@@AmericanWorker1127 i feel like we've moved away from polymers to aluminum. all the new guns are just iron components encased in an aluminum cage. certainly better than the 2000s when everything was plastic
Not mine. All of my bolt action rifles are wood, I am not a fan of of any stock not made from wood. Just my two cents. In fact any bolt action rifle I have purchased with a synthetic stock was quickly replaced with a Woodstock. I find it totally shocking that this man does not have more subscribers. This man is a wealth of knowledge.
I am dealing with a remote community in Northern Canada for work. It was interesting to note that a community member mentioned they prefer rifles with wood stocks, as they trust them to hold up better in the extreme cold (-30 degrees Celsius). This is contrary to the narrative that synthetic stocks are better for extreme environments, but coming from the mouth of someone who has real field experience in an extreme cold environment.
Yes it does, and a wood stock is accurate enough, dad killed most of his deer with a wood-stocked Winchester model 88. On a related note, he and I both like laminate for it's strength, weather resilience, and it's warm on your hands.
@@vikingsoftpaw Yes, a warmth, personality, and beauty unmatched. One of my fondest childhood memories was looking into dad's cabinet and seeing all the blued steel and wood-one stainless/synthetic 7mm magnum!
The "shower for three hours" statement really cemented it for me, because that's the only negative I ever heard about wood stocks-that when they get wet, they swell and effect accuracy. Thank you for the history on them. I read that in a Bob Lee Swagger book, where he was protecting his M40 from getting wet during a torrential rainstorm in Vietnam with his spotter. I think of dad watching your videos and cry everytime.
I’ve commented to several blogs, that once, a few years ago, I was at a very busy county shooting range. I was there w/ my Gorgeous Steyr SL, CZ550, and my dad’s war prize, an 8mm Nambu. As I looked up and down the firing line, I was shocked that there were no wooden stocked guns other than mine! It was so sad to me.
Yes, I remember reading about the supposed disadvantages of wooden stocks in the early 1990s. Manufacturers wanted plastic, cheaper to produce. My M700 in .30-06 shot 7/16" groups with its wooden stock and that was with practice ammo!
I also love wood and I was misinformed that The cliches about wood were correct and I just always accepted that I was giving up a little bit to have a beautiful wood stock that I liked that I found attractive. I'm happy to hear that it's inaccurate. Thank you for keeping us so well informed. I really appreciate it. Good luck with the puppy 👍
I live in EIRE [ireland] . It has being raining here EVERY day since June ,i hunt 2 days every weekend from September to March in the rain with a wooden stock on a 270, its dried and put in a heated safe after use for the last 30 years . Fine accuracte gun
Can I ask you what and how you hunt that much? I'm form the US and went to Ireland to get married and travelled the country for 10 days, finding some beautiful red stags in Killarney. But, I heard there was no hunting like in the US where you buy a permit to then go on your own on public land to hunt, only "culling" where you were accompanied by a land mgr to harvest animals they allowed. I'd love to hear more and if there are opportunities for foreigners to engage in hunting because I'd love a reason to come back! Thanks
Our deer season is september to end december for stags , november to end febuary for does .NO bag limits. All you need is the landowenrs permission and thats NEVER a problem. They will bring them out to the road on the tractor for you,@@it_is_what_it_is_brotha
Here in EIRE [ireland] we have stag season from September till the end of December, does from November to end February .No bag limits ,all you need is the land oweners permission and no problem getting ALL THE LAND YOU WANT
Meant to say on last video, congrats on Murphy. He will bring you many years of happiness. Please know I will carry the memory of your Benny and named my Brittany Benny. He is fine and just over 2 yrs old now, well behaved and a great upland bird hunter. A trusted and loyal companion in every way. All the best! Chris
I have a .308 Win. that was built on a '98 Mauser action back in 1980. The 'smith that built it used a good Fajan walnut sporter stock in the build. More than forty years, and a whole lot of rounds downrange, it will still put five of my handloads into a nickel at 100 yards, and I have never noticed any shift of impact over the years. Use good, well seasoned wood, and bed and seal it properly, and it will work just fine.
That's amazing, congratulations. That's one thing dad would tell me alot, that guys would buy up surplus 98 rifles from gun shows and have custom rifles made around the actions in the 1980's.
@bobhill3941 That rifle was good only for a door prop when I bought it. The only part worth saving was the action, the rest was junk. I paid $40 at a small gun show, then another $400 for a new barrel, stock, trigger, bolt alteration, and labor. But it was worth it, as it turns out.
@@maynardcarmer3148 That's excellent, as I said, you weren't the first. I'm glad it's served you well all these years. Thanks very much for the details.
It's nice to see some good walnut and polished bluing instead of the endless row of plastic and matte stainless that seems to dominate the SHOT Show. I have a featherlight Model 70 in 7mm x 57 that mirrors your rifle. I love the look and feel of it.
I have a savage 110L in .243 from 1963 that shoots 1/2" groups. My daughter hunts with it regularly. My Dad bought it originally and I still have the Weaver K6 he bought for it in1963.
First of all, congratulations for the extremely informative channel you run. We also love to see you in Europe. the most expensive hand-made rifles in Austria, which exceed the price of 50,000 dollars, do not have a free-floating barrel, but are so precisely made in wood that not a hair gets in between and they shoot like a laser.
Greetings from Buenos Aires - Argentina. Interesting that comment of yours. By the way, by the end of February I´ll be traveling thru Italy, planning to visit Austria. Which Austrian made rifle are you talking about, please.
@@danielsalvia6689Haloo It is nice to hear that you are coming to visit our part of the world. I had in mind the rifle workshops in the city of Ferlach, which is world-famous for unique, expensive hunting rifles with a very long tradition. PS. On this trip, it makes sense to also visit Slovenia. It is a small, very safe Alpine country with beautiful nature and a piece of beautiful sea. Greetings from Slovenia.
I love a classic rifle.Theres nothing as beautiful as a blued, walnut stocked rifle. My wood stocked rifles shoot accurately...BUT...To get all my wood stocked rifles to shoot this way I have pillar bedded and the action is glass bedded and the barrel freefloated. My wood s
Wood is so beautiful and adds to the hunting experience. All my hunting rifles and shotguns have wood stocks. Bought two that had plastic stocks. One was a CVA black powder rifle. Ordered a Boyts walnut stock replacement. After minor fitting it looks like a different rifle and feels better shooting it. The other one was an entry level Walmart rifle and scope combination in .243 that I bought for my wife. She was not sure that she would like deer hunting so that was what she used on her first deer hunt. She absolutely loved hunting. The next season it too had a Boyts stock and she loved the way it looked and felt compared to the plastic stock. She shot three more deer with it the second season. Now she hunts with a Winchester Supergrade in 7mm-08 with which she killed a sable in S.A.
I almost always hear the wood stock problem in reference to the M14 in Vietnam (I am not saying this to Bash the M14). That always made sense to me because you can't even have hardwood floors where I live without serious treatment (if even then) due to the humidity / ground moisture causing it to warp and deform. This process takes months and months however before you will notice anything. I would imagine in a rainforest that has even worse conditions would have the same problem. Now a hunting rifle you take out for a few days or a range toy or even a home defense gun you have laying around I don't see how it would be an issue. All that if I were to buy an M14 it would definitely be a wood stock because that's what I like as well.
I bought my M1A scout during one of the scares about politicians trying to take guns & the only thing available then was plastic. I planned to get wood for it when it became available. In the meantime I shot 1.1" groups with different loads. I don't change things on any rifle that shoots better than that model is known for so I've learned to ignore the plastic. If I ever get another one, I'll insist on wood.
