Which do you prefer: Stainless w/ black sythetic stock or Blued Metal w/ wood stock?

Stainless w/ Black synthetic VS. Blued w/ wood

  • I prefer Stainless reciever and barrel with a synthetic stock.

    Votes: 27 18.4%

  • I prefer Blued reciever and barrel with a wooden stock.

    Votes: 93 63.3%

  • I like them equally, I can't decide on one or the other.

    Votes: 27 18.4%
  • Total voters
    147
  • Poll closed .
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Carolina Kalash

Carolina Kalash

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May 15, 2011
Messages
592
Location
Lake Wylie, South Carolina
I'm talking about bolt action hunting rifles (couldn't fit all of that in the topic title). This is a hard choice for me, because I'm one of those guys that for the most part prefers blued metal with wood, but stainless with a black synthetic stock is one of my few execeptions, and I really can decide between the two, I want to have one of each some day. I voted "both". Stainless with wood looks good to I think especially darker colored woods, blued with syntetic is "meh".
 
For bolt-action rifles, I prefer blued steel and quality wood. However, I understand the limitations thereof, and have owned a few with blued steel and laminated stocks. And they have limitations too...ergo, I have lusted after the occasional stainless with laminate stock...

As far as synthetic stocks...no thank you. My experience with them is that they upset the natural balance of the rifle, and make the rifle handle in an un-naturally nose-heavy manner.

My experience is limited to about a dozen Remington M700s over the course of the last 25 or so years. I guess I should add that at least 1/3 of them have been heavy barrel models, which will exacerbate the above observation.

YMMV.
 
I chose blue/wood. It's not so much the stock as the metal though - blue or even parkerized is much more attractive to me than stainless and I especially dislike the sheen of stainless on a hunting weapon. YMMV.
 
Green synthetic for me. The metal can be blue or SS. I've never had a blue gun give me any problems. Numerous issues with wood, no longer use it.

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I like blue/walnut on shotguns, and stainless/synthetic on bolt guns.

I don't mind laminate, but I don't particularly love it either... For budget precision rifles, it's hard to beat a $99 Boyd's stock.
 
Jeez, nobody ever created polls on THR that have the correct options for me. I prefer synthetic or laminate wih blue metal, or maybe stainless with laminate.

I prefer not to hunt with natural wood if I can avoid it.
 
I love the look of a fine wood stock with blued steel, but I think synthetic (with either black, blued, or stainless) is much more practical. This is especially true considering I've never met a wood stock that offered a quality cheekweld. With a synthetic stock, I can either buy an adjustable comb stock right off the bat, or keep a lower quality factory synthetic stock and just drill a couple holes into it to build a proper-fitting comb. I couldn't bring myself to do that to a wood stock.
 
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I have an affinity towards blued guns and wooden stocks, most especially when it comes to long guns.

I have to admit, though, that my wife's Savage Mark II-F .22 bolt action looks mighty nice with that all black synthetic stock!

;)
 
I guess I'm easy--I like them all! I have everything from a Black Diamond Nylon 66 .22 to a fine, walnut stocked custom 30-06. I also have Hogue over-molded stocks and laminated stocked stainless rifles. Still, I mostly have blued steel and walnut.
 
I like and have them both. I also have a few laminate stocks as well.

I like the weather resistance of the stainless/synthetic rifles but a nice wood or laminate stock is hard to beat for visual appearance.
 
Both SS w/Synth and Blued w/Wood look good. I think Blued is more flexible. It can go with wood or synthetic. However, to me, SS looks weird in a wooden stock. But hey, in the end it's in the eyes of the beholder. Some like fat ones, others like waifish ones. :D
 
I like most any I try to use based on the situation

depends on where and when bad weather I like my stainless with synthetic. Good weather i prefer blued with a nicely figured walnut.
 
JMR40,

What make of stocks are your two Winchesters in? I'm planning on putting my stainless M70 in a composite stock and I like the look of yours. It shoots great with the poly stock, so I'm not in a huge hurry, just gathering ideas.
 
Just discovered this, I don't know how long these have been around but I'm kinda intrested...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=445540490

It looks the part of wood (even though it isn't) and the "fake wood" with black hogue grips (or if it was real wood) looks good w/ parkerized metal, almost gives it a classic military look. I kinda forgot about parkerized metal on a hunting rifle.
 
Nothing looks better than a good blueing job and a nice walnut stock. Nothing is more functional than stainless and composite.
 
Fiberglass + Cerakote is far more durable than probably anything else out there. An aluminum chassis might could beat it, but I orefer my hands not to get burnt when its 100+ degrees outside.

Nice wood and blued are fancy, but they are not "working" rifles to me, more like functional art. Typical synthetic is cheap and ugly to me, and stainless should be painted (I do like the properties of stainless, just painted).

So for me, its fiberglass + cerakote. If I cannot have fiberglass, I'll take a laminate + cerakote combo.
 
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I used to be more in the blue/wood camp. Then i moved to a rain forest. My stainless rifles see a bunch more use than the others, same for pistols.
 
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