreover, a good manufacturer allows you to see and touch a physical sample of the final product to determine if it corresponds to what you and your client expect.

Great expertise in wood processing

Processing wood is not easy: there are hundreds of varieties, each with its own characteristics, and only the best custom gun stock makers know them very well. Moreover, being a natural material, wood moves constantly, so precise tolerances must be respected meticulously to create accurate and solid guns, avoiding discrepancies. If the manufacturer you are evaluating has a decennial heritage, has worked with famous brands, and his competency has been demonstrated over the years, it means that he’s an expert in the field, and you can trust him.

Innovative machinery and tools

Without the right means, you can’t offer impeccable services. Custom gun stock makers must have the right technologies and the newest systems to create personalized components and guarantee a perfect result, always respecting deadlines. Look at the company structure and processes to determine if they are equipped with the essential tools to create what they promise.

Wide variety of choice

If you offer your clients the possibility to customize their products, they will have many requests and needs. As a consequence, you can’t provide them a catalogue with just a few models and three or four types of finishes to choose from. You must offer a wide range of possibilities, and this again depends on your supplier. One of the advantages of wood is that it can be enhanced with many types of finishing according to clients’ preferences. Not many custom gun stock makers, though, have a wide selection, so you must ensure it. Among the most innovative solutions, for example, are polymer coatings—which build a strong covering and make wooden stocks look like plastic—and soft-touch finishes, which add a velvety-soft feel to printed wood.

Cost-effectiveness

The supplier must guarantee top-quality products, but cost optimization must be the primary goal. Some custom gun stock makers can produce goods in small lots and only when clients request them, providing greater efficiency and remarkable savings. Being able to produce half-processed products and then complete production depending on the market trend and consumers’ preferences is important for real customization and a better chance of success.

It’s not easy to find a wood manufacturer that is ready to cooperate with you and help you satisfy your clients, but we have good news: Minelli can do that. Since 1937, Minelli S.p.A. has ensured perfection in the quality and design of each product manufactured, and its experienced specialists serve customers in the best way possible following rigorous processes and environmental sustainability.

If you have a project in mind, don’t hesitate to contact us! Our experts will be glad to evaluate your plan and help shape your idea.