CJO, that is a great looking stock. Years ago I had a friend who was restocking a rifle with one of the nicest full length black walnut feather crotch blanks which was perfectly centered, amazing color and figure everywhere. Just a perfect blank. Perfect in every way except there were two pieces of barbed wire which ran from the action area until the grip area and into the rear of the stock.
He guessed someone had put a length of barbed wire into the fork of the walnut tree, perhaps to use later or just to get it off the ground and failed to remove it later. The tree grew around it over time. It was impossible to remove it and save the stock because it twisted like a snake. Had he known it was there when he cut out the blank he could have raised it up just an inch or so and it would have remained buried harmlessly in the stock. Every time I see a superb blank like the one you have I think back to that rifle and hope for no surprises other than good ones.