M14s can be accurate, obviously. The problem seems to be messing with the stock, which means cleaning them changes the tensions when replacing the stock on an M21 Sniper rifle.
I’m picking up a mannlicher stocked Winchester in ought six tomorrow!!! Love walnut and blue. Glad to see you got a new pup. I rescued a heeler back in October after losing my Willy about a year ago. Chance is a handful but makes me smile everyday. Life’s to short to hunt with an ugly gun or not have man’s best friend at one’s side. I enjoy your videos God bless
I love this video. Recently just bought a brand new 700 CDL in 30-06. After years of owning modern synthetic stocks in black and ugly camo patterns Ive found myself being drawn to a more classic look. Its funny how something so common and standard not so long ago has fallen so far from favor. I always laugh when people talk about how wood stocks aren’t durable. How many 100 plus year old guns are still going strong? It makes you wonder who started these misnomers.
So glad you made this video. Yes at 73 years of age I take a lot of gruff because I prefer only wood and blued steel for my long guns. But to me, like a beautiful car - they just "ride" better. The inherent accuracy of a rifle is based on many factors, however whether the stock is wood or synthetic is not one of them. Thank you sir!
Agree completely with your statements. As for the current crop of plastic stocks I really don't mind them especially in light of the budget oriented rifles like the Savage Axis. I have a few, all bought for less than 300 bucks and all shoot sub moa. Like you noted 2-2.5" groups was accurate back in the day, the sub moa performance of modern rifles is fantastic even at a bargain basement price point. Besides, those rifles are aimed at a first time buyer and someone that might not be inclined for the care of a firearm, I've bought 3 of mine used and abused, 2 of them for around a C note. Cleaned up, sighted in with new glass and given a little TLC they turned out to be great rifles even with the Tupperware stocks. Admittedly they are not as pretty as my old M77 Ruger in 25/06 with a #2 contour heavy barrel built in the early 70's (with the barrel pillar at the end of the forestock) but they shoot just as well or better.
I still have my first deer rifle that was a cheap Mossberg 1500 .243 wood stock (cheap gun) with a cheap Tasco scope (horrible glass) and at 100 yards from a rest you can shoot a five shot group that all five would fit into a nickel. I have thought many times of replacing the garbage scope but with that accuracy I am scared to :) I hunt out west were we have snow, rain where the wood has gotten soaked, and it still shoots amazing.
I don't know your name, but you're good people. Greeting from the Tennessee mountains and thank you for all the info you bless us with. Your knowledge and experience are irreplaceable and extremely valuable. Something that cant really be book learned.
Excellent info as always. I confess I´m not a "rifle man"; but an airgunner. Now, talking about air rifles, must say I prefer the wood stock as well ... !
I still shoot my primary deer rifle (Old Remington 700 ADL) prior to each season to verify zero and all I can tell you is that ever since I had it bedded into a HS Precision composite stock no scope adjustment has been needed going on 10 years. My wood stock was bedded by very reputable custom rifle builder and the gun shot great, there was no accuracy difference between the two stocks; the zero just sometimes shifted slightly like 1/2" to 1" sometimes from one year to the next with the wood stock.
Thank you for this informative video! I'm currently studying to be a gunsmith and the vast majority of my business in this rural area will be old/antique firearms with all wood furniture. I'm fortunate to have a large family with lots of old guns and they're letting me use them to study, like the heavily worn Browning A5 (Sweet Sixteen) that I will be completely restoring soon; video of every step will be involved, from replacing the wood furniture to de-rusting and re-blueing the barrel and receiver.
Whenever I scan over websites like Ruger or Henry, etc. I find myself going right to the rifle variations with the wooden stocks. I understand that synthetics have their own applications but the wooden ones always draw my attention first. Much more pleasing to look at...as well as to handle. Appreciate the info here!
Ditto. Thank baby Jesus for him being around. I have absorbed Gunblue's posts, and now can confidently cut my way through an otherwise unintelligible jungle. I don't think I could thank him enough, in this life or the next, for sharing so much with us.
Awesome video as always. The most accurate rifle I own is a wood stock Remington 700 .222 manufactured in 1962 and belonged to my wife’s grandfather. Sub 1 inch MOA in a wood stock rifle over 60 years old! Polymer is fine to save weight, but wood is accurate and this myth is busted thanks to you.
Synthetic stocks have their advantages but, I don't have the need for sub MOA groups at 200yds. My 1895 (anniversary 1970) Savage layout has a track record of over 100 years being one of the most effective hunting rifles (under 300yds) ever made. And it looks (in my opinion) and operates beautifully. Gotta love wood!
I absolutely hate that almost every single gun in the gun shops these days are plastic crap! I’m 38 years old and I started shooting- reloading in my early teens with my uncle who was retired from the Navy. In the 90’s it was as rare to see a plastic gun in the shops as it is to see a new wooden rifle in the shops today. Honestly, I believe it is representative of the direction our society, in that, the wood of each gun was appreciated as a unique individual back then. Whereas today, the plastic is not unique and very much so not an individual but rather a generic collective.
Great video and very pretty Featherweight! Murphy sure is endearing! About a year ago I inherited a Model 700 Classic in 7MM Rem Mag from one of my uncles. It's always been a great shooter, 3/4" or better, with handloaded 160 Partitions at 2965 FPS. But, to your point on a hot barrel, these groups open up to 1.25" or so after 7 successive shots on warm days.
I really enjoyed this video ( as usual ). I have been a carpenter and cabinet-maker for my career, so naturally I do love the wood, also. I just would like to say, regarding your comment about the plastic engine cover on your car. I regard them with the same displeasure as plastic gunstocks...The tools we use can be beautiful as well as functional.
When I hold wood it just feels right but when I hold plastic it feels cheap. Years ago I purchased a Ruger 10/22 with a laminated stock it wasn't accurate, I did the dollar test and found a portion of the stock that was touching the barrel is was able to repair it and the gun is very accurate today. Repairs like this aren't always available for plastics without heat which will only serve to distort the plastic even more.
I enjoyed the talk about the wood stocks and I agree with every point you made. Whats more, I agree with your take on gun writers. Todays gun writers like those in the past are an arm of marketing. Now days they are pushing the long range hunting and or target shooting. If you study the ballistic tables and pick the fastest cartridge with a fast spin rate rifling and buy a bunch of stuff, you too can be a sniper or long range hunter able to shoot an Elk over 1000 yards. Study the ballistics tables and choose the fastest cartridge and then cut off the barrel to 16 inches and then put on a suppressor and you are in the in crowd. Don't put up with a bolt that you can feel any friction or vibration either. The shooters and hunters in the past were superhuman so don't think you will have the dexterity to operate a bolt on a Mauser action. I could go on but suffice to say a young person with little experience will eat up everything the market tells them via gun writers.
Like you said, if the mounting is done correctly, there is no problems arising from wood stocks. A few months ago I bought a pcp air rifle, in the early morning and in the heat of the day it would have different POI. It is a beech wood stock, varnished on the outside but not inside. Further the one mounting screw is just in front of the trigger and the other further away about 50mm from the frond of the stock. The action was pulled over the slightly curved stock. I then put spacers between the wood and metal where the screws are so the action was just riding on those two points. The POI shift is now something of the past. So mounting has everything to do with it.
Hi, Thank You for making this Video. I have argued and argued with my Friends about Wood Stocks. Now I can forward this to them. I really enjoy your Videos and have learned a lot from you. That’s a Cute little Dog. I’m sure he will bring you lots of Joy and Fond Memories.
