I realize that this wood has not been around for quite a while but thought I would ask if anyone has every heard of it's use for gunstocks.
The house I was brought up in was trimmed in american chestnut. During remodeling years ago most of the wood was run through a shaper and reused for trim and baseboard. The remainder was set aside and rediscovered recently by my sister.
There are several pieces that measure 3x8 inches and 5 or 6 feet in length.
Any thoughts?

some what like oak kind of stringy and will splinter allot like trying to carve elm or hickory. not relly a stocking wood.

also not a wood to waste!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Give it a good cause and rightful place/\

Love to see one of those slabs..!!

How much of the 3 x 8 x 5-6 feet do you have..??

Wouldn't be my choice for a gunstock as it's not much on shock resistance .






American Chestnut










Chestnut (Castanea sp.) contains about 7 to 12 species distributed in: North America [4] and Europe [1] and Asia [7]. European Chestnut (Castanea sativa)was introduced into England by the Romans probably as food for domestic animals. North American Chestnut trees were virtually wiped out by the fungus Endothia parasitica. The different species of Chestnut hybridize with each other. All species look alike microscopically.

Other Common Names: Chestnut, Prickly O-heh-yah-bur, Sweet Chestnut, White Chestnut, Wormy Chestnut

Distribution

American Chestnut's pre-blight range extended from Maine west to Michigan and south to Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The major stands were in southern New England and the Appalachian Mountains. The finest timber came out of the Appalachians.

The Tree

American Chestnut grew to heights of 120 feet, with a diameter of 7 feet. Its ability to sprout from the cut or dead stump has kept this species in existence, temporarily, although the blight eventually kills the sprouts.

The Wood

General

The narrow sapwood of Chestnut is near white, while the heartwood is grayish brown to brown and darkens with age. The wood is coarse, intermediate in strength, light in weight, low in shock resistance, of average hardness and moderate shrinkage. It can be kiln dried or air seasoned with minimal problems.

Mechanical Properties (2-inch standard)














Working Properties

Chestnut is easy to work with tools and is easily glued. Because it split readily, care is required in nailing.

Durability

It is as resistant to decay as the cedars, cypress and redwood.

Preservation

No information available at this time.

Uses

Lumber, tannin extract, furniture, caskets, boxes, crates, core stock for plywood, poles, railroad ties, pulpwood, shingles, barrel staves, mine timbers, fuelwood.

Toxicity

No information available at this time.

Thanks everyone for the information.
I don't know how many pieces there are, as my sister only said "some" and the measurements are her estimates. I'll be heading east in several months and will find out for myself.

American Chestnut is too soft to be use as a wood for a stock. My fathers entire house is pannelled in 1x8 wormy chestnut It is a 4000 sq foot house.
My grand father was a lumberman and stock piled several warehouses with wormy chestnut wood in the 1930s.
Longshot

My brother tears down old barns here in Tennessee and recycles the lumber into expensive floors, beams, etc. I occasionally go through his inventory and I seldom see chestnut that isn't worm eaten. Most of the chestnut was worm eaten on the stump before it was harvested. I have seen it without worm holes and have concluded that these trees were harvested before or shortly after the blight killed the trees. I make quite a bit of furniture and fixtures from chestnut and I also make my own gunstocks. Chestnut is similar to oak in strength and working properties but lighter. I wouldn't use oak for a gunstock and neither would I use chestnut. One of the biggest reasons is that it would take copious amounts of filler on the pores. That would hide the character of the wood.

I've seen where several people have dismissed Oak ( White Oak ) as well as Hickory for gunstocks .

Personally I'm curious as to why other than weight which is more than Walnut . I know fiber long grain short

grain excuses , other than those objections what seems to be the problem Color ? .