Carbon Fiber vs. Fiberglass?

[lhsmith]

I have had every type of stock put out by Remington- Kevlar on a 700KS, kevlar/ fiberglass on Mdl sevens, wood laminated, good old fashioned Walnut. I even have carbon fiber laminated Terry Leonard stocks on bench guns. They all served their intended purpose so well that I never entertained restocking- although I did glass bed some of the walnut stocks. That is until the hollow plastic tupperware stock on a .300 WM BDL. Out of the box it was the most accurate factory rifle I ever had- but I did not want to go to deer camp with a tupperware rifle because I was the "gun guru" of the crowd. So I restocked it in a Boyds laminate and glass bedded it ( I had bedded several prior and always had improved accuracy). Well this offered no improvement over the cheap flimsy tupperware stock. The tupperware stock fit well, felt good in my hands, was light-weight -just was noisy in the woods.
IMHO the worst stock ever put out by Remington was the 700 AS from '89- '91 identified as Arylon resin but I remember it being called Rynite. It did not look good- it looked like the same material they make those horse stall mats from- so heavy it felt awful in the hands and I remember feeling bad for the kid that showed up at camp with one.

 

[Boomstickin]

What about kevlar?

Kevlar is rigid & is used for heavy recoiling platforms. My MGA Ultralight in 416 Remington Magnum has a Kevlar stock with a tube of mercury in the buttstock, gun weighs 8.5lbs with a Nightforce NX8 1-8 on it. Although this rifle is beautiful & very accurate, shooting a 3 round group takes its toll on the shoulder. All this being said, does not matter what the stock is made of….Ultralight rifles in heavy calibers are going to hurt!

 

[Stang66]

Still can't decide between carbon fiber and fiberglass for your next rifle stock? This short article might make your decision easier...

The Epic Battle Between Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass: Which is Best for Your Rifle Stock?

In the world of composite rifle stocks, there's a showdown between two contenders: carbon fiber and fiberglass. Before we dive into their differences,

www.agcomposites.com

View attachment 544282

Sure would be interested in a f-class style with the front styled for a SEB rest …left hand bolt…Tikka action

 

[ntsqd]

I have shot both.Carbon Fiber does not dampen recoil as much as Fiberglass.
As I get older that matters a lot to me.

When Carbon fiber was first used to build bicycle frames they found the same thing, that the resulting frames were so stiff that they transmitted ALL of the road shock and few liked riding such a stiff frame. They were great for storming up a hill because that rigidity transferred all of the rider's power to the rear wheel, but were awful to ride a long distance in the saddle. The better frame builders started experimenting with the shape of all of the "tubes" in the frame or the shape of the monocoque to introduce some compliance. Specialized even has some urethane inserts in their seat stays. The claim is that those reduce road shock transmission to the saddle.

Carbon fiber/epoxy can make a pretty good spring, so it doesn't have to be stiff. It can be shaped to provide some recoil reduction. Imagine the whole of the butt-stock being reshaped so that it IS the "recoil pad." My crystal ball sees a time when anyone building a heavy recoiling caliber won't put any other stock on such a rifle. They will ask a forum which of the stock makers has done the best job of designing a recoil reducing carbon fiber stock. Bicycle frames have a roughly 20-25 year head start on this. Would be wise to look at what they're doing, why, and how successful each approach has been. A recoiling firearm is a totally different thing, but the lessons learned by the bicycle frame builders would be a huge starting point.

Kevlar was asked about. It is a very difficult material to get to 'wet out' with resin when building a composite part. There are places where nothing else will do and complex or expensive techniques ($$$) have evolved, but for most parts the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

When Carbon fiber was first used to build bicycle frames they found the same thing, that the resulting frames were so stiff that they transmitted ALL of the road shock and few liked riding such a stiff frame. They were great for storming up a hill because that rigidity transferred all of the rider's power to the rear wheel, but were awful to ride a long distance in the saddle. The better frame builders started experimenting with the shape of all of the "tubes" in the frame or the shape of the monocoque to introduce some compliance. Specialized even has some urethane inserts in their seat stays. The claim is that those reduce road shock transmission to the saddle.

Carbon fiber/epoxy can make a pretty good spring, so it doesn't have to be stiff. It can be shaped to provide some recoil reduction. Imagine the whole of the butt-stock being reshaped so that it IS the "recoil pad." My crystal ball sees a time when anyone building a heavy recoiling caliber won't put any other stock on such a rifle. They will ask a forum which of the stock makers has done the best job of designing a recoil reducing carbon fiber stock. Bicycle frames have a roughly 20-25 year head start on this. Would be wise to look at what they're doing, why, and how successful each approach has been. A recoiling firearm is a totally different thing, but the lessons learned by the bicycle frame builders would be a huge starting point.

Kevlar was asked about. It is a very difficult material to get to 'wet out' with resin when building a composite part. There are places where nothing else will do and complex or expensive techniques ($$$) have evolved, but for most parts the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

We need full suspension rifles.

