Wood rifle stock fans speak up!

[elktrout]

It seems that the trend is continuing toward near total market domination by synthetic stocks. I only own two rifles myself, and both have synthetics on them. But, I still love (and in some ways prefer) a wooden stock.

What do you say? If you hunt with a wooden stocked rifle, how do you seal it to keep the weather shifts from warping it and causing shifts in zero?

Why do YOU prefer a wooden stock?

 

[sayak]

Wood stocks? Aesthetics. Lore.
I have four wood stocked rifles and two plastic stocked rifles, but I mostly hunt with the plastic ones after having a stock totally swell and discolor during an extended, wet, fall hunt.
However...
Much game has been taken in wet cold climates with wood and blued rifles. For instance, consider all the brown bear taken with wood stocked rifles on Kodiak and around Alaska in the worst of weather conditions.

 

[tahoe2]

wood & blue

to me, signifies old world craftsmanship, and attention to detail, someone actually built them with pride of craftsmanship.
I know that today's rifles are certainly better with the occasional exception to the rule.
modern rifle; = better metallurgy, CNC machined, better barrels, molded stocks w/bedding blocks etc..
All that said, I only have one synthetic stocked rifle, a tack driving 1981 Remington 7400 in 7MM Express (280 Remington) my most accurate rifle,
the rest are blue/wood lever-guns and a slew of mauser bolt guns, that shoot 100+ year old cartridges, and kill game as well as any whiz-banger
that's available today, cept I'll have to shoot the animal in this county not the next one over
My sporter mausers aren't quite as accurate as the Remington which shoots under an inch when I'm on it. But they have taken their fair share.
I have used my blue/wood guns in lots of rain, and have not noticed any POI changes. I treat some of my stocks with Tru Oil and some with
Boiled Linseed Oil ( to be authentic to their military heritage)

 

[Skylerbone]

I love the look of wood, seven of my rifles still wear it well. The three or four synthetics and laminates are fine for what they are and I have no plans to change them. A good rifle is a good rifle to me but a good rifle with a beautiful stock is somehow...more.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

My pet 700 BDL has seen plenty of rain with no ill effect.

 

[Schwing]

I rarely buy anything with a synthetic stock now that I don't hunt anymore. I can sure appreciate the beauty of a synthetic stock when it comes to weight and water but wood stocks are just too aesthetically pleasing when weight and water are not a factor.

 

[Water-Man]

I don't understand it.

We hunted for years and years in the cold, rain and snow with wood rifles with no ill effect. Must use different wood now or people don't take care of their rifles.

 

[rondog]

Let's see, three with non-wood stocks, and I'm not gonna go count the ones WITH wood stocks.

 

[heycods]

20 some odd rifles and shotguns in my closet, No plastic! Blue steel and walnut kina guy.

 

[twofifty]

Boone & Crocket book is full of animals taken with wood-stocked blued rifles,
in spite of rain or snow.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

Wood stocks give a rifle a soul and turn it into a rare thing of beauty full of life.

Synthetic stocks have no soul and it remains a lifeless gun.

 

[forward observer]

Over 40 firearms---all wood (mostly walnut) and blued or nickeled steel.

I do have a Remington .41 rim fire over/under derringer which has hard rubber grips, but that's it. I even replaced the black plastic grips on all my Colt SAA's with either Walnut or Ivory.

If God had meant for guns to have laminate or plastic stocks he would have created laminate and plastic trees.

Cheers

P.S. I probably has something to do with me being an old fart

 

[fpgt72]

This weapon made of iron and wood.....

The way it should be.

 

[StrawHat]

I shoot a lot of old, antique rifles, some only 100 years old many older. I always like it when the first shot goes to the sights with the old wood stocks and iron sights. So do the next two or four. I get a bit of kidding from the techno-rifle squad, until the guns speak and they have to fiddle with theirs to get them on target.

 

[george d dennis]

Nothing like a nice piece of wood on a rifle. I own all wood stocks on my rifles.
Some nice fine grain wood .

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // I say to each their own. There are good arguments for both wood and syn stocks.

I have both.... the rifles/shotguns that are hardest used ,wet weather and of course the ones I take out most when training new shooters are syn.