Most of my rifles have walnut stocks and I absolutely love them. I must say however that I had problems with one wood stocked rifle in 7x64 Brenneke that was with me in the NWT Canada for over 2 month. The originally free floating barrel got pressured one-sided by the slightly warped stock. Groups enlarged from sub 1 MOA to 3 MOA. The problem was later fixed by epoxying an aluminum rod into a routed groove in the fore-stock underneath the barrel. Must have been the way the wood grain run in that particular stock. Never had a problem with any other wood stocked rifle. I must say though, many of my old German hunter friends oiled their guns and stocks excessively and the wood behind the fixing screws can get spongy as a result and the systems can move in the stocks. Especially in heavy calibers without cross bolts, it can ruin nice stocks and many combination guns or better their stocks got ruined 'cause of that. Great video as always.
Sir, I whole heartedly agree with you. I have a few nice “modern” rifles that are stainless and synthetic. Nothing wrong with that. But, most of my rifles are M98 action, blue steel and fancy walnut. Makes my heat flutter to own such rifles.
Thanks for showing us that wood stock is good. I am glad to hear this. Moreover, even plastic stock can be warped. I have a .22LR rifle with plastic stock. Its stock was warped in the forend and touched the barrel in one side but not the other side. I don't know if this hurt accuracy or not. I released the stock in the forend anyway.
Absolutely and the projectiles as well every single casing could be loaded a little different plus wind temperature changes all effect accuracy. Barrel heating up causes expansion and thousandths of a inch differences within the barrel as well as externally. Completely agree with you
great video. If one looks at the coefficients of linear temperature expansion for materials, in general, plastics expand at 10x the rate of wood...steel expands at 2x that of wood. Not tough to figure out which materials are most compatible
The November/December 1997 edition of the American Rifleman contained a test of a Tikka 595 Sporter in .308. Walnut stock. Even with Tikka's separate recoil lug, the rifle averaged 0.49" groups with Federal 165 gr. HPBT Match ammo. The largest group was 0.65" and the smallest 0.37". Granted that Tikkas are known to shoot, the AR staff writer called that "astonishing" for a factory, wood-stocked rifle.
There has always been a lot to do with 3 and 5 shot groups, and I’m sure that has its place in competition shooting. However, I never heard complaint about the stocks from old timers when it came to holding a zero every year for hunting season.
I normally use metal or synthetic plastic stocks that come with most of my firearms. But when I pick up the wooden stocks on others, they feel so much nicer, and brings a smile go my face. The wood is in a way a kind of subconcious performance improver. For example, one may drive better in a car with clean polished interior versus a dirty mess. Much like that, a wooden stock brings more positive thoughts, care and appreciation, cherishing the moment and making that shot worth so much more. Mental factors are just as important as materialistic "on paper" statistics.
It isn't just the gun writers, but the companies themselves who have created and perpetuated this myth. Why? Probably because there is a backstory - namely, that high-quality hardwoods are more-expensive and harder to get than in the past. Rifle manufacturers like synthetics because they perform well and often cost less than fine hardwoods. They had/still have a vested interest in creating demand for synthetics, for this reason. Synthetics do have an upside, which is that they have made match-grade performance possible at entry-level prices. When you buy a Ruger American, Savage Axis, or similar rifle, you are really paying for the barrel, action and fire-control group (trigger group). The stock is where they cut corners and costs, along with simplifying or cheapening certain other parts. The manufacturers or the after-market makers of stocks will be happy to sell you a fine wood stock to upgrade some time down the road should you wish it. Thanks for dispelling the myths surrounding wood stocks. Some of us have always known they were myths! There's just something special about a wood-and-steel rifle, especially the ones from the old days which were hand-fitted and hand-made.
Wood stocks just add personality to a fine rifle. I use mine for hunting in Saskatchewan, weather changes by the hour and we get cold, real cold, and we get hot, real hot. Never noticed any issues with my wood stocked guns! Awesome puppy!
I'm building a 35 whelen on a 700 action. It started out an adl 30-06 synthetic. But I got a BDL walnut stock for it. I wanted it to have the classic BDL look. I will glass bet it. I love walnut!!
I just felled a decent sized black walnut last week. It has a decent main trunk maybe 10.ft straight to a large branch with enough diameter to make a few stocks, I'm hoping. Now I have to get the trunk on a wagon and clean up the butt so Imcan seal it.with paint so it doesn't dry wrong. I'd like to get a good stock made for my Zastava M98. Might be a few years to get it dry after getting it sawn properly.
Solid wood stocks are " beautiful "!!!! All my rifles are in good solid wood stocks, don't want anything else brother!! Thanks for your video & expert information!!!!👍👍🤟🤘😊 ~~ Howard M.
I have a couple of rifles with plastic stocks, several with good wood & a couple with wood laminate. My observation is that the plastic is the least stable, the laminate the most stable & properly finished wood so close to laminate the difference isn't discernable. I don't choose plastic but if I have an opportunity for a good rifle that happens to have it I'll at least see how it shoots before I change anything. The biggest issue I've seen with accuracy has never been stocks, always poor barrel quality or bad mounting issues. If a rifle with a plastic stock shoots well it keeps it. If not I'll try wood & am usually happy once it's mounted properly. If that doesn't work, check your barrel.
GOD BLESS " BENNY "!!!! We miss you baby!!!! Your new puppy is beautiful, glad for you brotherman!! BEST REGERDS MY FRIEND!!!! ~~👍🤟🤘❤🤍💙😊 ~~ Howard Markham~~ 4/23/2024 ~~
I own one gun with a wood stock, a Marlin 39A built in 1947, because it's a family heirloom. All my other long guns and handguns have synthetic stocks/grips. I'll buy nothing else. Wood looks nice, as does blued steel, but they require extra care, relative to synthetic and stainless/anti-corrosion coated/treated steels, and you have addressed on many videos the effect of excess action/barrel/etc oil soaking into and eventually harming wood. I'm a vet, and thankful I was never issued any wooden-stocked/gripped weapons. I really like guns, carry them daily, shoot them often, and own quite a few, but they're primarily tools to me, to be used, cleaned, and maintained efficiently.
G-day Timber no matter your choce of which wood or age Its a living thing it always retains a certain amount of the person that handles it the most.cheers and sorry to benny I know he was you best they do get that way part of the family. ✌👍
Having hunted reloaded and collected rifles 60+ years and I just love wood! That being said I once took my brother in law hunting on the oregon coast on his first hunt for black tail deer. It was pouring down rain in buckets and I let him use my post 64-270 win model 70 that was almost brand new. He took a nice deer and I dried off the gun as good as possible that evening! The next day the stock on the for-end of the stock twisted and was now touch on the barrel in about 4-5 spots from twisting. I took it to a top gunsmith and he tried to take the stock and straight it and had no luck! Called Winchester and they replaced it because it was less then a year old and had only been fired about 10 times. After that I take non wood stocks when I go hunting where I know it’s going to have a lot of rain.
As a builder who installs both wood and plastic siding on houses I have to say that the plastic siding requires a margin on each end because of how much it moves and wood siding does not. Just my 2 cents
I absolutely love wood stocked hunting rifles. Synthetic stocks have their place, and I do own a few rifles with synthetic stocks, but wood stocks will always be my favorite. Wood has an heirloom quality to it that you just don't get with a stock made from synthetic materials. Beautiful wood & blued steel polished to a shiny lustre speaks to the soul.
Great video as always, Right On! The myths are alive and well on synthetic stocks as well. They all have a place as you said, we all have our preferences. I love wood myself and upgrade rifles to wood that are from the factory synthetic. But both stocks can be made to shoot accurately in a rifle just making sure it is bedded well and the free float has enough clearance that it does not make contact with the barrel when shooting.
