Wooden Stocks versus Polymer stocks - any benefits?

[BobM]

I like laminated wood stocks myself. My grandpa had a Remington 37 smallbore target rifle with a laminated stock. Ever since then I’ve really liked the laminated look.

[LittleLebowski]

Foundation stocks are what you seek.

https://foundationstocks.com/product...v=7516fd43adaa

[Lost River]

One thing to consider is the region in which you hunt. Another is the manner/ style of your hunting.

A wood rifle stock that has been properly sealed on a typical big game rifle used in Wyoming/Montana/Idaho will last the owner his life time and likely never see any issues.



The same rifle used on the wet side of the Cascades or in a similar environment where there is a lot of rain (coastal Alaska) or wherever may well develop issues due to the stock swelling if the stock has not been properly treated and maintained.

If you live in Pump Handle Alabama and your maximum shot on a deer might be 150 yards, then it really is likely not to make a difference either way.

If you like the look of wood, but the stable benefits of a composite stock, you could order a "McWoody" from McMillan stocks. They are pretty neat looking stocks.

This is not my pic BTW.




This pic below is somewhat typical of the semi arid country of the Rocky Mountain West during hunting season. Stock warpage is not a concern for the most part.

The gentleman in the pic has been killing elk for roughly 50 years, and deer for 60. He will be 80 on his next B-day, and uses a wood stocked rifle ( a .300 wm for elk). He switches between a factory composite stock Tikka T3 .308 and a wood stocked 6.5 Swede for deer whenever he is in the mood.



That said, he used to talk of having to seal the wood stocks of the 1917 Enfield surplus rifles they would build into hunting rifles back in the early days when he was going to school over at University of Washington. He also talked about being constantly soaked to the bone from all the rain, not being able to afford decent gear and never wanting to live anywhere where it rained like that ever again!

[rd62]

Woox also has some intersting wood/aluminum/composite hybrid stocks and chassis. Their Wildman is a more traditional profile and I really like the look of the Furiosa chassis

[Gray Ghost]

First, don't discount the value of aesthetics and tradition. Personally, I love taking to the field with a beautifully made and finished rifle or shotgun.

Second, don't assume that lighter is always better with respect to rifles. The mission drives the gear. Lighter rifles are easier to carry, if you have to carry them far, but they are more difficult to shoot accurately. A heavier rifle will settle down better in your hands. Also, all else being equal, a heavier rifle will have less felt recoil for any given cartridge. I have a Weatherby Mark V Ultra Lightweight chambered in .30-06. It weighs 6 lbs and is not pleasant to shoot. I would much rather shoot my .375 H&H Winchester Model 70 Safari Express that weighs 9 lbs without the scope. It isn't even a close question.

[Clusterfrack]

I was born without a nostalgia gene, and don't find any advantage to wood over polymer, carbon fiber, or aluminum. The only wood-stocked rifle I have is the 94 Trapper I inherited from my dad, it is a beauty...

But none of my other rifles have wood. I just bought a KRG Bravo for my newest project, a 300 PRC.

[Totem Polar]

Foundation stocks are what you seek.

https://foundationstocks.com/product...v=7516fd43adaa

Very cool, but putting that company logo on that riser is like putting a dick on the venus de milo.


OP: wooden stocks are for lever actions and older S&W revolvers. JMO.

[okie john]

This pic below is somewhat typical of the semi arid country of the Rocky Mountain West during hunting season. Stock warpage is not a concern for the most part.

In contrast, much of the Pacific Northwest is cold, wet, gloomy jungle like this.

That said, he used to talk of having to seal the wood stocks of the 1917 Enfield surplus rifles they would build into hunting rifles back in the early days when he was going to school over at University of Washington. He also talked about being constantly soaked to the bone from all the rain, not being able to afford decent gear and never wanting to live anywhere where it rained like that ever again!

My 1962 Browning Safari in 338 WM, which needs the same weatherproofing as a surplus M1917 Enfield. I took this picture during a lunch break on a Roosevelt elk hunt that took place in coastal Washington state about 80 miles as the crow flies from the University of Washington. A storm raged outside the night before this hunt. Rain on the roof, windows, and walls sounded like the lodge was going through a car wash--it was like getting sprayed with a hose and it didn't stop for days. That's the elk-hunting weather we expect around here and it's pretty common during deer season as well.



But then you can step out of a dripping forests and see for miles across a clearcut.



The ridge that forms the horizon in this picture is about three-quarters of a mile from where I was standing. It had been clear cut a year or two prior. You can see elk with the naked eye in those conditions. But if your stock warps due to days of humping through the rain, then forget about making a solid long-range hit. Ain't gonna happen.

Hunting in the rain can be worth it, though.



That was the last animal I killed with a wood-stocked rifle. I went to all stainless/synthetics as soon as my budget allowed and I'm not going back.


Okie John

[HCM]

I missed the era of wooden stocks growing up, my first gun was black and plastic, my second gun was black and plastic, and I've only had one gun that had wood on it, an AK that I replaced for Magpul furniture when that came out.

I do like the looks of wooden stocks on some older guns, there is a cool vibe to it, but it seems to me wood is heavier, less durable, more prone to weathering issues. Maybe it's easier to repair than a polymer stock? And if so maybe its something to think about in a very long term survivalist scenario, although I've had a heck of a time with just 6 weeks of this pandemic, I don't think I want to fantacize about end of world scenarios anymore! I'm miserable now locked indoors with perfect AC, mostly high speed internet, and mostly all the food I want.

Other than aesthetics is there any reason to use wood these days? One reason I have in mind is to get a wooden lever action 357 and wooden 12ga pump for travel through liberal states. But given they would be travel / trunk guns, I worry about durability of the material if left in the trunk, vibrations, possibly banging into things, I am rough on my stuff by personality, bad habit I know, moisture, etc.

I also wonder if I can fortify the wood with epoxy of some kind to make it stronger so it keeps the same look but becomes more plasticy. There's some knife makers I have seen that take wood and impregate it with resin or something to make it hard and plastic like.

Another idea is strengthening the wood stock. I saw a youtube video of a guy who drilled a hole through his stock wrist rest and epoxied a metal bolt about 8" long in the middle to add strength.

Polymer stocks are not permeable; they do not absorb anything when exposed to biohazard materials like blood and other bodily fluids. As such they are easily decontaminated.

Wood is permeable and will always absorb traces of biohazard materials. Like Lady Macbeth you will never be able to get ALL of the blood off.

Think of the Germs.........

[MistWolf]

...given they would be travel / trunk guns, I worry about durability of the material if left in the trunk, vibrations, possibly banging into things, I am rough on my stuff by personality, bad habit I know, moisture, etc....

Wood is not for you