Plastic POS

[X-fan]

Every serious hunting rifle I own wears a McMillan.

I own wood rifles, but on the hunt of a lifetime guaranteed the McMillan will still be bang on whether it be sun, snow, frost, or pissing rain.
Walnut moves, good walnut moves less, but the cost of good walnut makes it tough to justify in a hunting rifle.
Bottom line though walnut is a sponge made of cellulose fibers that moves when it get wets and then it moves again when it dries. There is no such thing as completely water proofing or sealing wood.

I admit plastic is FUGLY, but my hunting rifles are tools and I don't care what they look like....The beauty of my hunting rifles lie in prefect function along with flawlessly repeatable accuracy.

Oh, and.............I hate Fking cats.

 

[Mount Sweetness]

A young family member has just gotten into hunting, he has jumped on the plastic wagon...I am worried sick.

 

[Boomer]

Lots of interesting comments and points of view. I like and own quality hunting rifle stocks made from both wood and fiberglass. I have little use for cheap stocks, whether wood or plastic, because I demand quality in my rifles. If I had a wood stock that jumped around with changes in humidity, I wouldn't put up with it, no matter how pretty it was. And there's the rub, you can purchase a gorgeous piece of lumber, have it crafted into a beautiful stock by an artisan who will charge you the going price of a used pick-up, but until you actually use this thing throughout the year, you won't be sure if it is stable or not. Things can be done to improve a stock's stability, but a quality fiberglass stock is stable right out of the box.

 

[chuck nelson]

A young family member has just gotten into hunting, he has jumped on the plastic wagon...I am worried sick.

Hunt somewhere where the lodge you come home to at night is a one man tent on top of a mountain fighting 8 inches of snow for 8 days straight and you'll sing a different tune.

 

[Noel]

My bias opinion is as follows and I know that Noel will back me up on this......

If you own a rifle with a Tupperware stock you probably like cats too. And your nanna probably runs away from you for fear that you'll steal her pension money.
Thus I am implying that you sir have been emasculated to the point where you likely squat when you pee.

Those of us who prefer walnut, know how to maintain wood

Now why'd you have to go drag me into this mess.

I won't go into preferences of how people want to relieve themselves, who knows, maybe they are just trying to help out their prostate.

As to the stock on a gun keep in mind a lot of the crowd here are just learning what is good for them and have currently been led astray by beelzebub in thinking it is okay to put plastic on a gun in a percentage larger than say 2-5% of what used to be standard. (grip cap and butt plate)

In knowing this crowd exists and the density of it is higher than those of us who love to beat the walnut against the rocks with reckless abandon, it is merely due to cabin fever that threads like this even come up and I shall try not to spur them on.

Having said that, anyone who knows me will recognize the fact I would rather crack the stock on my poor old Brno and quietly shed a tear than pack a plastic stocked gun anywhere.

My wife wants a plastic stocked gun of all things. Good for her, but I told her to get her own gun safe and it can't be stored in my man cave. I still love her and hope she comes to her senses before the purchase eventually happens.
I mean, you can even reload for those plastic guns you know, they are wore out after just a few rounds fired.

And having said all this, take a look at the wood they put on many of the guns today too, the checkering and general overall fit doesn't seem to be what it used to be. But who could afford to get a German guild gun and who could afford to stay in buisness by making them affordable to the masses.
Love of craftmanship has been traded for needing to make a quick buck to survive. You see it everywhere.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I have some beautiful walnut in my gun room, and I love it - but when I'm seriously out in the bush I don't want to be worrying about damaging a stock that's worth as much as the quad I'm riding. The rifle that always 'goes to the dance' is a weather beaten Sako, in a synthetic MPI stock that's been repainted a half a dozen times. The pretty ones go to the range, sometimes, if the weather is nice.

 

[stubblejumper]

I don't own any wood stocked rifles,or any plastic stocked rifles either.I only own fiberglass stocked rifles that are more stable than any wood stock can be in changing humidity.After hunting for days on end in the rain for a bighorn ram,or a bull elk,I want to be sure that the stock won't swell or warp,causing the rifles point of impact to change.

 

[Noel]

I don't own any wood stocked rifles,or any plastic stocked rifles either.I only own fiberglass stocked rifles that are more stable than any wood stock can be in changing humidity.After hunting for days on end in the rain for a bighorn ram,or a bull elk,I want to be sure that the stock won't swell or warp,causing the rifles point of impact to change.

I always worried about that too but never really got to test the theory much until I started taking sheep hunting more serious. The poor rifle has been soaked by rain, covered by snow and even slid down a bit or very nasty scree with me in persuit. For this rifle in particular anyway, the weather does not effect it in anyway. Not saying others would take that abuse and come out shining, maybe this one is an exception to the rule. At any rate there is no wonder why it is a go to gun.

 

[traderal]

Look at that Noel, he put 10 shots into that hole you see. And that there rifle aint a 700!! Woohoo. Those pictures are great.

