Originally Posted by ldorado
The black stain looks to me like iron stain from water rusting something then running down the wood and being allowed to dry there. It has happened to me in a day of hunting in the rain and standing the rifle against a tree when I got to camp.


It may be (and probably is) this. At any rate, they're mineral streaks, whether in the wood or in the finish.

Scott


It had been necessary for him to swallow swords that he might have a better throat for grapes.
Stephen Crane~ The Red Badge of Courage