I was in a large gunshop today and asked the gun manager if synthetics were ourselling wood on hunting rifles. He told me folks had been buying synthetic over wood at a 10 to 1 ratio. Just wondering if that trend is also present where others live. Comments?

Maybe not 10-1 but to some magnitude. They're just plain cheaper and that's what sells.

I don't know about 10-1 but I'm sure most folks buy a rifle as a tool to hunt w/ & IMO, synthetics are just better tools. Having said that, I don't own a hunting rifle w/ a syn. stock, just doesn't do it for me.

I would say that trend is consistent in my neck of the woods also.

I was watching one of the TV hunting shows the other day (Newsome Outdoors or something like that), and a girl was reading an email from a viewer who asked why his wood stocked rifle shifted point of impact so far after he had been hunting in the rain. One of the men on the TV show went in to great detail about the fact that you can't seal wood stocks underneath the action, so it naturally warps. He went on to state that synthetics were the way to go.

Makes me wonder - how in the world did the hunters who came before us manage to kill anything with rifles having wood stocks.

While I agree that synthetics are more practical for hunting, there is something about wood (the "feel") that synthetics doesn't offer.

It is certainly true that more centerfire rifles are offered with synthetic than with wood. Progress I guess!

I don't know about the ratio, but I do know
that synthetic stocks are on all of my field
firearms. If I have a wood stocked rifle strike
my fancy, the first thing I do is seek out a
synthetic replacement stock, and retire the
wood stock to the rifle's original shipping box,
and use the synthetic stock. If I want a pretty
rifle, for the wall, I get the wood stock, out
of the original shipping box, and put it on
the rifle, and then display it. I plain DO
NOT hunt a wood stocked rifle. I do have
one Stainless/Laminate Tikka that I do take
afield, but it has to be a dry day, and
usually a safe "box blind" type of outing.

Long ago I found myself cradling a wood
stocked firearm, to protect it from brush
scuffs, as I negotiated a thicket. I saw
myself looking ridiculous, protecting this
firearm, and that was the last wood stocked
firearm, I took afield. I guess there is
one exception to my rule. I have a 28 ga.
Ruger Red Label, that does not have synthetic
stocks/forearms available, and it is my
favorite grouse hunting shotgun, so I have
conceded that this shotgun is going to collect
character marks. But other than that one
exception, every firearm I hunt with has
synthetic stocks. I hunt in wet condtions,
or downright frigid weather, and my bench
work confirms synthetic is a much better option,
consistency wise, for hunting firearms.

So I believe many users of firearms see similar
advantages of synthetic over wood. My brother,
a collector, and a worshiper of old traditional
rifles, sees my preference for synthetic as
sacrilege But he is also quite
happy with Minute of Deer performance from
his firearms, where I strive for Minute of
Deer Eye performance

Squeeze

One question, If plastic rifles are soo much better and they sell 10 to 1 against wood models, why are deer populations rising?


Terry

Plastic is outselling wood for the simple reason that they are by far cheaper than wood to produce.

To sell the cheaper product the gunmakers tell us that the plastic (or synthetic as they like to call it) is impervious to weather, contrary to wood.
This is simply not true.

The no. 1 authority on guns in Norway did a big article on this subject before he died, summing up his experience on the matter.

A fibreglass stock is more stable than wood, but the cheap plastic commonly used by many producers is quite another story.

The plastic stocks will most often move quite easily if you put even small amounts of pressure on it, thus beeing as soft as, or actually often more softer, than wood. This is not good for accuracy (I have made this mistake myself, buying a "high end" plastic stock that just were too soft to get decent accuracy, going back to the wood cured the problem).

The plastic stock will often be affected by weather as well. For instance, just put your plastic stocked rifle in the hot sun a couple of hours and feel how soft it has become. Also check to see if it has moved and made contact with the barrel, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

Also, plastic will conduct heat faster than wood, making your hands (and thus your entire body) colder i less time than if you were holding a wood stocked rifle in your stand.

Another myth that is often not true is that "synthetics" are lighter than wood. With the cheap plastics this is seldom true, not even the excellent fiberblass/kevlar stocks are always lighter (though there are some very fine fibreglass/kevlar/graphite stocks that indeed are true featherweights).

My main point is: Cheap plastic and fibreglass are two completely different things! We will not have a fruitfull discussion if we do not differentiate between them

My all weather rifle wears a laminate stock. It has performed well for me. Now I haven't left it out in the rain overnight to get soaked, but in common hunting weather, snow & rain, no problems w/ the zero.

Tordenskiold summed it up pretty well. A high quality composit stock is simply superior to plastic or straight up fiberglass stocks. Laminate stocks offer the best of both worlds in that they are wood but are also much more resistent to warping (something woodworkers have known for centuries). Just my two cents.

Ken....

I have always prefered and bought wood stocks on all of my bolt actions. I recently bought my first bolt gun with a synthetic stock the other day. I guess I will see how I like it & where I go from here.

LBGuy said. "Makes me wonder - how in the world did the hunters who came before us manage to kill anything with rifles having wood stocks."

It's the same thing with camoflage, and scent killing products, compound bows with sights, etc., etc., etc. People wonder how the heck our ancestors ever ate.

They made due with what they had. And they were persistent, and they didn't give up.

mike

Of the five people that I hunt with,all use stainless synthetic rifles.

I hope that synthetics outsell wood 100 to 1, maybe that will help keep the prices down on nice wood if demand decreases.
I want to hunt with wood stocks when practicle but use synthetics when I need too...........DJ