What is a Bishop rifle stock and why is it special?

[GatorFarmer]

So it looks like I've finally worked out the trade to get that Marlin I wanted. Coming with it is a scoped "older" Remington 700 in .222 that has a Bishop stock. Not knowing what a Bishop stock is/was, a bit of google fu turns up they were a well known stock maker ala Fajen in the past. The Fajen stock on my Carcano sporter is sort of neat, even being beat up. The current owner said the stock was worth as much as the gun. Is this true? What makes Bishop stocks special/unique? Were older Remington 700s better fit than the somewhat lackluster examples of todaycome to think of it?

 

[armadillo]

Bishop, like Fajen made semi-finished and custom gunstocks. I don't think either is still in business.

They had a wide range of quality available from standard to highly figured fancy wood.

Remember come November!

 

[canoeguy]

Gator,

What kind of Marlin are you getting?

 

[jrm53]

Bishop was located in Warsaw Mo. and sold semi-finished wood from the 40's 50's and 60's and 70's and finished up in the 80's they sold fine blanks in about any grade you would want and as best as I remember Reinhart Fajen worked for Bishop before he started his own company, a stock from either company if finish inleted by the owner could be the equal of any factory stock if the finisher has some skill. Jeff

 

[GatorFarmer]

Gator,

What kind of Marlin are you getting?

I honestly don't know the model number. It's the 20" rifle that they made for a while in the 70s in .375 Winchester. Something like 16,000 were made, so it isn't horribly rare, but isn't common either I'm told. I know brass and ammo isn't common, but it's coming with ten boxes of factory ammo. I think that they're the same basic size as a 336.

 

[2000Z-71]

Yes, just about any older Remington is by far better in fit and finish than what they are currently producing.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Thanks for the information. Sounds like it'll be a decent rifle then, I'll pick it up tomorrow. I'm guessing it must be one of the better grade Bishop's from the description I've gotten of it. The Fajen fit to my Carcano sporter was/is oddly impressive considering that it was probably "workman like" in its time in terms of grade and intended use.

I didn't really like the Remington 700 in 7mm mag that I picked up three years or so ago. It was functional and all, but just didn't seem as well turned out as the ones that I remembered from my youth, back when a 700 was considered a fine/staple gun. I think this one is from the 70s, not sure, I was just told that it is "old". That's fine with me, I like old rifles with character.

 

[canoeguy]

Gator,

Be careful with those lever rifles! Soon you'll be trading off all your "Black Rifles" for a stable full of lever guns.

I now have enough Marlins and Winchester lever rifles to arm a large posse, in .22, 30/30, .35 Remington, .357, 45/70 and now 30/06 calibers (a new Browning 1895 in 30/06):

There's nothing like experimenting with cast lead bullets, finding one your lever rifle likes, then shooting the dickens out of the rifle with little expense...

 

[okie john]

Bishops/Fajens can be lame or fairly nice. Their value depends on who did the work. But as a rule, a rifle with the factory stock is worth more than one with a replacement stock, so I'd be careful.

Saying that a Bishop stock is worth more than the rifle that sits in it is not necessarily a compliment for the rifle.


Okie John

 

[Catdog]

Bishop was located in Warsaw Mo. and sold semi-finished wood from the 40's 50's and 60's and 70's and finished up in the 80's they sold fine blanks in about any grade you would want and as best as I remember Reinhart Fajen worked for Bishop before he started his own company, a stock from either company if finish inleted by the owner could be the equal of any factory stock if the finisher has some skill. Jeff

Jeff, you are right in your comments, I visited both Bishop and Fajen facitities, which was just down the road from each other some years ago. Fajen was a little modern than Bishop, but Bishop just seemed more friendly and was amazing to see the wood they had stored. Some wood stored was back when they first began. It was unfortunate that a few year after my visit Bishop Gun Stocks burned to the ground and, I think. Fajen was sold to MidwayUSA.

 

[H Richard]

An older Remington in .222 with a Bishop stock is a nice piece. .222 is renowned for accuracy and at one time was considered one of the best bench-rest match cartridge's. Bishop stocks, properly installed will usually enhance the "handle-ability" of the gun. I have a Sako .222 in a Bishop stock and it is just fun. I consider it a 250 yard gun for Prairie Dogs, and even nearly 50 years old it will group under a 1/2".

