Patent Awarded for Overmolding on Patterned Gunstocks

Polymer Injection Molding (PIM) of Monson, MA has been awarded U.S. Patent 68,062,736 for overmolding gunstocks coated with a decorative or protective substrate. Overmolding typically is used to enhance synthetic stocks by molding a soft, rubber-like material to gripped areas of a gunstock (fore-end and pistol grip). Sometimes overmolding is applied to the entire stock. Overmolding also is used to decorate stocks with contrasting colors and textures.

Applying overmolding to a decorated gunstock (camo, wood grain, etc.) has proven to be extremely difficult and costly and has not been practiced widely. As a result, overmolded stocks typically have a black, grey, tan or other basic, out-of-the-mold colors. See, e.g. the Hogue Over-Molded stocks. PIM’s patented technology changes all that. Now overmolding can be applied over camo-dipped and other patterned stocks. This is typically done in key contact areas on the fore-arm and on the pistol grip section.

According to PIM President Jim Ryan, “We did our first overmolded stock for a gun manufacturer over ten years ago. It wasn’t long before everybody wanted to camo and overmold the same stock. That proved to be easier said than done. Masking the overmolded part makes a horrible mess and overmolding directly over camo (without our process) has big adhesion problems. We experimented for a long time before coming up with a process that worked. We overmold over camo day-in and day-out without any problem. It looks great and holds up as well as direct overmolding applications”.

Craig Dougherty, PIM’s Marketing Director, echoed Ryan’s comments. “The ultimate added value is to decorate with camo and overmold the grip areas with a complementary color. We’ve done a lot of basic black over camo but overmolded tan, grey and green grips really punch it up. Now that our technology is protected, we expect to be doing more variations”. For more info, visit the PIM website at www.gunvalleymolders.com.