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Wood or plastic for rifles?
Big Sky Redneck
Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
Say what you want but to me when it comes to bolt action and lever action rifles, wood is the only thing that belongs on them. Laminate is fine, I have a couple laminate stocked rifles but plastic rifles do nothing for me. With a couple exceptions I will not own a plastic stocked rifle or it wont be plastic for long as I will have it restocked. I would like to own a rifle with one of them mechanical looking stocks like some of the high dollar sniper lookin things, they look cool but they are pricey.
Wood is where it's at [:D]
Dang, next time I'm home I need to take some more pics.
Wood is where it's at [:D]
Dang, next time I'm home I need to take some more pics.
Comments
Just my opinion, of course.
BTW, I restocked that rifle with a laminated one.
Wood & steel baby!!
i get to feeling so alone in that opinion most of the time
on an ar or other "tactical" type firearm plastic is fine, but on a traditional action i just cannot find any love for the plastic at all
still keeping an eye open for wood for my 10-22, just no money to actively search for one right now
The only believable excuse to have wood on a gun is, "because decent plastic was only invented ~70 years ago". If I could, I'd sentance any gunmaker that didn't offer plastic handles on their guns as an option to 40 hours of listening to Obama speeches.
Don't get me wrong, if you're talking safe queens that you carefully take out to look at, wipe with a silicone cloth, and then carefully put back in the safe, then sure, wood is fine. And I like finely figured wood as much as the next man. But the place for that wood is on furniture that stays inside, not on a working tool. I'm thrilled to death that I can get plastic stocks for my M1A, and you'll notice the M16 was never issued with anything but.
Oh, and for the record, I'm 48, not some young whippersnapper.
If you want a rifle that puts every shot in a tiny dot, every time, all the time, then you'd better learn to love plastic.
JMHO
Only plastic I have is on my evil black gun.
Yep, even took the plastic stock off my M1A, and pitched it. As far as bolt rifles, if I'm looking at one for sale, I deduct about $350.00 if it has a plastic stock.
So you can go ahead and use your CNC machined, cast bar stock, fiberglassed kevlar stock, go ahead and use it to pound nails in wanted posters as seen on the Saturday Westerns, oh that's right, you're too young to have seen those.
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250Sav- It appears that you are overlooking several key issues in the use of firearms and hunting, but first, The M16 was designed from the start to be a light as possible at the disadvantage of being fragile. It wasn't designed for the rigors of close combat other shooting its way out of an ambush. I see from your age that you are too young to recall when the military had rifles that could actually be used as a spear and club; but I digress. Using a firearm involves much more than picking up a rifle to shoot a deer as one would pick up a hammer to pound a nail. There is joy in use, just walking in the field with a finely crafted firearm with the stir of memories of bygone hunts and hunting partners- the memories of the craftsmen that put their heart and soul into making a rifle or shotgun that is more than a tool, it is a work of art. Such guns need not be hoarded in a safe, nor do they need to be abused as part of their use. A finely made gun is worthy of use and like people, as they age and endure life, they will show the signs of age. A nick here a scratch there- but like a well cared for body, those mishaps are as seldom as possible and cared for by the appropriate physician when they occur.
So you can go ahead and use your CNC machined, cast bar stock, fiberglassed kevlar stock, go ahead and use it to pound nails in wanted posters as seen on the Saturday Westerns, oh that's right, you're too young to have seen those.
Ray;
You have successfully made me feel like a young whippersnapper. Congrats, not too many people can do that these days.[:D]
For the record, wood has it's place: and that place is on old guns. A couple of years ago, I lucked into a first-year 1892 Winchester in .32-20: that gun will never see plastic. And yes, even tho the old girl is now officially 120 years old, I will take her out in the field again, and slay a mighty charging squirrel or bunny, just so she can feel young again (thing cuts mighty tight groups).
So yes, there is a place for wood. It's just that for any gun made after the invention of stainless steel & laminated fiberglass, it will never be all it could be. Yes, a gun can be a work of art; but first & foremost, it must WORK. And only stainless & synthetic does this so well.
The bottom one is a very functional rifle, a 1962 Model 700 .308Win with a LeeSix stock. It has been on hunting and hiking trips from South Carolina to Maine to California to Alaska and has performe every duty asked of it, however it does not stir my soul like the Al Biesen pre-64 Model 70 270Win, that also gets hunted but hasn't been on as many trips, primarily because it's newer (in it's present form) than the M700.
There's a place for all three - wood, laminated wood, and plastic.
If you want a rifle that puts every shot in a tiny dot, every time, all the time, then you'd better learn to love plastic.
JMHO
then please explain why my 120 + year old lever, and my 70+ year old bolt both with wood stocks shoot 5 shot moa groups (the lever with iron sights! [:D])
and my 60+ year old .22 will take out just the X on a target using up a full box of ammo?
Say what you want but to me when it comes to bolt action and lever action rifles, wood is the only thing that belongs on them. Laminate is fine, I have a couple laminate stocked rifles but plastic rifles do nothing for me. With a couple exceptions I will not own a plastic stocked rifle or it wont be plastic for long as I will have it restocked. I would like to own a rifle with one of them mechanical looking stocks like some of the high dollar sniper lookin things, they look cool but they are pricey.
Wood is where it's at [:D]
+1000
Dang, next time I'm home I need to take some more pics.
I personally, will never get used to the look or feel of synth./plastic stocks...
Wood & steel baby!!
Amen to that.[:D][:p] I don't even care for McMillan stocks, as nice as they may be. Sold the last one I had, that fit a long-action M700, for $75, just to get it out of here.[^]
Wood.
Wood and blue steel.
quote:Originally posted by oldemagics
quote:Originally posted by oldemagics
True, many benchrest rifles are built with fiberglass or even carbonfiber stocks and finished with automotive grade paint, but I believe many times that is done for economy as even a carbonfiber stock is less than a good AAA grade turkish walnut. Here are a few competitors who decided that wood is best and did not loose accuracy in the process:
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek089.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek085.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek086.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek082.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek044.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek049.html