Claro Walnut or English Walnut Gunstock

[mickeydim468]

I am ordering a gunstock from Richard's Microfit and wanted to know which would be better for my .300 Win Mag rifle?

It seems to me that I had been told that English walnut is stronger and would be better for a magnum rifle. Have you heard this?

Or would Claro Walnut be sufficient?

Does anyone know where I can see pictures of guns finished in either of these types of wood so I can get an idea of what it may look like? I could only find pictures of finished Claro Walnut on Richard's website.

Thanks for the info, you guys are great!

Mikey!

 

[Olympus]

Good luck with Richards. I hope you're handy with woodworking because I'd wager you'll have quite a bit of inletting to do on your own. Given a choice between the two, I'd choose claro. I prefer the grain pattern of claro over English, but that's just my personal preference. I don't think one tops the other by much in the strength department, at least in a gunstock configuration.

If you want to see some pictures, do a Google image search for something like "claro walnut gunstock" or "English walnut gunstock". Should provid you with plenty of images.

 

[armchairQB]

I think both would be sufficient up to 300 Win Mag power levels. I am not sure of all makers but I know Circassian is common in 375-458 rifles.

I like the looks of Black Walnut best which would also be sufficient. Claro and English looks good on shotguns but I have never warmed up to it in rifles.

 

[mickeydim468]

Thanks guys!

I was able to find some pictures of both the Claro and the English Walnut wood, but only in blanks.

Does anyone have any pictures they could post of their rifle in either species, so I can get an idea of what to expect?

I am leaning towards the Claro because I like the reddish tint to it that I am seeing in the gunstock blank pictures on the web. I just wish I could see a finished rifle that's all. It's hard to tell by looking at a blank.

I will be ordering a semi-fancy stock in whichever one I choose in the dual grip thumbhole design, with a Pachmeir decellerator pad with the rosewood tip and cap and maple spacers. I think either way, it should turn out nice.

One of you mentioned that I hope you are pretty good with working the wood or something like that. Well, I am not new to woodworking, mostly small carvings like ducks and dogs and stuff, but I think I will be able to inlet the stock. One thing for sure, I know that removing less wood is better and work your way to the final fit very slowly, checking your work frequently for fit. I have all the time in the world to finish it, I want it to be as good as possible when I am done.

I will show you guys my progress as I do it if you would like. But first help me decide on the species of wood by showing me your rifle pics.

Thanks!

Mikey!

 

[dubbleA]

Here's a blank I had laying around , when I decided on a 6.5x284 I sent it to Cooper Firearms of Montana


Here's the finished rifle/stock

 

[mickeydim468]

DubbleA,

Thank you very much. That turned out to be an exceptionally beautiful stock. What kind of wood is that? I am sure the semi-fancy stock I will be ordering won't have near as much figure in it as yours, but it still should be pretty, don't you think?

Mikey!

 

[Olympus]

That has some exceptional fiddleback!

 

[Moose458]

This is my .300 Winnie in Claro walnut

This is a 22-250 in Bastone/English walnut

 

[mickeydim468]

Those are two beautiful rifles you have there Moose! Thank you for showing them to me. It helps. I do like the Claro color, but I like the figure in the other one. Although that feathering in the butt is very nice! Would you consider those Fancy grade or ??? Just trying to get an idea.

If anyone else has more pics I will be happy to see them. I will be placing my order today, more than likely this afternoon Pacific time zone. So there is still time to change my mind here. The difference between the two types of wood is $25.00 with English being more, so it is not a cost factor.

Mikey!

 

[mickeydim468]

Well,

I went ahead and ordered the Claro Walnut semi-fancy stock with the rosewood tip and cap and maple spacers with the Pachmeir 1" decellerator pad formed into a dual grip thumbhole style. It is one of the ones that are 99% press-in fit, since my rifle's action and barrel are from a Weatherby Vanguard, they said it is the same as the Howa 1500 they list as 99%. I guess that means I will have less work to do than most to finish it. They told me it will be ready to ship out in 6-8 weeks. It shouldn't take UPS more than 2 days to get it here from So. Cal.

Now I am excited and worried about my decision, because I don't usually spend $200.00 without knowing exactly what I am buying.

I appreciate your responses, all of you!

Thanks again!

Mikey!

 

[Olympus]

I hope you actually receive your stock from Richards in that amount of time. I know I didn't. It took about twice as long as the quoted me and they ended up shipping me two stocks, when I only ordered one. Some poor guy's stock got packaged with mine. I'd say his wait was even longer than mine. My opinion of Richards is pretty poor.

I hope you have better luck though. Be sure to post some pictures of what you receive. Make sure to rub the wood with a little mineral spirits so you can get a better idea of what it will look like with a finish.

 

[mickeydim468]

Thank you for your concern about Richards. I have read many success/failure stories about them. A very good friend of mine swears by them. He said sure they sometimes take a while to get you your stock, but he has always been happy with the quality of the wood they provide. He does gun stock finishing for a living, since he retired about 25 years ago, and he gets most of his stocks from them. He says it is just easier and the wood is good. Sometimes you have more work on the stock as far as inletting it or whatever, but he says that is what his clients pay him for. He takes the rough stock and makes it right. He is helping me do this via phone. He is an oldie and does not even own a computer. He is also a major grump too and told me I could never do it, so this project is partly because I want a new stock but also partly to prove him wrong. I will have to send him pictures of my finished work too, just to prove it to him.

He says everyone screws up their first stock. I am sure mine won't be perfect, but if I wanted perfect I could never afford it. Their are too many other things in life that are more important than a perfectly inletted and finished gunstock from some famous maker, to me, so I would never be able to save for it.

