Fern Hills Customs

Fern Hills Customs operates out of New Carlisle, Ohio—just outside Dayton—as a small family business run by Jake Klarer and his father Greg. Jake earned his gunsmith certification in November 2007 after graduating from the Colorado School of Trades, where he worked as lead gunsmith for a local outdoor retailer. Greg brings machinist expertise that backs up every job the shop takes on.

The business went public in 2017 after the manufacturer they were contracting with closed. Since then, they've built a reputation for understanding what firearms mean to their customers and refusing to hand back work that's anything less than excellent—whether it's a $45 repair or a complete custom build.

• •As of July 14, 2025, the shop operates by appointment only. Call 937-874-5480 or use the contact form on their website to book.

Standard labor rate: $75/hour with a $45 half-hour minimum.

• •FFL Transfers: $45 for first line, $10 each additional
• •Gun Cleaning: Full disassembly, inspection, cleaning, reassembly, quality lubricant
• •Pistol: $65 | Long gun: $75
• •Pistol Sight Installation: $45 standard (Maryland Gunworks press), additional fitting $75 minimum
• •Drill & Tap: $75 setup for 2 holes, $125 for standard 4 holes
• •Sling Stud Installation: $45 plus hardware
• •Glass Bedding/Pillar Bedding: Starting $225 standard, $300 pillar bedding (additional fees for barrel channel opening)

• •Complete disassembly and quote on any firearm: Starting at $45

Fern Hills Customs is a Cerakote-certified applicator, offering durable polymer-ceramic composite coatings that resist abrasion, corrosion, chemicals, and impact. They work on firearms, suppressors, optics, knives, and even tumblers.

• •Single Color: Complete slide/frame/small parts/base plate $225 | Slide only $85 | Frame only $125
• •Controls/Trigger: $30–$45 | Barrel: $65
• •1911s: Add $50 for tight tolerance refit
• •Battleworn Finish: Add $45 to single color cost
• •Camo/Patterns: Multicam Black/Tropic/Arid/M81 Woodland/Flag $275 | Custom camo (up to 3 colors) $275 | Vietnam/Rhodesian Tiger Stripe $300 | Digital/KUIU $325

• •Single Color Complete: Upper/lower/all small parts/barrel/buffer tube/furniture $350
• •Partial: Upper/lower/handguard $250 | Upper or lower only $85 | Handguard $85 | Barrel $85 | Stock $65
• •Battleworn: Add $45
• •Camo/Patterns: Multicam/Flag combos $400 | Custom camo $400 | Tiger Stripe $425 | Digital/KUIU $450
• •Complete Camo Setup: All upper/lower/handguard/stock/grip in camo, buffer tube/barrel/small parts in matching single color, one mag included $500

Hydrographic removal before Cerakote: $100

Fern Hills manufactures and sells CA-compliant grip paddles for firearms that require them under California law:

• •Hi-Point Paddles ($47.50): Fits 995TS, 4595TS, 4095TS, 1095TS
• •Kriss Vector Gen 2 Paddles ($47.50): Fits 9x19, 45ACP, 10MM, 40 S&W
• •Global Ordnance Stribog SP9A3 Paddles: Available

All paddles include mounting hardware (3 truss head screws + 3 Chicago posts).

• •Dealer discounts available for orders of 5 or more. Call or email to place bulk orders.

• •Phone: 937-874-5480
• •Email/Contact Form: Visit their website contact page
• •All inquiries forwarded directly to email — same-day response
• •Location: New Carlisle, Ohio (outside Dayton)

Jake Klarer isn't some high-volume production operation—he's a certified gunsmith with a machinist father backing every project. They spent years doing contract work for manufacturers, which means they understand tolerances, precision, and California compliance inside and out. The fact that they went appointment-only shows they prioritize quality over foot traffic. You're not just getting a gun worked on; you're getting two craftsmen who genuinely care that you walk away satisfied.