Fancy Wood or Plastic?

[roysclockgun]

As a tad, I much admired looking at firearms stocked with fancy wood. Later I discovered that many men who owned those pieces of art that could fire projectiles, never took them out of the gun room! Still, when I began to gather my own battery of hunting pieces, I coveted the fancy wood. In the late 1960s, I bought a Remington 870TC Trap Gun. The wood was gorgeous. I used the gun for everything, buying a second barrel in 26" IMP. CYL. to use for gunning quail and grouse over my Pointers. With that beautiful piece, I shot water fowl, quail, pheasant and ruffed grouse, and even some deer, using slugs. It did not take long to ding up that beautiful wood and every dent and scratch broke my heart, just a little. That gun made me a believer, for in my heart, it was more important for the firearm to be a tool, than for it to be a piece of art!
I never again bought a new firearm with wood stock. Plastic or composite stocks are the way to go for these reasons:
A good plastic stock will not change the impact of a fired bullet when it gets wet, frozen or hot. The plastic is impervious to dings, 'cause it is just not pretty enough to worry about. Sure, I am still careful with my firearms, whether in the field or in the gun room, but I do not die a little every thing the stock knocks again something hard!
The plastic will not give off a glare that could alert my prey. Flat finished plastic, coupled with Matt finish on metal surfaces is "BAD" and deadly appearing.
My hunting firearms hang next to my claw hammer, as they both to me are tools to be used.
So, when I visit another firearms fancier and he hauls out his firearms for me to view and they gleam with gorgeous wood that likely doubled or tripled the cost of the firearm, I am no longer envious, but instead imagine whether these guns, like prize show dogs, ever go afield, or not!
Steven in DeLand, FL

 

[Guy Miner]

Of course there's still good straight-grained, strong walnut. Not fancy, very utilitarian.

I've got rifles & shotguns with synthetic stocks, one rifle with a laminate stock which seems rather heavy, and several guns in very plain but useful walnut. I have to admit that I like the walnut stocked guns best, even for hunting. Don't really have anything with fancy wood, although over the years I've had a couple that came close. I'm okay with the walnut picking up some wear marks from hunting. I've earned my scars too.

Regards, Guy

 

[Oldtrader3]

I started out buying what was the standard of the day, off-the-shoulder sporter after about 1960. My gun "collection" consisted of a few Mauser, Springfield-project guns. Also a few Winchester 1892/94 models. In the 1970's, I started collecting Winchester Model 70 calibers and varients and Model 94 Winchester varients. There were all wood and blue factory rifles

I also had built my first custom stocked Mauser, Winchester 70 and Savage Model 11. I wonder what happened to the little .270 Model 11? I then bought my first "composite" rifle as they were being released and were becoming more popular locally in the late 1980's.

For me personally, the composite concept was a tool and not a fine firearm to be cherished, so I started liquidating all of the composite rifles and either converted them back to individuals with walnut and blued personalities. I thought that I would keep one composite .280 Rem, A-Bolt around but it ended up with my grandson but I still have plenty of walnut stocked bolt action rifles. The last Model 70 that I bought as a composite rifle has no been converted with a Grade II stock and a one-piece, floorplate assembly. I guess that I have voted as best I can with my check book.

 

[joelkdouglas]

Some of both, of course!

I believe nothing has the potential to shoot better than a high quality synthetic stock (McMillan, Manners), bedded properly. And I believe nothing looks better than blued metal, wood stock.

 

[DrMike]

I do own a couple of laminate stocked rifles. Everything else is wood stocked. Yes, the stocks get dinged and carry souvenirs after a few times afield. Each of those marks is a memory of a delightful trip into the mountains or along the floor of a valley stalking wary game. I still love good wood. Stocks can be rebuilt if necessary; but the beauty in my eyes is the record of multiple hunts carried by each rifle. I certainly don't despise synthetic stocks, and highly recommend them to others buying a rifle for the reasons Steven has listed. However, for myself, I continue to seek out wood stocks.

 

[Polaris]

Maybe just personal preference, but I prefer wood. Not shiney polyurethane coated wood, but nicely grained walnut sanded to 220 grit and lovingly finished with many coats of a linseed/bone black/turpentine blend. Makes a very impervious low glare "warm" finish that is easily repaired with a light spot sanding and application of some new finish.

I understand the technical advantages of synthetics (although I believe the changing impact theory is exaggerated and comes from poorly bedded stocks) but I think they are cold and lifeless. Part of the reason I hunt is to connect with nature and tradition, I believe a cold, lifeless tool is contrary to that goal no matter how effective it is.

