![]() Fractures can occur to stocks and forearms by almost any kind of accident because the wood at the wrist and particularly forearms are of small cross section. Movement at the connecting interface of stock to receiver is the primary point of most crack generation. The finish you see on the outside of the wood enhances its beauty, protects the wood and seals it to retard dimensional changes, but few manufactures ever adequately seal the end grain, where wood movement is the greatest, in the inletted areas where the stock fixes to the receiver and under the butt plate. Wood is weakest between the lines of grain, which is why cracks always propagate with the grain rather than across, except in a fracture. However, it is unstable across the grain, expanding and contracting as moisture is transferred in and out, mostly through the open pores of end grain around the wrist, pistol grip and butt stock end. Wood is stable in the direction of grain run, with insignificant changes in length due to its environment. At that moment the fit is the best it will ever be. Manufacturers cure their wood to a set of given conditions of resident humidity in the wood fibers and then form and fit the stock to the intended firearm. These straws or pores run in the direction of the grain, carrying moisture in and out of the piece as it breaths. Wood, on a microscopic basis, is almost as much open space as solid, being something like thousands of tiny straws compressed together into a rigid longitudinal bundle. Like all wood, it is a living thing that expands and contracts to the influence of its environment. It is technically a hardwood, but is about the same density as most pines, very porous and tends to be a little brittle, but easily worked. Walnut is perhaps not the most ideal stock wood in terms of strength characteristics, but when its exceptional color, graining and weight is considered it has been the wood of choice for gun makers. Gunstocks have traditionally been made from walnut, with other woods substituted for economy in more modern manufacture and in military arms. There are a few simple reasons why this occurs and a few simple things you can do to prevent cracks. If you have ever owned a shotgun or seen very many of them you are likely witness to cracked forearms and stock wrists in some older guns. Why Your Shotgun Stock Cracks and How to Avoid It
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