 

[TheCoachZed]

I love the feel of wood stocks, but for me, they aren't practical (unless they come on a cheap gun and I can replace them! )

For those who say they "know how to take care of wood" - suit yourself. I could ride a Harley Davidson instead of a Suzuki DR650SE dual sport, but I prefer to give my ride a workout, not spend my time fussing over keeping it in shiny condition. I treat my guns carefully, but when you are duck/crow hunting in the Bay of Fundy in a stiff breeze or crawling across a coastal marsh after waterfowl, it's kinda hard to keep the water off your shotgun. After I quickly ran one pump gun's finish into the ground that way, I went to synthetic stocks, and I always will if possible from now on.

All my rifles have wood stocks, and I don't like it, especially on my 98k .22 magnum. It has an absolutely beautiful stock, but I'm afraid to take it out, because I don't want to ruin it lying on my belly in a swamp waiting for a coyote to poke his head out for a shot.

So, it's synthetic for me. I like the feel of wood and especially the look of a nice laminate but I feel I can use a synthetic to its full potential, just like I can use my street and trail bike better than a Harley.

 

[Noel]

Look at that Noel, he put 10 shots into that hole you see. And that there rifle aint a 700!! Woohoo. Those pictures are great.

I didn't mention the nine flyers that missed the paper. I called them all of course.

 

[Boer seun]

(for the record, i have used synthetic stocked rifles to shoot cats, my Nana loves me, and I have been known to step out of my truck and piss in a parking lot, simply because i am a man and thats what i am designed to do)

Don't get your panties in a knot now!

Why are you thinking about how other men urinate?

Is there something you haven't told us?

Keeps the rest of you wondering and on your toes

BTW I have seen Noel's rifle shoot after the tumble it/they took and that thing still shoots like a hot-damned

cheers all
Boer

 

[chuck nelson]

Noel, you need to be nicer to your scopes.

Nice rifle!

 

[crazy_davey]

Noel, you need to be nicer to your scopes.

Nice rifle!

I was there when that happened. As much as I wanted to laugh I knew to hold it in and keep my mouth shut !

 

[chuck nelson]

I was there when that happened. As much as I wanted to laugh I knew to hold it in and keep my mouth shut !

Good move, cause apparently it still hits what it is aimed at.

 

[Rod]

Don't even know what a T-3 Lite is, but they must appeal to some folks who like them enough to buy them. Life is good and variety makes it better.

I feel comfortable collecting and using wood stocked long guns. My hunting partner likes my guns, but prefers to hunt with stainless and synthetic. I prefer a hunting rifle with the old "NRA Type Stock", one with a bit heft and a wide butt with a steel buttplate. Hell, I don't big game hunt with nothing but pre 64 Model 70's and I fully support those who buy the new synthetic guns. Makes it easier to find what I like.

 

[Noel]

I was there when that happened. As much as I wanted to laugh I knew to hold it in and keep my mouth shut !

I recall the mood that evening quite well and there was no laugh hidden anywhere in your voice, there were alot of other words being mentioned though.
A challenging evening for all involved, but I think in the long run it turned out okay.

 

[Omega]

I always worried about that too but never really got to test the theory much until I started taking sheep hunting more serious. The poor rifle has been soaked by rain, covered by snow and even slid down a bit or very nasty scree with me in persuit. For this rifle in particular anyway, the weather does not effect it in anyway. Not saying others would take that abuse and come out shining, maybe this one is an exception to the rule. At any rate there is no wonder why it is a go to gun.

And you think plastic is ugly?!?!

 

[horshur]

I broke a ruger #1 stock it was a piss off for sure but by gad you sure in hell ain't gonna stick no plastic #### on that fine rifle.....

purely sentimental but the wood tells a story....it tells how well you took care of the rifle..it tells how much you carry it and where. Them scuffs can be testiments of pride or shame and later in life a window into the past that opens a vault of good memories or bad...big bucks and missed opportunity....polished smooth bolt handle or lever reveals what he the shooter thought of this rifle....for he used it!!

I love older rifles that show hard use and still are hunted for they were cared for. Rifles were meant to be used not shown.....they are the finest sort of tools!!

 

[philthygeezer]

I'm torn. I love a beautiful piece of walnut. I love the softening of a stock over time and the accumulated little dents and scratches from a lifetime of walking out-bush.

I don't like point of impact changes. I hate when the forend warps against the barrel. I don't like how the finish gets all icky in the wet.

I like the light weight of plastic, but I don't like the flexiness of cheap plastic. I can't stand the hollow stocks that amplify sound when brush rubs against them. I can't stand where a plastic part is used in place of a metal one, e.g. trigger guards. I like the textured stocks on the Remington R5 and the old Varmint Synthetic rifles. McMillan or Bell/Carlson stocks seem quite nice.

As long as a firearm is built to last generations, I'm OK. I want to see quality workmanship more than anything else. I'd rather a few superb rifles than a bunch of lukewarm, lackluster rifles.