Mango Wood For Pistol, Rifle, or Musket Stocks?

[Gorloff]

Hello All. We have been cutting down a few of the Mango trees on our property here in the Philippines that interfere with our house construction project. So far we have been chopping them up for cooking wood, or fence posts for barb wire fence. ( termites do not seem to care for it ). We are planting new Mango trees around our fencing to replace the old barren ones that are coming down. I had not really given it much thought but Mango is a hard wood with a very tight grain, and am wondering if it might be suitable for M/L stocks. I looked at some furniture built with it online. ( Photo's attached. ) Mango finishes out to a light brown with oil or varnish, but seems to take a dark stain quite well. I do not know if the Spanish ever used it for stocks here because there was / is a multitude of other woods available for stocks, however I hate to see the wood go to waste if it can be used. What are your thoughts on this please. Regards, Dave

 

[Cruzatte]

Interesting idea. Might be worth it to experiment.

 

[JeffG]

Looks like a good wood. The question might be how it gets dried.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I think if you got it dried it would make a beautiful gunstock.

 

[Rudyard]

Hello All. We have been cutting down a few of the Mango trees on our property here in the Philippines that interfere with our house construction project. So far we have been chopping them up for cooking wood, or fence posts for barb wire fence. ( termites do not seem to care for it ). We are planting new Mango trees around our fencing to replace the old barren ones that are coming down. I had not really given it much thought but Mango is a hard wood with a very tight grain, and am wondering if it might be suitable for M/L stocks. I looked at some furniture built with it online. ( Photo's attached. ) Mango finishes out to a light brown with oil or varnish, but seems to take a dark stain quite well. I do not know if the Spanish ever used it for stocks here because there was / is a multitude of other woods available for stocks, however I hate to see the wood go to waste if it can be used. What are your thoughts on this please. Regards, Dave

I for one admire your thrift . Most any wood can make a stock. At first I was thinking of Mangrove wood chosen by Aboriginees to make boomerangs .' Mango' why not Ive stocked a lot in Mulberry tree which we always think a small bush as in" Here we go round the Mulberry bush " I once stocked a Cape Dutch style gun in SA Pine & another was of Jarra in West Australia .don't recommend either but they worked . We have to love wood we cant forge it or melt it ,its wonderfully varied and we have to do what the wood lets us do. from cradle to the grave wood is with us .Nice Helmet .
Regards Rudyard

 

[Sam squanch]

I’d dry some out, enough for a pistol, and try a pistol build. If you can do that sort of thing where you are.

 

[Clark Badgett]

If it’s a normal fruit wood type of wood it should work fine for stocks.

 

[CyrusP]

That furniture is beautiful.

 

[Loja man]

It makes beautiful knife handles! But it is used in a stabilized form. You would probably work it more like walnut. Wood database on mango, sugar maple, and walnut. Food for thought.

 

[deerstalkert]

I would give it a run! that armoire is stunning.

 

[Gorloff]

Thanks for all the reply's. I think I will have a go at it. My workers return tomorrow, and I will see if we can get the trunks cut, or dried whichever comes first. There are curved upper roots that look like they might make good pistol stocks. The size, and length of the main taproot going down is amazing on these. Thanks Rupert for the helmet compliment. I wear them a lot here. When they get broken or saggy, I just pull out my spare. They are very light to wear, protect my head from low doorways, falling objects, ect. They are very cool to wear in this heat, and if you wet the inside often during the day it really cools the head off. Our coconut trees here are very tall, and a falling coconut destroyed one when it hit me on top, but the helmet protected my head. My neck was another matter. It hurt for months.

 

[deerstalkert]

Thanks for all the reply's. I think I will have a go at it. My workers return tomorrow, and I will see if we can get the trunks cut, or dried whichever comes first. There are curved upper roots that look like they might make good pistol stocks. The size, and length of the main taproot going down is amazing on these. Thanks Rupert for the helmet compliment. I wear them a lot here. When they get broken or saggy, I just pull out my spare. They are very light to wear, protect my head from low doorways, falling objects, ect. They are very cool to wear in this heat, and if you wet the inside often during the day it really cools the head off. Our coconut trees here are very tall, and a falling coconut destroyed one when it hit me on top, but the helmet protected my head. My neck was another matter. It hurt for months.

we always referred to those coconuts as monkey bombs or grenades depending on how much san miguel we had imbibed.
try to get a cut of that tap root up into the trunk. cut and then get it dried. most likely you will need a kiln to get it dried in your environment.

 

[Rudyard]

Thanks for all the reply's. I think I will have a go at it. My workers return tomorrow, and I will see if we can get the trunks cut, or dried whichever comes first. There are curved upper roots that look like they might make good pistol stocks. The size, and length of the main taproot going down is amazing on these. Thanks Rupert for the helmet compliment. I wear them a lot here. When they get broken or saggy, I just pull out my spare. They are very light to wear, protect my head from low doorways, falling objects, ect. They are very cool to wear in this heat, and if you wet the inside often during the day it really cools the head off. Our coconut trees here are very tall, and a falling coconut destroyed one when it hit me on top, but the helmet protected my head. My neck was another matter. It hurt for months.

I have a similar soler topee for Reenactments , & I once bought a Pith helmet on the Island of what was Equatorial ' Fernando Po' thinking it would be a great hitching gimmick once I reached Spain. But I think it put more off than the intended result. I had to hitch from Cadiz to Boulogne on half of nothing & barely made the Channel Ferry ere I reach Sheffield after 10 months out wandering round West Africa. Only gun related was a stock blank I fettled up on the island but I did have a horn of powder & detached flint lock & some flints Ide carried ' in case '. Just ran out of funds & couldnt get through the Congo in 1965 they where killing each other & still are . It would seem a tradition ?
Rudyard . But Ruperts ok

 

[stubshaft]

I have made a few cartridge rifle stocks and half-stock MZ stocks from mango. As long as it is well dried it makes a fine stock. It is very light in weight but that does not sacrifice its strength.