I've had some really accurate wood factory stock 700's "piller bedded devcon" rifles from a now deceased smith. When the misses and i went BR shooting later we used mcmillian BR stocks because of the geomerty and weight. I can say ive seen the old 40X BR wood stock piller bedded by the same man that was just as good but weight becomes an issue. Honestly i love a nice figured walnut stock for fine rifles. Thank you GunBlue for your content sir.
Once again, you have turned out a great video. I love wood stocks. A nice rifle with a wood stock is a cherished heirloom to leave the generations after us. Who wants to inherit a piece of plastic.
Pros and cons for both stock materials, they either work or they don’t, if they don’t, then the bedding/free floating begins. After 45 years of owning and working on dozens of rifles of all makes and action, I prefer Wood but….I will say the “good” synthetic stocks can resist breaking in the grip area against falls etc. I used to hunt off horse back a lot when I was younger, we had an unfortunate rodeo one hunt and a horse rolled on my wood stocked Browning , broken in half at the pistol grip, if not for some back country resourcefulness ( tree pitch, salvaged wood screws from an old trapper cabin shelf and duck tape) the hunt would have been over for me!
I agree with wood stocks.when i started my tool and die making trade I bought a gerstner walnut tool box it was expensive but I’m retired and have had that box 47 years walking in to work every day looking at the most beautiful tool box in the shop.I just started reloading i bought the x 10 your set up video are spot on.Are you a tradesman you seem to know a lot of upper end knowledge.thanks for great set up help
Thank you for your comment. My only official skilled trade was as a precision electroplater before I became a police officer. However, I was raised rather poor, and learned virtually all the skilled trades; finish and framing carpentry, cabinet and casework, electrical, plumbing, gas fitting, automotive, tile laying, masonry, etc. And I was factory trained by three arms makers. Yesterday, I performed the semi-annual cleaning, oiling, and greasing of our German grandfather clock. Reading and studying professionals taught me.
I love a good wood stock. The synthetic stocks are ok, but I definitely prefer wood. They can be made water resistant with a good finish and easily touched up. I have a Hogue stock on my REM 700 and it works great, but it came with a cheap plastic stock with lots of flex. Big improvement, but I do wish I would have gotten a good wood stock. Great video!
Plastic stocks are nice in that they make the initial investment a little lower. The first upgrade is to a wood stock, then the optics. I love making and refinishing them as well.
@GB490 Regarding the stability and accuracy of wood-stocked rifles, our experience in Vietnam as well as other conflicts prior to that, illustrated the degree to which these traditional designs functioned in the field, and most-often functioned well. You were army in SE Asia if memory serves. I don't know the history of that branch vis-a-vis armorers and gunsmithing as well as I do the Marine Corps, but it would be surprising if they were not similar in many ways. The Army and Marine Corps issued wood-stocked M-14s to troops during the first part of the war, and the former also adopted an accurized version of the weapon as its precision/sniping weapon. The Corps opted to arm its spotters with iron-sighted M-14s, but snipers themselves were issued bolt-action Winchester M70 rifles chambered in 30-06 and mounted with Unertl scopes, and then scoped Remington M700 rifles in 7.62x51mm NATO during the latter part of the war after 1966. While it is true that wood expands and contracts during swings in temperature, that is also true of other materials. Whereas dried hardwoods can and do absorb moisture from their surroundings, this is also true of other substances to a greater or lesser extent. Moreover, if treated properly using the correct chemical or other treatment, hardwoods can be made highly-resistant to the elements. The Corps used boiled linseed oil, repeated applied until the wood was saturated and would not accept any more oil. I do not know if or how the army treated its wood-stocked M-14s. There is a pernicious myth that wood-stocked M-14s w/ scopes were unreliable in S.E. Asia, which likely stems from a quirk in army maintenance record-keeping. It was SOP in those days that the scope and rifle were "mated" as an item of inventory, and if one needed work or was broken-down, both went to the shop together. Optics in those days did not fare particularly well in the hot, humid and wet tropics of Vietnam, so many fogged up or malfunctioned. Off they went to the armorers for repairs, both rifle and optic alike. This misinformation was later folded into the statistics on M-14 performance, and the discrepancy was not caught until later. Both services later switched to fiberglass stocks for their respective versions of the M700 or M40 as it was known in USMC jargon. Much is made of the alleged superior performance of synthetic materials in extreme environments as being the reason for the switch, but there is also another explanation: Cost. Synthetic materials can be significantly cheaper and easier to work with, and may also offer weight savings, too, which the heavily-loaded infantryman always appreciates.
God intended for stocks to be made of wood. Enjoyed this topic. I haven’t bought a plastic stock since 2013. Extra cost are worth it for passing on to your kids. I can still see beauty in old wood but I don’t think the plastics will be as aesthetically pleasing in 50 years. Even a recent production mossberg patriot I handled had a nice stock. Also Howa gives a nice stock for price.
I agree on the wood! Its beautiful where these plastic or what ever they are stocks are basically in my opinion are throw aways. These people on the internet usually just ,,, well I wont say no more. I like this man. He is the real thing and I value his view points. My guess is he is a gunsmith who has been in business long before these 20 somethings on the internet.
I might be aging myself but a blue steel gun and wood stock just looks better than any synthetic or new modern chassis.
Agree!
Absolutely. Plastic is for toys.
100%.
@@AmericanWorker1127 i feel like we've moved away from polymers to aluminum. all the new guns are just iron components encased in an aluminum cage. certainly better than the 2000s when everything was plastic
Not mine. All of my bolt action rifles are wood, I am not a fan of of any stock not made from wood. Just my two cents. In fact any bolt action rifle I have purchased with a synthetic stock was quickly replaced with a Woodstock. I find it totally shocking that this man does not have more subscribers. This man is a wealth of knowledge.
Tell a lie enough times soon people thinks it’s the truth.
Very profound statement in today’s society. 🤔
I am dealing with a remote community in Northern Canada for work. It was interesting to note that a community member mentioned they prefer rifles with wood stocks, as they trust them to hold up better in the extreme cold (-30 degrees Celsius). This is contrary to the narrative that synthetic stocks are better for extreme environments, but coming from the mouth of someone who has real field experience in an extreme cold environment.
It's the same with the Sirius dog sled patrols in Greenland where they still use Lee Enfield.
Perhaps some synthetics can become quite brittle in extreme cold and may be prone to easier damage if accidentally struck or dropped.
Canadian Rangers used wood stocked Enfields for decades, now I believe their new replacement Sako is Laminate.
@@llkj7944 Yes we did and yes it is.
@@llkj7944Close enough. Tikka.
I’m not opposed to synthetic stocks but wood is most certainly my preference.
Love the feel of a wood stock, it has a soul.
Yes it does, and a wood stock is accurate enough, dad killed most of his deer with a wood-stocked Winchester model 88.
On a related note, he and I both like laminate for it's strength, weather resilience, and it's warm on your hands.
Wood and blued steel have a warmth that stainless, aluminum and polymers don't.
@@vikingsoftpaw Yes, a warmth, personality, and beauty unmatched. One of my fondest childhood memories was looking into dad's cabinet and seeing all the blued steel and wood-one stainless/synthetic 7mm magnum!
The "shower for three hours" statement really cemented it for me, because that's the only negative I ever heard about wood stocks-that when they get wet, they swell and effect accuracy. Thank you for the history on them.
I read that in a Bob Lee Swagger book, where he was protecting his M40 from getting wet during a torrential rainstorm in Vietnam with his spotter.
I think of dad watching your videos and cry everytime.
I paid extra to get my CZ 457 with a wood stock. No regrets.
I’ve commented to several blogs, that once, a few years ago, I was at a very busy county shooting range.
