Blocks of wood, or"blanks," for gun stocks range from $90 to $2,800 or more for one, in addition to the custom-fitting charge of $1,500 for a rifle or $1,800 for a shotgun.

As a teenager, Paul Dressel became intrigued with guns, but couldn't afford ones with fancy stocks and engravings. "So I'd buy older guns and started fixing them up," the now 70-year-old said at ...