French Walnut vs Claro Walnut Gunstocks

[swamp]

Does any know the primary difference between these two species... Which is more prized, more attractive etc etc

[LeeInSC]

There is no simple answer to this question about which walnut is better for gunstocks.

Technically, Claro walnut is a black walnut, native to California and southern Oregon.
English Walnut is genetically the same as French Walnut, Turkish Walnut, Circassian walnut, etc, all descended from original stock in Persia.

The fruits of the black walnut and the English walnut are different, and the English walnut has a thinner shell and yields more meat, so it is grown commercially. California has a long growing season, so it has large orchards of walnut. Because the Claro walnut has better roots for the soil there, English walnut is grafted to the Claro trunk stock. So you can actually have two different types of wood come from the same tree.

Claro is about 20% more dense than English walnut, but density also depends upon the part of the tree, as walnuts have a sapwood layer that is lighter colored and less dense. In very general terms, English walnut cuts for gunstocks are more dark than Claro, with more marble cake. Fine gunstock blanks come from the lower part of the trunk near the roots.

But whether a blank has streaks or marbling depends upon whether the board was cut flatsawn for more marbling, or quartersawn for more streaks. And it a rifle, you might be able to find a highly desirable blank from further up the trunk which has a lot of figure in the butt, but straighter grain in the forend for more stabiliy under the barrel. This variation in color is caused by not just whether it is heartwood, sapwood (undesirable for guns) or outer wood, but also by the minerals in the soil. Also, the climate, how long the tree took to grow, how early it was harvested, all affect the type of wood figure and coloration.

Because there are so many more Claro trees in the U.S., and the older ones are felled for lumber as their fruit production declines, Claro will be just a bit less expensive than English walnut.

I know a lot of sources for fine gunstock woods. Tell us what you are looking for. Post a photo of the gun you would like to have yours emulate and I will point you to some sources.

[swamp]

Lee, check this out... probably chambered in 270..

http://www.cooperfirearms.com/rifles.php?rifle_name=cl

[LeeInSC]

Swamp,
That's a nice piece of wood for a factory rifle.
It looks like Bastogne, but its impossible to tell from a small photo.
Claro has that kind of color and striping through it when you cut it up higher on the trunk, and quarter saw it to get that grain flow on both sides. That is about a $400 blank, and then you would have to pay to have it routed to shape and inletted to the style you want for your barreled action. Then more for checkering. You probably won't be able to do it nearly as cheaply (not the right word) as you could just buying that Cooper, or finding a used custom rifle like you would build for yourself ( that would save you 70% over a new rifle).

If you want some special style or fit, or fitting an action that is not in the mainstream, then you will have to have it built. Then you could put the action and barrel in yourself, and maybe do it all for $2,000 to $2,500.

[swamp]

check this out..

http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/gallery/gallery_vm2.jpg

[swamp]

http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/gallery.shtml

[LeeInSC]

Yeah, I have been to his web site before. I like the way he shows you what he has in stock with the prices.

Some of those English blanks he has on sale for $300 look good to me - best buys.
I would want to see the other sides, of course, both ends, top and bottom.
I really want something straight and stable out in the forend on a bolt action rifle, as I loathe free-floating the barrel, and many sporters require a pressure point for consistent accuracy.

What kind of rifle are your trying to build? What caliber, action, etc.
If you are capable of doing all the final bedding and sanding, you could send it off to a top-notch checkerer and put on the finish yourself.

[LeeInSC]

Oh, that big tree on his gallery... when I was a boy, we cut a black walnut that was larger than that, 7 feet across the stump.
About a year before he passed away, Don Allen of Dakota bought a huge tree out in the middle of a Missouri pasture, and dug it up, and pulled it over with a Catepillar, to save all the root ball. Enormous tree!

[swamp]

cooper model 52 in 270 Win... those rifles compare favorably with 5-6K custom jobs so says someone that I am acquainted with that has both... actually he prefers his cooper to his $6K custom job.. cooper rifles come with a test target shot at 100 yds in a tunnel using a leupold 36X scope... most of those test targets display a clover leaf or one ragged hole...

http://www.cooperfirearms.com/rifles.php?rifle_name=cl

[LeeInSC]

I see used ( not very) Cooper Rifles for sale from $1,100 to $4,500. Some of the basic ones have stocks of about the same grade as a Ruger M77. Some of those in the $2,000 range have dark fiddleback Claro stocks like a nice Model 70 Supergrade or streaked French walnut stocks like the Turkish walnut stocks on the Ruger M77 Express rifles. You can still buy an M77 Express for the price of the lower end of the Cooper, but it is an entirely different rifle - much larger, heavier, deluxe iron sights.

If you could find a used Cooper in the chambering and grade of wood you wanted for under $2,000, I would buy it on 3-day examination and see if it shoots well. It will cost you over $1,000 to build the stock to match a Westerner.