Rifle Stock

What kind of rifle stock do you like?

Do you like wooden, synthetic, camo, etc and why, are they reliable, durable. Which ones are good for hunting and just shooting at the range.

I like a nice wooden stock whenever I’m buying used and there is some light damage to it. I have to scream inside when I am the first person to damage a beautiful American walnut stock. I just like the look and have enjoyed the rifles I have inherited, all of which have wood stocks. Nothing beats looking at a rifle and knowing this was part of a tree when Roosevelt was president, it kinda makes it timeless. I also think wood is just a better work rifle, something you can pack around with and come to enjoy. I look at people with new synthetic stocks that say they bought it for the accuracy and just wonder why they are so serious about it. That extra minute of angle isn’t going to make a deer any deader at practical ranges but I do admire a steady zero.

If I’m looking to buy new though I will buy synthetic just because it seems to wear better. When the stock gets glossy really smooth you know you are getting your money’s worth out of a rifle. Also, the area I am in gets pretty wet in fall and winter and I don’t want the zero to move around as it soaks up water.

I also like the endurance of synthetic for some pretty wild reasons. I cross a lot of creeks that are high during the winter and for years I’ve worried about falling in wearing heavy winter clothes, carrying a pack and a rifle. As far as I can tell I would go straight to the bottom so I know the first thing I would ditch will be the rifle, the pack and then anything I can get off. I just can’t imagine throwing my grandfather’s beautiful wood stocked Remington 700 in a creek even to save my own skin. Just coming back to look for it in the spring would be tough because I would rather consider it an artifact for the future than find it all rotten and mangled.

Anyway, my two cents.

Carving a rifle stock