1903A3

My Dad & a close friend who was a competition shooter & gunsmith, ordered several of the 03-A3's in the 1950's. I am proud to own two of them. One is still in very good original condition, the other took an awful lot of time & hand work, and years to complete my sporter version below. The stock started life as a French Walnut 2½" X 8" plank The Bbl. is 18½", Timney trigger etc.
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I like that.:cool:
 
41 Magnum said:
My Dad & a close friend who was a competition shooter & gunsmith, ordered several of the 03-A3's in the 1950's. I am proud to own two of them. One is still in very good original condition, the other took an awful lot of time & hand work, and years to complete my sporter version below. The stock started life as a French Walnut 2½" X 8" plank The Bbl. is 18½", Timney trigger etc.

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I just love that Mannlicher stock. Something about a full stocked rifle.
Been considering the same treatment for my .270 FN Mauser.
Should the right stock come along it will be wearing one.

I also have a 10/22 carbine with the full stock, it's the cutest little thing.
 
Very nice stock. I am very jealous since all I could do with a nice piece of French Walnut is makes sawdust. Again, beautiful work on that stock.
 
Very nice stock. I am very jealous since all I could do with a nice piece of French Walnut is makes sawdust. Again, beautiful work on that stock.
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That is "French Walnut"? What makes it French Walnut and not just a fairly straight-grained piece of American Walnut? Am I missing something here?
 
I assume it is because it was grown in France perhaps.
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FYI: No, not only is "French Walnut" grown in France(and in other European counties), it is a particular species (Juglans regia) of walnut characterized by fairly dark and highly figured wood as used to come as standard on some Browning guns including BSS, B78, B85, etc.
What is in that picture appears to be just run-of-the-mill straight grained American Walnut (Juglans nigra) despite the snide remarks of some of the less mature here.
 
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Thanks. Obviously you know more than I about Walnut varieties, but the board was originally advertised as "French Walnut", and I bought it as such, some 55 years ago. Only repeating what the seller told me, as I had never been to France. I was not familiar with the varieties at all, at that time. I guess you couldn't trust everyone, even back then ! But, no matter to me, as I like it anyway. I honestly didn't know why he called it "French Walnut", unless as I assumed, it was grown in France ! But, I didn't know, and it doesn't matter to me. Nothing "snide" here, someone asked a question & I answered the best I could.

Jim
 
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Very likely it snuck in to up the price on all Walnut.

That was before we had a truth in lending law (or had)
 
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