To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a nice piece of wood on good metal. It will do the job just fine and hold more value to me than a gun cabinet full of tools (I've got a garage for that).

 

[Mooswa]

Mostly wood and a couple of synthetic or laminates. I love a beautiful oil finished stock of fine walnut and I prefer the feel of wood. However I still have one or two that are specifically used during guiding season and those are the rifles that will sport stainless/all weather finishes and a synthetic or laminate stock.

The north can be very hard on things, especially late season. Rain, snow, sleet, sand, pounding around in boats on rough water, horses, atv's, snowmachines............. 70F at the start of the season and -40 or so later on. Sometimes the 'tool' is the way to go, especially when you are really busy and have little time to babysit your rifle.

 

[Oldtrader3]

All of my rifles composite or wood stocked rifles already have the accuracy potentially to out shoot me to any distance which I am going to fire a shot at an animal. All of my wood-stocked bolt actions have small scratches and nicks in the stock but, as DrMike so well put it. Each of these marks has a story and a hunt behind it which reads to me like a walking history book. This is especially true as I approach 50 years of continuous ownership of the same rifle for some of them.

I do not care much for Polyurethane wood finishes unless they has been pumice rubbed and waxed down with Truoil to look like French satin finish anyhow.

 

[ScreaminEagle]

To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a nice piece of wood on good metal. It will do the job just fine and hold more value to me than a gun cabinet full of tools (I've got a garage for that).

Very true. Every single one of my rifles, and most shotguns, has a nice wood stock. Each one has the scars of a thousand great memories!

 

[BK]

My selection of M70s are a perfect cross section of my desire in rifles. One laminate, two walnut, and two synthetics... one expensive, flashy McMillan, one factory Bell and Carlson. I love them all, and I could care less what kind of handles they have on them. The wood ones get hunted, too, but I save the rainy days for the SS/glass rifles. That's why I bought them.

 

[6mm Remington]

I'm partial to the wood stocks and I too dislike the flashy finishes and prefer a more subtle finish on wood. The only synthetic in our family so far is the one on my son's 300 WSM. It's a nice rifle to hunt with and shoot, but there is just something special about holding a wood stocked rifle. It's almost as if they have a warmth to them and a story to tell that you start to feel the minute you pick them up! We also have one laminate, again thanks to my son, and me. I put a Boyds nutmeg laminate stock on his Ruger MKII 6mm, and we had it checkered. It is an absolutely gorgeous stock. Pillar and glass bedded, and it's as tough and durable as any synthetic out there, and won't shift point of impact. I like wood. That JOC 270 they are producing causes me to drool at the mouth just looking at it!

 

[SJB358]

Some of both, of course!

I believe nothing has the potential to shoot better than a high quality synthetic stock (McMillan, Manners), bedded properly. And I believe nothing looks better than blued metal, wood stock.

I'm with Joel. They both have a place for me. I don't mind the little nicks and scratches. After the pain of the first one!

 

[Guy Miner]

I think it was '04 or '05, the first year I was hunting with my then-new 700 CDL. While walking down a steep slope a rock turned underfoot and I went crashing down. Sadly my CDL hit a rock and dinged the finish and dented the wood. I was upset for about 10 seconds, then shrugged, thinking to myself: "Well, now it's a hunting rifle for sure."

It's picked up a few more dings and dents and wear marks since then. That's fine with me.

Guy

 

[300WSM]

This isn't a clear cut answer because the answer depends on the actual person and the actual gun.

I have sold sxs shotguns that ranged anywhere from $1250.00 dollars up and beyond $17,000.00

Yes Seventeen thousand and more in some cases. And to be honest most of those shotguns at that price were going to be used and used pretty hard.

Some of them would be used as a conversation piece but that was rare. Most of them would be used in the field getting dirty, wet, banged around, and shot many times over.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Every club and shooter's range that I have ever belonged to has/had members who owned fine gun trophies made from fine materials and workmanship. These items proudly showed their pride and provenance of their owner's for any who cared to see. This seemed especially so when applied to fine shotguns on skeet or even pigeon and dove fields.

I never bought or sold any rifle or other firearm which was worth more than about $5000. (current money). Most of these were double shotguns and a couple of custom rifles (which I still have). No reason, that just seemed to be my practical need and eligibillity range. Plus, once the economy imploded, most hunters no longer wanted $4500 used hardware memories, so I sold my double shotguns, all but one.

