FWB 127 MAG Special value ?

[I. J.]

I bought one of the walnut jobs from MAG back in the 80's. As I recall, the action was bog standard. My stock had a nice grain but the surface of the wood was very dry and I ended up having to work on it to get any sort of lustre to it. A friend of mine still has the rifle and I've emailed him in the hope I can borrow it and compare it with the one on here.

Was it anything like the one I mentioned in post # 6 ?

ATB
Ian

[mallyally]

Was it anything like the one I mentioned in post # 6 ?

ATB
Ian

if it was i would have definately been interested (along with a couple of hundred others) just have to keep hoping

[Nemesis]

Nope - as far as I could tell, it was a straight reproduction of the Mk1 stock but using a decent bit of walnut. I was a tad disappointed with it at the time I bought it and eventually gave it away to one of the youngsters on the farm.

[Arai]

Was it anything like the one I mentioned in post # 6 ?

ATB
Ian

I'm puzzled. Bob Beeman presents Alan Hamer with a quite spectacular FWB 127, and Alan Hamer then sells it?

[I. J.]

Nope - as far as I could tell, it was a straight reproduction of the Mk1 stock but using a decent bit of walnut. I was a tad disappointed with it at the time I bought it and eventually gave it away to one of the youngsters on the farm.

Thanks for the reply.

So, what the hell have I got? I was under the impression it was 1 of 100 that MAG imported.

ATB
Ian

[Garvin]

Thanks for the reply.

So, what the hell have I got? I was under the impression it was 1 of 100 that MAG imported.

ATB
Ian

Ian isn't your Sport a Beeman custom (I don't know where this pic came from)? The MAG one shown on this thread looks like it was one of a special order from Germany of standard pattern stocks in walnut, which Beeman also used to offer as an option to US buyers.

[chrissy]

Thanks for the reply.

So, what the hell have I got? I was under the impression it was 1 of 100 that MAG imported.

ATB
Ian

Get your crayon out and it can be whatever you want it to be

Chris.

[I. J.]

I'm puzzled. Bob Beeman presents Alan Hamer with a quite spectacular FWB 127, and Alan Hamer then sells it?

Alan has since regretted it and has shown an interest if I ever sell it.

Ian isn't your Sport a Beeman custom (I don't know where this pic came from)? The MAG one shown on this thread looks like it was one of a special order from Germany of standard pattern stocks in walnut, which Beeman also used to offer as an option to US buyers.

THATS the one only mine isn't such high quality walnut.

Get your crayon out and it can be whatever you want it to be

Chris.

That only works with BSFs.

ATB
Ian

[BSFNUT]

I J


you have a PM

[fairgunner]

wallnut but it looks like beech to me

No offence intended, but it does definitely look like beech to me too.

The top half of the cheek piece has a band running through it right down through the pistol grip - and the lower part looks quite white (Dyed though with the lacquer finish) looks as though it was from the heart wood.

Hope this helps

[Garvin]

It's hard to tell from the low resolution pics, but I've seen walnut before that looks like this. There's a knot below right of the comb that is distinctively walnuty too.

No offence meant to RustySpring, who will understandably be getting miffed at the status of his prize walnut FWB Sport being called into question.

[RustyBuzz]

I've shown the pics to my dad, who was a stock maker by trade, and he is certain that the stock is walnut. Hope this helps

Regards

Richard

[Gareth W-B]

I've shown the pics to my dad, who was a stock maker by trade, and he is certain that the stock is walnut. Hope this helps

Regards

Richard

Yep, although only going by the photos, I believe this to be walnut too, albeit low grade/grain. Walnut isn't just bought for its cosmetics however, but for lightness (a lot lighter than beech) and reparability (if there is such a word ), as dinks and donks can be successfully steamed out of walnut but not beech . Atb: Gareth W-B.

[RustySpring]

There are many good reasons to use Walnut, but the main reason it's used for gun stocks is that it has a very low tendency to crack or warp. (almost unheard of, in fact)
Cosmetically, even a plain piece of walnut is more attractive than beech, as the wood takes an oil finish better, which makes the wood "glow" (can't think of a better description) with a deep lustrous shine. Beech has a more open grain, which is much more difficult to finish in this way.
You *can* get a similar effect using beech, but it can take weeks or months to achieve this, which is not worth the effort, considering the value of the stock, or the gun that it's attached to. (after all, you don't put a cheap stock on a high quality gun, or vice-versa.) Incidentally, Antique military guns nearly always have walnut stocks, not because of their quality, but because they were intended to last, in spite of the abuse that they would get.
At the time that my rifle was made, most of the walnut in use came from Turkey, as almost all of the walnut in northern Europe was cut down to make aircraft during WWII. Turkish walnut does tend to be rather plain, as does English walnut, but these are regional variations, rather than a reflection of the quality of the wood.
BTW, if you want to leave a legacy for your great-grandchildren, plant a Walnut tree, because the wood will be worth a lot of money.