They don't. Wood grading is very subjective and there is no industry standard in the firearms industry, wood working or furniture making. Look at lots and lots of wood and get an idea what different grades cost from different places. As a friend of mine who worked a lot with high end gun stocks told me, when you see a gun or a piece of wood that you like and you think that it has been under priced or very fairly priced by the seller, buy it. I know this does not help a lot, but that's how it works. I've bought gun stock blanks directly from Turkey and know what they cost me, a civilian, buying 1-3 blanks at a time. Some gunmakers and stock makers have HUGE mark ups on fancy wood while others are more reasonable. My Krieghoff has a factory wood "upgrade" that they price at $1,350 over their entry level. No way they paid more than $300 more for the blank that went into my gun than an entry level blank. But, that's how luxury markets work.
What are you looking at - guns or stock blanks?

 

I'm not asking if there is a standard to what falls in each category (that's subjective), I'm trying to understand scoring system. Like is AAA considered higher or lower by the same subjective scorer than C+ grade wood.

Looking at guns

 

Wood grading is pretty subjective. there are some guidelines. Here are a couple of links to some info:

Understanding Shotgun Stock Wood Grading - Upland Gun Company
GRADING SCALE FOR RAW WOOD BLANKS – Shoot-Off UK

 

Wood grading is pretty subjective. there are some guidelines. Here are a couple of links to some info:

Understanding Shotgun Stock Wood Grading - Upland Gun Company
GRADING SCALE FOR RAW WOOD BLANKS – Shoot-Off UK

Thanks. How does "B", "C" "C+" "D" fit into these?? I didn't see them in the articles. Is "D" wood considered fancier than "B" wood or the other way around?

 

It’s vanity sizing. With all that entails.

 

I have a friend who sales graded Gunstock wood and his values on quality for a
AAA woodset is reasonable but costly . I have taken others over to select what
they wanted on their K80 and Perazzi's and they ran between $1400 and $3000.
After they were finished at the stock maker , they were absolutely gorgeous and
the talk of all who laid eyes on them ! I will say , to me , the $1400. one was more
practical , stronger than the $3000. one , even though they were one of a kind !

I stay more neutral , like these 2 !

 

It varies within makers and across time periods as well.

Krieghoff and Perazzi std grade wood in the 80s and 90s was straight apple crate. Their standard grade wood is better now.

Kolars standard grade wood has always been at least 2-3 levels above what Krieghoff and Perazzi use. In the 90s, Kolars std grade was typically equivalent to or better than what krieghoff was using on gold super scroll guns.

Remington standard grade wood on their skeet and trap guns in the 60s and 70s was occasionally better than some AAA wood today.

 

In terms of letter grades, it's generally like your report card grades in school. Remington went opposite of this though (A was the lowest, F was the highest), although their quality was all over the map and it was not uncommon to have std grade guns with wood of higher quality than B or D grade guns.

In terms of number grades, it's usually the higher the number the higher the quality.

Moral of the story is there is ZERO hard and fast rules for wood grading, and you can only compare wood quality and designations by mfg, within a certain time frame. You'll have to do your own research in regards to how the specific mfg you're looking at decided to do it.

 

In terms of letter grades, it's generally like your report card grades in school. Remington went opposite of this though (A was the lowest, F was the highest), although their quality was all over the map and it was not uncommon to have std grade guns with wood of higher quality than B or D grade guns.

Browning must follow Remington

John M. Browning Custom Collection

John M. Browning was a tireless innovator and a legend in the truest sense; so it’s befitting that his name should grace a range of exquisitely custom crafted hunting and sporting guns. The John M. Browning Collection is the very best of what we do.

www.browning.com

They go the other way with the letters (compared to high school):

Grade B is $15,000
Grade C is $17,500
Grade D is $20,000
Grade E is $22,500

 

Wenig uses completely different terminology:

 

Perazzi grades their wood TWO ways, both in terms of number (1 being lowest), and in terms of the engraving grade of gun that wood would normally belong with.

 

If a company is using letters and has A, AA and AAA the more As the higher the grade. The only hard and fast rule is pretty costs more money!

 

And there’s no standard.

 

I think cost is about the only useful way of grading stock wood. Not an area for logical thought.

 

I took photos of a few shotguns and uploaded them into Chatgpt and asked it to grade the wood of my shotgun. I did ach one individually. I think it was spot on. I am sure its not perfect but it it was clear about about the quality difference of wood from my DT11 to my 725. I think they called my 725 field grade wood. This is what the AI Said at my DT11. "The wood on your Beretta DT11 stock is absolutely stunning and appears to be a high-grade piece of walnut. Based on the visible grain, depth, and figure in the image, I’d classify this as exhibition-grade or very close to it. The intense burl patterns, tiger-stripe figure, and rich finish give it a luxurious and highly refined appearance.I’d confidently give this wood an A+ grade. The figure is exceptional, with rich burl and tiger-striping patterns that are highly sought after in shotgun stocks. The finish further enhances the natural beauty, giving it depth and a three-dimensional appearance. This is the kind of stock that stands out not just for its functionality but for its artistry."

 

I’d confidently give this wood an A+ grade.

Yet another scale in the mix "A+"

 

Stock grading? Your eyes knows. People will have differences as to what kind of wood grain appeals to them and certain types of wood are known for certain characteristics. It really is all very subjective. When I worked in a gun store in the late 70s-early 80s we would get some std grade guns that had some absolutely beautiful wood. I just picked up a wood set for my 20 ga Beretta 390 and looked over pictures of many of the ones they had on hand. To my eye this was the best they had left and it's a std grade for which I paid $250.

