Wood Identification

[moleeyes36]

A gentleman recently purchased a Zouave Rifle kit from another guy who had originally purchased it several years ago and never started to build it.  The barrel is marked Mfg for Ultra-Hi by Miroku Japan.  He brought it to me to assemble for him and it's a well made kit except for the brass which is really hard and took a lot of work to file out and polish. 

The stock wood puzzles me.  The guy that sold it said the wood is plain maple.  However, it seems way to soft for maple.  I believe some of the early low end Spanish and Italian kits used a lot of birch, but this seems softer even than birch.  It looks and works like ramin they use for cheap ramrods so much now days.  Do any of you know what wood Miroku used on these kits?

Mole Eyes 

[dlubbesmeyer]

My understanding is that Beech was used for those kits. Plain but firm wood. Common worldwide.

[moleeyes36]

My understanding is that Beech was used for those kits. Plain but firm wood. Common worldwide.

You're right, it was beech they often used on those Spanish and Italian kits.  I don't know why I said birch; a senior moment I guess.  I built several of those kits for people in the 70's and 80's and I don't recall any of them having wood as soft as what's in this Miroko/Ultra-Hi kit.  This is as soft as alder.  It could be beech, but if it is it's the darn softest beech I ever encountered.

Mole Eyes

[Dan'l 1946]

  Could it be Japanese cherry? It tends to be fairly plain and it's softer than beech.
                                   Dan

[moleeyes36]

Dan,

That fits the description of the wood in this stock, but I'm not familiar with Japanese Cherry.  I've never encountered it as I recall.  But this being a Japanese made kit I suppose that it is possible if Miroku used that wood in ML gun kits for export. 

Mole Eyes

[Dan'l 1946]

 The Dixie Gun Works Tennessee Mountain rifles had stocks made from Japanese cherry. If you google this rifle, some photos will come up. Maybe you could compare your wood to them.
                               Dan

[omark]

Its Japanese Pisselm.   Mark

[moleeyes36]

Its Japanese Pisselm.   Mark

Well at least we've learned how they water their elm trees over there  .  I'm sure glad it's not my gun.

Mole Eyes