Wood or Synthetic Pick your poison

[InkEd]

I prefer synthetic stocks on all of my frequently used rifles. The only one I have with wood is my Henry Big Boy lever action. The polymer stuff is lighter, not as sensitive to solvents and more durable.

Aesthetically, which one looks better IMHO depends on the rifle. "Classic" rifles like lever actions, bolt actions hunting and pre-1950s mil-surps look better with wood to me. ARs, anything to be used in wet environment and "tactical" bolt actions all get the nod for synthetic.

I have seen wood AR furniture and it looks "just sorta wrong" to me. Ditto for HK/FAL style rifles but to a lesser extent.

 

[buck460XVR]

Wood.

I'm old.

I'm old too, but other than a coula levers, I haven't hardly bought a new wood stocked gun for 20 years. No reason to. Even the wood stocked levers were stainless. If they would have been available with a syn stock at the time, they too would be woodless. To me, the beauty in a gun is the way it shoots and performs. To require less maintenance and have a more stable stock is a big plus.

 

[Cee Zee]

I've had beautiful walnut stocks warp on me and become useless because they put pressure on the barrel. There's a time and a place for wood and synthetic IMO. Some synthetic isn't worth a darn but much of it is excellent. And I like laminate too.

 

[3212]

My last purchase was a Ruger with silver and black laminate stock,stainless barrel and matte silver scope.

 

[jmr40]

I burn wood in my fireplace and use synthetics on my guns. Wood has been on guns for 500 years. For 500 years it has been expanding shrinking, splitting and cracking because it was once a living breathing organism. Gunmakers have been searching for a better alternative for 500 years. If wood were so perfect no one would have gone out looking for something better.

 

[Mike1234567]

Plastic will eventually deteriorate too from age, weather, sunlight, heat/cold. Does anyone know of any longevity and/or tortures tests of synthetic stocks... or other things made of polymer? Maybe automotive parts?

 

[Agsalaska]

Wood 100% of the time. I only have a couple of guns with synthetic stocks. The only reason I keep them is the sentimental value they carry. But I will never again buy a gun with anything other than a wood stock. I absolutely cannot stand synthetic stocks.

 

[tactikel]

I'm old school but, my first 13 firearms have wood stocks, the last 5 synthetic. Synthetic has no concerns with moisture, warping, splitting. Weights less and if it gets dinged up who cares?

 

[ZVP]

ntresting replies!
Seems about even.
I'll stick with wood though.
ZVP

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I really am a synthetic guy. I own wood stocked guns but will not buy a new one. All of the ones I have are antique , collectable or family rifles.

 

[Legionnaire]

I have both. I much prefer the look and feel of wood (and blued steel), but synthetics have their place. My favorite "go to" hunting rifle is a Model 7 in an H.S. Precision synthetic stock; set up that way for utility. But it doesn't have the class of a nice piece of walnut.

 

[dprice3844444]

when available,stainless/synthetic.keeps zero,no swelling, and if i ding it,who cares.

 

[Piper106]

I like a gun to look like dear old granddad's, i.e. wood.

Having said that I agree with what others have noted, that wood shinks, swells, warps, and cracks. My ideal would be synthetic base material with some sort of genuine imitation wood grain paint/decal effect for a surface. It is do-able, I have seen on other message boards painted wood grain that would fool a walnut tree.

That is for 'classic' looking firearms. Ar-15s and other 'modern' weapons is another story. On those guns, wood looks weird. Synthetic that looks like black plastic is the only thing that looks right.