Who likes walnut stocks?
- Thread starter 105amatt
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coyotezapper
Well-Known Member
I prefer the look of walnut but I am very hard on rifles and they get scarred up very fast with rough use. By synthetic, I assume you mean composite ( synthetic to me is plastic) and IMO is the best option for hard handling and or wet conditions hunting. But wood is nice to look at.
Bbear
Well-Known Member
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- Mar 13, 2007
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Most of my rifles are either walnut or maple. Much prefer the feeling of wood over synthetic. I'm rough on mine and the marks and dings all tell a story. On an out of state hunt or, just down to the lease, I'll usually carry 2 rifles, one synthetic just in case of inclement weather.
105, nothing looks better than a nicely figured piece of walnut. I just took a Wby factory custom stock to a stocksmith last week for refinishing. I'll pick it up in three months. Joel Russo's stocks are the finest works of art I've ever seen.
86alaskan
Well-Known Member
I'm a fan of both, so to each their own I guess. I love the look of a beautiful piece of walnut on a nice midwest deer rifle or upland double barrel shotgun. But when the weight counts and the hunt gets tough, I switch to a good sturdy synthetic. As much as I like a walnut stick, I'd never carry one on a fall moose hunt in Alaska.
LoneTraveler
Well-Known Member
I love beautiful wood, I like to carve walnut and maple. Have guns with beautiful wood stocks. But synthetic stocks are my Go To Stock for hunting, Especially when going north to hunt moose or caribou. Have a Stainless Steel 700 Rem. 338 WM with a H&S Precision stock and a Kimber 300 WSM Montana as my go north guns.
I am far more strongly attracted to walnut stocked rifles over synthetic stocked rifles. From an appearance standpoint to my eyes, the best of my synthetic stocked rifles looks like an abomination next to any of my walnut stocked and blued rifles. Unfortunately, these rifles have spent most of the last decade or two as safe queens. The appeal of shooting or hunting with a rifle that could be also looked upon as an object of beauty has been replaced with the appeal for high proficiency and consistency that is necessary for the high precision, long range shooting/hunting/competition that dominates my use of rifles. IMO, while the performance might be able to be achieved with a walnut stocked rifle, the beauty gets lost with the heavy barrels, large scopes, bipods, and other accessories that are desired for long range shooting. Fortunately, I have satisfied the need for the beauty of nice walnut. My shotguns are all nicely walnut stocked with blued metal.
