Best Beech stock substitute.

[Clark Badgett]

What wood would you master builders consider to be the best beech wood substitute for a stock?

[Rolf]

I know the Norwegian army used a lot of birch for pistol and rifle stocks when beech was not available.
I plan to use birch on the 1772 flintlock pistols I'm building.

Best regards
Rof

[Habu]

If you want beech, use beech.  You might have to look around to find a supplier, but it is available. 

[Mike Brooks]

If you want beech, use beech.  You might have to look around to find a supplier, but it is available.

For some reason it's impossible to find beech in the USA cut into planks thick enough for gunstocks. I was able to get some from Dunlap years ago but once he ran out that was it. I had somebody PM me with some but he wanted an incredible amount of money I was unwilling to pay. So, I just went back to using walnut for my trade guns.

[Habu]

Beech has a lot of issues with checking and movement when drying.  Given marketability in the US, it usually isn't profitable to cut, steam, and kiln dry thicker (>8/4) stock.  The same checking issues show up when air-drying.  Unless there is a specific buyer it usually isn't cut more than 10/4.

In the past I've had good results sourcing beech from folks who saw urban-grown trees, but that often means waiting until they have a beech.  Another source has been sawmills providing wood to the pallet-makers, though that can mean sorting through a semi-load of wood to find what will work for you.  Once in a while one of the lumber suppliers to the cabinet trade will have some on hand (I once got a very nice piece of Euro beech from Paxton: Q-sawn 12/4 S2S, 10"x8').  If I wanted it today I'd reach out to the folks supplying the people who are making wooden planes and ask for contact info for their sawmill.

I've got some 12/4 beech I sawed and stacked in the barn loft in 2005 or so, but I haven't looked at it since then.  Don't recall if any pieces would be suitable for stocks. 

[rich pierce]

Beech is plain but a good tough, hard wood. Many antique wooden planes have beech bodies.
Seems I remember that CVA used see beech for some half-stock rifles in the 70s and 80s. Maybe some pistols too.

Growing up we had beech in our wood lot but they tended to rot out in the middle when they got big.

[flembo]

I built a Traditions Crocket 32 ca. Squirrel gun that had a beech stock, it came out a blonder than I like but a good shooting gun. I agree with Rich about Beech rotting in the middle. I cut many cord of beech firewood from my property that had died from what I believe was called black bark disease.

[oldtravler61]

  I had a few beech stocks cut out for gun stocks. But had no interest at $40.00  a stock. So I sold them to a cabinet maker. Still got some more logs but their going for furniture.

[Smilax]

I’m not sure how things are for beech in Oklahoma, but here in the northeast ours are being hit by a couple things - beech bark disease and beech leaf curl disease. We’ve had pretty big die offs and a lot of folks expect it to go the way of the American chestnut. A lot of tree cutters are thinning it out before it dies now knowing it rots quickly as dead standing beyond what’s even useable for firewood. Maybe you can find one that’ll cut you some to your specs?

[Marcruger]

To each his own, but I hate the look of beech for a stock.  It screams "cheap" to me. 

[oldtravler61]

To each his own, but I hate the look of beech for a stock.  It screams "cheap" to me.

.  Yep Marcruger I agree but for military style guns. Usually they weren't concerned about a quality finish.

[reddogge]

A good deal of the Swiss military rifles before and during WW2 were beech stocks. I had one with beech and one with walnut.

[yulzari]

Beech was the first acceptable alternative to walnut for period British Ordnance muskets and became the service rifle stock standard for the Lee Enfield no4 rifle. The normal choice for the mass market Italian and Spanish muzzle loaders today. These were/are European beech.Perhaps North American beech is a different species?

[rich pierce]

Beech was the first acceptable alternative to walnut for period British Ordnance muskets and became the service rifle stock standard for the Lee Enfield no4 rifle. The normal choice for the mass market Italian and Spanish muzzle loaders today. These were/are European beech.Perhaps North American beech is a different species?

American is a different species but wonderful wood for a balance of hardness, stability ( they made wooden block planes of it), hardness, toughness and so on. It weighs about like hard maple.