What Aussie wood would be suitable for gunstocks?
Jarra?
Ironbark?

Any ideas.

Jarrah & Ironbark are way too heavy for gunstocks.

Queensland maple, blue gum, black bean and tassie oak are good and will take checkering. A friend of mine has one made from turpentine BUT the timber was treated with an oxy torch passing the flame across the wood in random passes from one end to the other.

This treatment darkened the parts touched by the flame and leaves the remainder light yellow producing the most outstanding 'tiger stripped' pattern I have ever seen.

The stock on my P14 303/25 is a piece of grey gum which while durable is not figured nor dense enought to take checkering.

The early Lithgow SMLE used Queensland Maple and coachwood, I have seen a rifle stocked in Tasmanian Oak but it was not checkered.
RLI

Has anyone tried Australian blackwood as a rifle stock timber?

From a few photos and small sample pieces I have seen, it appears to be quite a nice looking timber, easily comparable with average to good quality walnut. I haven�t been able to find much hard data on its mechanical properties, though � just comments like �relatively strong�, (relative to what?) �moderately wear-resistant�, �reasonably stable�, and �easily worked with hand and power tools�. The only weight figure I have seen in print is 41lbs per cubic foot, which is only slightly heavier than average European walnut.

I once saw a rifle stock made of Queensland walnut (which botanically, is not walnut at all - not even distantly related to it!) and the figure and colours in that piece of wood were really quite spectacular. The weight of it is in the order of 42lbs per cubic foot, so it�s not unduly heavy. It's a hard, very strong timber, but it can be horrible stuff to work with. The pores of it are often full of mineral deposits, which blunt cutting tools like nothing else on earth, and until the timber is TOTALLY and COMPLETELY dry, it stinks like a cat has peed on it!

We Burn Tassie Oak up here at the Pistol Club, and I stoke the fire, it's a dead timber dull and uninteresting..Stable though..

My suggestion would be Silky Oak quarter sawn to get a nice Figure.. don't know the relative weight but can get it off my F-in Law,ex Builder ret who has some very old books..
Luke in Oz

Sorry for the dble post, Inland Red Gum fron the short trees..(Guyra NSW)
We cut the burls from the trees and I smoke fish over the Sawdust..

Luke in Oz