Wood vs Synthetic, whats your stock preference?
- Thread starter FrosSsT
- Start date
I like wood
Plastic has it's place and the good ones are very good "gun handles" but the wildernesses of the whole world were conquered and settled with firearms made of steel and wood. I have hunting in Alaska and outfitted in the Selway Wilderness of Idaho for months at a time with wood stocked guns and I did not have any real problems. My rifles were all ok. None lost zero. All worked every time with no problems.
Sure, wood needs to be refinished and plastic doesn't. I acknowledge that. Stainless is less a fuss than carbon steel too.
But I hunt with rifles that I like. I own rifles because I like them. I hunt because I like to. I feel I must like the rifle 365 days a year, and if I had stainless and plastic rifles I find I don't have the same feeling toward them, so speaking strictly for myself, I like nice wood and classic steel guns.
But heck, I make and use flintlocks for some of my hunting too……..so what does that tell you about me?
I may be a bit odd.
Plastic has it's place and the good ones are very good "gun handles" but the wildernesses of the whole world were conquered and settled with firearms made of steel and wood. I have hunting in Alaska and outfitted in the Selway Wilderness of Idaho for months at a time with wood stocked guns and I did not have any real problems. My rifles were all ok. None lost zero. All worked every time with no problems.
Sure, wood needs to be refinished and plastic doesn't. I acknowledge that. Stainless is less a fuss than carbon steel too.
But I hunt with rifles that I like. I own rifles because I like them. I hunt because I like to. I feel I must like the rifle 365 days a year, and if I had stainless and plastic rifles I find I don't have the same feeling toward them, so speaking strictly for myself, I like nice wood and classic steel guns.
But heck, I make and use flintlocks for some of my hunting too……..so what does that tell you about me?
I may be a bit odd.
There's no warmth in Plastic
Wyosmith , you aren't odd in my book ! You are a traditionalist , as am I ! Stainless & Plastic guns , to me have no personality ! That being said , I do own one so that I don't have to take my nice guns out in nasty weather ! Now I'm making no statement about the capabilities of such rifles ! Mine has served me without fail and I'm sure it will continue to do so , for the rest of my days , and my grandsons' to follow !
Wyosmith , you aren't odd in my book ! You are a traditionalist , as am I ! Stainless & Plastic guns , to me have no personality ! That being said , I do own one so that I don't have to take my nice guns out in nasty weather ! Now I'm making no statement about the capabilities of such rifles ! Mine has served me without fail and I'm sure it will continue to do so , for the rest of my days , and my grandsons' to follow !fisherman66
New member
I'll take pretty wood every time....but I kinda like stainless and walnut.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
If I lived where dampness and rain were common, I'd likely go stainless and plastic. My preference is for blued steel and wood. Sure, I've endured the occasional wet hunt, but quality wood in the stock and a temporary use of WD40 kept the wet from hurting anything.
"Plastic has no soul."
"Plastic has no soul."
warbirdlover
New member
I like the camo (synthetic) stocks (like on my SPS Buckmasters) but also love fine grades of wood. And my brothers stainless Ruger 77 in the laminated wood stock looks awesome.
I just don't feel comfortable taking a beautiful wood stock out hunting and getting it all nicked and dinged up. Plastic, who cares.
I just don't feel comfortable taking a beautiful wood stock out hunting and getting it all nicked and dinged up. Plastic, who cares.
I gave up on wood after a 1977 backpack hunting trip. After a week of being carried along with a 1970's era pack that stock looked like it had been attacked by a pack of rabid beaver.
It took me a while to save up the money for the relatively new Brown Precison stock but by 1980 I went synthetic and haven't hunted with wood in over 30 years. I still have a couple of safe queens with beautiful wood, but they only get carried to the range on rare occasions. I wouldn't dream of going back.