I was there w/ my Gorgeous Steyr SL, CZ550, and my dad’s war prize, an 8mm Nambu.
As I looked up and down the firing line, I was shocked that there were no wooden stocked guns other than mine!
It was so sad to me.
Yes, I remember reading about the supposed disadvantages of wooden stocks in the early 1990s. Manufacturers wanted plastic, cheaper to produce. My M700 in .30-06 shot 7/16" groups with its wooden stock and that was with practice ammo!
For me there is only one material for a rife stock and that's wood.
As Steve Lee sings, "I like guns, I like the way they look. I like the shining steel and the polished wood.....".
I also love wood and I was misinformed that The cliches about wood were correct and I just always accepted that I was giving up a little bit to have a beautiful wood stock that I liked that I found attractive. I'm happy to hear that it's inaccurate. Thank you for keeping us so well informed. I really appreciate it. Good luck with the puppy 👍
Wood has been used since the conception of firearms. If it didn't work well they would have come up with something better centuries ago.
I live in EIRE [ireland] . It has being raining here EVERY day since June ,i hunt 2 days every weekend from September to March in the rain with a wooden stock on a 270, its dried and put in a heated safe after use for the last 30 years . Fine accuracte gun
Can I ask you what and how you hunt that much? I'm form the US and went to Ireland to get married and travelled the country for 10 days, finding some beautiful red stags in Killarney. But, I heard there was no hunting like in the US where you buy a permit to then go on your own on public land to hunt, only "culling" where you were accompanied by a land mgr to harvest animals they allowed. I'd love to hear more and if there are opportunities for foreigners to engage in hunting because I'd love a reason to come back! Thanks
Our deer season is september to end december for stags , november to end febuary for does .NO bag limits. All you need is the landowenrs permission and thats NEVER a problem. They will bring them out to the road on the tractor for you,@@it_is_what_it_is_brotha
Here in EIRE [ireland] we have stag season from September till the end of December, does from November to end February .No bag limits ,all you need is the land oweners permission and no problem getting ALL THE LAND YOU WANT
Great news thanks for sharing!
Come over anytime you want
Meant to say on last video, congrats on Murphy. He will bring you many years of happiness. Please know I will carry the memory of your Benny and named my Brittany Benny. He is fine and just over 2 yrs old now, well behaved and a great upland bird hunter. A trusted and loyal companion in every way. All the best! Chris
I have a .308 Win. that was built on a '98 Mauser action back in 1980. The 'smith that built it used a good Fajan walnut sporter stock in the build. More than forty years, and a whole lot of rounds downrange, it will still put five of my handloads into a nickel at 100 yards, and I have never noticed any shift of impact over the years. Use good, well seasoned wood, and bed and seal it properly, and it will work just fine.
That's amazing, congratulations. That's one thing dad would tell me alot, that guys would buy up surplus 98 rifles from gun shows and have custom rifles made around the actions in the 1980's.
@bobhill3941
That rifle was good only for a door prop when I bought it. The only part worth saving was the action, the rest was junk. I paid $40 at a small gun show, then another $400 for a new barrel, stock, trigger, bolt alteration, and labor. But it was worth it, as it turns out.
@@maynardcarmer3148 That's excellent, as I said, you weren't the first. I'm glad it's served you well all these years. Thanks very much for the details.
It's nice to see some good walnut and polished bluing instead of the endless row of plastic and matte stainless that seems to dominate the SHOT Show. I have a featherlight Model 70 in 7mm x 57 that mirrors your rifle. I love the look and feel of it.
Great cartridge. One of my favorites. I like the 6.5x55 Swede, also.
@@garyh1449 One day I want to acquire a Swedish M96 in the long rifle configuration. Such an elegant cartridge.
@@garyh1449 Ditto, plus the Swede. I always wanted one so I bought a CZ few years back. It's too gorgeous to take in the field.
@@45calibermedic I have a M96 all matching and a M38 also all matching. For hunting I have a Sauer 100. All 6.5x55 Swede of course
@@Paladin1873 CZ is a good rifle, I have the Sauer 100.
Thank you for another great video! I too get annoyed when nonsense is published just to get a sale! Thanks again for truthful,common sense views.
Thanks for watching!
I have a savage 110L in .243 from 1963 that shoots 1/2" groups. My daughter hunts with it regularly. My Dad bought it originally and I still have the Weaver K6 he bought for it in1963.
First of all, congratulations for the extremely informative channel you run. We also love to see you in Europe.
the most expensive hand-made rifles in Austria, which exceed the price of 50,000 dollars, do not have a free-floating barrel, but are so precisely made in wood that not a hair gets in between and they shoot like a laser.
Greetings from Buenos Aires - Argentina. Interesting that comment of yours. By the way, by the end of February I´ll be traveling thru Italy, planning to visit Austria. Which Austrian made rifle are you talking about, please.
@@danielsalvia6689Haloo
It is nice to hear that you are coming to visit our part of the world. I had in mind the rifle workshops in the city of Ferlach, which is world-famous for unique, expensive hunting rifles with a very long tradition. PS. On this trip, it makes sense to also visit Slovenia. It is a small, very safe Alpine country with beautiful nature and a piece of beautiful sea.
Greetings from Slovenia.
I love a classic rifle.Theres nothing as beautiful as a blued, walnut stocked rifle. My wood stocked rifles shoot accurately...BUT...To get all my wood stocked rifles to shoot this way I have pillar bedded and the action is glass bedded and the barrel freefloated. My wood s
Wood and steel. It worked for my ancestors and it works for me. Plastic simply is not collectable. Thanks for another great video.
Wood is so beautiful and adds to the hunting experience. All my hunting rifles and shotguns have wood stocks. Bought two that had plastic stocks. One was a CVA black powder rifle. Ordered a Boyts walnut stock replacement. After minor fitting it looks like a different rifle and feels better shooting it.
The other one was an entry level Walmart rifle and scope combination in .243 that I bought for my wife. She was not sure that she would like deer hunting so that was what she used on her first deer hunt. She absolutely loved hunting. The next season it too had a Boyts stock and she loved the way it looked and felt compared to the plastic stock. She shot three more deer with it the second season.
Now she hunts with a Winchester Supergrade in 7mm-08 with which she killed a sable in S.A.
Every rifle I own from my Remington model 33 to my brand new Henry Big boy have wood stocks. Your new puppy is a real sweetheart.
I almost always hear the wood stock problem in reference to the M14 in Vietnam (I am not saying this to Bash the M14). That always made sense to me because you can't even have hardwood floors where I live without serious treatment (if even then) due to the humidity / ground moisture causing it to warp and deform. This process takes months and months however before you will notice anything. I would imagine in a rainforest that has even worse conditions would have the same problem. Now a hunting rifle you take out for a few days or a range toy or even a home defense gun you have laying around I don't see how it would be an issue. All that if I were to buy an M14 it would definitely be a wood stock because that's what I like as well.
I bought my M1A scout during one of the scares about politicians trying to take guns & the only thing available then was plastic. I planned to get wood for it when it became available. In the meantime I shot 1.1" groups with different loads. I don't change things on any rifle that shoots better than that model is known for so I've learned to ignore the plastic. If I ever get another one, I'll insist on wood.
M14s can be accurate, obviously. The problem seems to be messing with the stock, which means cleaning them changes the tensions when replacing the stock on an M21 Sniper rifle.
I’m picking up a mannlicher stocked Winchester in ought six tomorrow!!! Love walnut and blue. Glad to see you got a new pup. I rescued a heeler back in October after losing my Willy about a year ago. Chance is a handful but makes me smile everyday. Life’s to short to hunt with an ugly gun or not have man’s best friend at one’s side. I enjoy your videos God bless
I was wondering if we were going to have a look at the pup. Awesome little dog. I do miss Benny though.
