I am slowly working towards having a wood stock crafted for my M70 375H&H. I figured on taking my time and watching the wood auctions at hunterbid.com

As I am looking them over, what should I be considering to make sure my piece is a good choice?

Obviously I want the most figured beautiful piece that I can afford

Thanks,
John

What's your budget?

Fairly straight in the forend with a slight turn down in the grip area and then do something interesting in butt area. That's my idea of a nice blank. Of course sometimes I get side tracked

I bought this one Monday. I think it'll make a nice stock. It fits all the above rules.

Terry

500 to 1000 I suppose.

Good luck. I bought my first one last year. It is a diffcult process. The smith I am working with would always ask how long have the birds been out of the branches. My biggest problem was figuring out the pricing. Some $300.00 blanks look like some $600.00 to me. I did show the blanks that I like to the smith before purchasing.

$500 to $1000 will buy a very nice piece of wood. The blank that TC1 posted photos of looks like just my kind of blank and could probably be had in the price range you listed.

Find some blanks that you like and post photos here. You'll get lots of opinions on them. Also, find some finished stocks that really appeal to you and give us some photos. We'll help you find a blank that will look similar when its finished.

If you have a stockmaker in mind, be sure to solicit his opinion. Especially with regard to layout and dimensions.

I try to envision the blank as a stock. A quarter sawn stock will look fairly similiar to the blank. A slab sawn blank can change quite a bit. I also think some blanks can be too fancy. I really like the blank posted above.

I try and tell my clients the most important part of the blank is the layout. I've little interest in having a client pay me to stock a rifle using a beautiful piece of wood with bad layout. Especially through the grip.

Check out the scholarship rifle that's pinned to the top of the gunsmithing forum. That's the layout you're looking for through the grip and along the forearm. Color & contrast are just fluff. For the money you're willing to spend you can find a great blank with perfect layout and plenty of fluff!

quote:

James Anderson ACGG Metalsmith & Stockmaker

I'll bet that feels good.

Without doubt the most critical issue is grain flow through the wrist, especially on heavy recoiling rifles. Some blanks can be quite deceptive as the figure is not necessarily the same as the grain direction.

so the idea is no "figure" through the wrist? and look for strong flowing grain in that area?

So this one is bad



and this one is good?



thanks

John

Figure follows the grain for the most part.

Example: Look at the blank on the far left.



Now here is a picture of it cut. (Duane Wiebe's work)


If you like what the grain is doing in the wrist of the blank you pictured (I don't) Then it's the right blank for you.

IMO, the grain doesn't always' need to be turning down, but if it isn't, it better be straight. It's the weakest part of the stock and it helps if the grain is working for you.

Also keep in mind, what you see on the outside is pretty much what you'll get on the inside. With a little patience you can find a great blank at a good price. In the top picture the second blank from the right was $350. It's right at home in the company of two $1400 blanks and a $1100 blank (if I remember correctly.)

The one below is a $450 blank and another picture of it turned. Do a little shopping. If you don't see anything you like give it a few weeks. There will be more added.





Terry

One other thing. Give my friend Adam a call over at Luxus walnut. He has thousands of blanks and most aren't on the web site. Tell him what you want and he can probably find it for you. Tell him you want the "AR" discount AFTER he quotes you a price

Terry

TC1: Is the last rifle pictured finished. I have a blank that is a brother to that one and would like to see what it looks like.
Seems to me i heard someone say they were building their last rifle, so why so many blanks on hand!!!

The 1936 M98 I mentioned in that thread will be the last custom rifle I commision. It's a neat hobby but it's just too agravating to continue. Only one piece of wood in the top picture belongs to me. I've got 3 rifles that need to be completed though . Eventually they will all be cpleted. When that day comes I want enjoy what I have and not build more.

No, that little 1640Husky isn't finished yet.

Terry

Terry's bottom two pictures make another excellent point.....if you buy a blank that is not "cut like a stock", but rather the full blank, you can adjust the way the actual stock comes out. If you look at the way the top blank of the two has the stock drawn on it, it is not like the finished stock. The forend is pointed down more and the butt tilted to allow for proper grainflow in the wrist. If at all possible, get a whole blank.

TCI shows some really nice blanks with the grain flow correct..I like quarter sawn wood and not a lot of marble cake on a big bore rifle..The more recoil, the more stright grain with contrasting strips such as the last stock TCI exhibits, That to me is a pretty close to perfect big bore stock....

I like Marble cake in the lighter calibers sometimes, but the older I get the more conservative I get on this..It's a personal thing and the choice is up to the individual.

One of the nicest stocks I ever saw was absolutly grainless, its was so dense that it was like a slab of Marble, not a pore in it..It was hard as rock, checkered beautifully, and was on a 505 Imp. A beautiful very dark/reddish piece of some kind of European walnut, with wonderful workmanship on it. I still lust for that rifle. I was allowed to shoot a buffalo with it and it was a hammer for sure.

What is half sawn or quarter sawn mean?

And I presume that marble cake is weaker? A 375 doesn't kick all that much would it be too much for it?

I want a marbled deep red oiled stock on her. But it has to be reliable. I wouldn't trade my Mcmillan if I gave up the reliable part.

This helped me to understand the diffrent types of sawing hope it will help you understand it better.
http://www.edroman.com/techarticles/quartersawn.htm
http://www.horizon-custom-homes.com/QuarterSawnLumber.html

I like quarter sawn as well, more dimensionally stable

When I think about, and evaluate a stock for grain structure, layout and integrity, I don't consider the caliber. I'm not worried about recoil breaking any stock I would use. I think about dropping the gun, a much more like occurance for breaking a stock.
Drop breakage is not caliber specific.
Neither is it through-bolt specific.
Best,
Steve