Gentlemen

Are there any ideas out there as to the best/most suitable type of walnut for a heavy-kicking rifle?

I'm in the process of having my Brno 602 .375 rebuilt and am shopping around for a decent stock blank. I will also be discussing this with the stockmaker in detail, but it always helps to get a few extra opinions.

Just like everywhere else, good walnut has increased dramatically in price over here during the last year or so, and I'd much rather spend a bit more at the outset for peace of mind.

Good Turkish walnut seems to be the most available type over here, but I've read somewhere (can't remember where now) that it can be brittle. I'll shop around for a while longer, but all comments would be appreciated.

Walnut from the Caucasus Mountains is probably some of the best esp if it grew in a harsh climate. Not very much of the real stuff around even if some people advertise it as genuine.

Try Roger Vardy in Australia. He has some wonderful english and really understands wood.
I believe that his website is www.rogervardystockblanks.com
Butch

This is a Caucasus Mountian(Russian) blank that is going on one of my next projects. Call Adam at Luxus Walnut and he can hook you up. The one below is going on a Hagn that we will start this spring but it is plain Trukish.
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Oh Yeah!!! That stuff is REALLY fun to work with.

Thank you to everybody who replied.

I bought a nice piece of dense, straight-grained Turkish walnut this afternoon that I and the stockmaker are sure will work just fine.

Price was very reasonable, I think, about the equivalent of US $ 750.

I will let everyone know how it turns out.

Try WATTS WALNUT
I own three of Robert's stocks. Two of them have been made into a right and left handed 404 Jeffery.

jvw375,
There is nothing wrong with Turkish and to say Turkish is brittle is an incorrect statement. The only problem that has ever been associated with Turkish walnut is the Turkish that have sold it. Bad layouts and wrong cuts and statements and claims such as saying it was dry, when it was not, and so on.
It lead to problems that they could care less about.
Also, if wood has been dried to too low of a moisture content it can be "chippy" which is different than brittle.
Walnut (as well as other hard woods) work and machine best at around 10-13%.

Your best bet, bar none, for a big bore is the walnut known as Juglans Regia, aka Turkish, Circassian, French, Persian, English, so on and so forth.
Select your blank on its grainflow and density. As for grainflow know the difference between a quarter-sawn and a flatsawn and a blank that is incorrectly cut…all three are different.
As for the price rising in the last year; sorry to hear that. We have not raised our prices here in the U.S. and it is my informed opinion that we have the best prices in the market.
We deal in volume with gun companies the world over and we keep a large inventory in the USA and most important is customer support and satisfaction.
We also have a large inventory in our Istanbul warehouse and there are some very nice rifle blanks there.

If you have any questions please feel free to email us and we will be happy to help. No obligations to buy.

Best of luck to you.

Adam

Adam hit it on the button...The folks a Luxus will invariably come up with exactly the right blank within budget. I have used several Luxus blanks and would never hesitate to recommend them highly

Ok you guys, it's great to see pictures and discussion about these walnut blanks costing thousands. They are very nice, but they ought to be. But frankly I'm never going to pay that much for a wood stock. Heck, I would buy a used truck first.

I'm interested in good walnut stocks. My definition must be different than for some, but anyway I'm dealing in the arena that I can afford, and just maybe afford several.

So, some of you guys who know proper layout, and grain flow, etc., please critique the samples shown on the pictures below. These are not fancy, but the best examples I can find in the price range I can live with.

Really, I want to learn something here. I'm new to this custom walnut stock hobby, and realize that I really know very little. I think I know a few things but that's subject to change with good info from those more knowledgable than me. I would rather listen to good advice than spend a lot of money going down the wrong path. So, these pictures show what I think is good layout and grain flow, but I could be wrong. Anyway, by the time a guy is finished with a custom stock of any kind, the investment is meaningful to any pocketbook. It's all relative. One ought to be satisfied with the process of selecting the blank, and the pattern, and the finshed stock whether he finishes it himself or hires a gunsmith. It's all part of the fun, then we get to go hunting and further enjoy the special rifle which we participated in its making.


The first one is advertised as Turkish

The second one is California English

I am also looking for a piece of wood to restock a ZKK602 but in 458 Lott. I have contacted a few people in the USA and their response has been fantastic but rather overwhelming. I now have so many pictures that i do not know where to start looking. I guess it will boil down to the advice on the finer details on the questions that i ask about specific blanks.

Cali'co seem very reasonably priced, is there a reason they are quite a bit cheaper than the Dresel's etc? Luxus seem to cater for the upper end of the market (i have not contacted them as +$1000 is out of my range)but they were highly recommended by my gunsmith.

Does anyone know Cecil Fredi? He is in Vegas

Buying something like a blank over the net is a bit nerve wracking and personal reference's will go a long way to helping make my decision.

Thank you

The blank I chose has very straight grain running from the butt to the fore-end.

I think it should work just fine, and I did my best to verify the "brittle" rumours about Turkish before I took out the cheque book.

Again, I'm afraid I can't remember where I read that Turkish walnut is brittle (I searched high and low over the weekend, to no avail), but my chosen stocker is absolutely convinced. As I've seen his work, I'm not worried at all, so we will see how it turns out.

Kabluewy,
I have bought several blanks from the guys at Luxus like those two above in your post for around $300.
If those blanks are what you like you should give them a call. Like others here, I would recommend you speak to Adam. Tell him how much you want to spend and he will email you images.

It is my understanding from a friend of mine that visited them that they have some where over 4,000 rifle blanks in inventory!

Thanks for the feedback.
I went ahead and bought a blank today, but I selected a similar one not shown above, after discussing it with the seller. You are correct about the price range of about $300. I figure that's a good place to start with a custom stock. Any more and the price starts to pinch. Any less, and I start to question the quality of the blank in relation to the costs and effort it takes to convert it into the final product.

Anyway, I'm having fun so far.

KB