I love this video. Recently just bought a brand new 700 CDL in 30-06. After years of owning modern synthetic stocks in black and ugly camo patterns Ive found myself being drawn to a more classic look. Its funny how something so common and standard not so long ago has fallen so far from favor. I always laugh when people talk about how wood stocks aren’t durable. How many 100 plus year old guns are still going strong? It makes you wonder who started these misnomers.
So glad you made this video. Yes at 73 years of age I take a lot of gruff because I prefer only wood and blued steel for my long guns. But to me, like a beautiful car - they just "ride" better. The inherent accuracy of a rifle is based on many factors, however whether the stock is wood or synthetic is not one of them. Thank you sir!
Love the wood stocks. Love the puppy.
Congratulations on Murphy! May he bring you the companionship and joy that Benny gave you.
Yes! Thank you!
Agree completely with your statements. As for the current crop of plastic stocks I really don't mind them especially in light of the budget oriented rifles like the Savage Axis. I have a few, all bought for less than 300 bucks and all shoot sub moa. Like you noted 2-2.5" groups was accurate back in the day, the sub moa performance of modern rifles is fantastic even at a bargain basement price point. Besides, those rifles are aimed at a first time buyer and someone that might not be inclined for the care of a firearm, I've bought 3 of mine used and abused, 2 of them for around a C note. Cleaned up, sighted in with new glass and given a little TLC they turned out to be great rifles even with the Tupperware stocks. Admittedly they are not as pretty as my old M77 Ruger in 25/06 with a #2 contour heavy barrel built in the early 70's (with the barrel pillar at the end of the forestock) but they shoot just as well or better.
Wood just has that home feeling. The pup looks great
I still have my first deer rifle that was a cheap Mossberg 1500 .243 wood stock (cheap gun) with a cheap Tasco scope (horrible glass) and at 100 yards from a rest you can shoot a five shot group that all five would fit into a nickel. I have thought many times of replacing the garbage scope but with that accuracy I am scared to :) I hunt out west were we have snow, rain where the wood has gotten soaked, and it still shoots amazing.
I don't know your name, but you're good people. Greeting from the Tennessee mountains and thank you for all the info you bless us with. Your knowledge and experience are irreplaceable and extremely valuable. Something that cant really be book learned.
Excellent info as always. I confess I´m not a "rifle man"; but an airgunner. Now, talking about air rifles, must say I prefer the wood stock as well ... !
I am an air gunner too! Love it, right in my back yard. I have fired thousands of rounds from my 2 Beeman air rifles.
I still shoot my primary deer rifle (Old Remington 700 ADL) prior to each season to verify zero and all I can tell you is that ever since I had it bedded into a HS Precision composite stock no scope adjustment has been needed going on 10 years. My wood stock was bedded by very reputable custom rifle builder and the gun shot great, there was no accuracy difference between the two stocks; the zero just sometimes shifted slightly like 1/2" to 1" sometimes from one year to the next with the wood stock.
Thank you for this informative video! I'm currently studying to be a gunsmith and the vast majority of my business in this rural area will be old/antique firearms with all wood furniture. I'm fortunate to have a large family with lots of old guns and they're letting me use them to study, like the heavily worn Browning A5 (Sweet Sixteen) that I will be completely restoring soon; video of every step will be involved, from replacing the wood furniture to de-rusting and re-blueing the barrel and receiver.
Whenever I scan over websites like Ruger or Henry, etc. I find myself going right to the rifle variations with the wooden stocks. I understand that synthetics have their own applications but the wooden ones always draw my attention first. Much more pleasing to look at...as well as to handle. Appreciate the info here!
I've learned so much about firearms and reloading from this fella, he has saved me countless dollars.
Ditto. Thank baby Jesus for him being around. I have absorbed Gunblue's posts, and now can confidently cut my way through an otherwise unintelligible jungle.
I don't think I could thank him enough, in this life or the next, for sharing so much with us.
What a delight to see Murphy! Interesting presentation, as usual.
Awesome video as always. The most accurate rifle I own is a wood stock Remington 700 .222 manufactured in 1962 and belonged to my wife’s grandfather. Sub 1 inch MOA in a wood stock rifle over 60 years old! Polymer is fine to save weight, but wood is accurate and this myth is busted thanks to you.
Synthetic stocks have their advantages but, I don't have the need for sub MOA groups at 200yds. My 1895 (anniversary 1970) Savage layout has a track record of over 100 years being one of the most effective hunting rifles (under 300yds) ever made. And it looks (in my opinion) and operates beautifully. Gotta love wood!
I absolutely hate that almost every single gun in the gun shops these days are plastic crap! I’m 38 years old and I started shooting- reloading in my early teens with my uncle who was retired from the Navy. In the 90’s it was as rare to see a plastic gun in the shops as it is to see a new wooden rifle in the shops today. Honestly, I believe it is representative of the direction our society, in that, the wood of each gun was appreciated as a unique individual back then. Whereas today, the plastic is not unique and very much so not an individual but rather a generic collective.
Thank you for all your informative gun videos! Fan of your channel! God bless you Mr Gun Blue!
Lots of misinformation out there. Thank you for you're insight and experience!
Great video and very pretty Featherweight! Murphy sure is endearing! About a year ago I inherited a Model 700 Classic in 7MM Rem Mag from one of my uncles. It's always been a great shooter, 3/4" or better, with handloaded 160 Partitions at 2965 FPS. But, to your point on a hot barrel, these groups open up to 1.25" or so after 7 successive shots on warm days.
I really enjoyed this video ( as usual ). I have been a carpenter and cabinet-maker for my career, so naturally I do love the wood, also. I just would like to say, regarding your comment about the plastic engine cover on your car. I regard them with the same displeasure as plastic gunstocks...The tools we use can be beautiful as well as functional.
Yup, I like to open a hood and see a v-8 engine topped off with a 4 bbl carb etc. and enough room in there to see the darn thing.
When I hold wood it just feels right but when I hold plastic it feels cheap. Years ago I purchased a Ruger 10/22 with a laminated stock it wasn't accurate, I did the dollar test and found a portion of the stock that was touching the barrel is was able to repair it and the gun is very accurate today. Repairs like this aren't always available for plastics without heat which will only serve to distort the plastic even more.
a very well done video. your observations are spot on. my experiences over many years are in full agreement. thank you
I enjoyed the talk about the wood stocks and I agree with every point you made. Whats more, I agree with your take on gun writers. Todays gun writers like those in the past are an arm of marketing. Now days they are pushing the long range hunting and or target shooting. If you study the ballistic tables and pick the fastest cartridge with a fast spin rate rifling and buy a bunch of stuff, you too can be a sniper or long range hunter able to shoot an Elk over 1000 yards. Study the ballistics tables and choose the fastest cartridge and then cut off the barrel to 16 inches and then put on a suppressor and you are in the in crowd. Don't put up with a bolt that you can feel any friction or vibration either. The shooters and hunters in the past were superhuman so don't think you will have the dexterity to operate a bolt on a Mauser action. I could go on but suffice to say a young person with little experience will eat up everything the market tells them via gun writers.
Like you said, if the mounting is done correctly, there is no problems arising from wood stocks. A few months ago I bought a pcp air rifle, in the early morning and in the heat of the day it would have different POI. It is a beech wood stock, varnished on the outside but not inside. Further the one mounting screw is just in front of the trigger and the other further away about 50mm from the frond of the stock. The action was pulled over the slightly curved stock. I then put spacers between the wood and metal where the screws are so the action was just riding on those two points. The POI shift is now something of the past. So mounting has everything to do with it.
