I have not purchased from the firm you mentioned. I have bought two English blanks from Cecil Fredi in Vegas. Both turned out very nice.

 

Look at Cole's. They have inletted blanks.

 

fan,
I purchased a excellent Turkish blank from Watts about a year and a half ago.
I picked out a blank that was in the $800 to $900 range and Robert the owner did a fantastic job of matching the forend blank to the stock blank.
My stock was completed with a hand rubbed oil finish and 26 LPI checkering and gets compliments all the time.
It is my opinion that any fine European gun like your Perazzi should have Turkish walnut. It is stronger, more elegant and can have finer/better checkering.
American walnut works with Winchesters, Browning's (maroku), Weatherby, etc.
The cost of the wood is a small part of a custom made stock. It is the labor that is the real expense.

CT

 

Talk to your stock builder; he may have a preference and will be able to explain why.

I was told (by someone who I thought knew what he was talking about) that it is easier to do fine checkering with Circassian/Turkish than with American walnut; no idea how English behaves. As long as grain characteristics are appropriate, I don't think that you will find any practical difference in strength between the various types of walnut.

 

Longtime lurker and I made an account just to answer this as my other major hobby is woodworking.

So "American" walnut refers to the species black walnut, Juglans *****. English walnut and Turkish walnut are actually the same species of tree, Juglans Regia. The trees from Turkey and the middle east are known and prized for their beauty as the desert climate makes them grow slower.

Anyway, if you want to get technical English walnut is about 20% harder than black walnut. Wood hardness is measured using Janka hardness and the English is 1,220lbs vs 1,010 for black walnut. Which means in theory it is less likely to dent if banged on something. Both woods would be equally prone to scratching (tearing of the wood fibers). In practice I don't know that you would see much of a real world difference.

There is another domestic walnut species that is just as figured and hard as English walnut called Claro walnut. Personally, it is what I would use as it's a little cheaper than English walnut and in my opinion more visually appealing.

As far as the site you mentioned for purchasing, I know nothing about them. Online wood retailers I have used that sell gun stock blanks would be Goby Walnut and Cook Woods.

Another option that could save you substantial money is going to a local hardwood dealer. You can dig through the walnut board pile, it will likely be all black walnut, and find a board with a nicely figured section. You'll only pay the board foot price which depending on your location will be $6-12/bdft. Most hardwood dealers also have a "figured shorts" selection that is a fraction of the price of online retailers.

Honestly though your stock builder should have a reliable source for quality blanks. If your stock builder doesn't have a good source, he probably hasn't built enough gun stocks to be a good choice to build yours.

 

Just make sure you understand all the charges. I brought my own blank to a stock maker to have him build me a stock. He allowed me a "credit" for my wood against what he would have charged me for a blank of his of similar quality. It added quite a bit to the total cost when I thought I would be saving the stock maker's profit on his wood. AND - he had no cost in the wood ! He allowed me a credit on his $1,900 blank. Basically I was charged $1,300 for wood I didn't get. I tried to add a pic of the 2008 invoice but the file was too large. The cost in 2008 was $2,890. If anyone wants to see the invoice pm me. Felt like I got bent over but there was nothing I could do since he had my gun.

YMMV.

 

Longtime lurker and I made an account just to answer this as my other major hobby is woodworking.

So "American" walnut refers to the species black walnut, Juglans *****. English walnut and Turkish walnut are actually the same species of tree, Juglans Regia. The trees from Turkey and the middle east are known and prized for their beauty as the desert climate makes them grow slower.

Anyway, if you want to get technical English walnut is about 20% harder than black walnut. Wood hardness is measured using Janka hardness and the English is 1,220lbs vs 1,010 for black walnut. Which means in theory it is less likely to dent if banged on something. Both woods would be equally prone to scratching (tearing of the wood fibers). In practice I don't know that you would see much of a real world difference.

There is another domestic walnut species that is just as figured and hard as English walnut called Claro walnut. Personally, it is what I would use as it's a little cheaper than English walnut and in my opinion more visually appealing.

As far as the site you mentioned for purchasing, I know nothing about them. Online wood retailers I have used that sell gun stock blanks would be Goby Walnut and Cook Woods.

Another option that could save you substantial money is going to a local hardwood dealer. You can dig through the walnut board pile, it will likely be all black walnut, and find a board with a nicely figured section. You'll only pay the board foot price which depending on your location will be $6-12/bdft. Most hardwood dealers also have a "figured shorts" selection that is a fraction of the price of online retailers.

Honestly though your stock builder should have a reliable source for quality blanks. If your stock builder doesn't have a good source, he probably hasn't built enough gun stocks to be a good choice to build yours.

Welcome aboard. Thanks for the primer. Don't be shy now that you have come out of the shadows. We need more thoughtfulness and less bickering on this site.

 

Longtime lurker and I made an account just to answer this as my other major hobby is woodworking.

So "American" walnut refers to the species black walnut, Juglans *****. English walnut and Turkish walnut are actually the same species of tree, Juglans Regia. The trees from Turkey and the middle east are known and prized for their beauty as the desert climate makes them grow slower.

Anyway, if you want to get technical English walnut is about 20% harder than black walnut. Wood hardness is measured using Janka hardness and the English is 1,220lbs vs 1,010 for black walnut. Which means in theory it is less likely to dent if banged on something. Both woods would be equally prone to scratching (tearing of the wood fibers). In practice I don't know that you would see much of a real world difference.

There is another domestic walnut species that is just as figured and hard as English walnut called Claro walnut. Personally, it is what I would use as it's a little cheaper than English walnut and in my opinion more visually appealing.

As far as the site you mentioned for purchasing, I know nothing about them. Online wood retailers I have used that sell gun stock blanks would be Goby Walnut and Cook Woods.

Another option that could save you substantial money is going to a local hardwood dealer. You can dig through the walnut board pile, it will likely be all black walnut, and find a board with a nicely figured section. You'll only pay the board foot price which depending on your location will be $6-12/bdft. Most hardwood dealers also have a "figured shorts" selection that is a fraction of the price of online retailers.

Honestly though your stock builder should have a reliable source for quality blanks. If your stock builder doesn't have a good source, he probably hasn't built enough gun stocks to be a good choice to build yours.

Welcome aboard. Thanks for the primer. Don't be shy now that you have come out of the shadows. We need more thoughtfulness and less bickering on this site.

Yes indeed.

 

LSUFan1969.

A minimum of 60+ hours of tedious hand labor goes into building a custom stock, even if using a machine inletted blank. If made entirely by hand, significantly more hours are required. The quality of the selected wood should be equal to the quality of the gun and the work performed.

Be aware that the same species of wood grown in different areas can vary considerably in basic color. Greater mineral content in the soil can impart bolder color contrasting streaks or marbling. This is frequently seen in Circassian walnut (Juglans Regia) from Turkey and New Zealand. BTW, much of the "English" and "French" walnut sold stateside is Juglans Regia from California and tends to be less dense than the European, Turkish or New Zealand variety. FWIW, European Circassian walnut was an option on some high grade A.H. Fox, Ithaca, Parker and L. C. Smith guns.

Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri and Pennsylvania were for many years primary sources for Black Walnut (Juglans *****). I've also seen some highly figured black walnut that came out of Minnesota. Maybe its the cold winters and slower growth that produces spectacular color and figure. This wood will easily hold 24 lpi checkering. Oregon and northern California produce Claro Walnut (Juglans Hindsii). A Claro blank that I had was very colorful but, a little lighter than the Juglans ***** and seemed better suited to 16 to 18 lpi checkering. I did not have it made into a stock.

With regard to wood vendors, I have purchased Black Walnut two piece blanks from several sources including Watts Walnut (feather crotch) and Goby Walnut (1 stump curl and 1 fiddleback). Watts and Goby prices were very reasonable for the quality received, I recommend them both. Watts was at the Dallas Safari Club Expo in January where he showed some outstanding stock blanks. I've also heard very good reports about Cecil Fredi but, haven't yet dealt with him.

One of my rifles sports a very nice Mannlicher length feather crotch Black Walnut stock from Show Me Gunstocks in Missouri. The stock I received was better than described and an excellent value! Another rifle wears a marblecake New Zealand Circassian walnut stock from the late Ernie Paulson in Montana. Ernie also supplied an interesting piece of Circassian/Black grafted walnut which was carved into trap dimensions for a sidelock SxS. The New Zealand and the grafted both checkered beautifully @ 24 lpi. I currently have a stick of light colored Myrtlewood with dark fiddleback waiting for the right gun to come down the pike.

Discuss checkering lpi with your stockmaker. Very fine checkering looks great but, may not provide the grip you want or need on a competition gun. 18 to 20 lpi is as tight as I want on a field gun. I find that 24 lpi provides the grip and long term durability (47 years and counting) that I want in a target gunstock.

If you're looking for "flash" in a stock, consider one of the exotic woods. Goncalo Alves or India Rosewood will add a pound or two to the gun's weight and checker as fine (32 lpi?) as you want to go.

Take your time in researching and selecting the "right" stock blank. You may live with it for a long time. Depending on your location, you may wish to consider visiting a vendor and looking through their woodpile before deciding.

DF

Montani Semper Liberi