azsugarbear
Well-Known Member
A lot depends on the value you put in finer figured wood stocks. It appears to be fiddleback walnut. The terms fiddleback and tiger striped are often used together. Tiger striped maple would have more contrast between the colors. I build custom muzzleloaders, so I know a little about woods and premiums paid for 'the good stuff'. I will pay $100 to $250+ in premium over the price of a standard, plain stock blank. While the premium ultimately is negotiated between buyer and seller, there is little doubt that this is not just another Rem 700. First of all, they were made a lot better back when this one was built than they are today. It probably is a shooter. Regarding the wood: figured wood is getting harder to come by, so the prices just keep going upward. The fiddleback is pretty, but does not have a striking, 3-D look to it - so average premium added there. What is unusual about the stock in terms of today's wood availability is that the figuring continues through the whole stock from butt to forearm. It doesn't 'come and go', but carries well throughout the entire piece of wood on both sides. That is getting harder to find - especially in the longer pieces required for flintlocks. I would value the stock at an additional $250 in premium over normal prices, mostly because of the wood, but also because it appears to be an original stock from Remington. If you ever go to sell it, you would need to find a buyer that values beautiful wood the same way you do in order to get the value back out of that gun.