Author Topic: wood is good but..... (Read 1127 times)

Handwerk · « **on:** May 03, 2005, 12:51:30 PM »

Getting ready to drop $1000+ on a rifle to take out west and to Ak a couple times in the years to come. I sure love the look and feel of wood but should my new gun be ss/syn? How many of you have had wood cause problems with your shooting after it got wet? I don't want to take it apart every time it gets wet; and I don't want a laminated stock. What do ya think? This will be my "go-to-gun"

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 03, 2005, 12:55:40 PM »

95% of my rifles are wood and blued. I have been to Alaska and all over hunting. Not one problem. I just prefer wood and blued rifles.

poncaguy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 03, 2005, 12:57:22 PM »

I prefer synthetic and stainless on all my hunting rifles, getting old (will be 64 Friday), so I like light aand short rifles anymore. Seems like it always rains here in Oklahoma on opening day of deer season too..........

Carl l. · « **Reply #3 on:** May 03, 2005, 01:46:12 PM »

Handwerk, I have had wood all my life and no problems Carl L.

Zachary · « **Reply #4 on:** May 03, 2005, 02:31:36 PM »

With proper maintenance, a wood/blue gun will last a lifetime. Stainless/Synthetic rifles are not rust proof, but rather rust resistant. That said, almost all of my rifles are stainless/synthetic because I may not have the time to clean my rifle when hunting in adverse weather conditions for extended periods of time.

Zachary

Handwerk · « **Reply #5 on:** May 03, 2005, 04:32:10 PM »

last year I did a float hunt on the mulchatna river in ak. Every day except one it rained and/or sleeted. Some nights it was below freezing and dark when we got to making camp. As I was wet and frozen it was nice to do a quick wipedown of my tikka ss/syn and put it in the tent for the night without worry. Could I get away with this on a wood rifle? I'm happy with my tikka but when I hold my old remy adl it speaks to me. I just don't want to be taking the action out of the gun on a hunt. If the barrel is free floated can it handle the weather?

Lawdog · « **Reply #6 on:** May 04, 2005, 08:59:52 AM »

Quote from: Redhawk1

95% of my rifles are wood and blued. I have been to Alaska and all over hunting. Not one problem. I just prefer wood and blued rifles.

Redhawk1 and I agree completely. I have carried wood stocked rifles from Viet Nam to Alaska/Canada and all over the lower 48 in all kinds of weather and never a problem. Never any warping or POI shift. They can keep those cold, toy stocks and give me wood(preferably walnut) every time. Lawdog

roper · « **Reply #7 on:** May 04, 2005, 11:20:29 AM »

I was in Vietnam with the Marines and yes there was wood stock but always had to maintain. Humidity. If you look at when they made the change over from the M40 rifle to the M40AI they use a McMillian stock not a wood one. The M40 had a really short life span. Most of my hunting rifles have synthetic stock as well as my varmit rifles. I've got a wood stock in right now been refinished and it will be the third time. I've even put thompson water seal on a wood stock kind of hard breaking one down on an elk hunt. I've got acouple rifles and I have two stocks one wood the other McMillian or H&S.
You have shooter that love wood and other don't care one way or another and me I just want something that is low maintaince.

USA Varminter · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2005, 06:30:24 PM »

I like stainless w/ laminants. I typically pull the action and make sure the barrel channel is sealed, sometimes they're not.

The laminants are very stable and well sealed wood stocks, and they feel and look good.

A nice quality synthetic stock works well, the cheap ones that come with rifles should be discarded or ebayed at will.

HuntingGuy · « **Reply #9 on:** May 05, 2005, 08:45:16 AM »

Quote

They can keep those cold, toy stocks and give me wood(preferably walnut) every time.

OH NO YOU DI'INT!!

Once you go black, you never go back.. Aint that how it goes? :-D

Lawdog · « **Reply #10 on:** May 05, 2005, 10:08:27 AM »

Quote from: HuntingGuy

OH NO YOU DI'INT!! Once you go black, you never go back.. Aint that how it goes? :-D

NO WAY! Bought one once and NEVER again. In fact I don't like the shine from stainless either. I have two rifles that are waiting for treatment to cure the shine problem now. My Grandfather taught me an easy method of waterproofing a wood stock that worked great on my M40 during Viet Nam. Still works today and Im passing it along to my Grandkids. Lawdog

jro45 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 06, 2005, 06:22:18 AM »

I prefer wood to synfedtic but I have one syn and its not as good looking but it is just as heavy and shoots very well. My walnut stocks are beatiful.

jim21 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 23, 2006, 01:16:31 PM »

I like wood.I never had a moisture problem.Half my guns are synthedic,
but I still perfer Wood.

Questor · « **Reply #13 on:** April 24, 2006, 03:21:07 AM »

Handwerk:

The good synthetics are superior to wood. Also be sure to get a stainless gun. I bought a synthetic stocked non-stainless gun from an Alaska hunter hand had to do quite a bit of cleaning to remove the various traces of rust. He took good care of it, but it inevitably got wet and stayed wet.

Dogshooter · « **Reply #14 on:** April 24, 2006, 02:37:46 PM »

I have gotten rid of all my synthetic stocked rifles except for my AR's. Just like wood better. Feel more like you are handling a piece of workmanship instead of a molded chunk of plastic.

nomosendero · « **Reply #15 on:** April 24, 2006, 02:46:08 PM »

Like Questor said, the GOOD syn. are better than wood, with emphasis on good. What I mean is (probably Questor as well), is that the cheap, injection moulded plastic types can be soft & must be bedded with a good, hard compound before they are useful. I like the HS type stocks with a alum. bedding block & then skim bedding those. From a pure use standpoint & not looks, this type of stock has to be better than wood. Just as good is a Lam. stock that is bedded & if practical, pillars installed. This will make it as stable & possibly tougher than most syn. stocks.
Handwerk, you say you don't like Lam., but some coat the stock with tru oil or tung oil & you can make the lighter wood darker & the stock can be more attractive, more like wood. I have some pure wood stocks too, & with most I have not had trouble, but in a couple of cases I have. Do you want those rare occassions to occur at the wrong time, may never happen to you or it may.
If you want wood, you can have you cake & eat it to a degree. Have a Smith that is good at it pillar bed/glass bed your wood stock & free float it,
but in the barrel channel line it with glass also. Some will dig out the channel & install a steel rod or pieces of glass or carbon arrow shafts. Bed over those & put tape on your barrel to give it just a little clearence for the float. If a Gunsmith knows what he is doing, you will have to look at the gun close in order to see it is bedded. Coat the outside with a good gunstock oil & you now have a beautiful wood stock that is impervious to
the elements.

Dogshooter · « **Reply #16 on:** April 24, 2006, 02:56:02 PM »

Pillar Bedding with aluminum beds and free floating is standard on Kimber rifles.

Questor · « **Reply #17 on:** April 25, 2006, 02:51:55 AM »

What I meant by "good" synthetic was like a McMillan or similar fiberglass/kevlar/synthetic high quality stocks. I have one and am never going back to a wooden stock unless I want a gun strictly for looks. It is just fabulous to have a rifle whose zero never changes. It feels good too. I've got a wooden stocked .270 and am considering adding a McMillan to it too. They're not cheap, though!

grousehunter · « **Reply #18 on:** April 25, 2006, 05:08:42 PM »

GLAD yo like Quester, that means that there is less outthere temping me to buyem! had one that shot good in the warm months and was worse than any solid wood I"ve ever had in the cold!!!!!!!!! consider before you buy anything!