Wood type ID help - added some gun photos

[DaveM]

This is a very distinctive curly wood grain and I'm sure one of you builders will know what this is.    Can someone help me ID this?  Thanks,

[Don Stith]

Looks a lot like a curly white oak stock I have on a modern rifle

[JBW]

The Wood ID Group, U Wisconsin, Gifford Pinchot Dr, Madison, WI, will ID wood -- I forgot how many they will do per year free but if this is once in a year don't worry about cost. They can also determine in many cases whether European or American ]or I suppose Asian].  A lot better than guessing!

[mkeen]

Please note. At best the species of tree can be identified. They cannot identify where the wood came from. If wood is identified as English walnut (Juglans regia L.) it could come from the good old USA or Europe or anywhere!

Martin

[eddillon]

As a former importer of Juglans Regia from Turkey I can say with a little expertise that it looks like some of the grade II and grade III blanks that I have handled.

[Dan'l 1946]

  It does look like walnut to me. No idea where it came from though.

[JTR]

I would think walnut also.

John

[eddillon]

A photo that shows more than what is seen here would be helpful.  A more general photo that show color variations  and the general appearance of the stock or whatever it is.

[DaveM]

Here are photos of the overall gun.    I can say after taking everything apart it is entirely very old with all the right patina underneath, the right screws etc.  Cleaned?  Some surfaces seem very old but others cleaner.  I know everything on it is very old and the lock looks like a replacement french charleville.  Barrel has european proofs underneath and is 75 cal smoothbore.  Actually looks like faint US on breach barely visible, not sure.  Also possible light stamp under the stock ahead of the trigger guard but can't make it out.   Looks almost like a charleville barrel but the barrel does appear original to the stock. Wrist is extremely short and architecture somewhat "off" from jaegers I've seen.  

[rich pierce]

English walnut, Juglans regia is my guess.  If I remember my taxonomy correctly.

[westerner]

Butternut.

  Wes

[Kermit]

Not any walnut I've seen, but there be variations. Joe may be right with butternut. I was thinking curly ash meself. REALLY hard to tell from a photo, especially once it's been stained and finished. Send off a sample if you want. I'd be surprised if it came back as a juglans. Been surprised before.

If you send some off and start a pool, I've got 20 bucks on ash!

[DaveM]

Here is some more info -  I reviewed my Moller / Neumann books, and it appears that both the lock and barrel are replacements apparently during or just after the rev war here.  Lock and barrel are both from a model 1777 model french musket (there are some specific details and dimensions of the barrel tang that differentiate this from earlier barrels).  It appears that the rear of the lock mortise was enlarged very slightly to accomodate the 6-1/4 inch lock and though fits reasonably well it still doesn't fit exactly in the mortise.  The M1777 musket barrel dates to pre 1783 since it does not have an added octagonal piece at the breach that was added then.  The forearms has cracks and it is hard to tell how well the barrel fits.   I have read that although the M1777 french muskets were issued during the war, parts from them have been excavated at the Valley Forge encampment so the patriots must have been burning through guns like crazy as they got them. 

This gun is very large - the butt is more than 2-1/2 inch at the cheekpiece and 2-3/8 at the butt.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Looks like euro walnut of some kind to my eye, or maybe a figured piece of mahogany.  It's certainly interesting to say the least.  That is a PRIME candidate for wood testing.