Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Differences between Hardwoods for Stocks?

There is little dispute as to exactly when the Romans first spread the trees through the Empire, but the earliest sites found all show evidence of walnuts very early. There appears to have been very little lag between the truly great growing areas in Southern Europe.

The DNA indicates the trees all came form a single wild cultivar that responded well to cultivation which is extremely unusual with a tree that really needs cross-pollination to produce well. This is a strong indicator of a sudden spreading of the tree from a single source.

That also complicates things dramatically if one is trying to trace the origins of a particular blank...

But the right answer is to call it Persian walnut.
art

The order of the wood used is more my observations from studying the wood offered by the custom makers both here in the USA and England and not Howe. However the best information I have found to date on pre-war wood is Howe�s work on the subject. I would say that 99% of all high-grade wood from between the wars came from dealers in England but none or little was from England. By 1922 custom makers in the US were having trouble getting high-grade Circassian walnut and in the years that followed it was darn hard to tell where the stuff came from.

2mp
I apologize for creating that confusion. I will see if I can find a copy of Howe's book and read it again. I remember my father giving it to me to read at a very early age... well after WWII! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
art

Art:

Thanx for the education.

BMT

Your more than welcome to borrow my copy.

Michael

Here is what Greener had to say about gunstock wood in 1885.

�The best timber for gun-stocks grows in the center of France: it is at the same time handsome, light tough and sound. Spanish and Italian walnut is too heavy for any other than rifle-stocks. Circassian and Turkish walnut is very heavy and too brittle to stand the rough handling gun-stocks are subjected to. German and Swiss walnut is usually open and cross grained, but is frequently used. The English walnut is very handsome and tough, but is usually full of shakes or cracks, therefore unfit for affixing to good guns. American walnut is of far too inferior quality to be available for gun stocks.�

2mp
Just ran a quick search for the book and am surprised at the price! Found them from $75 to $400. Before I borrow yours I need to see if I can find a reasonable copy somewhere. I do not remember it among my father's effects, but should probably search there first.

I very much appreciate the offer, but will hold off for now.

I find Greener's comments about Turkish quite funny. My father had a small offcut from a CA blank, trimmed just before installing a buttplate. It tapered to almost nothing and was not 1/8" thick at the heavy end. No one was ever able to break that cross-grain piece with their hands!
art

Over time folks have looked at the gunstock wood many different ways. People like myself (and Mark ;-)) who have an interest in the pre-1940 wood have a different language of wood than Greener did or modern makers do. I�ve always found the study of wood an interesting subject. If you would like to talk more on the subject of wood you could borrow my book and take a walk in the Circassian forest.

Michael(aka 2mp) did not ID it but that gorgeous piece of French/Persian/Circassian/English/Roman/Spanish/Italian walnut is on a Bob Owen pump rifle, maybe a Remington 12.

Michael/Art/Mark/et al,

One thing I've found interesting when reading the books of the old masters; they give the same advice that folks still give today. "Buy every stick of good walnut you can find, as soon, it will all be gone!"

I hope it never winds up being true; but I still buy good blanks, whether I need 'em or not....just in case!

Jeff

Sitka,
Keep your eyes open on Ebay for a copy of the book. I recently paid $45 for a signed 1st ed in more than fair condition. I've seen the two volumes sell for as little as $28 within the past few months, but mostly around the $40 mark.

Seems like the book was originally published in 1934. Then there was at least a 1950's reprint and then a much later edition from Bonanza with the 2 volumes in one book.

Hope this helps,

- stu

Stu
Thanks for that! I have bought quite a few books on ebay, but not lately and had lost that thought!

Jeff
Between 3x leupies and good walnut you make a tough Jones to keep up with! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
art