Neal Bauder Custom Gun Maker - History Experience

Neal Bauder has been hunting and fishing virtually all his life. He built his first stock for a rifle when he was 16 years old on the back porch of his house. Neal has been a custom gun maker since 1980, specializing in wooden stocks, synthetic stocks, and target/varmint stocks.

Neal has built quite a number of African safari rifles, ranging from 6.5 calibers to .416 Remington. He built a 300 Winchester Magnum on a pre-64 action for *Forrest L. Wood, founder of Ranger Boats. He met Forrest Wood and Roland Ward while guiding them on a fishing trip when he worked as a fishing guide for Golden Horn Lodge out of Dillingham, Alaska.

Neal has also built many varmint style rifles as well as wooden and synthetic stocked high-power rifles. He has worked on Sakos, Remingtons, Winchesters, and Mausers. He shot a B and C 10’ brown bear with a .404 Jefferey that he built in 2002. He took the shot at 258 yards, one shot, and killed the bear using a 400 grain Woodleigh. The skull measured 29 5/16”. He has also shot an 8 ½’ brown bear and a black bear using his 404.

Neal Bauder went on a hunting trip to Africa with Ron Kesselring, owner of Kesselring’s Gun Shop in 2002. Ron and Neal went on a 21-day safari in Namibia and South Africa. While there, he shot a 57” greater kudu, a gold medal springbok, a gemsbok, two wart hogs, and a Hartman’s mountain zebra using his 300 H & H pre-64. He used his .280 pre-war rifle to take an nyala and impala in South Africa as well. Ron and Neal have done their best to seriously deplete the varmint population of Montana and South Dakota for last five years using their 17 HMR’s and 223’s.

While in Alaska, Neal hunted throughout much of the state. He killed his first deer in Sitka using a 50 caliber Hawkin muzzle loader, using a 350 grain maxi-ball. He has been deer hunting on Kodiak Island as well as many other islands in Prince William Sound. Neal has hunted out of a tent camp and off of a commercial fishing boat. He has also hunted black bear in Prince William Sound off of a boat. He shot a 62.5” moose while hunting out of Lake Iliamna on a moose float trip. He shot a number of caribou throughout much of Alaska. His largest one scored 350 and came out of the Mulchatna herd. Neal floated the Ivashak River, north of the Brooks Range and took two nice bulls in 2003. He has gone Dall Sheep hunting four times and took two sheep. His first one was in the Wrangall Mountains and the second was in the north end of the Alaska Range. He used his 280 to take the second sheep. It was a 600 yard shot and he got it on the second shot. He's been goat hunting once and took one using his 270. In addition to all of the animals that Neal has hunted in Alaska, he caught many silver and king salmon, and halibut (as well as Dolly Varden, arctic char and trophy rainbows.)

Neal has an extensive working knowledge and awareness of firearms. He also enjoys working on 1892 Winchester lever guns, as they are used for Cowboy Mounted Shooting competitions, and they are fun to shoot. He does his own rust-bluing, checkering, chambering, barrel work, action work, and he has Doug Turnbull do his color case hardening work. Neal is an associate member of the American Custom Gun Makers Guild. Pat Taylor taught him how to checker in 1999. She has been a member of the Guild for many years.

Introducing the work of Pat Taylor - Gunstock Checkering Specialist.

Neal has been around guns for 40 years, works well with people, and enjoys building custom guns. Because he has lived and hunted in Alaska for 30 years, and because he has been to Africa, he can relate to a wide variety of needs and concerns for hunters. He knows what works and what is practical and beautiful. You can “have it all” in a Bauder Custom Gun. There’s no substitute for experience. Neal has been building and restoring fine guns for 20+ years.

In addition, Neal has been a competitive High-Power shooter and holds an NRA Master rating at 200, 300, and 600 yards, and an NRA Master rating in long-range at 800, 900, and 1,000 yards. He belongs to the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association and is currently a Men’s Level Three Shooter. Neal has had a lot of fun with firearms over the years, whether it’s shooting a 17hmr or a .404 Jeffery; making truly fine guns is a joy to him.

As Pat Taylor (Gunstock Checkering Specialist) reminds us,
“Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun.”

*Testimonial - Forrest L. Wood
Dear Neal,
I received my gun and the gun strap. Thanks so much! To say I was overwhelmed by the beauty is an understatement. And, talk about compliments, I've surely gotten plenty. I can hardly wait to take it out and try it.
Hope all is going well for you. We enjoyed the pictures you sent and thank you for your thoughtfulness. We wish you all the best and will look forward to hearing from you.
Best personal regards,
Forrest

References:

Eric Patterson, Terrafirma Landscaping Company, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jack Harrison, owner of Harrison Longbows, Wasilla, Alaska
Ron Kesselring, owner of Kesselrings Gunshop in Burlington, Washington since 1944
Pat Taylor, Pat Taylor Custom Checkering, Canby, Oregon
Tim Vining, Real Estate Appraiser, Ellensburg, WA
Gregg Beckman, South Africa


Copyright © 2010, Neal Bauder