Adjustable
The cheek piece is adjustable with the knobs on the bottom. Just turn them clockwise to raise the cheek piece up to fit your scope height. The butt pad can also be adjusted up and down to make sure that your shoulder sits comfortably in the middle of the pad. The rubber cover is soft and features the same NOVRITSCH logo like the one on the SSG96 stock. All the knobs are made from the same wood so everything matches together wonderfully. The material of the screws is, of course, metal.
Metal accessories
The stock also features a metal monopod for adjusting the angle of the gun in a prone position. It is also handy if you want to put your gun on the ground and avoid accidental scratches on the stock.
Meet Adam, the founder of Taring Carving.
An airsoft player and a master craftsman in one person. He was born at the edge of a rain forest in Indonesia and had been working with wood since he was a kid. He started with Airsoft in 2008 and quickly figured out how to make custom stocks for airsoft replicas.
He had all the skills necessary to do an excellent job, but he missed the funds to purchase the required tools and to start the company. Therefore, in 2015 he sold his Vespa motorcycle and founded Taring Carving with one of his friends. The company grew quickly due to the exceptional quality of his products, and up until now, eight more people with various skills joined the company. I asked him to describe his products in a few words, and this is what he told me:
“Its not just a stock, its a baby, born from our patience, sweat, and energy. You can feel it when you touch it." - Adam
1) Careful selection
Everything starts with a careful selection of the perfect piece of teak wood, rosewood or mahogany. At the very beginning, Adam himself picks the trees with the best shape and properties. Then, the tree is cut down and delivered to his shop where the wooden planks have to dry for at least 12 weeks before he starts working on them. When properly dried the timber will remain stable and resist warping or twisting for many years. Even minor imperfections disqualify an otherwise perfect piece of wood.
2) Planing the surface
After passing the second quality check when the wood has dried, the wood has to be planed to reveal its texture and any potential imperfections.
3) Shaping of the stock
Next, Adam outlines the stock's shape so that the final piece has the most desirable structure. Shortly afterward, the plank gets its first rough shape.
4) Milling out the inside
The rough inside shape is then milled out using an electric tool. Up until now, the process has been relatively easy and straightforward. The hardest part is yet to come.
5) SSG96 fitting
Now it's time to make space for all of the internal parts like the trigger box, magazine well, and the receiver. At this step, everything has to be made by hand and any mistake can lead to irreversible damage. The process of carving out all the little details is very demanding and time-consuming. It takes years of practice and only the most skilled woodworkers are able to do this within the margin of error.
6) Shaping the stock
If everything fits, the stock makes it into the next stage which is shaping the outside of the stock to the desired profile. A simple file and hours of work will do the trick.
7) Fine sanding
To give the stock a nice feel in the hand, the surface is sanded with an electrical tool.
8) Final fitting
To make sure that the stocks fit the SSG96, the inside is inspected and corrected once again.
9) Getting the glance
The final step consists of painting the gun with a base paint several times. The exact number of layers is mostly dependent on the wood since each type needs a slightly different treatment. This base paint will protect the wood from moisture and other adverse conditions.
10) Final touches
Last but not least the final look is achieved by painting the stocks with two colored layers for a more saturated look and even more protection from scratches and the weather. Drying in the rain forest usually takes longer so it is crucial not to rush this step. Final quality control takes place before packaging the stocks in multiple layers of bubble wrap and putting it into a wooden container. Then, after months of work and waiting, the stocks are ready to be shipped to the NOVRITSCH warehouses.