gun stock questions

[CoffeeInMe]

Just wonder if there is many oak stocks out there. I always hear about birch, maple, and walnut. Is oak a good wood for gun stocks ?
I also have a wild black cherry tree I will be cutting down some year and thought about using that wood. Has anyone tried the wild black cherry wood ?

[Rangr44]

IIRC, there was a pretty comprehensive article in one of the gun rags, about twenty years ago, covering around fifty different types of wood and how they would rate as satisfactory gunstock material.

I seem to remember Oak as being both too heavy and plain, and cherry as just too plain - but I could be wrong, as it's been awhile since I read the article.

IMHO, the Cherry's more doable than Oak.

In any event, as I remember, any standing tree, cut down for stock wood, needs to have oversized blanks, with the ends painted/sealed, slow-dried over a long period of time (some woods took years) to develop the right moisture content and avoid future warping/checking after final shaping.

[oldandslow]

Oak is heavy and brittle. splits easily compared to some other woods. In my opinion, for what it's worth I wouldn't use it for a rifle with any recoil just because of that.

I ran into some oak 1 X 8s at Home Depot with some good color variations last year so just for the heck of it I built a stock for a 10/22. Used some mesquite for a forend and grip cap. Turned out pretty nice. I routed a deep grove under the bbl. channel and drilled two holes in the butt to lighten it all I could. It weighed three ounces more than one I built from birch plywood of the same dimensions. I'm not computer literate enough to post a picture.

[CoffeeInMe]

Thanks for the help. When the day comes to cut down this wild cherry tree I will set some to the side for future use.  Cedar is also a tough wood and Ive never see that for a stock either. Anyway I was curious and I guess its best to stick with those woods that have been tried and true.

[gunnut69]

Cherry makes a good stock wood but it's a bit plain. Very few cherry blanks have variation of any kind. Some have color variation and fewer have some type of grain patterns that are pleasing.. It tends to be heavy but works well. So if building a stock to do an intricate checkering pattern on cherry would do well. It takes checkering well (some fuzzes a bit) and could definitely use the decoration..