-
- Species
- Whitetails
- Big Game
- Small Game
- Birds
- Special Methods
- Bow Hunting
-
- Species
- Bass
- Trout
- More Freshwater
- Saltwater
- Special Methods
- Fly Fishing
AnswersASK YOUR QUESTION
Print
Email
Share
Answers
Browse By
Top Users
Q:
What kind of gun stock do you prefer and why? Synthetic or wood.
Question by fields. Uploaded on July 02, 2009
Answer QuestionADVERTISEMENT
Today on Field & Stream
Loading...
Visit Our Sister Sites at Bonnier Corporation
| Enthusiast | Kiteboarding | QUAD | SKI | Skiing | Scuba Diving | Sport Diver | TransWorld Ride BMX | TransWorld Business | TransWorld Motocross | TransWorld SKATEboarding, | TransWorld SNOWboarding | TransWorld SURF | WakeBoarding | WaterSki | Warren Miller Entertainment | WindSurfing |
|---|---|
| Travel | Caribbean Travel & Life | Destination Weddings & Honeymoon | Islands | Meeting Traveler | Resorts & Great Hotels |
| Lifestyle & Shelter | Florida Travel & Life | Garden Design | Home Ft. Lauderdale | Home Miami |
| Luxury | SNOW | Spa |
| Marine | Boating Life | Cruising World | Fly Fishing in Salt Waters | Power Cruising | Marlin | Motor Boating | Sailing World | Salt Water Sportsman | Sport Fishing | Yachting | NewBoats.com | UsedBoats.com | YachtBroker.com |
| Outdoor | Field & Stream | Outdoor Life | SHOT Business |
| Parenting | Babytalk | Parenting |
| Science | Popular Science | Science Illustrated |
| Saveur | Saveur |
| Working Mother Media | Working Mother |
| Entertainment / Events | World Entertainment Services | World Sports & Marketing |
FieldandStream.com is part of the Bonnier Outdoor Group Network
Copyright © 2009 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Answers (33)
Synthetic. I'm a function over form guy, so I appreciate the utility of synthetic vs. wood that would have me worrying every time I bumped into something. Ironic you should ask because my one "pretty gun" is an SKB over & under and I got paranoid about oil getting into the wood yesterday and went down and wiped it off again. :)
wood, i just dont like the feel of a synthetic stock
Wood, its a feel thing like buddyboy said.
Love pretty wood.
I love the look of a wood stock, but all of my work horse gun that i use every season have synthetic stocks for there durability, except for my 870.
laminated wood gives you the best of both worlds and is arguably the best stock overall. A laminated stock is more rigid than a typical synthetic or solid wood stock. because the lamintated stocks are glued peices of wood you don't have to worry too much about stocks swelling under weather conditions or cracking.
I love wood but use synthetic most of the time (be aware that there is good to great synthetic plus sorry to fair synthetic just like wood if not moreso). I truly think I will use a laminate on my next heavy barreled varmint rifle mainly because I have never had such a stock and nowadays some of them actually look as good as they perform.
I like Synthetic in the duck blind or where the stock might get dented, but I like wood better.
the look and feel of the wood is a lot nicer
Wood is pretty to look at, but when hunting big mean country with wild weather and temperature changes, synthetic is the only way to go.....
Synthetic gives you the most bang for your buck. I agree with idahoo's answer.
idaho said it all. it just depends on what funtion you are looking for if you hunt in wide open areas wood is a beautiful way to go but if you have a chance of banging up your gun stick with the synthetic
i will take wood any day. i have never sat on a stump out in the woods and admire'd my synthetic stock when hunting before .
Other shooters have already said it better. Figured walnut now costs a king's ransom, laminated hardwood is a practical and affordable choice for my sporterweights, and a synthetic stock is a stable choice for varmint and target rifles. Synthetics have come a long way since the first ones I'd seen in the early '70s, which were so homely that Krylon spray paint was an aesthetic improvement. Some things really do get better with time and development.
I don't care. As long as the stock is stable and of good quality I'll be happy with it. Over the years I've had as many problems with synthetics as I've had with wood. I will admit that the synthetics have come a long ways since the inception. The rifle that rides in my truck every day is a two piece wooden and the rifle shoots great and the wood is in good shape after 50 years of use.
Wood, just like the feel and looks better. Not really that hard to maintain.
got to look like the look of wood, especially something with a design on it like checkering just gives it that classic gun feel to it. Although synthetic may be lighter and more durable I'm giving the edge to wood.
i like the wood if i damage my stock or the finsh while hunting . i injoy refinshing them i have bought 5 guns in bad condition chep but they look great now. i gess im old school love wood .
Wood looks great and feels it too, especially Walnut.
wood looks "better" , but syn. don't warp. I've got some of each.
I've got about half and half. I will usually go to synthetic when the weather is extreme during elk season. Waterfowl guns are wood with a lot of polyurethane and synthetic stocked. It rains a lot during duck and goose season out here for sure. My friends have a mix of both. Whatever cranks your tractor!
I HUNT with Synthetic but I like WOOD, You will rarely find a good looking wood stock unless you want to pay for it. And if you find said stock and hunt with it a year or two then it will stop being a good looking wood stock.
Synthetic. Lighter, more durable and cheeper as a bonus. I walk 4-5 miles a day when I hunt so the less I have to carry the better. Even if it is a few ounces it matters to me. I even went to the extreme of a fixed power scope instead of a variable
Wood is pretty. Synthetic is durable.
That's not to say that wood isn't strong, but you have to more careful sometimes.
How about spending hours, and hours, and hours (did I mention hours?) refinishing a stock, carry it out one day, then find the ragged area with bits scraped off after rubbing on a piece of gear.
synthetic if your going through brush on drives, but wood for sitting.
