Ratliff was growing tired of having a gun case too large to get into his regular cab pickup truck. Since he couldn’t find one on the market to suit his needs, he built one in his garage.
"Generally when you go and buy a gun case or a bow case, the guns these days are getting so short you’re buying a case that’s 18-inches longer than your gun," Ratliff said during an appearance at the West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show in
Ratliff has a background in construction and cabinet building and decided he could "build a better gun case." His idea suited his needs perfectly and his work started to draw attention from friends.
"I started building these for friends of mine and they said, ‘You need to get these out and let people see them," Ratliff said.
So he rented a booth at the Hunting and Fishing Show to expose them to a wider audience. The beauty of his product, according to Ratliff, is no two are alike.
"No matter what kind of a gun or what kind of a bow, all I need is the dimensions of it and I will custom fit it to that gun," Ratliff explained.
The finished products look more like works of art than useful tools to be banged around the cab of a pickup truck. Each case includes leather binding along the edge with hand stenciled markings, etched one by one with a hammer and a tool. The sides of each case feature hand-painted designs. The finished product includes a clear coating that Ratliff says is as rugged as it is beautiful.
"I’ve heard that a lot," said Ratliff. "I have a .270 case I used all during hunting season. Any kind of scratches on the material I use, I can heat it, and the scratches disappear."
Ratliff presently makes the cases from fruit wood and birch, much of it purchased from the local home improvement center or lumber store. He’s toying with a new product called Russian birch which is possibly more suited to what he wants.
"It’s a much tighter grained wood and it’s a whole lot lighter than the half-inch birch I can buy here," Ratliff explained. "I’m trying to get the cases just as light as possible, but to make them just as durable as possible too."
Each case includes a foam interior padding, steel hinges and hardware, and the designs are of your choosing. While gun cases and bow cases are the catalyst, it doesn’t end there. Ratliff says virtually anything needing to be encased is workable. He’s created musical instrument cases and is working on perfecting a brief-case for the outdoorsman who has a coat and tie day job.
"If somebody has a special design they would want or a company logo, all I need is a stencil and I can add that to the side of any sized case," Ratliff said.
To learn more about Ratliff Custom Cases, you contact him at 304-534-0710 or e-mail him at gratliff20@yahoo.com