New Arrivals from Ex Yugoslavian Army Stocks

Victory 1945 said:
Sorry,original question about stock was posted by Markzdb so I just included the quote from the book. The book can be found on Amazon
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You got me excited for a good read but didn't specify I could get one, hell almost two, of the rifles themselves for the "new" price.

mEQSHax.png




Victory 1945 said:
And great looking stock by the way Goose762
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Thanks, this one actually came from tradeex in this last batch. Shout out to them for sourcing all these beauties, I can't imagine i'm the only one thrilled at the shape these are in, and at the price!
 
Goose762 said:
If so, that's elm. Walnut and beech are easy to distinguish between, and Yugo mausers stocked in "teak" are a lie perpetrated by Mitchell's Mausers. If you've heard the name before you won't be too shocked by my claim of their less than honest dealings.
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Any way you could post a guideline on how to definitively identify each wood type? I haven't seen many M48's in person, but the few I've seen have had Elm stocks.
 
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st1264 said:
Any way you could post a guideline on how to definitively identify each wood type? I haven't seen many M48's in person, but the few I've seen have had Elm stocks.
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I'm not expert (to say the least) but as far Yugoslav mausers and their furniture go this quick and dirty should get you on the right track;


Straight grain running the full length of the wood, raised quite a bit and pronounced, brownish to bright reddish color=> elm

Smother darker wood, brown, with darker streaks (figuring), very hard (cannot score with fingernail unlike elm)=>walnut

Smooth wood, light colored often "blonde", least pronounced grain and softest =>beech

*EDIT*
heh, those text colors I used are actually a fairly good representation.

Victory 1945 said:
Holly smokes!!???... I think I paid $24.00 a year ago!??
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If you happen to come across a more reasonably priced copy please do PM me, Yugo mausers are a recent obsession of mine.
 
^^ I disagree on your wood statement: ^^

'Smooth wood, light colored often "blonde", least pronounced grain and softest =>beech'

There is no such thing in any original Mauser stocks!
 
riversrest said:
^^ I disagree on your wood statement: ^^

'Smooth wood, light colored often "blonde", least pronounced grain and softest =>beech'

There is no such thing in any original Mauser stocks!
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There are LOTS of examples of beech stocked mousers. For example, from 1916 through 1918, the majority of Gew98 rifles made then were stocked in beech. In WW2, Czechoslovakia produced the VZ24 with beech stocks on a regular basis. And M48 series rifles are also sometimes stocked in beech. I've owned a few of those myself. Beech does not take stain well, so they tend to look lighter on the gun.
 
Goose762 said:
I'm not expert (to say the least) but as far Yugoslav mausers and their furniture go this quick and dirty should get you on the right track;


Straight grain running the full length of the wood, raised quite a bit and pronounced, brownish to bright reddish color=> elm

Smother darker wood, brown, with darker streaks (figuring), very hard (cannot score with fingernail unlike elm)=>walnut

Smooth wood, light colored often "blonde", least pronounced grain and softest =>beech
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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.
 
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riversrest said:
^^ I disagree on your wood statement: ^^

'Smooth wood, light colored often "blonde", least pronounced grain and softest =>beech'

There is no such thing in any original Mauser stocks!
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*read your comment*
*look four feet to my right at my swede sitting it the corner*
*now back at your comment*
*now at the swede again*

I think there is a chance you might be mistaken. :p
 
Goose762 said:
You got me excited for a good read but didn't specify I could get one, hell almost two, of the rifles themselves for the "new" price.

mEQSHax.png






Thanks, this one actually came from tradeex in this last batch. Shout out to them for sourcing all these beauties, I can't imagine i'm the only one thrilled at the shape these are in, and at the price!
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That's because it's not Amazon selling it. I have a few books from that series, and they're usually $20-$25.
I don't get the wild prices other sellers post on Amazon. Do people actually buy stuff at those insane prices??
 
Andy said:
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.
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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? :p)

A quick glance at a wood hardness chart or two also confirms that walnut is much harder.
 
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".
 
riversrest said:
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".
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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.
 
st1264 said:
I really like my walnut VZ24 Mauser though.

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

Birch.PNG
 
Goose762 said:
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? :p)

A quick glance at a wood hardness chart or two also confirms that walnut is much harder.
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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.
 
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For those still wondering what beech looks like - this VZ24 handguard is european beechwood.

DSCN3961-1.jpg


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.
 
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