1 Piece English Walnut Shotgun Blank Butt & Forend - Dried 20+ years

Description: 2 for 1 English Walnut Shotgun Blank - Cut by Don Cantwell DIMENSIONS:Length: 27.5" | Heel: 7.25" | Front: 5.5" | Thickness: 2.25" YEARS INDOOR AIR DRIED: 20+ DISTINGUISHING FEATURES & COLORS: Hazelnut and chocolate brown with marble cake and straight tight grain. It is undoubtably large enough to provide a forend, but we believe this blank may be large enough for two separate shotguns, in which case we could sell two matching forends to go with (separately). Please message with any questions (see pictures) IMPERFECTIONS: No notable imperfections Item Code: SG15 ABOUT THE WOOD Our selection of wood blanks are almost exclusively Walnut from very old trees grown in by early settlers to the Central Valley in Northern California. This beautiful blank is "English" walnut:English. (Juglans Regia) which is the same species grown in Turkey and Europe. It is called various names, Persian walnut, English walnut, Carpathian walnut, Madeira walnut. Juglans Regia can be in almost any shade of brown from a very light tan and golden colors (The golden variety is unique and often called Franquette walnut as it is more common to France) to dark chocolate colors and everything in between. It has dark mineral streaks and swirls in it which are often referred to as marble cake (sometimes smoke or feather depending on the figure) as it literally resembles a baker's marble yellow cake with chocolate swirled through. This Cantwell walnut also often has fiddleback figure with streaks or highlights running across the grain. English walnut, when cut properly, is often stunningly beautiful. Many consider it the premier gunstock wood (not only for color and figure but for weight and strength). In the California'a Central valley, the English Walnut trees were usually grafted onto Claro (Juglans Hindsii) root-stock. Notice on virtually every blank not only the stunning grain throughout but how straight, dense and strong the grain is and especially through the grip/handle part of the blank. This is critical for strength in a gunstock that must absorb recoil. ABOUT DON CANTWELL AND THE STOCK BLANKS IN THE GARAGE Don Cantwell cut trees for the construction of the railroads in California's central valley. He cut thousands of very old Walnut trees for over 35 years since those trees were planted in huge orchards from about 1880 through WW II. Don loved beautiful wood and fine guns. Cantwell was a master at cutting trees and knew exactly what was aesthetically pleasing and importantly, what kind of grain structure made the best gunstocks. About 1/3 of my blanks were never finished and you can not tell the structure and figure under the rough cut. I am amazed every time I run one of the unfinished ones through the jointer. They are universally stunning. It is almost like unwrapping a special present. Cantwell sold the vast majority of the walnut he cut to furniture and cabinet makers. But he kept the most beautiful and perfect for his gunstock blank business. His gunstock business became his ongoing passion. Cantwell had a great eye for structure, beauty and strength. He became very well know in the high end gun industry as the go to source for premium quality blanks. After Don died in 2004 I purchased the entire inventory of his wood from his widow over 15 years ago. At that time the stocks had been indoor air dried for over 10 years and have been stored in a heated and closed garage since. So every blank we list has been indoor air dried for well over 20 years. Cantwell was known to sell some of the best, aged, structured and most beautiful English, Claro, and Bastogne walnut blanks in the world. I am pleased to own it. I like to just go out to the garage and pick up blanks and look at them. Virtually every time I see what a master Cantwell was. The blanks universally are beautiful with wonderful grain and structure for a gunstock and the dimensions are right out of a stock makers guide. But, much as I love it all, I am now divesting myself. In the spirit of Mr. Cantwell's life passion - this beautiful walnut should be individually appreciated and made into wonderful finished gunstocks. As with all stocks Cantwell cut, this blank has beautiful figure in the body and the structure is perfect for a strong gunstock. The pictures tell the story. From Don Cantwell's obituary in 2004: Don Cantwell was a hardworking timber faller, who was almost fatally injured by a falling tree in the mid 70's. He loved working with wood from the tree to a finished product. In 1976, he started cutting walnut and from the original came some of the finest most beautiful gun blanks that exist. This became his business and a result of his honesty and integrity gun blanks have been sold all over the world, and his legacy will remain in some very beautiful rifles and shotguns. He was member of Sirs 110, Chico Lions, Firearm and Gunmakers Guild. ** JAKEAROO'S PROMISE ** IF YOU ARE IN ANY WAY UNSATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASE, PLEASE CONTACT US REGARDING YOUR CONCERNS AND WE WILL EITHER: FULLY REFUND YOUR PURCHASE UPON RECEIVING THE UNWANTED BLANK OR WE WILL REPLACE YOUR UNWANTED BLANK WITH A COMPARABLE STOCK OF YOUR CHOOSING ENJOY THE WOOD. - Jakearoo

Price: 250 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2024-01-28T02:57:16.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD