Where has all the wood gone?

Poper said:

So sad....

I was into Sportsman's Warehouse the other day to pick up a shotgun I bought through the online store. The gun racks were plumb full. Not a single rifle with a wood stock. Maybe 1 out of 3 or 1 out of 4 shotguns had a wood stock.

Is it all cutting of production costs or are our kids completely devoid of any sense of aesthetics?
If I can't have wood on my rifle, with very few exceptions, I probably don't want it.

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The younger shooters don’t like wood! I personally like metal and laminate wood. I have only 10+ wood stock long guns.

Poper said:

So sad....

I was into Sportsman's Warehouse the other day to pick up a shotgun I bought through the online store. The gun racks were plumb full. Not a single rifle with a wood stock. Maybe 1 out of 3 or 1 out of 4 shotguns had a wood stock.

Is it all cutting of production costs or are our kids completely devoid of any sense of aesthetics?
If I can't have wood on my rifle, with very few exceptions, I probably don't want it.

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I mean I also think nothing beats some nice walnut furniture, but it's falling out of fashion for a variety of reasons.

1) Real Walnut is expensive / Synthetics are cheaper
2) Synthetics tend to be lighter and hold up to moisture better, so they are popular with hunters
3) Partly it is aesthetics many people like the cool/tactical/camo look, beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all
4) Many younger shooters associate walnut with "fud" culture

It really is a variety of reasons that has driven retailers especially bigbox's to carry more synthetics and less wood. Just good old supply and demand nothing sinister.

You are much more likely to find a bigger selection of wood shotys at a local rod & gun shop/club

Poper said:

....or are our kids completely devoid of any sense of aesthetics?....

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This is something that needs to be learned; it's not an inherent human trait - so - if it wasn't taught, don't blame the kids.

Younger folks are becoming the majority of customers. They have been brainwashed into believing that plywood and plastic are better.

It’s too bad they don’t understand plywood was used because real wood wasn’t available during a time of war. As to plastic it’s simply ugly.

My sense is hobbyists find dealing with temperature, humidity, twisting, warping, and accuracy issues makes it easier for them to choose a synthetic stock. Interesting would be a synthetic that looks exactly like wood!

Then what would likely be selected?

I too like wood over plastic. At least now they offer different colors in plastic.

jeepnik said:

Younger folks are becoming the majority of customers. They have been brainwashed into believing that plywood and plastic are better.

It’s too bad they don’t understand plywood was used because real wood wasn’t available during a time of war. As to plastic it’s simply ugly.

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I have to disagree, I have a 870 express and a Ruger #1 with laminated wood and I think they are nice. I alway have a Beretta SP Shotgun with Walnut and it’s nice, and a 1873 Win with Walnut and it’s nice too. And my plastic AR’s are extra NICE

Poper said:

If I can't have wood on my rifle, with very few exceptions, I probably don't want it.

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I have wood, composite and plastic. They all work as advertised... the wood being the one that is the most susceptible to movement o ver the long term.

The only arms I own that have wood are all black powder arms.

In the New production, there's going to be a lot of cost-to-build sensitivity by the manufacturers.

So, they are likely going to self-select for things they can reliably subcontract out with the entire Gordian Knot of least cost/least rejects/best fit that still "sells" the finished item. The long arm market is somewhat split between economically-priced arms and the higher end priced arms. At $400-600 you are probably unlikely to see "fine" wood, as the margins are so tight. Over a grand, wood will be an option, as it's not a premium part of the price.

And, the secondary/used market has plenty of wood stocks inhabiting it. Along with a fairly well cemented notion that a person who wants a fine wood stock can get one and fit it.

There's another factor that may be "hiding" here, too. What we see in the racks is also what is "not sold" as much as it's "what's available to sell." The LGS or BB may have gotten in any number of wooden stock versions of what's for sale, and those sold first. You would then only see the synthetics in the rack. The modern "gun biz" is different, nowadays, too. Probably as many consumers have been online and selected what they want, and had it sent to their LGS or BB, as those who just "walk in."

So, if you are a retailer, do you tie up inventory on more expensive examples, or let the consumer who want them, order them? Empty racks send a confusing message to consumers. Even if they have no intention of buying "off the rack."

I mostly only buy synthetic furniture for my guns, but all of my serious guns including my hunting rifle and my handguns must be weather proof as much as possible. I do have a few that are wood but those were heirloom guns from dad. These I treasure.

I just sold a 1980’s Win M70 in 7MM mag…kinda sad to see it go but it was just sitting in the safe and had no one in the family with any interest. I killed a lot of deer and antelope with that rifle.

I am buying wood lever rifles. I do want a Ruger M77-22 if I find one at a fair price.

Wood may not be as prevalent as synthetic stocks, but they still command top dollar in good guns.

Mark_Mark said:

The younger shooters don’t like wood! I personally like metal and laminate wood. I have only 10+ wood stock long guns.

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I like the laminate sticks too.

Poper said:

If I can't have wood on my rifle, with very few exceptions, I probably don't want it.

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You and me both, brother...
While I've got a 590A1, 10-22 and a few ARs with plastic, I just favor something that displays how much it's been used and loved throughout the years. That's what I consider an heirloom, by the way. Pristine rifles in perfect condition don't show much of a history for me.


I'm still looking for one of these puppies:

Synthetic is cheaper. And far more durable than wood.

After working on several wood rifles for customers, I want more of them for myself. For fair weather hunting. But for a hard use/bad weather rifle, I would pick a synthetic stock over wood everytime.

Old Dog said:

You and me both, brother...
While I've got a 590A1, 10-22 and a few ARs with plastic, I just favor something that displays how much it's been used and loved throughout the years. That's what I consider an heirloom, by the way. Pristine rifles in perfect condition don't show much of a history for me.
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I'm still looking for one of these puppies:
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Purdy firearms.

I like shooting ARz as long as they belong to someone else. Too many nooks and crannies on those things to clean. Also, I would rather spend my money on old wood vs. new plastic.

I like cars from the late sixties and early seventies. The same goes for my guns in wood.

To each their own.

The good, reasonably priced wood is all gone, as in the trees are all dead. Seriously, a decent wood stock will cost into 4 figures just for the wood. You have a choice of seeing butt ugly cheap wood or plastic. I like decent wood as well as anyone, but I burn about 2 cords of wood every winter to help heat my home and most of it looks better than what they are putting on wood stocked rifles and shotguns today. If it's going to be cheap ugly wood, I'll take the practical advantages of plastic every time.

FWIW, I ordered a Brown Precision stock for a rifle in 1983 and haven't hunted with a wood stocked bolt rifle in almost 40 years. You couldn't pay me to go back to wood. I do have some older lever guns when decent wood was still available, and some older shotguns with decent wood. But I can't afford anything new production with wood that looks any better than plastic.

They stopped making wooden boats and wooden car wheels for the same reason wood is no longer preferred in firearms.

Because for various reasons the new culture of gun buyers are obsessed with killing, war, tactical, combat and not much else. Black plastic and alloy sells. Blued steel and walnut stays on the shelf, it’s not edgy enough.

Poper said:

When they see empty space in your showroom, they are less likely to stop and shop.

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The car dealers are hard up against this, right now, too.
So, if you are the gun retailer, do you spend $50 or $100 more per gun just to fill the racks? I can see where a person could draw the wrong conclusion from that.

herrwalther said:

Synthetic is ..(snip) ... far more durable than wood....

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Frankly I think the jury's still out on that verdict. I have a number of wood-stocked rifles manufactured long before synthetics were invented, much less applied to rifle stocks, which have seen hard use, and are still plenty serviceable. Plastic degrades over time, especially if exposed to the elements. Wood is natural. It can be protected. It can be renewed. It can be repaired.

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JCooperfan1911 said:

Because for various reasons the new culture of gun buyers are obsessed with killing, war, tactical, combat and not much else. Black plastic and alloy sells. Blued steel and walnut stays on the shelf, it’s not edgy enough.

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I know a guy who got into guns from video games.

Mark_Mark said:

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I know a guy who got into guns from video games.

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And?