Seeking walnut wood source, interesting stuff

[RJW NZ]

I'm wondering if anyone knows the principle seller of these dark walnut wood sets that are on ebay with FR oversprayed on them?
I used one set on my rifle project and it was really great stuff and now I'm after another set for a friend.
I thought you'd be interested, if not shocked to see the second picture, its the label that was inside the wrapping of my walnut wood set from last year. That looks like ROF to me.
There was plenty of conjecture that this was not really good wood, and possibly have come from India. I meant to post this last year but forgot.

Information

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[S-A-M3]

Hi Roger, Pretty sure that it is Indian. Seen some close up and the wood is almost black and hard. Have a No5 which I think also has same woodwork, has a long butt as well. Stuart.

[RJW NZ]

How does the label fit with being indian? Would that mean the wood was indian but lathed in the UK?

[Peter Laidler]

The wood is UK made, sent to the old ROF at Woolwich where they had a huge primary packaging facility (called the OPPF for short). There it is labelled etc etc and sent to Ordnance Stores at wherever it's needed.

Next question......................

[Edward Horton]

RJW NZ

As an American and a rookie on British English and Enfield's would you be so kind to explain what "FR" means......

"FR oversprayed on them"

And is "FR" the shiny oily substance that looks like linseed oil on the stock in your photo.

So many choices, so little time.

FR France
FR Field Report
FR Federal Register
FR Freshman
FR Federal Reserve
FR Frankfurter Rundschau
FR Fund-Raising
FR French Republic
FR Flame-Retardant
FR frequency response
FR Failure Rate
FR Fumble Recovery (football not Rugby)
FR Field Retrofit
FR Fauna Rescue of South Australia Inc.

P.S. It is hard enough understanding that the American peace sign using two fingers can be interpreted as plucking yew in Britain and a fighting insult.

[Thunderbox]

I've got quite a few sets of this wood.

Some of it is clearly walnut, which indicated that at least some of the wood blanks must have originated in UK. Most of the rest is a dark wood with a wavy grain, which resembles perhaps birch. Definitely not beech, so I assumed this wood was sourced in the Indian subcontinent somewhere.

The wood is excellent stuff. It is cut a lot "fatter" than UK stocks, so quite a lot has to be removed to bed the action properly. This allows a really tight fit to be achieved. The rifles I have stocked up with it have all turned out as top-notch shooters.

Peter, was all of this made in UK? I ask, because about 50% of the sets on the market have the "Ishy screw" through them and look as though thats how they came out of the factory. Could some of the sets have been made in UK to prove the machinery before it was exported to Wah?

[Peter Laidler]

I'm just assuming that the Woolwich packing label was attached to the fore-end in the photo, subject to the discussion. We (the MoD) wouldn't bring the stuff in, of that you can be sure. And we'd only patch it if it was split and not as a precautionary measure like the Indians. So if it's got that screw, it was shipped to the Indians, screwed so to speak, and put into their Ordnance stores system. Then sold off as surplus. On the other hand, if it hasn't got the screw fitted, then it might have gone to India and sat awaiting 'the screw'.

Don't forget that until the 70's we were MASSIVE donors to India under a long standing Aid to India agreement. In fact, we still are

You can tell the maker by the inspoection marks at the top, close to the fore-end cap. It has a code astride a long legged WD arrow, quite small.

[krinko]

"about 50% of the sets on the market have the "Ishy screw" through them and look as though thats how they came out of the factory."

Two years ago similar furniture showed up in the US. Some Circassian Walnut, some a dark hardwood with a very rough surface and some UK pieces----one forestock I got was Long Branch.
50% had the reinforcing screw, 90% of the butts had an "FR" stencilled on the side and the "FR" stamp showed up in some unusual places.
Below are photos of one of the best sets, Circassian Walnut, made at Wah.
Forestock is Mk1, "P/58", butt is "P/61".
Forestock is stamped "FR" in the barrel channel and the draws have been rebuilt---but there isn't a scratch or dent to be seen on the thing, leading to the speculation it was a factory second that was repaired and stored.
The butt has a stencilled "FR" and a stamped "FR" in the trap recess. It can be seen that wood around the hole for the pull through weight has been replaced---though the butt is as the forestock, unmarked by use.
With the exception of the LB piece, none of this will go on a rifle without extensive fitting---the handguards from this lot are so oversize, they need a spokeshave to dress the exterior profile.
Perhaps this is from the same source?
-----krinko

[RJW NZ]

RJW NZ

As an American and a rookie on British English and Enfield's would you be so kind to explain what "FR" means......

"FR oversprayed on them"

And is "FR" the shiny oily substance that looks like linseed oil on the stock in your photo.

So many choices, so little time.

Hi Ed, It looks like Krinko answered the query. In addition to FR being stamped in the various wood interiors it was sometimes across the butt 6 inches tall, and done with what looked like a quick pass with an auto spray gun, just a light dusting of paint, whatever it was it simply wiped off with a bit of turps.
Sorry, its not a bit of code for down under shennanigens...
The stocks had quite a layer of dust and sticky grime on them, but a few passes with the turps and it looked like the photo.

[Brian Dick]

If it's the wood I think it is, it was imported into the USA by Century Arms and is Turkish walnut of Pakistani origin. I bought a few sets a year ago at SAR East in York, PA and it was ugly but new and cleaned up beautifully.