 

[dickttx]

In the early 70's I had an FN action in 25-06 Ackley Improved that I purchased a stock blank for from Fajen. It was well inletted and I just had to glass it in. I was sick when I received it, as the outside looked like a steel brush. After many hours of sanding and finishing, I realized those whiskers and things were where the beautiful wood was. Turned out really nice. Fajen went in for the big rollover cheekpieces and a modern (for the time) shape.
A short time later I bought a Sako action in 270, had it barreled, and sent it to Bishop for a stock. The wood was beautiful, the inletting was excellent, and the oiled finish was great. Bishop generally had more traditional stocks.
At that time, either a Fajen or Bishop stock certainly enhanced the looks and value of a rifle. I am sure over the years as Fajen and Bishop withdrew from the business the quality varied.
As someone mentioned, Fajen was acquired by Midway and you can still buy a Fajen blank.
You will probably really appreciate your Bishop.

 

[pbslinger]

I just bought an FN Mauser actioned 243 in what I believe is a Fajen Mannlicher stock. How great it used to be to be able to buy reasonably priced barreled actions and send them to Bishop or Fajen to have them fitted to a stock of your desires. A bunch on nice Missouri walnut went through those shops.

 

[2152hq]

The centerfire bolt rifles Marlin sold in the 50's were stocked in Bishop stocks. Stockes were supplied finished to Marlin and only any slight final inletting was done at the factory.
Sako and Mauser actions, Marlin Models 322,422 and 455(?) IIRC.
Barrels were Marlin and Wilson products.

Some of the other mfg'rs that offered up Mauser, Sako, etc rifles with their own name on them in the 50s, & 60's probably used Bishops stocks as well.

 

[nickolask1994]

Its funny their is still talk about Fajen gunstocks, reinhart was my great great uncle and the founder was my great great grandfather charlie, i had a bunch of Fajen stocks till they were stolen, including 2 J.C higgins 22. cal rifles, and still have pictures of the factory in the early days

 

[Big Cholla]

IMHO, the Bishop Stock worth is probably way over stated. Bishop specialized in turning out replacement stocks at as low of a price as possible. That is not to say that they couldn't have had a 'special' line of premium stock wood that would command top dollar among the custom wood stock clients. IMHO, I would reserve my judgement and hide my wallet until I actually laid eyes on that stock. Now, the Marlin is a quality rifle and that cartridge is an excellent mule deer, elk, black bear round. After working on a bunch of Win. M 94s and a few Marlin 336s, I came to the conclusion that the Marlin was the better design and the better built. It has/had a nice following but never got the press the Winchester levers did. ............. Big Cholla

 

[model70hunter]

At one time I lived close to both factories. I have stopped in Fajens and bought a AAA factory 2nd, chip in the fancy grain, filled it in and they were nice. I stopped in ine time and asked Fred if he had a AAA stock for a Parker A grade shotgun. He went to an isle and stopped at a bin on the end. He pulled out a beautiful piece of wood. He said they had made it for a guy years before but he never followed up. Best 20 bucks I ever spent.

I personally liked Fajens, mostly because of the manager Fred.

I have used Bishop stocks but they have a lot of excess wood to remove.

A friend of mine worked at Fajens inletting stocks and finishing them on customer guns.

Both made stocks for gun manufacturers. Some of you older Browning or Ruger buyers will remember the old "SALT" wood guns. Salt wood is great for furniture as a curing process. If used in guns the salt goes to the metal and eats it away.

I bought a Ruger #1 new. When cleaning it I noticed something under the wood. I took the wood off and it looked like it had been in the ocean. Rusty nasty pits.

Can you say livid? I called Ruger and asked to speak with Bill Ruger about this. HE was on the phone very quickly. He opened said hi and where are you calling from. I said Missouri. He immediately disarmed my frustrations with, well it's your MO walnut that caused this. He went on to explain that a fellow had salt cured a ton of MO Walnut for the furniture market and the company failed leaving him stuck with it. He also sold kiln dried wood to Fajen and Bishop, mostly Fajen who made stocks for many companies,he just without telling them sent in a bunch of salt cured wood.

Bill had me call the plant and ask for the manager, tell him we talked and he will set you up. I got back a #1 with the most awesome wood ever on a #1.

The folks that said either stock will not increase the guns value are right if it is just a stock. IF it has fancy grain or was specially bedded it maybe worth more. I was never a fan of the 700 pressed checkering dipped in urathane look so to me either brand well done is an improvement.

The pendulum may have swung back the other way on guns with a replacement stock. The last time I was at Cabelas they had written Custom Gun on replacement wood guns, and they were priced much higher than a similar straight factory gun. To my eye they were not custom.