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Thread: New Arrivals from Ex Yugoslavian Army Stocks

  1. #111
    CGN Regular Goose762's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andy View Post
    Beech is far from the softest - quite the contrary. It's probably the hardest wood you'll encounter in a gunstock. Walnut is relatively soft.

    Again, i'm no expert but I believe you are mistaken. All of my beech stocked rifles seem to have the most dents and dings in then (you ever see the shape some K31 stocks are in? )

    A quick glance at a wood hardness chart or two also confirms that walnut is much harder.

  2. #112
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    There is some walnut that is softer than beech (e.g. black walnut) and some that is harder (e.g. brazilian walnut). The term "blonde" is usually used in conjunction with birch when the sap wood is being used for making a stock. Birch core wood has a darker reddish/brown color much like beech.

    I'm aware there are lots of Mauser rifles with beech stocks but those are typically not "blonde".

  3. #113
    CGN Ultra frequent flyer st1264's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by riversrest View Post
    There is some walnut that is softer than beech (e.g. black walnut) and some that is harder (e.g. brazilian walnut). The term "blonde" is usually used in conjunction with birch when the sap wood is being used for making a stock. Birch core wood has a darker reddish/brown color much like beech.

    I'm aware there are lots of Mauser rifles with beech stocks but those are typically not "blonde".
    I've done a lot of work with VZ58 wood which is beech, easy to work with and takes stain reasonably well. I've seen mostly Elm for M48 stocks and have had good experiences with them so far... I really like my walnut VZ24 Mauser though.

    Birch... is hard to work with, doesn't take stain well.

  4. #114
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    Quote Originally Posted by st1264 View Post
    I really like my walnut VZ24 Mauser though.

    Birch... is hard to work with, doesn't take stain well.
    That VZ24 of yours is a real beauty. Yes, birch doesn't take stain well. It tends to come out blotchy if you don't seal it before staining.

    I know this is a bit of topic... but it shows the different colors of birch. These are some rustic half log benches I make from birch. They are oiled and it makes the different colors of the core/sap wood pop out.


  5. #115
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    Any photos or range reports yet?

  6. #116
    CGN Ultra frequent flyer Andy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goose762 View Post
    Again, i'm no expert but I believe you are mistaken. All of my beech stocked rifles seem to have the most dents and dings in then (you ever see the shape some K31 stocks are in? )

    A quick glance at a wood hardness chart or two also confirms that walnut is much harder.
    Please share those charts. Just like a Rock Bass is different than a Sea Bass, there are several types of Walnut and Beech. The beech used in stocks is a good 30% harder than the walnuts used.
    Last edited by Andy; 07-07-2016 at 04:34 PM.

  7. #117
    CGN Ultra frequent flyer Claven2's Avatar
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    For those still wondering what beech looks like - this VZ24 handguard is european beechwood.



    Note the characteristic light coloured crescents in grain. These areas don;t take stain and don't absorb oil to oxidize dark. This is a universal characteristic of beech.

    I've only ever seen a couple beech stocked M48's over the years, the very vast majority were Elm. I've seen more early walnut stocks than I have beech. I sometimes wonder if Branko got Beech and Elm mixed up when he wrote his book, or if the translator he was working with mixed them up.
    Keeping it real on the range since before there was a CGN.

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