This one is for a good friend that I have never met. Let me tell you the brief story behind this stock and how it came to be.
One day last year, I got a call from a guy that I did not know and have never met. He told me that he was making a website for people that work on airguns. Here is the link
http://www.airgunartisans.com/ He asked me if it would be okay if he put some pictures of the stocks that I have made in the past, up on his site. I told him that it would be fine with me, but started to think afterwards, that I had better check out the website for myself, to see if it was tastefully done. I went to his site and found the section for custom stocks and grips and not only did I find a load of pictures from my website on a separate section of his site, but I also found this saying “Before I die…I want to see the Greek Islands, kiss Kate Hudson and own a Paul Bishop stock. I don’t think that is a lot to ask.†Those words touched me deeply, to think that my work rates in the top three wishes of what he wants to do before he leaves this world. I called him back and found that he has been admiring my work and it was my work that inspired him to create his website. This pretty much overwhelmed me, to find someone that desired my work so much, but knowing he would never be able to own one of my wooden creations due to the cost. His words and admiration of my work meant so much to me that I offered to make him a stock. I could not help him with the visit to the Greek Islands and the kiss from Kate Hudson was pretty much out of the question, but I could help him with his last wish. He desperately wanted me to make a stock for him, even though his current collection did not contain a good quality gun, so he asked my advice as to what he should get, that he would like and that I would and could make a stock for, so I recommended an Air Arms TX200. After many months of saving for the new gun (he has never owned a gun of such high quality) we have become good friends calling each other often and he has even helped me with a project or two. His name is Joel Lively and he is one of the nicest people that I have ever met in this sport. I called him today and told him the stock was near completed and to expect to see pictures soon. I just hope that my efforts on this stock are worthy of his admiration.
Joel, this one is for you.
Many more pics available. If someone wants to see more just Email me at
Airgunner@Juno.com with the request for more Maple TX pics, and I will send them to you.