The new shooters really brighten up when you finally trust them with a beautifully wood stocked rifle/shotgun...you can see the respect for wood in the way the treat the firearm.

My infestation is 95% wood stocked but I love the syn when necessary....I also love the fact that since syn stocks came out there have been some outstanding wood stocked firearms hitting the pawn shop/gun store racks!!

 

[ZGunner]

I buy firearms to shoot. Their looks are a secondary concern to me. With that said, I love the way a wood stock looks and feels. Something warm about wood. The individuality each stock has, like a fingerprint. Wood wears it's bumps and bruises, scratches and scars like a badge of honor and a story of it's past.

I can appreciate synthetic stocks but my favorite rifle is my ugliest, a beat and battered 1918 SMLE No 1 Mk III.

 

[sage5907]

It seems to be the fashionable thing to put a non-wood stock on rifles, even the older classic ones. This has been good to me because it puts many wood stocks on the market and I have bought several of them. I have one of the latest McMillan fiberglass stocks on one of my rifles and I have used it in the rain and snow. That being said, I love the feel of a wood stock and I use wood stocks all the time without hesitation. When I put a wood stock to my shoulder it has a feel that no fiberglass stock can duplicate. A fiberglass stock turns a rifle into a tool.

 

[anothernewb]

Hard to beat good old walnut & blue. my favorite of all time in all my guns. long and pistol.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with synthetic and stainless. I believe they moved to them for a simple manufacturing expedient. Wood is a natural product - it's "warm" it has beauty that no synthetic can match, but that beauty comes from it's variable nature. no two wood stocks are identical. no wood stock is "perfect" either. From an asthetic standpoint - that's awesome. From a replication standpoint. that kinda sucks.

A molded/milled stock made from dimensionally stable material is superior in the respect that it is easy to make identical copies and replicate a desired set of tolerances.

If you look it another way - dimensionally stable material has replaced a lot of traditional wood products in many areas. when was the last time you saw a house going up with traditional timbers. (save for log cabin types) all the main structural beams are "LVL" and we've used plywood for dang near everything for decades. why? dimensional stability, consistent structure, and strength. They're ideal for their uses - but no one's ever going to pull up their carpet and "refinish those beautiful old plywood floors" lol.

So there will always be a market for a wood stocked gun. the appeal is there and the market will never go away. But for basic utilitarian purposes - synthetics are here to stay.

On a further side note - I guess another reason for the increase of synthetics is that a firearm was more often an heirloom piece, it would be displayed proudly, handed down like a fine set of china. that sadly isn't the case much more. people are often forced to lock them away and hide their very existence in many places.

 

[Outlaw Man]

I've seen wood stocks (whether solid or laminate) that were gorgeous. I've never heard anyone comment on how pretty a synthetic stock is.

That said, I buy guns for shooting, not for looks, so it doesn't matter much to me. I have both. Outside the precision shooting realm, there are far too many dead animals (and enemy combatants) to argue that wood is inferior.

 

[heycods]

I was digging around on Ruger site last night, No wood stocked rifles availibe in M77! I cried myself to sleep.

 

[RentaCop]

I changed my two main hunting rifles to synthetics, not for looks, but for west Washington's liquid sunshine.

 

[HOWARD J]

I like a good wood stock
The only one that ever bothered me is my Ruger 10-22 wood stock
The wood stock looked really nice until I put it in my gun vice which pushes on both sides of the stock to hold it in place.
When I opened the vice---there was a blister ( about 1/2" in dia.) on both sides of the stock I pushed on it & air came out---NEVER SAW THAT BEFORE
It is still a great shooter with a cheap wood stock

 

[wyohome]

I have used wooden stocked rifles my entire life. In the rain forests of Washington and Oregon to the extreme heat and cold of Wyoming. If YOU were making rifles, would you want the stocks to cost $2 or $50? Being able to convince buyers of non-existent problems saves a bunch of money and time at the factory. I remember when a 3x9 Leupold scope was actually usable. Now anyone who reads the blogs would say they are nearly impossible to see through. As long as there are salesmen, new and cheaper products will be made and sold as upgrades.

 

[Jon_Snow]

Does it count if I'm having my recently built fiberglass stock hydro-dipped to look like wood?

(Needed fiberglass to keep the weight down for competition)