Ash as a gunstock

[Roooss]

Hi All,

I am just wandering if ash is a wood that lends itself to being turned in to a rifle stock?

the main things I am thinking about are its structural integrity and weight. will it feel right? weigh is surely something i can overcome with lead balancing though right?

EDIT: I just had an extra thought, what would be the best material to use for the adjustable cheek posts and what would be a good mechanism for locking that in place?

[Rich]

It's not known as a timber resistant to outdoor use so bear that in mind.

The figuring can be interesting; the colour is quite light, so I would choose light alloy bushes for your mechanism, with stainless steel riser pins. Brass is in my view the wrong colour and of course is heavy, and ash is heavy enough.

[Roooss]

It's not known as a timber resistant to outdoor use so bear that in mind.

The figuring can be interesting; the colour is quite light, so I would choose light alloy bushes for your mechanism, with stainless steel riser pins. Brass is in my view the wrong colour and of course is heavy, and ash is heavy enough.

Thanks for the reply,

So a typical sealer and oil/wax finish wouldn't be right for Ash and the outside world? I definitely agree with using stainless steel fixtures on a light stock when keeping the natural light ash colour.

[si7777777]

I'm sure there was a thread some years ago about a gent considering the same on here?

[Roooss]

I'm sure there was a thread some years ago about a gent considering the same on here?

I just spent a while doing some searching on here. Couldn't find any relevant posts.

[gunsnlandies]

Ash will stick outdoors, but does split easily. I used to make the old fashioned riven sheep hurdles, and course these were all made from coppice Ash. Once dried it will take some abuse, as i used a beadle (mallet) made of a lump of Ash with a thick Hazel rod handle to smack the parts together.

[rhyslightnin]

It's not known as a timber resistant to outdoor use so bear that in mind.

The figuring can be interesting; the colour is quite light, so I would choose light alloy bushes for your mechanism, with stainless steel riser pins. Brass is in my view the wrong colour and of course is heavy, and ash is heavy enough.

Mmmmmmm... I'd kinda disagree here, not completely but knowing this and being clever could give good results. wood finishing products are very very good now especially if you get the breathable type like osmo etc, even the type of fence paint you can buy in colours is breathable. This means if it gets wet, it gets wet but if it dries it dries if you know what I mean bit like a wood worktop, and wood being wood actually doesn't mind getting wet if it can dry out after properly.
So a wood protection that resists water to start, to stop fast saturation but then can allow any water that has penetrated to dry out is much better than a varnish or paint that seals the wood for good. Just look at all those old gloss painted wooden window frames for internal rotting caused by water being trapped underneath....
Also, because these newer type products are available in a wide range of colours, as ash is very light you really could pick how you wanted it to look... And if you cut the stock right to save weight it could be quite good, especially if you chose a piece of olive or brown ash (light sapwood & dark heartwood) you may get some wicked "laminate" style effect from the blank you are using . Add a stain in green and you have something quite nice to be honest......
Worth a thought