What kind of wood?

Hey guys. I have two model 110's, one is a carbine from the late 1970's and the other is a GLXP3 from the late 1990's. I refinished both stocks with a traditional oil finish and they both cameout looking awesome. The older carbine is lighter in color than the newer model, but I believe both of them are made from birch wood. I know they are not walnut but the question I have is, if there is a possibility for them to be beech wood stocks and not birch? I have a hard time telling them apart at times. I am pretty sure they are birch wood, I am however not sure if Savage even ever used beech wood for their stocks at all. Any help is much appreciated.

I believe they're beech wood. The only Birch (Artic) I've seen have been on my Mosin Nagant M-91's and 91-30's.

Good question. I really like my 110 EL stock. Strong lighter then walnut but always wondered what it was. I had a glxp and it seemed a little heavier.

I called Savage Arms today and they confirmed it, 110 GXP3 and GLXP3 stocks (at least on mine with the serial #) are beech wood. I was surprised actually to learn that. A few years back, I had a gunsmith who told me it was birch, but apparently he was incorrect. They also told me at Savage that they only can provide information as such on rifles made in 1995 and later. The older model however is also most likely beech.

I don't know who you spoke with, but they don't know anything about wood. Savage hasn't used beech for stocks since they gave up their in house stock manufacturing in the early 1980's. Outside of walnut and laminates, the other "hardwood" stocks are north eastern birch. Birch is not only plentiful, but cheap, or used to be. Many people get beech and birch mixed up, but there is one difference...beech will take stain fairly well, birch will not. That's why the finish they use is a "all in one", a stain and finish together. If you've ever seen a stock with a scratch or wear mark, it will be lighter underneath.

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