I believe that a hunter does not shoot 9.3x62 and 375 H&H often enough to endanger a gun stock from cracking, regardless of wood grain. I don't think that there has been any experiments on this subject, only hunters experiences. In todays world, there is no one gun hunter, hunters have various guns and cartridges which they use in the field therefore, not many shots will be used in those magnums. I'm all-in-favour for fancy high grade wood.
Opinion: Straighter grain for the larger calibres.
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
I had experienced 40 rounds of 9.3x74R to self regulate my double rifle, all in one sitting. It's not the most pleasant feeling. Once that was accomplished, it was downhill from there. Another big magnum that packs a wallop is the 300 Weatherby, 84.5 grains of IMR7828 behind a 180 grain Accubond.
It is a fallacy that straight grain is necessarily stronger than a complex twisted grain pattern. The important aspect is getting strong grain flowing through the wrist of the stock continuously. Some straight grain stocks have the grain running out the back of the wrist, and this will invariably be the weakest if structures. It is not terribly difficult to look at a blank and predict the potential for problems. When building a heavy recoiling rifle, choose your blank wisely.
Anyone that has split a cord or two of maple knows the difference between straight grain and burl. I'll take the straight grain any day of the week for splitting. I have encountered some bad cut stocks that were destine to crack simply due to poor planning with the position of grain. Then there is poor gun design directing recoil poorly. The scallops on some shotguns (SKB 100s for example) are designed exactly like little axes and some rifles like the good old 99s load recoil into the top of the butt stock.
The ones that fail most often are those neglected. And again, any wood splitter knows the difference between splitting dry or green wood.
I have bought and sold many guns and refinished many more. 100% of the rifles and shotguns I have owned over the years came to me with neglected or untreated stocks, even the news ones. Most appear as they have never had the stocks removed let alone maintained. Some Linseed oil, proper sealing and a tiny bit of work and 99% of cracks would never happen.
The ones that fail most often are those neglected. And again, any wood splitter knows the difference between splitting dry or green wood.
I have bought and sold many guns and refinished many more. 100% of the rifles and shotguns I have owned over the years came to me with neglected or untreated stocks, even the news ones. Most appear as they have never had the stocks removed let alone maintained. Some Linseed oil, proper sealing and a tiny bit of work and 99% of cracks would never happen.
Sorry Bob, I should have specified that for you so you can complete that biography.
I grew up in Nova Scotia. We weren't poor Bob but had a wood/coal furnace only. I split more rock maple before I was 21 than any 10 people you might ever meet, except for online of course where people like to think they know very much having experienced very little.
LOL
I grew up on a farm near Sylvan Lake and I don't think I ever saw a maple leaf until I moved to Nova Scotia, where I heated with wood and split plenty by hand. (I had always wondered why the maple leaf was the symbol of Canada since real (hard rock/sugar) maple doesn't grow west of Southern Ontario.)
I grew up on a farm near Sylvan Lake and I don't think I ever saw a maple leaf until I moved to Nova Scotia, where I heated with wood and split plenty by hand. (I had always wondered why the maple leaf was the symbol of Canada since real (hard rock/sugar) maple doesn't grow west of Southern Ontario.)
