Thrash a nice wood stock hunting?

[98s1lightning]

Do some of ya's take the beautiful wood stocks hunting???

I have but it makes me uncomfortable, like I'm bout to destroy a work of art. I much appreciate the skill and work that goes into a nice stock. Machine or man made, its still nice.
I can't see scratching the thing up.

But being inexperienced at bedding a rifle has got me in a bad spot right now.
I'm not really trying to send my rifle off in the mail or bring it to local "gunsmith" last guy I went to claimed to be a gunsmith did the work without asking me and only did what he thought, not any of the CHECKS that I sited to him from my gun smithing book I brought along. This was a revolver that spit lead. I explained it to him all of it and when he was done all he could say was he didn't notice it, I don't think it really has a problem......that was my red flag to never go back to him. I brought it for 3 problems, he fixed 1, and tried telling me the problems I talked about were not existent. I don't want to get into it any more than that....
I mean I did buy a verified book about gunsmithing that particular model and highlighted what needed to be looked at with my sympotoms.
I'm just saying I don't have a local place I trust to drop off a rifle I care a lot about. I need to bed it myself, I'm sure I am capable just need to educate myself more.

Some things you can't undo after the customer says you cut off what?!?!? I don't want that to be me AGAIN

Kind of a rant but trying not to be negative.

Back on topic, I don't think I can hunt my nice wood stock and think I need plastic or similar. Do a lot of you feel the same way?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

People have been hunting with wood stocked guns for hundreds of years. Keep it oiled and the bumps add character.

 

[Taylorbok]

I do have one rifle with a wood stock and I am zero afraid of taking it into the bush. The HNT 26 I normally hunt with is a lot more expensive than most wood stocks and I'm not worried about scratching it up either

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

Do some of ya's take the beautiful wood stocks hunting???

I have but it makes me uncomfortable, like I'm bout to destroy a work of art. I much appreciate the skill and work that goes into a nice stock. Machine or man made, its still nice.
I can't see scratching the thing up.

But being inexperienced at bedding a rifle has got me in a bad spot right now.
I'm not really trying to send my rifle off in the mail or bring it to local "gunsmith" last guy I went to claimed to be a gunsmith did the work without asking me and only did what he thought, not any of the CHECKS that I sited to him from my gun smithing book I brought along. This was a revolver that spit lead. I explained it to him all of it and when he was done all he could say was he didn't notice it, I don't think it really has a problem......that was my red flag to never go back to him. I brought it for 3 problems, he fixed 1, and tried telling me the problems I talked about were not existent. I don't want to get into it any more than that....
I mean I did buy a verified book about gunsmithing that particular model and highlighted what needed to be looked at with my sympotoms.
I'm just saying I don't have a local place I trust to drop off a rifle I care a lot about. I need to bed it myself, I'm sure I am capable just need to educate myself more.

Some things you can't undo after the customer says you cut off what?!?!? I don't want that to be me AGAIN

Kind of a rant but trying not to be negative.

Back on topic, I don't think I can hunt my nice wood stock and think I need plastic or similar. Do a lot of you feel the same way?

Buy yourself a inexpensive wood stock (Boyds, etc). And save your factory stock to put back on when you think you're done hunting with it. I shoot left handed. But have been accustomed to right hand actions. So the nice Monte Carlo stocks just don't work for me. But I do enjoy having them if I ever decide to resell the gun. Or you could buy a chassis from MDT.

 

[98s1lightning]

My stock is the Browning Medallion which I'd call a High Gloss. Not sure how to touch up high gloss.... Or if the years of use would take the gloss away. I'm definitely not going to strip it and oil it to make it "not gloss"

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

My stock is the Browning Medallion which I'd call a High Gloss. Not sure how to touch up high gloss.... Or if the years of use would take the gloss away. I'm definitely not going to strip it and oil it to make it "not gloss"

View attachment 547944

Make it a safe queen. Buy a cheap alternative to Hunt with.

 

[Ol' Red]

I have a nice Walnut/ Maple stock on a rifle. It has a few scratches, but I know how they got there. Just wear them like a badge of honor.

 

[memtb]

I've hunted with nice wood, but…….couldn't be comfortable using it in the thickets of Central Louisiana and later in the occasional slip/fall in Wyoming rocks.

