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You should get a good book on the subject---there's alot more to it than meets the eye.
Nothing wrong with air drying lumber I like air drying the best.
Most times, the bark is removed and not left on.
Sometimes the ends of the lumber are waxed to prevent it from drying to quickly and causing checks and splits.
You have to know what you are doing and what you are looking at to get a blank suitable for a gunstock---a proper gunstock that is--not just a handle.
It takes an experienced eye to look at a "tree" and know the best way to cut it up into blanks.
Grain flow is important in the grip area and laying out blanks takes a certain amount of knowledge.
If you are looking at a tree for gunstocks, the process starts before you even start the saw to cut it down.
12 inches in diameter is not going to give you many choices though.
I would talk to any saw mill you may be thinking of using and see what they have to say.
Dipper
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