[mac57t]

I thought the bottom one was walnut.It is just wetted with water.Let me know what you think.

 

[5476]

May not be the easiest, but sand birch down to bare wood, and walnut the same, birch will not darken as much as walnut with just water to test color. Also size for size walnut will weigh more.

 

[5744]

Walnut heartwood can be exceptionally light, and with stain, will look like a much more expensive piece of walnut and can still be called walnut. CZ uses a lot of heartwood for that reason.

I've not seen that much grain or marbleing in birch and would suspect you do have a walnut stock, abet a very light colored one.

Guess it really should not matter, with a nice finish, that one will be beautiful!

 

[Fumbler]

Its easiest to tell if you have a good close look at the grain.

Color, amount of figuring, and tightness of the grain aren't as good for identifying wood as a good look at the structure of the grain.

 

[ShootNut]

I have seen some pretty nice birch stocks. With a lot of dark grain, curl and stripe with some stain you couldnt tell the difference between it and walnut. That looks like a carbine stock, just check the serial number and see when that rifle was made, that should tell you what it is. The only reason I questioned it in the other thread was because it was a carbine stock with stain on it. It's been what 30 years since Ruger used walnut, and I dont remember any of them having stain on them. And usally walnut doesnt get blochy when you strip the finish off of it.

 

[markdperkins]

still not sure

Although I tend to agree with MKnarr and will defer to his experience with wood grain, I think ShootNut's suggestion to look up the date by serial number is a pretty good method for determining also.

 

[dbuckbee]

By looking at those two stocks, I'd be convinced the upper was Birch and the bottom Walnut. Ruger only made stocks out of those two woods. The year of manufacture would seal the decision. I've never seen Birch with grain like the bottom stock, and visa versa.
Don

 

[mac57t]

All I have are the stocks no #'s available to look up.

 

[JAMES WHITTEN]

I have just finished a factory stock that was maple without a doubt.A post above stated that they only made them out of walnut and birch??

 

[wmrimfire22]

I thought I could tell by how much grain a stock has but as I learned in my other post that is not the case.

mac57t,

Birch is a light colored wood and is much lighter in weight. Walnut is just the opposite. It's darker and much heavier in weight/dense wood type material.
You can take both stocks and weight them. They should be different.

wmrimfire,22

 

[ShootNut]

I have just finished a factory stock that was maple without a doubt.A post above stated that they only made them out of walnut and birch??

James, If memory serves me right there was a brief time in between walnut and birch that maple was used. They can be scarce and not everyone has seen one.