A lot of guys are turned off by the cheap plastic on factory rifles and the junk sold by B&C and Hogue. If that were my only options I'd rather have wood too. A good synthetic ain't cheap, but will take 3/4-1.5 lbs off the weight of the rifle, be far stronger and most importantly will be much more stable. My wood stocked rifles are just as accurate, but those small groups wander around on the target as the seasons change and the wood contracts and swells depending on the humidity, temperature and altitude. You don't have to hunt in the rain to mess up wood.
Last October myself and 5 other guys left Georgia for Colorado. Within 28 hours we gained 7,000 ft. in elvation and lost 60 degrees of temerature. The first 2 days were fairly warm and rainy. The rest of the week we hunted in sub freezing weather with 8" of snow on the ground. When we checked our riflles zero's before starting hunting all the wood stocked rifles were off by several inches and had to be re-zeroed. God only knows where they were shooting by the end of the week. My stainless Winchester with McMillan stock never changed. The floor plate did freeze shut and it had to be unloaded through the action one night.
I didn't pay $300 for a license and drive 3,500 miles round trip to sit in camp like some of my friends with pretty wood stocked rifles did.
It took me a while to save up the money for the relatively new Brown Precison stock but by 1980 I went synthetic and haven't hunted with wood in over 30 years. I still have a couple of safe queens with beautiful wood, but they only get carried to the range on rare occasions. I wouldn't dream of going back.
A lot of guys are turned off by the cheap plastic on factory rifles and the junk sold by B&C and Hogue. If that were my only options I'd rather have wood too. A good synthetic ain't cheap, but will take 3/4-1.5 lbs off the weight of the rifle, be far stronger and most importantly will be much more stable. My wood stocked rifles are just as accurate, but those small groups wander around on the target as the seasons change and the wood contracts and swells depending on the humidity, temperature and altitude. You don't have to hunt in the rain to mess up wood.
Last October myself and 5 other guys left Georgia for Colorado. Within 28 hours we gained 7,000 ft. in elvation and lost 60 degrees of temerature. The first 2 days were fairly warm and rainy. The rest of the week we hunted in sub freezing weather with 8" of snow on the ground. When we checked our riflles zero's before starting hunting all the wood stocked rifles were off by several inches and had to be re-zeroed. God only knows where they were shooting by the end of the week. My stainless Winchester with McMillan stock never changed. The floor plate did freeze shut and it had to be unloaded through the action one night.
I didn't pay $300 for a license and drive 3,500 miles round trip to sit in camp like some of my friends with pretty wood stocked rifles did.
Drummer101
New member
Looks, wood.
Practicality and price, synthetic.
Cant tell the difference when you look through the sights anyway...
Practicality and price, synthetic.
Cant tell the difference when you look through the sights anyway...
gaseousclay
New member
I'll choose wood over synthetic any day, BUT, synthetic does serve its purpose if you're looking for an all-weather firearm that isn't prone to warping. I figure every hunter should have at least 1 synthetic-stocked firearm in their collection
I have definite biases. I build rifles, so my opinion is based on what I have seen that works. There is no substitute for wood for appearance, feel, and versatility. Wood is tough, durable, and strong. I have built wood-stocked rifles that have gone to SE Alaska, Africa, and Asia without a problem. If weight is not an issue, I generally recommend wood, it is pretty tough to beat for an all-around rifle.
That said, I also have several rifles with fiberglass composite stocks (not plastic or "synthetic", which generally means injection-molded foam or ABS) and I love them for their light weight and ruggedness. If weight is a consideration, I recommend a foam-filled stock, it will generally reduce weight by 1 pound or so. I am building a sheep/elk rifle for a client right now, and it will wear a fiberglass stock.
That said, I also have several rifles with fiberglass composite stocks (not plastic or "synthetic", which generally means injection-molded foam or ABS) and I love them for their light weight and ruggedness. If weight is a consideration, I recommend a foam-filled stock, it will generally reduce weight by 1 pound or so. I am building a sheep/elk rifle for a client right now, and it will wear a fiberglass stock.