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Ruger30-06

Ruger30-06

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Im looking at the Ruger M77 Mk2 (gotta sell my 710 first :D ). I was wondering is there any advatages/disadvantages with having wood or synthetic?

Im looking at either the M77 MKII all weather (.30-06) or the M77 MKII Sporter (.30-06).
 
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Wood absorbs moisture and swells and warps which results in the point of impact being unstable.Synthetic stocks are much more stable and consistant.
 
I'm partial to laminated stocks myself. They're stronger and more stable than walnut or other hardwoods, and give you the look and feel of wood.

They're also heavier than most synthetics, offering some additional recoil control.
 
I'm partial to laminated stocks myself. They're stronger and more stable than walnut or other hardwoods, and give you the look and feel of wood.
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But they are not quite as stable as a synthetic.

They're also heavier than most synthetics, offering some additional recoil control
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The weight certainly helps with recoil,but most synthetics actually have some give,and act like recoil pads themselves.I find that with rifles of similar weight,the felt recoil seems less with the synthetic stock.
 
Gotta rain on your parade just a drop. The Ruger synthetic stock looks a lot better than it shoots. An experience hunter friend of mine had the Ruger bolt action with their two colour synthetic stock in 338 Win Mag. After a few seasons he had a wood stock refitted. This isn't to say the wood was any better, just more comfortable.

When he got tired of the 338's recoil, he changed to a Savage package gun in 300 Win Mag - with a black plastic stock. He is very happy with the new combination and keeps filling his tags.
 
I prefer the feel and look of wood. and as I don;t take my rifles diving with me, I don;t worry about warping and cracking. keep them sealed, and this is a mute point for most hunting applications.
 
Amphibious said:
I prefer the feel and look of wood. and as I don;t take my rifles diving with me, I don;t worry about warping and cracking. keep them sealed, and this is a mute point for most hunting applications.
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X2 I also prefer wood.Might not be as durable but it has alot more character!
:)
 
stubblejumper said:
Tell that elk or deer about character when you miss or worse yet wound it because the point of impact has changed.:D
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yes, hunting with stubblejumper, no place for wood:
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for 99% of the rest of us, wood isn;t going to make a big diff inside normal hunting ranges if it is kept sealed.
 
[quoted]wood isn;t going to make a big diff inside normal hunting ranges if it is kept sealed.[/quoted]

That is what a former hunting partner said several years ago when he bought his new 25-06 with a wood stock.However on the last day of the season, he missed two shots in a row at a deer at about 200 yards ,and he was not happy.It bothered him so much that we stopped at the shooting range on the way home only to discover that the rifle was shooting 9" high at 100 yards instead of the 3" high that he had sighted it in at.He adjusted it to 3" high at 100 yards and it went back into his gun vault as hunting season was over.The next time we went to the range it was 3" low at 100 yards.In other words ,it had moved 6" higher while hunting in wet weather and had moved back down that 6" when it was fully dried out.The next summer the wood stock was replaced with a synthetic.,and the problem disappeared.
You may think that wood can be sealed 100%,but the truth is that it just isn't possible.
 
It was a remington 700bdl made about 1990.The barrel was not floated.The gun was disassembled and the barrel channel and action cutout were sprayed with waterproofing.Obviously moisture still found it's way into the wood.
I used to own all wood and blued rifles myself,some that were bedded and floated.They did not move nearly as much,but they still did move when exposed to moisture.
 
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My rifles are set up and I make sure that they are sealed and shooting accurately, even in the rain.

I have seen Floated sin stocks change POI drasticly as well, when they get crap , or a shavinf of bedding compound " down there" when assembling them.
This stuff depends on many factors, but not enough to make me change my 75 odd fireams from wood to synthetic!:cool:
Cat
 
I have seen Floated sin stocks change POI drasticly as well, when they get crap , or a shavinf of bedding compound " down there" when assembling them.
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Of course that is caused by poor bedding and has nothing to do with the stock material.


My rifles are set up and I make sure that they are sealed and shooting accurately, even in the rain.
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Then again,most of your rifles are single shots with two piece stocks which aren't effected like a one piece stock on a bolt action.
 
stubblejumper said:
Of course that is caused by poor bedding and has nothing to do with the stock material.
Yup, synthetic or wood, it still moves!:D




Then again,most of your rifles are single shots with two piece stocks which aren't effected like a one piece stock on a bolt action.
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Or so old that it doesn't matter becuase they throw huge hunks of lead?:D
Sniderstarboardside.jpg

MVC-030F.jpg

Heavens , it's a wonder I can hit ANYTHING!!:eek: :D
Cat
 
Of course that is caused by poor bedding and has nothing to do with the stock material.
Yup, synthetic or wood, it still moves!
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But with proper bedding,synthetics don't move while wood will move because it absorbs moisture.
 
I far prefer a high quality (or even medium quality) synthetic stock to almost any wood stock.

Most factory wood stcks these days look like crap, anyway.

Many hunters that have hunted in driving rain for a week have found thier wooden stocks (even sealed wood) to have sucked in moisture.

When a wood stock has a free floated barrel, and you can't slide a piece of paper between barrel and stock anymore...you knwo something has changed.;)
 
Time to de-bunk some myths here. I make my living doing fine furniture design/build.....All from solid wood. The only time you will see wood cause that much shift is if the lumber was "stressed" before the blank was cut. What I mean by this is a curve in the cell structure when the straight blank was cut (curved log....straight blank). Poplar, the wood species most affected by seasonal movement (what we woodworker types use to refer to moisture swell) still only moves .05% across its width in a shift from 5% to 95% humidity. Walnut is slightly less.

As far as laminates go...they move so little that it is virtually un-measurable. Wood ONLY expands and contracts on the radial axis, accross the long grain. With a laminate, A: the wood itself is resin impregnated (making it about 25% plastic anyway) and the layers (or "ply's") are laid in a ##### cross pattern, with the long grain runing 90 degrees to the previous plys....cancelling out movement.

This is why a plywood table top will stay flat forever, while a solid wood top can bow by as much as a 1/4" over 8 feet.

Believe it or not, some synthetics (esp factory crap) moves more due to heat and cold extremes than even solid wood moves due to moisture. (Warm truck.....20 in the field...etc.

Hope I dont ruffle too many feathers, but this long time target shooter, hunter, and pro-woodworker has 11 "working" rifles....ALL laminate.

Cheers,

Ryan
 
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