Show me your walnut-stocked longrifles

[Cossack]

As a modern centerfire shooter, I've always thought of walnut as the gunstock material - other things are ok, suc has birch if it's a Russian gun or the occasional m14 stock, but walnut is the proper thing for gunstocks. (It's always seemed the exception that I my main hunting rifle has been a customized Mauser with a full-length curly maple stock, but I always thought it was a little peculiar, even though I love it.)

Now that I'm exploring American long rifles, the tables are flipped: walnut is the exception rather than the rule. Most rifles I've looked at are maple-stocked (and lovely!). Walnut seems almost out of place. In my search for my first long rifle I've come across a few walnut -stocked options at decent prices. I want to see more to build a sense of perspective, and maybe to normalize the idea of a walnut long rifle (maybe so I feel good about buying one).

Besides, I think the web needs a walnut-stock long rifle photo thread, because I havent' been able to find one.

[Don Adams]

40 caliber Woodbury style rifle

[Robert Wolfe]

Here is one Reading style though it is smoothbore, not rifled.

[Cossack]

Both lovely! Thanks for sharing. I think I've seen more Southern style rifles in walnut, and of course fowlers. It's niece to see that smoothbore - the one I'm looking at hardest right now is a Bucks Co. style rifle. I haven't seen one of those in walnut yet, but that Berks style has similar lines.

I hadn't heard of the Woodbury school before your post, Don, so I had to look it up. Some lovely rifles!

[wattlebuster]

A Don Bruton  40 cal


A Mike Brooks 40 cal

[Bigmon]

Here is one I put together with a full round 58 cal barrel.  First build in over 25 years or so.  Its a little clubby but a sure deer killer. Walnut stock from my friends own tree so that makes it neat.

[Mike Brooks]

Go have a looky at my website, lots of wallynut guns there. here's the last one I did.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=48788.0

[Majorjoel]

My latest walnut stocked piece.  42", 45 cal. Green Mtn. barrel, L&R Bailes lock, Iron mounts.

[Dennis Glazener]

Here is an iron mounted Western VA rifle I built a few years ago.

[sz]

Purdey 66 3 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

TM Rigby 66 1 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

aag-443_2 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

aag-443_9 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

[Dennis Glazener]

Here is one I built back in 2006 using an original barrel and tang.
Dennis

[James Rogers]

Made for me  by Jim Hash

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... black-walnut was used more than any other local wood by Tennessee mountain gunsmiths,... pictured are an original Unicoi County Tennessee rifle, and a Soddy rifle from lower East Tennessee,... both local black walnut stocks,.....

[rich pierce]

My version of RCA 19

[Gaeckle]

Made this not too long ago

[davec2]

Made this a couple of years ago now.  Still one of my favorites......

[Vulcan]

Beautiful guns gents!

Wish I had a modicum of skill to create such pieces.

[snapper]

.54 cal rifle, one of my favorites.  Green Mountain swamped barrel.  If my memory is correct I think it has a roller lock. 

Fleener

[Eric Krewson]

Every time I make a walnut stocked gun I swear it will be my last because the dust is really rough on me.

A couple of walnut stocked guns, not in the class of the ones shown above but I like them.

Fowler, a jug choked 12 ga;

 

And a Kiebler that I altered the buttstock a little to make it sleeker and flow a little better;

[Clowdis]

Made this a couple of years ago now.  Still one of my favorites......

Dave,
This has to be one of the finest walnut stocked guns I've seen. While I won't argue the beauty of a nice curly maple stock, I think the warmth of American walnut is often overlooked. I'm finishing up an English rifle in .58 caliber which will probably be my last rifle and I sure hope it comes even remotely close to looking as nice as this one. Well done!

[WadePatton]

... While I won't argue the beauty of a nice curly maple stock, I think the warmth of American walnut is often overlooked...

Dave does some dandy work for sure (super dandy  ), but you may be missing the point as I see it as to why we don't make more American Walnut stocked guns--good wood costs more.

When shopping blanks I always find much more Maple, in many more grades, with all but the top grades priced less than a semi-plain piece of Walnut. And fancy walnut--hooo buddy. 

The larger wood-products market puts more value on Walnut than Maple and less Walnut "trickles down" to us the lowly stockers. And I can drive 3 miles, maybe less and show you walnut boards in barn and other pole structures that were built back when you sawed lumber on site.  We have lots of walnut, it's sold overseas by the logging co. that bought mine.

Love fooling with walnut because it always reminds me of when I started taking guns apart to make 'em work better.

[davec2]

Clowdis,

Thank you for the kind words. I also did a Ferguson and a .58 caliber English rifle in walnut along with Dragoon pistols and two blunderbusses.  As you can tell, I like walnut as a stock choice also.....

The .58...........

































The Ferguson..............

[smokinbuck]

I'd like to show you my walnut stocked fowler but with its 72" barrel I'd have to take the picture so far back nothing could be seen.
Mark

[WadePatton]

I'd like to show you my walnut stocked fowler but with its 72" barrel I'd have to take the picture so far back nothing could be seen.
Mark

I know you're just bragging about how long your bbl is, 

And in jest, but just to be clear for some folks who may not have learned this: Full-length broad-side shots are horrible for conveying much detail at all. Best LR pics are made in 1/3's or quarters,

or maybe 1/5's for such great big long bbls.    

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ...  Wade,... my short match gun,.... barrel is rifled,... only 64" ... but,... Is  a walnut stocked .40cal,. Soddy,...(and I'm  6'2")