Great article. I enjoyed every bit of it. Fine craftsmanship on wood stocks is something I will always appreciate. Hopefully there will always be fine stock makes out there to carry on the tradition.
When I was a forestry student in Oklahoma one of my best friends was absolutely taken with bois d'arc wood (aka hedge wood, aka osage orange, aka Maclura Pomifera). I helped him make bows out of it. He had a SMLE sporter he even carved a bois d,arc stock for. After dozens of coats of Tung oil he had the shiniest, yellowest, heaviest stock I had ever seen.
Better fence post wood than for guns stocks.
It is hard and heavy. Makes a good club.
DF
