Sweaty Palms?

[Shreckmeister]

Did carrying these rifles in your right hand by the butt with the
barrel over your shoulder cause the butt end of the cheeks of
these rifles to blacken more than the rest of the stock from the
oil in your hands or was there some other reason?

[Dphariss]

The blackening, to getter extent anyway, is a result of sulfur in the air from the used of coal.
It reacts with the linseed oil and turns it black.
There may be other causes as well.

Dan

[Shreckmeister]

I had a piece of antique furniture that was in a basement where coal
was burned for years that is black and that makes sense.  My curiousity
is why the blackening occured more at the butt end of the cheek side
than anywhere else on the rifle.  Almost every untouched rifle I have
seen is blacker in that area, yet due to carrying guns over your
shoulder, this area gets as much wear as the bottom of the forestock
might.