quote:

BROWNING SALT WOOD EXPLAINED

Dear Technoid,

Please discuss the Browning Superposed salt problem and how to detect
this defect. I have not been able to find any reference to it in the
shotgun literature.

Bill



Dear Bill,

The best discussion of the Browning salt wood issue is in Ned
Schwing's "Browning Superposed" book (Krause Press, 1996). According
to Schwing, in the mid '60s Browning needed a better supply of high
grade walnut for it's guns. A California contractor had a large
inventory of good walnut taken from clearing power line right of ways.
Demand for Browning guns was at an all time high and the usual kiln
drying process for walnut was too slow to produce what was needed.
Rapid kiln drying also produced cracks in the California walnut.

Morton Salt had developed a salt solution drying process successfully
used in the furniture industry with good results. This cured the
walnut much faster than the kiln method. Browning tested it and there
were no problems, so Browning bought the process in 1965. "In an area
roughly the size of a football field, five-foot by five-foot by
eight-foot stacks of stock blanks were covered with salt. The salt was
supposed to leach out the moisture and dry the wood quickly. The
process did accomplish its purpose but the moisture that was drawn out
of the blanks on top of the stacks ran down into the blanks below,
resulting in a brine solution that soaked the lower wood blanks."
(Schwing, pp 246) The retained salt reacted with the gun metal with
the finished stock was installed. This caused the rust associated with
"the salt wood problem".

According to Schwing's interviews with Browning's Harm Williams and
Val Browning, all the salt curing was done in the US and affected at
least 90% of all Browning stocks from made from 1967 to 1969. The
problem continued to show up until 1972, but in smaller numbers. It
was then that the entire supply of walnut blanks was burned and
replaced with traditional kiln dried wood.

To detect salt wood on 1966 to 1972 guns, first check for outward
appearance of dark or discolored spots. Check every place that wood
meets metal, as on the rear of the forend and at the head of the
stock. Rust on the metal will be apparent if there is a problem.
According to Schwing, the definitive test is to remove the butt
pad/plate, scrape away a little wood from the exposed butt and apply a
1% solution of silver nitrate to the fresh wood. If the silver nitrate
remains light purple, there is no salt. If the silver nitrate turns
white, you have a salt gun.

If you can prove that you are the original owner of the salt gun,
Browning used to replace the wood for free and will probably still do
so. If you bought the gun used, you are on your own. I got a used
Superposed 410 with salt wood about ten or twelve years ago. Browning
charged me about $250, if memory serves, to replace the wood. It
wasn't free, but it was certainly a bargain price. I don't know what
the numbers today are.

By the way, Browning wasn't the only one to get taken in by the salt
wood walnut curing process. I've heard that some other gun companies
did also, but weren't quite as up front about dealing with it.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
The Technoid writing for Shotgun Report, LLC
(Often in error. Never in doubt.)
<http://www.ShotgunReport.com>

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:

quote:

BROWNING SALT WOOD EXPLAINED

...If you can prove that you are the original owner of the salt gun, Browning used to replace the wood for free and will probably still do so. If you bought the gun used, you are on your own. I got a used Superposed 410 with salt wood about ten or twelve years ago. Browning charged me about $250, if memory serves, to replace the wood. It wasn't free, but it was certainly a bargain price. I don't know what the numbers today are.