Hi, Thank You for making this Video. I have argued and argued with my Friends about Wood Stocks. Now I can forward this to them. I really enjoy your Videos and have learned a lot from you. That’s a Cute little Dog. I’m sure he will bring you lots of Joy and Fond Memories.
I have synthetic stocks , but it was a financial choice , I prefer wood by far .
Most of my rifles have walnut stocks and I absolutely love them. I must say however that I had problems with one wood stocked rifle in 7x64 Brenneke that was with me in the NWT Canada for over 2 month. The originally free floating barrel got pressured one-sided by the slightly warped stock. Groups enlarged from sub 1 MOA to 3 MOA. The problem was later fixed by epoxying an aluminum rod into a routed groove in the fore-stock underneath the barrel. Must have been the way the wood grain run in that particular stock. Never had a problem with any other wood stocked rifle. I must say though, many of my old German hunter friends oiled their guns and stocks excessively and the wood behind the fixing screws can get spongy as a result and the systems can move in the stocks. Especially in heavy calibers without cross bolts, it can ruin nice stocks and many combination guns or better their stocks got ruined 'cause of that. Great video as always.
My 1972 M70 Winchester with a beautiful wood stock is a tack driver and it has never changed.
I am very familiar with that year. Great rifle!
Sir, I whole heartedly agree with you. I have a few nice “modern” rifles that are stainless and synthetic. Nothing wrong with that. But, most of my rifles are M98 action, blue steel and fancy walnut. Makes my heat flutter to own such rifles.
Great video like always!!
Glad you got another dog. They are like little kids, full of love
Thanks for showing us that wood stock is good. I am glad to hear this. Moreover, even plastic stock can be warped. I have a .22LR rifle with plastic stock. Its stock was warped in the forend and touched the barrel in one side but not the other side. I don't know if this hurt accuracy or not. I released the stock in the forend anyway.
Absolutely and the projectiles as well every single casing could be loaded a little different plus wind temperature changes all effect accuracy. Barrel heating up causes expansion and thousandths of a inch differences within the barrel as well as externally. Completely agree with you
thank you for your straight talk and your gun and hunting knowledge
From what I have seen and heard at the local range, synthetic stocks have no advantage over wood when it comes to accuracy.
I have a feeling you won't hear the truth at the local range, I don't have any synthetic stocks though.
@@eb1684 you are right. We should believe gun media writers who get the latest guns from the makers and issue glowing reviews.
Excellent Video, very informative.....thank you from Australia.
I agree with your assessment. I've shot 3/4 inch 5-groups out of a NM M1a and a Sako 7mmag with wood stocks.
great video. If one looks at the coefficients of linear temperature expansion for materials, in general, plastics expand at 10x the rate of wood...steel expands at 2x that of wood. Not tough to figure out which materials are most compatible
The November/December 1997 edition of the American Rifleman contained a test of a Tikka 595 Sporter in .308. Walnut stock. Even with Tikka's separate recoil lug, the rifle averaged 0.49" groups with Federal 165 gr. HPBT Match ammo. The largest group was 0.65" and the smallest 0.37". Granted that Tikkas are known to shoot, the AR staff writer called that "astonishing" for a factory, wood-stocked rifle.
There has always been a lot to do with 3 and 5 shot groups, and I’m sure that has its place in competition shooting. However, I never heard complaint about the stocks from old timers when it came to holding a zero every year for hunting season.
I normally use metal or synthetic plastic stocks that come with most of my firearms. But when I pick up the wooden stocks on others, they feel so much nicer, and brings a smile go my face.
The wood is in a way a kind of subconcious performance improver. For example, one may drive better in a car with clean polished interior versus a dirty mess. Much like that, a wooden stock brings more positive thoughts, care and appreciation, cherishing the moment and making that shot worth so much more.
Mental factors are just as important as materialistic "on paper" statistics.
It isn't just the gun writers, but the companies themselves who have created and perpetuated this myth. Why? Probably because there is a backstory - namely, that high-quality hardwoods are more-expensive and harder to get than in the past. Rifle manufacturers like synthetics because they perform well and often cost less than fine hardwoods. They had/still have a vested interest in creating demand for synthetics, for this reason.
Synthetics do have an upside, which is that they have made match-grade performance possible at entry-level prices. When you buy a Ruger American, Savage Axis, or similar rifle, you are really paying for the barrel, action and fire-control group (trigger group). The stock is where they cut corners and costs, along with simplifying or cheapening certain other parts. The manufacturers or the after-market makers of stocks will be happy to sell you a fine wood stock to upgrade some time down the road should you wish it.
Thanks for dispelling the myths surrounding wood stocks. Some of us have always known they were myths! There's just something special about a wood-and-steel rifle, especially the ones from the old days which were hand-fitted and hand-made.
I agree! I have 1 rifle that's got a synthetic stock and I don't particularly care for the looks but ....
Wood stocks just add personality to a fine rifle. I use mine for hunting in Saskatchewan, weather changes by the hour and we get cold, real cold, and we get hot, real hot. Never noticed any issues with my wood stocked guns! Awesome puppy!
I'm building a 35 whelen on a 700 action. It started out an adl 30-06 synthetic. But I got a BDL walnut stock for it. I wanted it to have the classic BDL look. I will glass bet it. I love walnut!!
Love your videos buddy, always full of great content and knowledge ❤🙏🏼
Agree with you Blue. Wood stocked long guns are historically beautiful. Also my sole preference.
I just felled a decent sized black walnut last week. It has a decent main trunk maybe 10.ft straight to a large branch with enough diameter to make a few stocks, I'm hoping. Now I have to get the trunk on a wagon and clean up the butt so Imcan seal it.with paint so it doesn't dry wrong. I'd like to get a good stock made for my Zastava M98. Might be a few years to get it dry after getting it sawn properly.
Solid wood stocks are " beautiful "!!!! All my rifles are in good solid wood stocks, don't want anything else brother!! Thanks for your video & expert information!!!!👍👍🤟🤘😊 ~~ Howard M.
Great video! Congrats on the new family member! I hope Murphy will be healthy and bring years of happiness to you and your loved ones. GOD bless!!!
I have a couple of rifles with plastic stocks, several with good wood & a couple with wood laminate. My observation is that the plastic is the least stable, the laminate the most stable & properly finished wood so close to laminate the difference isn't discernable. I don't choose plastic but if I have an opportunity for a good rifle that happens to have it I'll at least see how it shoots before I change anything. The biggest issue I've seen with accuracy has never been stocks, always poor barrel quality or bad mounting issues. If a rifle with a plastic stock shoots well it keeps it. If not I'll try wood & am usually happy once it's mounted properly. If that doesn't work, check your barrel.
GOD BLESS " BENNY "!!!! We miss you baby!!!! Your new puppy is beautiful, glad for you brotherman!! BEST REGERDS MY FRIEND!!!! ~~👍🤟🤘❤🤍💙😊 ~~ Howard Markham~~ 4/23/2024 ~~
I own one gun with a wood stock, a Marlin 39A built in 1947, because it's a family heirloom. All my other long guns and handguns have synthetic stocks/grips. I'll buy nothing else. Wood looks nice, as does blued steel, but they require extra care, relative to synthetic and stainless/anti-corrosion coated/treated steels, and you have addressed on many videos the effect of excess action/barrel/etc oil soaking into and eventually harming wood. I'm a vet, and thankful I was never issued any wooden-stocked/gripped weapons. I really like guns, carry them daily, shoot them often, and own quite a few, but they're primarily tools to me, to be used, cleaned, and maintained efficiently.