I would end up spending the money on something else first. Like another rifle or a shotgun. I don't have a shotgun yet and that is more important right now than a perfect stock. See what I mean? Plus, I will do the best job I can and will work slowly to do the best I can. I will have pride in knowing that I did it and it will hopefully be good enough that I can pass it down to my daughter when she gets old enough, and maybe she can make it a keepsake and family heirloom. At this point I can only hope my woodworking skills will prevail.

Mikey!

 

[Olympus]

I have no problems whatsoever with the product I received. The stock was very high quality. The reason I won't do business with them if I've got a choice is because of their customer service and the fact that they seem to run their business by the seat of their pants.

As long as you take your time, you shouldn't have any problems. The biggest job on mine was obviously inletting. But a close second was all the sanding. The stock by be 99% inletted, but don't confuse that with 99% finished! I had a lot of fairly deep scratched in my stock from what I assumed was 80 grit sandpaper. You couldn't notice them from a few feet away, but if you got up close, you could really see them. Just settle in for the long haul and don't expect this to a be weekend project and you should be just fine.

What kind of finish are you planning on using?

 

[mickeydim468]

From what I have been able to come up with on researching finishes, one of the best finishes available is Tru-Oil if properly applied. I will use a diluted version to seal the inside of the stock (Whatever is covered up by the action and barrel) and then use many coats of full strength on the outside. After each coat, I will let it dry overnight, and then using 0000 steel wool, I will be rubbing off most of the oil to fill any fine blemishes with the Tru-Oil. Then apply another thick coat and do it again for about a week or so until I get it to my desired finish. I figure anywhere between 8 and 16 coats should do the trick.

Do you have another method that you would like to share that has worked for you? I am still open for suggestions. One nice thing about Tru-Oil is that I can get it locally and won't have to wait for mail order. The town I live in does not have a lot of options for the firearms hobbyist, so you have to become quite creative.

I just glass bedded 2 stocks using PC-Steel putty epoxy on my synthetic Weatherby Vanguard .243 and the stock from the .300 which I retrofitted to fit my M1917 30-06 which is also a synthetic from a Weatherby Vanguard. To be honest, it worked very easily and it didn't stick to the metal at all, because I sprayed all of the metal before hand with Heavy Duty Silicon spray. I just cut off what I needed and then rolled it in my hands for about 30 seconds, and stuffed it where I wanted it. Then I put the action in and tightened up the screws. I waited about 10 minutes and then pulled out the action and barrel and let the epoxy harden over night. It was great and they both shoot better than they did before. I am going to try to go to the range this weekend if weather permits to see how much better they shoot and to get the scopes dialed in better. I have only shot them at 100 yards out on BLM land and my rest was not very good, so the range in Florence will do me better to figure out how much better they really do shoot.

Anyway, thanks for all of the help... I will take pictures before doing anything and maybe even do a step-by-step tutorial or something about my whole stock making experience. Maybe someone would find it interesting or helpful. We'll see.

Mikey!

 

[Olympus]

I think you're probably on point with the Tru-Oil. If my experiences speak for the rest of the country, Tru-Oil is pretty expensive. Especially if you plan on using 8 to 16 coats over a rifle stock. It could be that I bought mine somewhere that it was more expensive. I can't remember where I bought mine, but I bought the little bottle and I DO remember making a comment that it was expensive for the little that I bought.

Getting to about 16 coats will give you a moderately glossy finish, I would say. I've seen people use all kinds of different stuff from linseed oil, danish oil, marine teak oil, all the way to marine spar urethane. I don't know if one is any better than the other.

 

[mickeydim468]

Yeah, it is a small bottle of oil for the price, but then I used it on two other rifles, a 303 enfield no 4 MKII and my m1917 stock that was sporterized and I spilled the darn bottle and still had 1/2 the oil left when I was done with those 2 stocks. I didn't put 16 coats between the two stocks, but I did put at least 8 if not 10 between them. I should be able to do the whole thing with one or two bottles.

I do want the new rifle stock to shine pretty glossy, but I think the Tru-Oil will really protect it too. It is some pretty stout stuff when it dries. My problems with it has been my own fault. I was in a hurry with those other rifles and was too anxious, so I started to use the steel wool too soon and it messed up a few places. I was able to work it out, but I did learn to be more patient and really let it dry before trying to reshape it with the 0000 steel wool. It did come out very nice when I was done, for what I had to work with, so my expectations for the new stock are quite high.

As for linseed oil and others, I have heard that they are fine, but need much more maintenance to keep the rifle looking the way you first intended it to look. Those oils will discolor if not maintained at very regular intervals. I would rather just do a normal cleaning and the maybe once a year or so touch up the stock after hunting season. I think the Tru-Oil will afford me those results.

Thanks for the info Olympus, I appreciate it.

Mikey!

 

[Moose458]

Pro Custom Oil from Browells is a very good oil and it is more water proof than Tru Oil. I used 17 coats on both of the rifles above using basically the same method you're planning to use. To finish up, I used a rubbing compound of Linseed oil and Rottenstone, to give them a glass smooth low luster finish. I don't like a high gloss on any type of hunting rifle. By the way you ask about the grade of wood; both rifles are exhibition grade. The .300 Winnie and they picked out the wood and shaped the stock to 90%. The 22-250 was a wood blank I ordered from a gunstock wood dealer (he sent pictures of blanks he had available), then I sent it to a stock maker to have shaped also to 90%.

 

[mickeydim468]

Wow Moose,

You sure did the last 10% very professionally. I hope mine turns out 1/2 as good!

Thanks for the suggestion about the other oil too. I will have to check it out.

Mikey!

BTW, if you guys want to see my other 2 rifles that I recently bedded, I am going to start 2 new threads with range reports for them. Come by and check them out too!

Thanks!