Is a prominent knot in the rear of a stock considered a flaw or just part of the figure? See this pic. Thanks in advance.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...8-inch-barrels.cfm?gun_id=101539750#md-2

Knots are cool.
I almost polled the trigger on a Parker Repro 28 gauge that had about 8 knots.
So ugly it was amazing.

why knot?

In this case I would consider it just part of the figure, if it was in the wrist or head area a flaw. Figure beauty is subjective and in the eye of the beholder!

You will find filled flaws and knots in the very best of guns. Nothing wrong with it if done properly. Often these flaws appear only when the finest blank is almost reduced to its final dimensions and then the gunmaker has to decide whether to reject a fine piece of wood or fill it and finish. What you have shown me wouldn’t concern me at all.

I have seen several Aya's over the years that have knots in the stock, but I know of none that have broken as a result of these knots. What bothers me more with the No. 2 for sale in the link above is AyA's inability to get the engraving centered over the cocking indicators -- particularly on the right lock. How/why this happens so often with this model of AyA and at this price point is beyond me.

Pretty much every walnut tree is going to have either knots, bark inclusions, or other flaws in the wood. But we don't see these things in gun stocks very often because the guys who sell good quality blanks to factories or individuals go out of their way to lay out the blank in a manner that leaves the flawed wood on the scrap pile.

Having cut walnut slabs into stock blanks, I can assure you that the scrap pile is much larger than the pile of good, usable blanks. I do not believe that the knot in the stock you are asking about would not have been apparent until final turning of the blank. But it also has good grain flow through the wrist, nice figure in the butt, and appears nearly quarter-sawn, so it was certainly good for a gun stock.

However, there is obviously also some market for less than perfect wood. So we see a good number of blanks and finished stocks that are less than perfect, especially in lower grade guns. These blanks sometimes require minor filling of voids or inclusions, and they are priced lower accordingly. In general, you get what you pay for when buying blanks. But if some buyers are willing to pay good money for firewood, there will always be someone just as willing to take their money.

I sold a #2 because of the poor engraving symmetry around the cocking indicator. Every time I pickup it up and TRIED to admire it, my eye immediately gravitated to this flaw.