Add to the above, wood is generally not impervious to shrinking/swelling/warping.

I want my rifle to as stable as possible, my hand loads to be as consistent as is possible (for me). I want to eliminate as many variables as is possible. When I miss, I want to know that "I" missed….not my equipment.

All the said, I'd rather spend my money on a "hunter"…..not a "looker"! memtb

 

[Ol' Red]

I've hunted with nice wood, but…….couldn't be comfortable using it in the thickets of Central Louisiana and later in the occasional slip/fall in Wyoming rocks.

Add to the above, wood is generally not impervious to shrinking/swelling/warping.

I want my rifle to as stable as possible, my hand loads to be as consistent as is possible (for me). I want to eliminate as many variables as is possible. When I miss, I want to know that "I" missed….not my equipment.

All the said, I'd rather spend my money on a "hunter"…..not a "looker"! memtb

My wood has swollen and shrunk repeatedly over the years, but it has never warped.

 

[memtb]

My wood has swollen and shrunk repeatedly over the years, but it has never warped.

My old Model 88 Win warped so badly in the fore end, by the time I opened it up enough eliminate the seasonal changes….I could have placed a "bull barrel" in the channel and never touch the sides!

Should've "chiseled" a trough in the fore end, epoxy a SS piece of square tubing in it, then full-length bedded it.

But, I was just a kid learning by trial and error ……lots of error! memtb

 

[mark slavinski]

Hunt with it every deer season till I get a deer…. AAA exhibition grade walnut , my dad did all the work. When I'm in the stand not seeing deer it's enjoyable to look and enjoy my rifle….. yes it has a few dents but just adds character…..

 

[Bowfishn]

I have a few wood stock rifles and have carried them into the woods many a time. I love the looks of a nice stock, but my rifles are to hunt with not worried about resale. When I am gone my children and grandchildren will own them.
My father bought a rifle back in 1963 that I always admired as a youngster it had a beautiful walnut stock with a gloss finish, it was the first new rifle he could afford, It was a L61R Sako Finnbear 30-06 with a fixed 4 power Weaver scope. I think he paid less than $140.00 for it, first day out during that deer season he slipped and banged the stock on a rock. It wasn't a big dent in the stock but was a dent, as said it just adds character. Over the years my dad has let me use the rifle when ever I wanted to and a few years before he passed he gave it to me.
I bought another L61R 30-06 that was made in 1972 so I have 2 now both topped with Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16 x 50 scopes, the rifles both weigh in at almost 10.5 lbs and I will take them out every once and a while to hunt with or shoot. They both shoot sub MOA at 100 yards.

 

[jamie eaton]

I have a medallion with the same stock . I'm not the least bit worried about scratches . Johnsons Paste wax works wonders . Love the dog picture !

 

[cdherman]

I have my grandfathers Remington Model 11 (Browning humpback design) from his youth, given to him by my great grandmother at age 18. (1928).

It has NO finish left. Checkering is gone, though still vaguely evident in the tiny lines. Most of the bluing is gone too.

It is an absolute joy to hunt with such a gun. It's fully functional, and every time someone with a fancy gun looks at me funny, I tell them just why I hunt with it. Usually I just a get a "Wow" and thats it. I am getting older and a new Benelli Ultralight 12g is in the cards in the next year...... (the 11 is a boat anchor, solid rib and a lot of steel)

You only get real patina by hunting with a real gun. I too have more plastic stocks than wood these days. But I have some wood and have a couple plastic stocks that I am contemplating a Richards Microfit in a exhibition grade walnut just to have that kind of Beauty.

I have a Reinhardt Fajen sporter stock that someone sadly stuck under a very desireable M94 Cavalry Swedish Mauser. Its such a pretty stock in terms of its lines, that I have contemplated putting a new barrel on the M94 (17.5" since it was a Cavalry carbine) to make the 6.5x55 more useful.

To me, a wood stock should be hunted with. My 700 BDL stock is from 1970's and has some dings -- and the cheap machine checkering. But when I was contemplating changing cartridge and stock as part of a major overhaul a few years ago Tim Moon Roberts here in Kansas City looked at the gun and basically said "ya know, its really too pretty do that to".

My thoughts.....