Value of a repro flat board stock?

[George Anderson]

Oak has qualities not suitable for stocks, either board stocks or rifle stocks. The only German rifle stocks ever made with oak were the late WWII mauser stocks and they were laminated to compensate for the brittle nature of oak,

[Sieger]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

Oak has qualities not suitable for stocks, either board stocks or rifle stocks. The only German rifle stocks ever made with oak were the late WWII mauser stocks and they were laminated to compensate for the brittle nature of oak,

George,

Whatever these Odin stocks are made of, the wood is not beautiful, and certainly does not match the very fine wood used to produce a typical set of Luger grips.

I purchased two of them from Slatters' Collectors Armory, in Alexandria Va., in the early 1980s, and still have the original certificates as issued by Slatters'. I remember telling the owner, at that time, that "Mauser never made these things".

I agree that the irons used on these stocks are of excellent quality, though the bluing is of cheap salt blue type, and mine have turned a brown-blue color.

Sieger

PS: Quite a lot of very nice furniture was made, in the 1920s, of Quartered Oak, so I really can't believe this material isn't strong enough for practical use.

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by Sieger

...

PS: Quite a lot of very nice furniture was made, in the 1920s, of Quartered Oak, so I really can't believe this material isn't strong enough for practical use.

Sieger, it is not that the material isn't strong enough, for floors and furniture it wears like iron and sands smooth and finishes beautifully, but for gunstocks that might be used in combat conditions, especially bayonet hand to hand type combat, Oak is a hard but brittle wood, and can shatter if stressed the wrong way at the wrong place.

"Softer" and more flexible hardwoods like walnut, beech, ash, and maple bend more than they break... that is why they were primary used for gunstocks, especially rifle stocks.

...and when you see antique or even modern bent wood furniture, you can bet that the "bent" parts like chair backs, are usually made of Ash, while the other "curved" parts are actually sawn in that shape, or laminated (for strength or to hold a shape) will be made of Oak.