After Market 93/95 Mauser sporter stock?

[richhodg66]

I love small ring Mauser sporters. Lucked into a neat project that an awful lot of really good work has already been done on, but needs a stock. Not looking for anything real fancy, just a conservative walnut stock of a good hunting rifle profile, though I want it to be slim and trim as much as possible. This one has been rebarreled with a commercial sporter weight, 22" barrel if that makes a difference.

Which of the after market stock outfits would be a good place to start looking? Also, I know "pre-inletted" or "90% inletted" is usually kind of misleading, so one a guy of more or less normal abilities could do a decent job with is desireable.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Winelover]

Boyd's probably has what you want.

Have a Boyd's grey laminate on a Winchester Model 70, that I'm happy with.

 

[richhodg66]

Anyone with experience with these ones from Brownell's?

Brownell's Mauser Stock

 

[Rick H]

I would be leery of a description that just says "Wood". Brownell's has a good reputation but birch, walnut, maple, mesquite, or balsa? What are they ashamed of that they won't say what it is? I long for the days of Bishop and Fajen out of Missouri. I'm not a fan of laminated wood, aesthetics aside, the stuff is usually very heavy.

 

[Winelover]

IIRC, Boyd's bought out Bishop and Fajen.

 

[Rick H]

Boyd's bought out Bishop and Fajen.

Then moved the operation to South Dakota and stopped carrying anything but laminated stocks? Sure isn't the same business model of either of those two companies. I thought Fajen bought out Bishop when the old man retired and then sold out some years later.

 

[Dimner]

Then moved the operation to South Dakota and stopped carrying anything but laminated stocks? Sure isn't the same business model of either of those two companies. I thought Fajen bought out Bishop when the old man retired and then sold out some years later.

Boyds does offer walnut on most of the more traditional patterned stocks. I have no idea how they look. It's hard to find pics online of a walnut boyds stock that was not a part of some blog/gunwriter/possibly sponsored content.

 

[RicinYakima]

Richard's Microfit stocks used to make some good walnut semi-inletted stocks.

 

[Uncle Grinch]

Richards and Boyd’s both offer 99% inlet for their 93-96 Mauser actions. I’ve used both with very good results.

 

[richhodg66]

I would be leery of a description that just says "Wood". Brownell's has a good reputation but birch, walnut, maple, mesquite, or balsa? What are they ashamed of that they won't say what it is? I long for the days of Bishop and Fajen out of Missouri. I'm not a fan of laminated wood, aesthetics aside, the stuff is usually very heavy.

I had not even considered that and didn't look closely, just assumed Walnut. As you say, Brownells has a good rep. I did read what few customer reviews/comments and one said it was walnut another went on about how nicely figured it was compared to the pictured one. Then again, who's to say those two guys know what they're looking at? The Q&A section was zero help.

Guess I'll have to make a phone call and inquire if I decide to go that route.

 

[richhodg66]

So, looking at Richards, this classic style would likely be what I'd want; Richards classic stock

Can someone tell me in layman's terms what the various grades of wood mean? I'd like it to look nice, but still simple and since I'll be inletting it, I'd just as soon not risk screwing up an obcenely expensive piece of wood.

 

[RicinYakima]

I have used "standard" which will have varying wood tones and a knot or two but perfectly useable. "Select" is just plain straight grain with good layout through the grip area. "Semi" usually has some dark streaks in the butt area and good layout.

My friend wanted a "cheap" blank and bought an "economy" that had some sap wood, knots and a few cracks in the forend. It made a useable stock, but took a lot longer to finish as the repairs had to be fixed before the next step. And it looked like what it was, cheap.

 

[Bret4207]

You can haunt Ebay for a few weeks. I've seen some decent wood go through there.

 

[Ian]

Can someone tell me in layman's terms what the various grades of wood mean? I'd like it to look nice, but still simple and since I'll be inletting it, I'd just as soon not risk screwing up an obcenely expensive piece of wood.

Hardwood Grades

 

[richhodg66]

Looks like Semi is what I'll be doing.

 

[JustJim]

Brownell's stock is walnut--read the specs. That said, I've messed with a couple of them. Buy a bedding kit--the gel kind.

I thought Potter from Midway bought out Fajen and Bishop.

I've fit a couple of Richards stocks, and one Boyds (and helped do a couple of others). I won't do another Boyd's if I have a choice, I much preferred the Old Classic from Richards. If I were going to do another, I'd go with Richards "select" grade of English or Bastogne walnut. I don't like Claro walnut, and the American Walnut is rather coarse (hard to checker or carve).

 

[Dimner]

Brownell's stock is walnut--read the specs. That said, I've messed with a couple of them. Buy a bedding kit--the gel kind.

I thought Potter from Midway bought out Fajen and Bishop.

I've fit a couple of Richards stocks, and one Boyds (and helped do a couple of others). I won't do another Boyd's if I have a choice, I much preferred the Old Classic from Richards. If I were going to do another, I'd go with Richards "select" grade of English or Bastogne walnut. I don't like Claro walnut, and the American Walnut is rather coarse (hard to checker or carve).

I have never been able to get a good read on the difference between claro and english walnut. In my searching the net, pics from one source look different from another. If you have experience with it, I would love to hear about it. Claro walnut, at least on richards site, doesn't really look like pre- war walnut that I have on many of my old rifles. And I'm of the personal opinion that all the XXX fancy claro with figure looks chincy.

Don't get me wrong, in furniture I love some fiddle back, quilted, spalted, burls, and other figure. On a rifle stock, the fancy claro looks wrong to me. I'm a straight grain, deep walnut kinda guy.

 

[JustJim]

Generic Claro walnut--the color, the grain, etc--just don't appeal to me aesthetically. The right piece paired with the right stock design can be very nice. But if I'm ordering sight unseen, I stick with designs and woods I know.

 

[Ian]

I don't really know either and I've worked several species and grades of walnut into cabinets, furniture, and rifle stocks. The thing that makes a meaningful, general description of the qualities of any one species difficult to give is that any two pieces of wood from different trees or different parts of trees or trees of different ages or grown in different regions but being of the same species can be as different from each other as any two pieces of walnut of totally different species.

 

[Rick H]

I have some experience with American, Bastogne, and Claro walnuts. None with English/French walnut. American walnut seems to be coarser grained with bigger pores than either Bastogne or Claro and Claro is a "softer" wood than either of the other two. Supposedly Bastogne is a cross between Claro and English/French walnut. I love it. It is fine grained and much harder than either the Claro or American walnut that I have worked with. I have not stocked a rifle with Claro, only knife scales and handgun grips.

American walnut checkers okay you just can't go with very fine (high lines per inch) checkering due to the coarser grain's tendency for the diamonds to tear out.

The price of figured Claro is very attractive but if it was my rifle I would stick with American or Bastogne. The figured English/French walnut that I have seen (that had the grain laid out properly for a gunstock) was out of my price range. Layout can be tricky with any highly figured wood. Twisted grain works against having a stable gunstock.