I like wood for looks and yet love the synthetic for light carry rifles.
I prefer wood stock for its looks, but if I'm hunting in thick stuff I'll take a synthetic.
I think wood is better because it feels beter.
synthetic cause it doesnt scratch when you accedentialy drag it across tree branches or when you brace it over rocks
Synthetic more durable and dosen't shrink and expand due to the weather.
To those of you who are fussy about your wood stocks: scratches = character. They show that you actually use your rifle, it is not for display purposes. The Remington 30-06 my grandfather used has scratches and dents from hundreds of hunts. I would rather take a beating than re-finish it.
Good point JBrown. I guess if a gun is hit or bumped hard enough to damage a stock to the point it is no longer usable it won't matter if it is synthetic or wood. My main thing is weight and cost. I didn't buy my rifle for looks...it's a tool that I use for hunting. That dosen't mean I don't respect it it just means it's not for the mantle.
I like wood stocks better mainly because of the classic look it presents as well as the feel of the gun.
Post an Answer
laminated wood gives you the best of both worlds and is arguably the best stock overall. A laminated stock is more rigid than a typical synthetic or solid wood stock. because the lamintated stocks are glued peices of wood you don't have to worry too much about stocks swelling under weather conditions or cracking.
Synthetic. I'm a function over form guy, so I appreciate the utility of synthetic vs. wood that would have me worrying every time I bumped into something. Ironic you should ask because my one "pretty gun" is an SKB over & under and I got paranoid about oil getting into the wood yesterday and went down and wiped it off again. :)
I love the look of a wood stock, but all of my work horse gun that i use every season have synthetic stocks for there durability, except for my 870.
I love wood but use synthetic most of the time (be aware that there is good to great synthetic plus sorry to fair synthetic just like wood if not moreso). I truly think I will use a laminate on my next heavy barreled varmint rifle mainly because I have never had such a stock and nowadays some of them actually look as good as they perform.
Wood is pretty to look at, but when hunting big mean country with wild weather and temperature changes, synthetic is the only way to go.....
synthetic if your going through brush on drives, but wood for sitting.
wood, i just dont like the feel of a synthetic stock
Wood, its a feel thing like buddyboy said.
Love pretty wood.
I like Synthetic in the duck blind or where the stock might get dented, but I like wood better.
the look and feel of the wood is a lot nicer
Synthetic gives you the most bang for your buck. I agree with idahoo's answer.
idaho said it all. it just depends on what funtion you are looking for if you hunt in wide open areas wood is a beautiful way to go but if you have a chance of banging up your gun stick with the synthetic
i will take wood any day. i have never sat on a stump out in the woods and admire'd my synthetic stock when hunting before .
Other shooters have already said it better. Figured walnut now costs a king's ransom, laminated hardwood is a practical and affordable choice for my sporterweights, and a synthetic stock is a stable choice for varmint and target rifles. Synthetics have come a long way since the first ones I'd seen in the early '70s, which were so homely that Krylon spray paint was an aesthetic improvement. Some things really do get better with time and development.
I don't care. As long as the stock is stable and of good quality I'll be happy with it. Over the years I've had as many problems with synthetics as I've had with wood. I will admit that the synthetics have come a long ways since the inception. The rifle that rides in my truck every day is a two piece wooden and the rifle shoots great and the wood is in good shape after 50 years of use.
Wood, just like the feel and looks better. Not really that hard to maintain.
got to look like the look of wood, especially something with a design on it like checkering just gives it that classic gun feel to it. Although synthetic may be lighter and more durable I'm giving the edge to wood.
i like the wood if i damage my stock or the finsh while hunting . i injoy refinshing them i have bought 5 guns in bad condition chep but they look great now. i gess im old school love wood .
Wood looks great and feels it too, especially Walnut.
wood looks "better" , but syn. don't warp. I've got some of each.
I've got about half and half. I will usually go to synthetic when the weather is extreme during elk season. Waterfowl guns are wood with a lot of polyurethane and synthetic stocked. It rains a lot during duck and goose season out here for sure. My friends have a mix of both. Whatever cranks your tractor!
I HUNT with Synthetic but I like WOOD, You will rarely find a good looking wood stock unless you want to pay for it. And if you find said stock and hunt with it a year or two then it will stop being a good looking wood stock.
Synthetic. Lighter, more durable and cheeper as a bonus. I walk 4-5 miles a day when I hunt so the less I have to carry the better. Even if it is a few ounces it matters to me. I even went to the extreme of a fixed power scope instead of a variable
Wood is pretty. Synthetic is durable.
That's not to say that wood isn't strong, but you have to more careful sometimes.
How about spending hours, and hours, and hours (did I mention hours?) refinishing a stock, carry it out one day, then find the ragged area with bits scraped off after rubbing on a piece of gear.
I like wood for looks and yet love the synthetic for light carry rifles.
I prefer wood stock for its looks, but if I'm hunting in thick stuff I'll take a synthetic.
I think wood is better because it feels beter.
synthetic cause it doesnt scratch when you accedentialy drag it across tree branches or when you brace it over rocks
Synthetic more durable and dosen't shrink and expand due to the weather.
I like wood stocks better mainly because of the classic look it presents as well as the feel of the gun.
To those of you who are fussy about your wood stocks: scratches = character. They show that you actually use your rifle, it is not for display purposes. The Remington 30-06 my grandfather used has scratches and dents from hundreds of hunts. I would rather take a beating than re-finish it.
Good point JBrown. I guess if a gun is hit or bumped hard enough to damage a stock to the point it is no longer usable it won't matter if it is synthetic or wood. My main thing is weight and cost. I didn't buy my rifle for looks...it's a tool that I use for hunting. That dosen't mean I don't respect it it just means it's not for the mantle.
Post an Answer