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One of Us |
Well, I've always wanted a mesquite rifle stock and I started on the journey today. I went to a local company that processes raw trees into flooring, mantels, furniture, architectural elements, and the like. We picked a nice 6'x2' piece of mesquite log (bark still on) that looked like it was pretty clear. When where we done, I had 3 good 3"x24"x72" slabs of clear mesquite with excellent grain flow. Now, if all goes perfect (never the case with mesquite), I can probably get 3-4 blanks from each slab. Now the long wait. Kiln drying (after I seal the ends with anchor seal) for approximately 4 months. And then another 6-12 months of air drying. The shop I got them from recommended the kiln was sufficient from what they had seen in the past with their custom furniture and floor materials. I spoke with Al Lind (who did my last semi-inlet stock) and he recommended waiting an additional 6 months to see if anything moves around and if needed, another 6 months until all changes stop. I hope to get some pictures next week when I go back to seal the ends before it goes into the kiln. "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | ||
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| One of Us |
I have a rifle with a mesquite stock. Rem xp-100 made into a 14 Walker. The blank came from a place in the Tucson, AZ area. It had been drying for a long time but my smith roughed it out and let it sit to stress relive and warp for months before final shaping and inlet. That was his story it might be his is just really slow. Mark | |||
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I have thought about mesquite in the past, but never pulled the trigger on it. Do you have any pictures? It would be really interesting to see the process from log to slab to blank. | |||
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| One of Us |
Whichever it was, IMO it was A Good Thing. I've had wood move after turning to a semi-inlet, AAMOF it moved after being finished, during the finish-drying process! Dryng cabinet was too warm and the stock had a knot in the forearm. I try to let mine sit for at least 3-5 years even after the vendors assure me they're already dry... Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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| One of Us |
There is a gunmaker in Victoria, TX who has used mesquite quite a bit. It's been years sinece I visited him but I rememer being very impressed with his work. Sorry I don't remember his name, but maybe someone here will be able to help. If not, he's probably known at local gunshops there or nearby in Corpus. | |||
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| One of Us |
This kinda reminds me of what David Christman and Roger Vardy told me. A piece of wood may be dry, but not cured. | |||
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| One of Us |
Butch, as I'm sure you already know, removing material often releases/removes tensions and/or compressions. That's the reason for allowing materials such as wood and cast-iron to normalize before final material removal or installation. Plus, I can assure you that 'dry' in Arizona is NOT the same as 'dry' in Mississippi! (Ain't NUTHIN 'dry' in MS except an occasional martini!) Regards, Joe __________________________ You can lead a human to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America! | |||
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| One of Us |
I have two blocks of mesquite to be made into the grip and forend for a TC Contender pistol. It is from a tree that was growing outside the bedroom window and I watered/pruned it for 30 years. Its roots were starting to undermine the house so it was cut down. I put the trunk in the garage for 8 years to dry then cut it into the blocks. I fly cut one side of the forend blank so it was very flat. I can check to see if it warps, still flat after sitting on a shelf in the house for 2 years. Mark | |||
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| One of Us |
Speaking of mesquite, here is a Mauser 96 a friend of mine, a guncrank in every sense of the word, built. When he decided to send it down the road, I made sure I was the first in line. Mesquite stock,(he said he did by hand) Douglas Barrel, Timney trigger. I added the scope. It looks good, it shoots good.   GWB | |||
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Nice!  | |||
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| One of Us |
Austin Hunter, There used to be a furniture maker in Sabinal, Tx that made furniture out of mesquite. He had a lot of cut lumber in his shop, some was large enough for stock blanks. | |||
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One of Us |
You want Screwbean Mesquite. Tough to get and very expensive. | |||
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| One of Us |
Screwbean looks to much like a laminate to me. "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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| One of Us |
That's where the trees came from - along the Sabinal river. "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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| One of Us |
Perfect! "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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| One of Us |
I have seen some beautiful screwbean stocks. I believe Boss Hoss has a real nice lever gun with a screwbean stock. | |||
