I have two Jaeger style flintlock rifles stocked in cherry from a local mountain where I hunted for deer when I was a kid. The logger who got it for me had 6 or 7 planks sawn, and I still have some in the garage for future projects. The stocks turned out really nice but most of them had "bark inclusions", which are tiny specks of bark that become imbedded in the wood while it is growing and show up in the finished stock as a darker speck. Possibly this is something that is particular to eastern cherry. I've used some of the scraps for knife handles, etc. and its hardness is similar to black walnut, but not as hard as english. Anyway, without any staining the finish color is nice reddish brown. I would not hestitate to have a shotgun or whatever stocked in cherry if that's what you want. It is very different than walnut although not as much grain and figure as the better grades of walnut. Silvers
