Tell me about wood stocks

[Takem406]

Thinking about picking up a used wood stock as a project for my M70 308.

My rifle now has a cheesey factory synthetic stock. Its a pretty accurate rifle as a is. I'd like to make it into a good 300 yard rifle. Maybe 400.

How are wood stocks that are glass bedded vs a synthetic thats has an aluminum bed?

Is wood affected by temperature and humidity?

I've already found a nice M70 featherweight stock that's a heck of a price. I've been thinking about getting the Hogue but if wood is just as good...

 

[angus-5024]

While wood is probably better than a cheap injection molded stock, it is barely better. If you want to step up from your cheap-o factory stock look to wood-laminates (boyds gunstocks or stocky stocks) or a big step up to fiberglass/aramid fiber/carbon fiber. Bell and Carlson is a good budget minded fiberglass stock, HS precision is middle of the road and McMillan and manners are top of the heap. Then you can even get into chassis from McCree or Accuracy International.

For your 300-400 yard .308 I would go for a laminate. They can be quite handsome.

 

[jakelly]

300-400 yds? That is point blank range.

Use wood and bed it. It's cheap and effective (it did work fine for a couple hundred years there). If you want to try your luck making pillars out of the devcon/jb weld or whatever. Lot's of how to stuff online and it's good practice.

Don't need much of a scope for that either. Save your cash.

 

[Takem406]

300-400 yds? That is point blank range.

Use wood and bed it. It's cheap and effective (it did work fine for a couple hundred years there). If you want to try your luck making pillars out of the devcon/jb weld or whatever. Lot's of how to stuff online and it's good practice.

Don't need much of a scope for that either. Save your cash.

Perfect! Yeah I'd rather put more money into a scope over a stock. Worst case I have a nice winter project. What's the difference between piller bedding and full length? Which is better?

 

[Takem406]

How hard would it be to bore a thumb hole in this old stock?
I'm thinking this is a new blank because it lacks checkering. How spendy is it to have a stock checkered? Do most gunsmiths checker?

 

[AZShooter]

Some of your questions are very basic. I suggest you spend some time on the net reading. You should be able to answer many of your questions. Later if you have a specific question you cannot find an answer to, ask here.

Just type in a search engine box:


what are the disadvantages of wooden stocks
wood vs laminate stocks
how good are synthetic stocks
aluminum bedding blocks
what is pillar bedding
what is full length bedding
how to bed a rifle
etc


You can read for yourself all sorts of articles that are already written. Most of us acquired our knowledge by reading. I started by reading every magazine on rifles available. Now with the internet it is a snap to find answers.

 

[tinkerer]

I prefer wood, but mostly esthetics, its pretty.

Devcon with aluminum pillars makes great bedding, read tutorials first and follow directions, its all prep, execution is about 10 monutes worth.

Solid wood can warp and swell, laminates are made to combat this. I finish my wood with tung oil and it penetrates the wood and makes it like plastic, water resistant and hard.

Good luck, pics required.

Larry
Tinkerer

 

[WildRose]

Natural wood moves, and it can change shape with changes in temp and humidity.

Laminates are much more rigid and less prone to deform with changes in temp and humidity.

Personally I really like the laminates. If you do a good pillar bedding and float job on them and most importantly seal them very well after you finish the bedding and floating you will not see much if any problems with them at all. When I say seal it, I mean use something like minwax after you have oiled them heavily with something like Formby's tung oil.

 

[Varberger757]

In my opinion it's all about personal preference and taste! lightbulb If somebody likes stocks made of classic walnut tree (I do) there is nothing to complain about. Right treated matured wooden stocks that are perfectly bedded, doesn't matter with epoxy or (in addition) with pillars, give platforms for good shooters. Of course, if someone doesn't like to give continuously maintenance to his gun and stock a wooden one is obsolete. Too much humidity or dryness over a long time kills every wooden stock, that's for sure. Hunting under harsh conditions on the other side will demand composite stocks.