 

[William O.]

If it’s a normal fruit wood type of wood it should work fine for stocks.

I was going to compare it to fruit wood if it proves easy to carve and not too dense. I was recently reminded of how nice fruit wood can be, seeing apple used for the plug on a powder horn. Many years ago I saw several stocks made from pear wood, which turned out very, very nice. Getting it dried is something that might prove to be a hurdle but I'd love to see how it turns out.

database.com/mango/#:~:text

 

[Gorloff]

More great info. Many thanks for the input. my guys are delayed a couple of more days on their return from Manila. I do not know of a kiln around here, Looks like they just lean it at an angle, and rotate it a lot. Rudyard. I am very sorry that I called you Rupert. It just stuck in my head because 50 years ago I worked with a fellow named Rupert Dorey from the Isle of Guernsey. I understand your feelings about West Africa. I loved the countryside, deserts, jungles, and plains there, but the people were pretty unpredictable. One does well to keep his opinions to himself there, smile a lot, keep close to other people, and watch his back. Yes, people there still hack each other up for the slightest reason, even for having the wrong tribal cuts on their faces. I have seen 2 tribes destroy a hospital in the Nigerian Delta that was built for them because of a tribal dispute. I have sat under a mango tree and watched a village destroyed by soldiers killing anything that moved because a sniper killed their officer. I have been to a slave market in Maradi even though slavery had been supposedly banned. One of my guys from Udah returned from his home upset because his cousin was murdered for meat, and his head, When some of the cooked meat was taken to the police for proof a few of the police were snacking on it while doing the paperwork. I was offered an old U.S. 1816 Musket over there that was in very sad shape, but guns there are banned, and I feared problems with the police. They arrest animals sometimes there because they believe they are a crime suspect that changed himself into a critter to get away, then lock it up pending trial. No more Africa for me. I like Asia much better if I must be outside the U.S.. The only thing I miss was a woman in Lagos I saw one a month, and gave money to. She had no arms, and was trying to raise a baby. Her arms had been quickly removed during her rape. GOD BLESS AMERICA! God bless the U.K., God bless Austraila, New Zeeland, The Philippines, ect. We need to remember how blessed we are to live in the more free, and civilized countries of the world..... Amen.

 

[Sam squanch]

Every service member I knew that was in Africa hated it more than being in the Middle East……..

 

[Brokennock]

It makes beautiful knife handles! But it is used in a stabilized form. You would probably work it more like walnut. Wood database on mango, sugar maple, and walnut. Food for thought.

Thank you for the screenshots of the data base. That's the info I was wondering when I read the OP question. Specific gravity sits right between maple and walnut it would seem so that's good. Some tropical hardwoods are very heavy and while dense, hard, and tough, would make the rifle miserable to carry.

 

[1950DAVE]

Wooddatabase gives more than just physical properties. You might consider this from them about Mango. Especially workability.

Color/Appearance: Because of the spalting that is commonly present, the wood can be a kaleidoscope of colors. Under normal circumstances, heartwood is a golden brown, while other colors such as yellow and streaks of pink and/or black can also occur. Paler sapwood is not always clearly defined. Curly or mottled grain patterns are also common.

Grain/Texture: Grain can be straight or interlocked. With a medium to coarse texture and good natural luster.

Rot Resistance: Mango is rated anywhere from moderately durable to perishable. However, Mango is also susceptible to both fungal and insect attack.

Workability: If interlocked or wild grain is present, tearout is common when machining. Reaction wood may also be present, which can shift as it is being sawed, potentially causing binding on the blade. Has a fairly high silica content, and will readily dull cutting edges. Glues and finishes well.

Odor: No characteristic odor.

Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, mango has been reported to cause skin irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity

 

[PathfinderNC]

More great info. Many thanks for the input. my guys are delayed a couple of more days on their return from Manila. I do not know of a kiln around here, Looks like they just lean it at an angle, and rotate it a lot. Rudyard. I am very sorry that I called you Rupert. It just stuck in my head because 50 years ago I worked with a fellow named Rupert Dorey from the Isle of Guernsey. I understand your feelings about West Africa. I loved the countryside, deserts, jungles, and plains there, but the people were pretty unpredictable. One does well to keep his opinions to himself there, smile a lot, keep close to other people, and watch his back. Yes, people there still hack each other up for the slightest reason, even for having the wrong tribal cuts on their faces. I have seen 2 tribes destroy a hospital in the Nigerian Delta that was built for them because of a tribal dispute. I have sat under a mango tree and watched a village destroyed by soldiers killing anything that moved because a sniper killed their officer. I have been to a slave market in Maradi even though slavery had been supposedly banned. One of my guys from Udah returned from his home upset because his cousin was murdered for meat, and his head, When some of the cooked meat was taken to the police for proof a few of the police were snacking on it while doing the paperwork. I was offered an old U.S. 1816 Musket over there that was in very sad shape, but guns there are banned, and I feared problems with the police. They arrest animals sometimes there because they believe they are a crime suspect that changed himself into a critter to get away, then lock it up pending trial. No more Africa for me. I like Asia much better if I must be outside the U.S.. The only thing I miss was a woman in Lagos I saw one a month, and gave money to. She had no arms, and was trying to raise a baby. Her arms had been quickly removed during her rape. GOD BLESS AMERICA! God bless the U.K., God bless Austraila, New Zeeland, The Philippines, ect. We need to remember how blessed we are to live in the more free, and civilized countries of the world..... Amen.

Wow