Leman was/is well known for Faux tiger striping on his trade guns, but he was a factory builder who needed large quantities of seasoned stock wood and needed it constantly. He probably was not at all selective in procuring stock wood. So, he dressed his guns up a bit.
That said, I don't believe figured stock wood was all that hard to obtain at the time the southern guns were being built. Nor do I think it commanded the premium that it does today.
So, this is just my speculation, but I'm of the opinion that southern guns stocked in maple were probably commonly done in figured wood.
Naturally, given my above stated and totally unsupported opinion, I think you should avoid Faux striping :grin: I think you would come to regret it in time. My suggestion is to invest in fancy wood if you want that look. Or, use plain wood. The beauty of a well built longrifle is in it's proportions, lines and architecture.
I also wonder about our commonly accepted belief that the typical post colonial frontiersman and farmers were "poor" or "dirt poor" we so often describe them. These people may have been cash poor, but it's reasonable to expect that they had wherewithal in the form of trade goods extracted from the back country or farm fields. It was a time when any man could have land to farm if he was willing to venture Westward far enough to claim it. There were great risks, but also substantial rewards. The established farmers in those regions were generally prospering. And, on top of that, they did not bear the oppressive tax burden that we live with today. :haha:
So, buy or build the gun that pleases your eye and pocket book. That's what they did back then. Somehow I can't help but think that a man carrying a gun falsely dressed up in Faux striping may have been the object of some ridicule!