Most of what I have now is invested in a pretty basic inventory of nice firearms plus the memories of the hunts, wins and losses on game and the friendships made for life.

 

[JD338]

I like the looks, feel and warmth of wood. I am a sucker for grey laminates and have 4 of them. I also have a brown laminate.
In addition I have a Remington 870 TC grade trap gum that is just beautiful!
The only plastic tupperware stocks I have ore on a M700ML, 870 Express Magnum and 11-87 Super Mag.

I am thinking of a new rifle, M48 Legacy 25-06. Man, that rifle has a gorgeous stock!

JD338

 

[cloverleaf]

My Dads Mauser (Interarms - from Herters Circa 1964) has a cool old Herters Stock in the Weatherby style.......And dents and scratchs from years of carrying. The left side of the rifle, near the bolt has no finish on it in one area thanks to ridng against Dads Knife Up and down the Black Hills during a once in a life time ELK hunt. Re barrel it? Pillar bed it? Maybe....replace the stock. No way, unless I breaks in two. CL

 

[35 Whelen]

I too love the looks of fine woods, with a London Oil finish, and have restocked many guns over the years for others in lots of different grades of Black, Claro, and Turkish Walnut . I still like personally a lovely piece of Black with a bombburst of feathercrotch starting in the toe of the butt and flairing up to; the back of the wrist . I had a source in Mo years back, and got some unreal blanks from them over the years ................... most of them went onto old Winchesters and Parker Shotguns.
Nothing will ever compare or take the place of wood for most people, when it comes to shear beauty, and eye appeal! However with that said nothing will ever compare in utility, to a composite stock, for sheer ruggedness and stability. I had one friend restock a 375 Weatherby 7 times! It wasnt a matter of IF it was going to crack, or was just finding out WHEN it was going to crack. It was not a Weatherby rifle but a Model 70 that had been converted from a 375 H&H. I myself had a Sako 375 that had a very nice piece of burled walnut in it and was concerned at the time about it cracking and so we installed a set rods from the back of the tang down into wrist in an X pattern that originated in the back of the upper tang after we removed wood and built a dam out of an industrial epoxy that was mixed with steel powder to create a pad for the recoil to start from and transmit down the rods so that alot of the recoil was transfer down behind the wrist . It never cracked, but dozen of them just like that one, with even straighter grained wood did, because of the exceptional amout of energy, that is still taking place back there. In theory the recoil lug, and cross pins, should be accepting most all of it, but in the real world they are not. Same way with bedding, unless the wood is bedded flawlessly, a simple gob of bedding compound will solve accuracy problems in the lug area alot of the time. So I think its safe to say in a big magnum calibers, the synthetic stocks, certainly have an advantage in the recoil cracking area in general.
I have a Model 70 ATR Featherweight that I think I bought new in 1991[first year they had them] with black synthetic stock, and it still looks 99.7% brand new, but the gun has had HEAVY use, living for years in a wet scarboard on the wingstrut of my Super Cub, and traveling thousands of miles in a gunboot on the side of a Skandik snowsled, and would most certainly NOT look anything like it does, had it been stocked with standard walnut the day I got it. I have a small collection of Deluxe Marlin Rifles all with Pistol Griped Stocks that mostly have the better wood that was available in the factory at the time; they were built [all pre 1930 guns] many are 3X and some even more so, and they are certainly lovely to look at and fondle.................. however ALL of my working guns, are now sadly synthetic and Stainless Steel, as it just has too many advantageous over wood and blue for us!

Although I do shoot a Parker GHE shotgun the month of October,grouse hunting, and it still has its original piece of about 2X walnut on it, and the original soft rust blued barrels!

 

[roysclockgun]

Most of us have admired the dense, straight, Walnut grain on many US M1 Rifles. It is revealing to report that during the adoption of the US M14 Rifle (1957), the plastic stock was considered and dropped. The reason being that the military believed that the American fighting man wanted only wood under his cheek, in a combat rifle. Therefore the M14 began life with hard wood stocks and only after jungle experience, during the fighting in Vietnam, were plastic stocks produced for the M14. Of course, by time the M16 was introduced, all thought of keeping to wooden stocks was left behind. "It's made by Mattel! It's swell!"
Steven in DeLand

 

[Anonymous]

I frequently hunt with synthetic stocked guns but nothing compares to nice walnut.

The older I get, the more I appreciate a good walnut stock and the less I care if it gets a few beauty marks along the way.