 

[ntsqd]

I'd settle for one that isn't a "hard-tail"....... Moots YBB, anyone?

 

[dciron]

I can certainly agree with Old Rooster, the older I get the less I like recoil.

Since fiberglass is typically heavier than carbon fiber it would have less recoil just from the weight difference. If both the fiberglass and carbon fiber weighed the same, recoil should be the same but most fiberglass stocks are foam filled so maybe not.

If I was Jack O'Connor I'd be using my wood stocked model 70 in 270 Win. but I'm not. I hopped on this thread for fun but give me a good reason to swap out my factory stocked guaranteed 1 moa, Tikka, Browning, or ? to a new carbon fiber stock or McMillan, B&C, etc.

Love a CF or Fglass stock for my Browning ABolts but nobody seems to make one. AG please tell me I can get one from you

 

[WanderingGoatie]

I have never seen a Kevlar stock!I have heard of Kevlar body protection.
I'll do a search and see if it's available but I'm not real good at searches.
Edit to add:Found this article by McMillan Rifle Stock Builders:

Kevlar and Gunstocks

RIP Kelly.

Good article thanks for sharing.

 

[westcoasthunter]

If you guys had a Alpine hunter adj fiberglass. Do you see a problem putting it on a 338 lapua imp or would you all recommend the carbon. For strength wise

 

[AG Composites]

If you guys had a Alpine hunter adj fiberglass. Do you see a problem putting it on a 338 lapua imp or would you all recommend the carbon. For strength wise

Either option would be fine. Especially if you're using a muzzle brake

 

[AG Composites]

differences and perfo

In a well built stock, really shouldn't be any difference, should there especially if they are built around aluminum bedding blocks.

Anyone have any different information?

You are correct: there's no accuracy difference if quality of manufacture is the same. As the article states, the nature of a heavier stock is to be forgiving, especially for the shooter that's recoil averse. But that has nothing to do with the potential accuracy of the rifle itself. Don't confuse aluminum bedding blocks with aluminum pillars, however. Bedding blocks leave a lot to be desired.

 

[Old Rooster]

When Carbon fiber was first used to build bicycle frames they found the same thing, that the resulting frames were so stiff that they transmitted ALL of the road shock and few liked riding such a stiff frame. They were great for storming up a hill because that rigidity transferred all of the rider's power to the rear wheel, but were awful to ride a long distance in the saddle. The better frame builders started experimenting with the shape of all of the "tubes" in the frame or the shape of the monocoque to introduce some compliance. Specialized even has some urethane inserts in their seat stays. The claim is that those reduce road shock transmission to the saddle.

Carbon fiber/epoxy can make a pretty good spring, so it doesn't have to be stiff. It can be shaped to provide some recoil reduction. Imagine the whole of the butt-stock being reshaped so that it IS the "recoil pad." My crystal ball sees a time when anyone building a heavy recoiling caliber won't put any other stock on such a rifle. They will ask a forum which of the stock makers has done the best job of designing a recoil reducing carbon fiber stock. Bicycle frames have a roughly 20-25 year head start on this. Would be wise to look at what they're doing, why, and how successful each approach has been. A recoiling firearm is a totally different thing, but the lessons learned by the bicycle frame builders would be a huge starting point.

Kevlar was asked about. It is a very difficult material to get to 'wet out' with resin when building a composite part. There are places where nothing else will do and complex or expensive techniques ($$$) have evolved, but for most parts the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Speaking of bikes,have you looked at the prices of a good bike these days?Cannondale Bikes are great bikes but cost a fortune.
Here are some of the less expensive carbon framed bikes:

Carbon Fiber Road Bikes - Best Brands & Prices

Carbon Fiber Performance Road Bikes for Sale Online at Bike Attack - the online bike shop serving Los Angeles Venice Santa Monica. Get the best carbon fiber road bikes from brands like Bianchi, Felt, KHS, and Litespeed.

bikeattack.com

I almost choked!

 

[Taylorbok]

I'd settle for one that isn't a "hard-tail"....... Moots YBB, anyone?

Standard R.A.D.

Hart Systems, L.L.C. manufacturer of Recoil absorbtion Devices for shooters around the world.

www.hartshooting.com

 

[408w]

Any plans on/do you have some type of heavy fill options for the fiberglass stocks. I have 4 of your carbon stocks and love them. Now that the company has introduced the fiberglass option it opens a whole new market to the target shooting community that want a heavy stock. I think you should consider a few options for maybe just one of the stocks (armor, k2, alpine hunter)
1. Factory option inlet in the forend for an internal weight bar.
2. Removable butt pad so guys can add weight either by lop steel spacer plates and have the option to drill a hole themselves for mercury recoil reducer/lead weight in butt stock.
3. Be nice option to get m-lok inserts on front left and sides of the forend for external weights.

The internal and external weights already exist out there for sale, just pick one and model your cnc inlet after it.