doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Claro or Black Walnut

Good info. BTW, Happy Birthday.

BTY Bastonge is the name of a town in Belgium. Is that a clue?

William E Apperson

Also a city in Mass. is it not?

Wonderful. Now we can have Masswalnut, Bosswalnut, and for non gun users Tedwalnut.

I would suggest that you check these URL out if you want to know about Bastogne or Paradox walnut, also some data on Claro (Juglans Hindsii)

http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/4072

http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/3807

http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=8943

http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=544_66

http://www.ca-walnutdesigns.com/bastogne.htm

Look at some of the older, classic rifles from Roy Weatherby and you will see some good examples of Claro Walnut on a firearm.

Kind regards,

Claro or Black? Man who sold the blank said Black.
Man who stocked the gun said Claro.
Just curious. Checkering came out very fine with no fuzzies.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid150/p78367ce16a468ae8ecfb427bbbfe0ccf/f5d57137.jpg

Does any one have any photos of a Bastogne stock and for comparison, one stocked in Black, Circassian and french?

I believe James-l correctly identified the issues,"each tree provides wood that can be 'identified' only when it is opened up". The grafting/hybriadization/"bastogne" of the walnut trees has really confused the issue. Personally I ask my supplier for what I want, "English looking", "Claro light and wavy", "feather crotch", "fiddleback", etc. I further identify the project so as the influence the selection of density and grain. The supplier is in the wood business as a specialist, I pay him for his knowledge and he reciprocates by sending me what I want. Best, Dr. Bill

This piece of wood came from Richards Microfit in Burbank, CA about a dozen or so years ago and I fitted it to a 600 Rem I rebarrelled to 284 win. It is what I think is the classic "Claro" graded wood. It has open grain, not particularly soft, nor as hard as English, lots of yellow/gold flamey stuff combined with some rich reds and a little black. When I see that flamey yellow/gold and open grain, I think Claro. BTW, I think Claro can be some of the prettiest wood out there. It may have some faults, but pretty it is.


This was my very first checkering job. I also made the floorplate/tg from barstock. The gun is rustblued.