Spoken of years ago

[CINDERS]

Well we said a fair while ago some one should get around to producing full wood sets for the MkIII & No.4 well someone has started and I guess they may have stumbled onto a cash cow. I base this comment on what original pieces are going for having seen a single fore wood for a MkIII go for $190/Au.

On average full stocks in original condition range from $350 upwards then your buying stuff that is used and circumspect but we will see with this lot goes.
I am not familiar with Rosewood though I have a couple of repro bits here brought 5-6 years ago and if thats the type they make it out of it seems very light in weight so not the densest of woods.
Although Beech is a wood that is fairly light also?

Calibre/Item: 303
Make: SMLE
Model: No 1 Mk III*
Action: Bolt repeater
Condition: New
Price: $485
Advertised: 3/09/2018
Licence number: 50001456
Phone: 07 4638 5565
Comment: Reproduction Timber sets to suit SMLE No1 Mk III*, Just Landed. These incredibly accurate timber sets are now available in store at Southern Cross Militaria, 0746 385565. We have spared no expense getting these reproduction sets as accurate as possible. Perfect to get that sporter 303 back to original or to rebuild your 303 like new. Handcrafted from Rosewood, stained to a dark finish. Set includes the butt, lower handguard and front and rear top handguards. Spring retaining clip is attached to the rear handguard. Limited stock available in this shipment. $500 per set, posted anywhere in Australia. Some final fitment is required.

Information

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[nijalninja]

I've dealt with SC before. They have a lot of nice stuff, quite a bit of collectables. However I've had two not so great deals with them. Might have just been a bad day but didn't leave a good impression. If the stocks are good and as accessible as they sound like they will be then I'm happy for them, but I'll let a few people try them out before I jump on a set.

Apparently Rosewood is from south-east asia and is about as light as beech. Could they have used spotted gum or just walnut?

[IanS]

Are you sure they are using rosewood? I heard that rosewood was a protected species and that commercial importing/exporting was banned or severely restricted to small non commercial amounts.

[rcathey]

Replying to no one in particular:

I used to make tool handles on the lathe for resale.
I used a lot of rosewood - of all different subspecies.
Some were hard and dense enough to literally break the teeth off a rasp!
However, the context clues here are telling me it’s East Indian rosewood. It can be quite light because it’s grown fast in plantations. This is also why it can be exported/imported. The plantations are much more sustainable than the rain forest!

[IanS]

Thanks for the information on sustainability.

[Surpmil]

Indian Rosewood so-called, is almost as heavy as lignum vitae and not much softer from what I have seen and handled. One has to remember that there are hundreds of species sometimes lumped into such catch-all names. The market doesn't really care as long as the price is right and the physical properties are close enough. Hence presumably the lack of interest in greater exactitude.

The Southern Cross repros look good in the photos; not cheap though!