Lefever H Grade
 

Found for less than the cost of a decent Parker Trojan or VH.

1916 Syracuse Lefever light 12ga, 7lbs even,28" unmessed with fluid steel barrels, old 1927 patent date Jostam Hy-Gun pad, all compensation and adjustment features except trigger pull. European thin shell walnut.

Looks like better than average wood too.

The H wood is not bad for a bottom grade gun. All Syracuse Lefevers had European walnut. I have a nice stick of thin shell set aside just in case I have to restock a gun some time. Dark streaks and straight through the wrist, matches the Parker B and C wood of the day.

Its not as nice as this wood on a friend's gun, but it will do.

Nice looking late production H grade.

What is meant by thin shell?

American Black Walnuts have "thick" shells.

Sorry I don't know what is meant by thin or thick shells. I suppose I should ask what is a shell as it relates to walnut?

in nut shell

it's the nut's shell

How does that relate to the figure or quality of the wood?





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And looking at a piece of walnut how could a decipher thick or thin? As well didn't know there was such a thing in the nuts!

I'm accustomed to terms like American black walnut, French walnut, Circassian walnut, English walnut, and all of the Latin variations of 'juglans' but more recently we hear "thin shell walnut" and wonder if this is an entirely different species or just a term describing one of the above.....
Can anyone tell us something more than the fact that this term refers to the shell of the nut itself?





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this is as good an explanation a i have seen

"English Walnut Family: The English walnut family of woods- including all the various names applied to English "thin shell" walnut such as "French Walnut", "Circassian Walnut", or "Italian Walnut". "Bastogne" walnuts (hybrid cross-pollinated walnuts) are included in this group ........"

http://www.gunstocks.com/grade.html

http://www.gunstocks.com/digst.html

But then there is the Persian "thin shell" walnut that grows from the middle-east all the way into indo-China. There are some thirty or so species of walnut right here in North and South America, some of which produce 4-chamber "thin shell" nuts....
I prefer the Latin names of genus and species just so we all know what we're talking about in terms of gunstocks, in our particular world of interest.






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since the English/French walnut has its roots (pun intended) in Asia - Persian walnut is likely the same thing (see the second link)

i think the variance you see is environmental - mineral content in the soil - growing season and such

Juglans nigra is American Black Walnut. Walnuts from this species have thick shells. Wood from this species is dark with a relatively open grain.

Juglans regia is European walnut with multiple sub species, Persian, French, Bastogne, English, etc. Walnuts from this species have thin shells. Wood from this species has a relatively tighter grain. California grows many Juglans regia varieties as nut trees, and because nut production has optimum age periods, these trees are removed and new ones planted.

Stump wood from both species can be highly figured. Generally, Juglans regia is favored over Juglans nigra for gunstocks that are to be highly checkered, or checkering is to be finely spaced. Different localities have varied soil minerals and rainfall that result in mineralization streaks in the wood.