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Laminate????  SSR | |||
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He is likely reffering to something like this http://www.oldtreegunblanks.co...ewbeanfinish2_th.jpg From Old tree blanks website Mark | |||
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http://www.oldtreegunblanks.co...blanks.html?woodid=6 "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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Don Dobratz, Telferner, TX NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS. Shoot & hunt with vintage classics. | |||
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| One of Us |
Sorry that is so far away from laminate (to Me) that the mind boggles. I would love a screw bean mesquite stock. Laminate? WOW SSR | |||
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| one of us |
I'll have to say that, to my eye, screwbean mesquite looks exactly like a laminate. Not good or bad, just how it appears to these eyes. For pictures of a bunch of screwbean mesquite stocks, pick up any of the Weatherby Guides from the 1960's. Almost all the custom's pictured in the big calibers were screwbean mesquite stocks. It was far and away the preferred stock wood for the .378's and .460s coming out of their custom shop. The only laminated stocks I had seen at the time were coming out of the Fajen shop, and were generally walnut and maple, similar to the Remington 600 stock. I just looked back through the 1968 guide, and am amazed at how much the straight grained mesquite resembled modern laminate stocks. The highly figured stocks had a distinctly different look. | |||
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| one of us |
Straight grained mesquite, just like st. gr. walnut, is not very attractive to my eye, and I can not understand why anyone would either pay or personally expend the effort to make a stock out of it, unless it was all they could afford, or, in the case of walnut the gun's recoil required it. Obviously this is a personal opinion and if doing it floats your boat, paddle on.  xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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The challenge is that most mesquite gun stocks are quite ordinary. I agree with that. Folks have been using walnut for stocks for a long time and know what to look for. Plus walnut is more plentiful, with different species, and grows much larger. Now, what I have in terms of mesquite was carefully selected and isn't like any mesquite you have seen. The grain was quite visible when the stocks were cut, but dried quickly when exposed to air. I'm not going to re-wet them just to confirm that I already know. "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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| new member |
I have a 375 JRS with a piece of mesquite on it. I cut the piece of wood in the mid 80s, had Frank Wells rough out the stock in 1989 and got around to putting it on the gun and finishing it in 2000. It is a bit on the heavy side but a beautiful piece of wood. The weight doesn't bother me on the 375. | |||
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I plan on using this for a 7mm Rem Mag, 35 Whelen, and 404 Jeffery  "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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Well it depends on the individual blank:  | |||
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| one of us |
The most beautiful mesquite stocks I have seen have been Texas Mesquite, very dark with a ton of grain and dark contrast..The problem is I had 75,000 acres of the stuff and only got two one piece stocks out of all I cut for firewood etc. I also got a few two peice stocks but they all had bug fossils which are pretty neat when filled with glass or whatever, but the sand filled holes were the problem..Guess thats why you seldom see that wood except for knife handles. Hard to work also...Hard to beat good walnut. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Worst case? My father-in-law gets a bunch of mesquite for his woodworking projects He has made my wife and I several nice pieces including a large mesquite blanket chest, a pedestal for my Cape Buffalo, and a pedestal for my son's Gemsbok. All for the cost of the raw material "Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid" -- Ronald Reagan "Ignorance of The People gives strength to totalitarians." Want to make just about anything work better? Keep the government as far away from it as possible, then step back and behold the wonderment and goodness. | |||
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| one of us |
I would let it dry a little longer, myself. I paneled a wall out of some beautiful, high grain, dark contrast Texas mesquite. It was kiln-dried, then sat for about 2 mos. before using. After 1 year, there are small gaps between the planks. Still looks great, but obviously was still shrinking/ moving a little all this time. | |||
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One of Us |
There is a dealer in Mesquite located at Tumacocori,Az that has the largest woodlot full of mesquite I have ever seen. Looks like a regular lumber dealer. He makes the most beautiful furniture you could imagine. He is set up to cut almost anything and I am sure he could provide stock blanks. He has some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. His inlay work is the best I have ever seen. SCI Life Member NRA Patron Life Member DRSS | |||
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