How do you ID the type of wood used for a 10-22 stock.

[CHEVYINLINE6]

I have several plain Jane 10-22 stocks I've gotten over the years. I bought them real cheap as stocks only. How can I tell what wood was used to make them ? I once had some early Overton stocks and knew they were walnut, but these I don't have a clue. One may have had a aluminum butt plate at one time.

INLINECHEVY6.

 

[GunnyGene]

I have several plain Jane 10-22 stocks I've gotten over the years. I bought them real cheap as stocks only. How can I tell what wood was used to make them ? I once had some early Overton stocks and knew they were walnut, but these I don't have a clue. One may have had a aluminum butt plate at one time.

INLINECHEVY6.

Try comparing them with the samples here. There's info on the home page below that will help with identification including over 600 samples with detailed info. Click on the appropriate site navigation buttons.

The Wood Database

Explore the woods, break out of the ordinary. Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide.

www.wood-database.com

 

[Mobuck]

If the inside of the barrel channel looks white with no real grain visible, it's likely maple.

 

[CHEVYINLINE6]

It looks like they are all probably maple. Thank you.

INLINECHEVY6.

 

[hittman]

I thought they went from walnut to birch. Coulda made some in maple, I don't know.

 

[arcticruger]

I thought they went from walnut to birch. Coulda made some in maple, I don't know.

Yep, Birch

 

[hittman]

Anybody know when they switched to birch?

 

[arcticruger]

Anybody know when they switched to birch?

Sometime in 1981 they switched from Walnut to Birch on the carbine models as a cost saving measure. They have used other cheap woods over the years, like Poplar and Maple. They just call it Hardwood now, which covers all the cheaper woods used.

 

[CHEVYINLINE6]

I have a 10-22 that was made in 1980 that does have a walnut stock on it. I guess I should pull it out of the rifle safe and pull the barrel and compare them all.

INLINECHEVY6.

 

[hittman]

With the ones I've owned, there is no disputing which one is walnut and which is NOT. Darker, richer looking. Of course much easier when you're physically looking at them side by side.

 

[Cal30 1906]

Anybody know when they switched to birch?

Early 80s I think. My very first one was walnut and now 40 years later I have been able to aquire a super nice checkered one in walnut.

 

[Mobuck]

OOPS, my bad. Yes, I should have said birch.

 

[Randyzzz]

I was heavy into 10/22's at one point. I had one of the walnut checkered Sportster models. Ended up inletting the stock for a .920 barrel. I can't remember if it started out as stainless or not. My daughter owns it now.

It's the middle one in this old pic. I sold the other two. Back in the 90's I made good money tricking out 10/22's and selling them at a healthy profit.

 

[Highstandardguy]

Sometime in 1981 they switched from Walnut to Birch on the carbine models as a cost saving measure. They have used other cheap woods over the years, like Poplar and Maple. They just call it Hardwood now, which covers all the cheaper woods used.

It's better than the elm that High Standard used on some of their .22s. It really likes to crack.

 

[woodsy]

"It's better than the elm that High Standard used on some of their .22s. It really likes to crack."
If High Standard was "using" elm for any stocks in the last 100 years, they were probably not telling the truth. Ever hear of "Dutch Elm disease"? It wiped out domestic elm that long ago. I used a piece of saved elm which a customer asked me to make into a presentation piece for the current mayor of New Haven (the "Elm City"), back about 20 years ago. The customer had received it (the elm) from their grandparent as a legacy gift. That piece of elm had no tendency to crack at all. Elm is also difficult to work, and would not be favored by a stockmaker. Perhaps the "elm" High Standard used was really something else.

 

[jkingrph]

I had one, that I swapped out for a walnut Manlicher style stock. Stripped down tha orginal and I believe it to be maple, with a lot of tiger stripe under that sprayed on finish. I cleaned it up and gave it a red brown analine dye job, then an oil finish, turned out beautiful. I searched out some old parts, put a metal buttplate on it, trigger in cnc housing, metal barrel band and a skinner rear sight and gave it to my grandson.

 

[kmoore]

I was selling firearms when the 10-22 carbine went to birch. Cannot remember the year but around 1980 is about right. As I recall it was advertised as "walnut stained birch". I also recall other rifle makers used words like "Hardwood" the describe their stocks. That usually met birch.

 

[Highstandardguy]

"It's better than the elm that High Standard used on some of their .22s. It really likes to crack."
If High Standard was "using" elm for any stocks in the last 100 years, they were probably not telling the truth. Ever hear of "Dutch Elm disease"? It wiped out domestic elm that long ago. I used a piece of saved elm which a customer asked me to make into a presentation piece for the current mayor of New Haven (the "Elm City"), back about 20 years ago. The customer had received it (the elm) from their grandparent as a legacy gift. That piece of elm had no tendency to crack at all. Elm is also difficult to work, and would not be favored by a stockmaker. Perhaps the "elm" High Standard used was really something else.

I'm a bit shy of 100 and I have vivid memories of playing under the large Elm in our yard. Dad put a tire swing in it for me. I also remember when it died. However, our Chinese Elm seemed unaffected.

 

[rugerguy]

yes, the change to the "cheaper" ..American hardwood, in this case 'birch' is easy to spot as the inside channels is far lighter almost a yellow thus got the nickname "Peruvian Piss Pine"...the outs ide is NOT stained it is a brushed or rolled on finish, sure aint a "dip" cause it would be "inside" as well...........this is why the walnut ones are more and the checkered ones even more..........

 

[Ride1949]

I'm a bit shy of 100 and I have vivid memories of playing under the large Elm in our yard. Dad put a tire swing in it for me. I also remember when it died. However, our Chinese Elm seemed unaffected.

American elm | The Morton Arboretum

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