Nice walnut is far more expensive than any synthetic stock.
This is the part I could never understand. Just because it’s made of wood doesn’t make a stock nice. There are some pretty cheap and ugly wood stocks out there.
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Wood and Blue
- Thread starter 1899
- Start date
This is the part I could never understand. Just because it’s made of wood doesn’t make a stock nice. There are some pretty cheap and ugly wood stocks out there.
- Location
- Western Canada
I have both stainless and blued. Stainless is never 100% rust proof although it is slightly easier than blued to maintain in the field, typically where I hunt is very wet so most guns will develop some rust, if not properly cared for.
I have a stainless 6.5CM I use for longer shots on deer and a stainless 44mag lever gun for closer shots on deer. That said, I also love my Marlin GBL in 4570 with laminate furniture and blued barrel for woods walks, there is just something about it.
The Marlin is my go to bush gun, capable of anything 4 legged in North America and it just looks great. Life is too short for ugly guns is absolutely true! As long as you know how to maintain your rifle, buy what you like, use what you like and have a good time doing it, is my philosophy on that.
I have a stainless 6.5CM I use for longer shots on deer and a stainless 44mag lever gun for closer shots on deer. That said, I also love my Marlin GBL in 4570 with laminate furniture and blued barrel for woods walks, there is just something about it.
The Marlin is my go to bush gun, capable of anything 4 legged in North America and it just looks great. Life is too short for ugly guns is absolutely true! As long as you know how to maintain your rifle, buy what you like, use what you like and have a good time doing it, is my philosophy on that.
Does your maint/protection routine for the two different kinds of rifle actually differ that much?
I really appreciate stainless and synthetic rifles and find they can look very good in their own right. And not worrying about cracks in good synthetic stocks are nice. But wood and blue is just better looking, IMO.
There are days and places where I'd seriously rather have a stainless/synthetic cheap, compact beater like a CVA single shot with me though.
my go to rifle for most game is wood and blue , most of my rifles have been as far as hunting rifles go I guess.... although I have had a few done in cerrakote and a couple or more i painted myself.
That said, the next rifle project will be all stainless , though i may get the finish dulled or even cerrrakoted to remove any shine.... not sure yet.
The main reason is just the climate in BC is tough on guns that spend a lot of time out in the field. My trusty ruger m77mkII has put up with a lot of abuse over the years and this season it's been real wet on all our hunts. She's got some blemishes now that only a full refinishing will restore and while the stock is very sound and solid, the finish is showing the evidence of hard hunting in shiddy weather LOL
The planned build will end up in an MDT chassis stock of some sort or I may get creative and make my own in carbon/glass composite.... time will tell.
That said, the next rifle project will be all stainless , though i may get the finish dulled or even cerrrakoted to remove any shine.... not sure yet.
The main reason is just the climate in BC is tough on guns that spend a lot of time out in the field. My trusty ruger m77mkII has put up with a lot of abuse over the years and this season it's been real wet on all our hunts. She's got some blemishes now that only a full refinishing will restore and while the stock is very sound and solid, the finish is showing the evidence of hard hunting in shiddy weather LOL
The planned build will end up in an MDT chassis stock of some sort or I may get creative and make my own in carbon/glass composite.... time will tell.
- Location
- Western Canada
I'm right there with you man. BC hunts are often pretty wet and wild haha. I typically use a coated stainless gun or a stainless but something about wood and blued just feels right, stalking game through the dense forest with.
You should take a look at the MDT Hnt26 chassis. We sell them at work and have a demo gun setup with one and it is quite nice.
Looks exactly like the stock on my cz550 9.3x62! Do you know the brand of that stock?Synthetic stocks can be quite tastefully done.
I just don’t agreed with wood makes it beautiful and synthetic makes it utilitarian and ugly.
Yes, it kind of does. I guess you can chalk it up to laziness in some ways. But here is an example - week long trip in cold weather and using a wall tent. Every time you go in and out with the rifle it is covered in condensation. With a wood/blued rifle I'd be sitting there trying to dry it off perfectly, get a rag between the stock and barrel, then oil everything down. With SS and cerakote I just rub it down and it's fine until I get home.
I remember a coastal grizzly hunt where my buddy's beautiful Mauser 225 took an absolute beating - every day in a 16' Lund with salt spray, mist etc. It came back rusty where he didn't get all the moisture out from between the stock and metal.
Don't get me wrong, I love a beautiful piece of wood - especially oil finished - and deep, quality bluing. But I don't necessarily think ss/synthetic is ugly. My first foray into composite stocks was a Sako Fiberclass, and I loved it. Mind you, the McMillan stock on that rifle is not the same as what you get on a budget rifle these days.
I've gravitated towards stainless/fiberglass rifles, especially on trips where I'm going to be in and out of atvs and boats, hunting in the rain, and won't have anywhere to really dry off and clean my rifle.
I still prefer the look of wood and blued, and for local fair weather hunting I'll often use my 'pretty' rifles. I've noticed that highly polished bluing seems to hold up much better than the matte bluing found on many modern rifles.
I still prefer the look of wood and blued, and for local fair weather hunting I'll often use my 'pretty' rifles. I've noticed that highly polished bluing seems to hold up much better than the matte bluing found on many modern rifles.
I keep my rifle outside and sometimes I have a dedicated tent gun. But the hunting rifle lives in its water proof sleeve outside the tent. Summer, fall, winter, spring, motor boat, canoe, skidoo etc. A little oily rag goes a long way for went things get real wet!