G-day Timber no matter your choce of which wood or age Its a living thing it always retains a certain amount of the person that handles it the most.cheers and sorry to benny I know he was you best they do get that way part of the family. ✌👍
Wood helps add character to all firearms...great video as usual!
Having hunted reloaded and collected rifles 60+ years and I just love wood! That being said I once took my brother in law hunting on the oregon coast on his first hunt for black tail deer. It was pouring down rain in buckets and I let him use my post 64-270 win model 70 that was almost brand new. He took a nice deer and I dried off the gun as good as possible that evening! The next day the stock on the for-end of the stock twisted and was now touch on the barrel in about 4-5 spots from twisting. I took it to a top gunsmith and he tried to take the stock and straight it and had no luck! Called Winchester and they replaced it because it was less then a year old and had only been fired about 10 times. After that I take non wood stocks when I go hunting where I know it’s going to have a lot of rain.
Except for being a mechanic and firearms being mechanical ,what drew me to firearms 50 years ago was the walnut .
As a builder who installs both wood and plastic siding on houses I have to say that the plastic siding requires a margin on each end because of how much it moves and wood siding does not. Just my 2 cents
I absolutely love wood stocked hunting rifles. Synthetic stocks have their place, and I do own a few rifles with synthetic stocks, but wood stocks will always be my favorite. Wood has an heirloom quality to it that you just don't get with a stock made from synthetic materials. Beautiful wood & blued steel polished to a shiny lustre speaks to the soul.
Great video as always, Right On! The myths are alive and well on synthetic stocks as well. They all have a place as you said, we all have our preferences. I love wood myself and upgrade rifles to wood that are from the factory synthetic. But both stocks can be made to shoot accurately in a rifle just making sure it is bedded well and the free float has enough clearance that it does not make contact with the barrel when shooting.
I've had some really accurate wood factory stock 700's "piller bedded devcon" rifles from a now deceased smith. When the misses and i went BR shooting later we used mcmillian BR stocks because of the geomerty and weight. I can say ive seen the old 40X BR wood stock piller bedded by the same man that was just as good but weight becomes an issue. Honestly i love a nice figured walnut stock for fine rifles. Thank you GunBlue for your content sir.
Once again, you have turned out a great video. I love wood stocks. A nice rifle with a wood stock is a cherished heirloom to leave the generations after us. Who wants to inherit a piece of plastic.
Thankyou I had gentlemans disagreements with shooters over the years about wood and plastic you just validated what i beleaved.
I like wood stocks as well....My 700(.35 Whelen) has a nicely grained stock with a rose wood tip. SHOOTS as good as it looks, too!
Pros and cons for both stock materials, they either work or they don’t, if they don’t, then the bedding/free floating begins.
After 45 years of owning and working on dozens of rifles of all makes and action, I prefer Wood but….I will say the “good” synthetic stocks can resist breaking in the grip area against falls etc. I used to hunt off horse back a lot when I was younger, we had an unfortunate rodeo one hunt and a horse rolled on my wood stocked Browning , broken in half at the pistol grip, if not for some back country resourcefulness ( tree pitch, salvaged wood screws from an old trapper cabin shelf and duck tape) the hunt would have been over for me!
Thanks for what you do! Hurray Murphy have a great life, looking forward to watching him grow………….
I agree with you on this! Can’t beat wood and metal. Not a fan of plastic pistols either. The all metal ones are making a comeback lately.
Boiled linseed oil was the answer I was looking for, for my bare wood stocks thanks bob
I agree with wood stocks.when i started my tool and die making trade I bought a gerstner walnut tool box it was expensive but I’m retired and have had that box 47 years walking in to work every day looking at the most beautiful tool box in the shop.I just started reloading i bought the x 10 your set up video are spot on.Are you a tradesman you seem to know a lot of upper end knowledge.thanks for great set up help
Thank you for your comment. My only official skilled trade was as a precision electroplater before I became a police officer. However, I was raised rather poor, and learned virtually all the skilled trades; finish and framing carpentry, cabinet and casework, electrical, plumbing, gas fitting, automotive, tile laying, masonry, etc. And I was factory trained by three arms makers. Yesterday, I performed the semi-annual cleaning, oiling, and greasing of our German grandfather clock. Reading and studying professionals taught me.
I love a good wood stock. The synthetic stocks are ok, but I definitely prefer wood. They can be made water resistant with a good finish and easily touched up. I have a Hogue stock on my REM 700 and it works great, but it came with a cheap plastic stock with lots of flex. Big improvement, but I do wish I would have gotten a good wood stock. Great video!
I choose wood over synthetic any day. I often buy synthetic stocked rifles and re-stock them with wood.
Plastic stocks are nice in that they make the initial investment a little lower. The first upgrade is to a wood stock, then the optics. I love making and refinishing them as well.
Excellent video
@GB490
Regarding the stability and accuracy of wood-stocked rifles, our experience in Vietnam as well as other conflicts prior to that, illustrated the degree to which these traditional designs functioned in the field, and most-often functioned well. You were army in SE Asia if memory serves. I don't know the history of that branch vis-a-vis armorers and gunsmithing as well as I do the Marine Corps, but it would be surprising if they were not similar in many ways.
The Army and Marine Corps issued wood-stocked M-14s to troops during the first part of the war, and the former also adopted an accurized version of the weapon as its precision/sniping weapon. The Corps opted to arm its spotters with iron-sighted M-14s, but snipers themselves were issued bolt-action Winchester M70 rifles chambered in 30-06 and mounted with Unertl scopes, and then scoped Remington M700 rifles in 7.62x51mm NATO during the latter part of the war after 1966.
While it is true that wood expands and contracts during swings in temperature, that is also true of other materials. Whereas dried hardwoods can and do absorb moisture from their surroundings, this is also true of other substances to a greater or lesser extent. Moreover, if treated properly using the correct chemical or other treatment, hardwoods can be made highly-resistant to the elements. The Corps used boiled linseed oil, repeated applied until the wood was saturated and would not accept any more oil. I do not know if or how the army treated its wood-stocked M-14s.
There is a pernicious myth that wood-stocked M-14s w/ scopes were unreliable in S.E. Asia, which likely stems from a quirk in army maintenance record-keeping. It was SOP in those days that the scope and rifle were "mated" as an item of inventory, and if one needed work or was broken-down, both went to the shop together. Optics in those days did not fare particularly well in the hot, humid and wet tropics of Vietnam, so many fogged up or malfunctioned. Off they went to the armorers for repairs, both rifle and optic alike. This misinformation was later folded into the statistics on M-14 performance, and the discrepancy was not caught until later.
Both services later switched to fiberglass stocks for their respective versions of the M700 or M40 as it was known in USMC jargon. Much is made of the alleged superior performance of synthetic materials in extreme environments as being the reason for the switch, but there is also another explanation: Cost. Synthetic materials can be significantly cheaper and easier to work with, and may also offer weight savings, too, which the heavily-loaded infantryman always appreciates.
God intended for stocks to be made of wood. Enjoyed this topic. I haven’t bought a plastic stock since 2013. Extra cost are worth it for passing on to your kids. I can still see beauty in old wood but I don’t think the plastics will be as aesthetically pleasing in 50 years. Even a recent production mossberg patriot I handled had a nice stock. Also Howa gives a nice stock for price.
I agree on the wood! Its beautiful where these plastic or what ever they are stocks are basically in my opinion are throw aways. These people on the internet usually just ,,, well I wont say no more. I like this man. He is the real thing and I value his view points. My guess is he is a gunsmith who has been in business long before these 20 somethings on the internet.