This is a hunk of wood from a dead walnut tree my son-in-law found on the acredge where he built a house for my daughter and grandkids. It has been dried for 8 years and I will use it for my 1909 Argintine Mauser which has been fixed up with a 7X57 barrel and other improvements. The existing stock is a real ugly fiberglass one. I want a wood stock on it at least when it's hanging up so it won't be so ugly. I'm thinking of a European hogback style stock because monte carlo style stocks fit me much better than our "classic" stocks. The photo has a paper over the wood with a cut-out to show thew wood.

Looks like bad grain direction in the wrist on the one side. Do you have room to flip the pattern?

There's not much room on this one, but I've got another piece of wood (same tree). Maybe this one would be better?
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Does this piece of wood (same tree) look better for strength?

Some like blonds while others prefer red heads.

To my eyes, that "hogback" is pretty ugly. If Monte Carlos fit you, why not go with that style? A tastefully done MC sure looks a whole lot better than a "hogback" to me.

I don't care for the pattern. If you move it a little further forward, that should take care of most of the grain flow problem in the wrist.

IMHO the secound blank has a better layout for strenght in the wrist, by the way nice feathered crotch on both. John303.

The second stock has a better flow of the grain through the wrist and looks less likely to break with heavy use. I too, would move it forward a little bit to gain a bit of additional strength in the wrist area though. It's nice to have a bunch of feather in the buttstock but not in the wrist.

in either case i think i'd bury a 3/8" rod in accraglass in the wrist