Would chestnut make a good gun stock?

I have a barn on my property built in the 1800s.
Some of the boards inside the barn are chestnut. There about 3 in. thick and 6 ft. long.
Would these make good gun stocks?

 

[44-henry]

My experience with chestut is limited, it is relatively scarce if I am not mistaken. It can be very similar to oak which wouldn't be my first choice for a gunstock. On the other hand, it is certainly old growth and very well seasoned. Used selectively it might prove to be an unique (if not highly desirable) choice for a Southern mountain rifle). I would be more inclined to use it for furniture or mill it into flooring. Properly salvaged, and in good condition, it would probably have significant enough value to allow the purchase of multiple gunstock blanks of a more suitable material.

 

[Wehrmacht]

In all of my travels I've never seen an original stock made with American Chestnut. Not to say that it wasn't occasionally used, but I've never experienced it. I do remember a contemporary piece at the CLA several years back that some thought was stocked with Chestnut, but I looked at it carefully and I'm sure that it was one of the tropical hardwoods instead.

Chestnut (Castanea dentata) is a coarse open grain wood that isn't the best for a stock wood. However....a lot of low priced, low end furniture was made out of it in the late 1800's early 1900's. It's very rot resistant,too, and that's why you'll find it in old barns and log houses especially in the Southern Mountains. And,too, at one time Chestnut made up at least 20% of the Eastern Hardwood Forests, so it was available in abundance and had very desirable characteristics for house and barn construction.

The wood that you have will have high value to home craftsman/woodworkers. A good friend of mine,Bill Burtt whom some on the Board will know, makes beautiful shooting boxes out of Chestnut...absolutely beautiful! I plan to have my coffin made out of American Chestnut simply because when it burns it's like a fireworks show! Sparks and flaming embers will pop out and go all the way across the room! When I arrive in Hell I want everybody there to know I've made it :haha: .

 

[Stophel]

I have never even seen chestnut wood. I have been told that it is generally too soft for gunstocking.

 

This is a pic of the barn.
My real estate agent said some people came down from New York and wanted to buy it. Take it apart and take it back to New York.
My Dad walked through it yesterday and said it was probably built in the 1800s,maybe earlier(the farm was setteled in the 1700s.) And it was made from oak,locust, popler and he found some large chestnut boards.
Everything is either notched or put together with spikes.

 

[Many Klatch]

I bet you could sell the boards and buy a custom gun with the proceeds. Chestnut was wiped out by the blight back in the 50's and the blight keeps killing off the shoots. Scientists have been trying to breed a blight resistant breed, but none yet as far as I know. I don't know if Chestnut will ever come back. Treasure the wood as a piece of the past.

Many Klatch

 

[Sutallee]

I think that Many Klatch is right. There is a big demand for reclaimed chestnut for furniture and cabinets and you could sell those planks at a premium price. The reclaimed wood is often pocked with worm holes and hence the term "wormy chestnut". It's rare to see a sizable plank that is not so marked. In my opinion, wormy chestnut would not likely make an attractive gunstock. The wood also seems fairly soft compared to the harder grades of maple.

Scientists at the University of Georgia have found a few blight resistant chestnut trees in north Georgia and are trying to start a restoration program. One benefit would be that mature trees produce a lot of nuts that are good mast for deer, turkey,and bear.

 

[sidelock]

I have several picture frames in my home that I made from American Chestnut that I carried out of the woods many years ago. My PRB bullet board is also made from the same. It is a beautiful wood, but not suitable for gun stocks. Thats a pretty barn, but I like old barns. I'd fix it up for maybe a DOG HOUSE ,you know----- for when you have to stay out side a while. Thanks for the pic., and good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Something about an old barn that makes me think of an earlier and more slow paced time. One can almost see the horse drawn wagons being driven in there to unload.

 

[nj1639]

I salvaged a barn with handhewn chestnut beams and 1"x various width chestnut planks in it. It works like pine but rot resistant.It definatly has a high retail end for flooring but I wouldn't use it for stocks.
Look to see if you have any walnut in there. I found a couple of hand hewn walnut beams in my salvage.Now if I can get all the damn hardware out of them...that'd be somethin.
How's your tulle? Didn't whittle it down to a toothpick didja?

 

[shortstring]

I built a log gun out of chestnut a few years ago. It was old barn lumber as you say. Sort of looked intersting if you were into super open grained wood. Personally I think there are a lot of better woods for guns. It shows up at Pall Mall, look for a guy going by the name of Smitty. You know, a big guy with a beard, you can't miss him :rotf:

 

The TVLLE came out good, thanks to everyones help.
I posted some pics in the photo section.

 

[CrackStock]

It has great rot resistance and splits nicely in an even pattern which is why it was often used for shingles and boards. Not good qualities in a gunstock.

CS

 

[Jim-Iowa]

You may be overlooking a great opportunity.
Though some larger that looks a bit like a picture of Hershel House's Rifle Shop.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

In "Weapons of the American Revolution" by Warren Moore, there is a chestnut stocked Committee of Safety musket. It is on page 71 and labeled as S-3. Looks to have held up well, but this would have been old growth chestnut I suppose. That might make some difference.

 

[Stophel]

I don't have the book in front of me, but if I'm thinking of the right gun, it is stocked (pretty obviously) in ash. :winking:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

It's hard to tell from the photos, Chris. The grain isn't visible. It has a dark varnish finish on it and I don't know how the author determined the wood type. He says the musket is a Massachusetts Committee of Safety musket of .80 caliber with a 42" barrel and the number 78 engraved on the barrel. He states that this is a rack number and that the gun dates from 1775. It basically follows the Brown Bess pattern and appears well made. Since maple, walnut and cherry were easily available in New England in this time period, I don't see an advantage to using chestnut. Maybe I'm missing something here?

 

[jbg]

I plan to have my coffin made out of American Chestnut simply because when it burns it's like a fireworks show! Sparks and flaming embers will pop out and go all the way across the room! When I arrive in Hell I want everybody there to know I've made it :haha: .

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
Can I use that line?

 

[Stophel]

Wow, not only was I not thinking of the same gun, but a different book entirely! Nevermind.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Years ago I bought an Eli Whitney contract musket that had bee restocked with chestnut. It was very well done in the style of a mid-nineteenth century half-stock fowler. The gun had been well taken care of over the years and the stock had aged to a beautiful red-brown finish with almost 100% of it's varnish finish intact. It handled very well and the weight was just about right. It came out of New York state so I assume it was done there. As I said, it was a beautiful piece of wood.