Mulberry Gunstocks?

[tinkerfive]

 

I saw the following ad on Craig's list

 

Attention all gunsmith and gun builders! For sale mulberry wood for making gun stocks. It is in lengths and widths that would allow for multiple stocks in each piece of tree.The wood is in its natural form. Mulberry makes the finest gun stocks and in one of the hardest wood to find in large sections.

 

 

What do you think?

I never heard of using Mulberry

 

Tinker

[Horsefly]

Mulberry isn't a hardwood.I've cut lots of it,and it just aint hardwood.It's very white,like beach or birch.I always figured on trying some in the smoker,but never for a gunstock.

[littlecanoe]

Mulberry isn't a hardwood.I've cut lots of it,and it just aint hardwood.It's very white,like beach or birch.I always figured on trying some in the smoker,but never for a gunstock.

 

 

I believe that mulberry has some characteristic that are similar to Hedge Apple aka Osage Orange. Hedge Apple is good for bow wood and many traditional bow makers use it. I believe that Mulberry has much of the same characteristics.

 

I can't remember but aren't the rings pretty thick Horsefly? Not sure if it would be stable enough for a stock because of the expansion and contraction it might go through. Around here, mulberry trees don't live long so they never achieve the trunk mass for tight growth rings.

[FC]

I can't find anything on it. It's probably unstable with a high expansion coefficient, but that's a guess. You don't want much expansion. Beech is an offender in that area.

[Horsefly]

Mulberry is no where near as hard as horse apple or mesquite.It's a fast growing tree that has colored bands,but is full of sap like bo'dark,and you sure can't burn it in a fireplace,'cause it pops like firecrackers.Our fence rows would have lots of mulberrys and hackberrys in them where birds crap out the seeds,and it was,is, a constant battle keeping the fences clear.I just can't imagine putting in the work or hours it takes to build a gunstock that's made of mulberry.Mesquite,pecan,and bo'dark would be worth a try for me.A rifle builder up on the Red River near Wichita Falls made some stocks from pecan that a tornado knocked down on his farm,and they were cotton-pickin beautiful.I have a huge bo'dark to cut down this winter,so maybe I'll have some for ya'll to try,at least you could make pistol grips or knife handles.I have some ash to cut too,but it's so white,but way hard.Sorry to get off track.If that dude is selling fruitless mulberry like from a nursery,that would even be worse for a stock. Jerry Oh ya,you can't breath the dust from bo'dark,horse apple,bos'd'ark,osage orange,or what ever you call it.Pretty nasty stuff.

[littlecanoe]

HF, That's kinda what I was thinking on the Mulberry. I like the berries though! Yum

 

Do you ever run across Pecan that would be good for a stock? I'd really be interested in a good blank or two.