I have a couple Grade 5 Miroku (one Sporting, one Trap). I tend to like feather crotch, fiddleback, and favor Black walnut to Turkish walnut.

I also appreciate how different they look in different light. Below is the Miroku Sporter stock in the sun.

 

Stock grading? Your eyes knows. People will have differences as to what kind of wood grain appeals to them and certain types of wood are known for certain characteristics. It really is all very subjective. When I worked in a gun store in the late 70s-early 80s we would get some std grade guns that had some absolutely beautiful wood. I just picked up a wood set for my 20 ga Beretta 390 and looked over pictures of many of the ones they had on hand. To my eye this was the best they had left and it's a std grade for which I paid $250.

View attachment 130487

I have a couple Grade 5 Miroku (one Sporting, one Trap). I tend to like feather crotch, fiddleback, and favor Black walnut to Turkish walnut.

View attachment 130488

View attachment 130489


I also appreciate how different they look in different light. Below is the Miroku Sporter stock in the sun.

View attachment 130490

Beautiful guns!

 

When I bought my FAIR Pathos I asked Kevin at IFG about the wood and he said it will have D grade wood and he acknowledged FAIR has a D+ and E grade at the top, but he said the D grade is quite nice and he didn’t think an upgrade was necessary. When my gun came (ordered through Lion Country Supply) I was pleased with the stock. Not over the top but both sides balanced with a satisfying amount of figure in keeping with the gun.

 

Just as 'art' has no purely objective method of grading, there are objective characteristics that can help explain why some pieces are more attractive than others. There might not be rules defining where exactly a blank lands in the grading scale, but there are definitely characteristics that result in a piece of wood going up in grade. Some of these are purely personal preferences, but a handful of characteristics are absolutely objective:

• On the personal preference side:
  • The type of figuring (fiddleback, feather, light/dark contrast, color)
  • The extravagance and amount of that figuring
• On the objective side:
  • The position of the figuring within the blank (whether it will actually land in the finished area of a stock)
  • Whether the grain runs all the way through the blank (which dictates whether the figure you see in the unfinished blank will translate into the finished product, and whether it will be uniform on both sides or if there will be a 'good side')
  • How suitable for 'real use' it is (e.g. the grain at the wrist is running in the appropriate direction)

To that end, a 'high grade' blank might not be suitable for some dimensions as it would, objectively, yield a lower quality result (e.g.: if the figuring doesn't translate into the finished product).

 

The original question was not in how wood is graded, but in how the buckets of subjective decisions are placed. So for the same judge, how do they order the grades of wood from what they think is plainest to fanciest.

What I've learned is that different companies may use different scales (and within a company some use different scales) such as

A<AA<AAA
A<B<C<D<E or sometimes the other way (A>B>C>D)
Grade 1<Grade 2<Grade 3<Grade 4
Grade I<Grade II<Grade III<Grade IV (Roman numeral variant)

 

Different species of walnut look different when finished and as a rule black walnut, with a certain amount of character, will be less expensive than Turkish. I paid $400 for this black walnut blank several years ago

Paid about the same for this Turkish blank 10 years ago

 

Love the look of your M21 black walnut stock. IMO, much nicer than the Turkish.

 

Thanks. I really only like fancy black walnut. I love high contrast, light colored Turkish or California walnut - a somewhat different look.

 

I think your original question has been answered in that there is no consitent grading system between manufacturers or suppliers. If I may - and I know it wasn't your question - I'd like to talk about how I choose wood.

First, I need to see the piece, having no faith in the grading systems you reference. This is one of the reasons I often favor used guns.

The first thing I look for in a blank is integrity. Voids or bark inclusions are a red flag because there is no way to know how deep they go or in what direction. The wrist, in particular would be best if grain is parallel instead of across the wrist - and no knots etc there.

The next thing I look for is contrast because without contrast, any pattern is invisible. Might as well use construction lumber.

Pattern is a multi character thing. The patterns (they've been described above) should appeal to you. It should be relatively dense. Compared to furniture, a gunstock is a relatively small canvas to show off what you've got. The other part of pattern maybe the hardest to find. It should be of even character, density and color on all four sides. It's rare for a pattern to be awesome on on one side and also 2 1/2 inches away on the offside. The wood should impress from your view - from the offside where squadmates see it - from the underside as seen in rack and from the topside where it warms your heart a bit every time you mount it.

As an aside, Stock blanks are a bit like a trophy buck. When you see it, you won't have to wonder if "That's the one."

I apologize again for drifting off your original question - but my point is that those grading systems, however they are used, are largely unhelpful.

Rob!

This is my family Christmas picture. I consider two of these to have exceptional stocks. Two others are nice and make me proud. The one on the left is a nice gun, SP1, that comes out on rainy days or when someone want to borrow.

 

#2 & #4 from the left are spectacular.

 

Exhibition wood of any type is special.

 

Field Grade 1940 Ithaca. Really dense old growth Walnut.

Both standard grade Rizzini. I purchased "sight unseen", and got a great surprise.

Browning AA (nothing too special)

AyA "Fancy"

 

The field grade Ithaca is it. Beautiful!

 

All these illustrations are a sight to see , with beauty and grace , they're special !
Makes me drool with not so much as need , but want !

 

Well since this turned into stock picture sharing thread, here's some of mine--these are a few FAIR jubilee Prestiges I have. Bought sight unseen and no wood upgrade. I am pleased. I would take pictures outside in good light but it's -7 right now with -15 windchill where I'm at:

 

Kolar does a pretty nice job

Top picture is a gun I’m waiting on, ramp taper.
Bottom picture is my adjustable rib.