I just don't know one way or the other and know someone here will. Do they hold up? Are they safe? Thanks in advance for your time.

The only laminated stocks I have had experience with were those cream and grey stocks on Rem 700 Stainless.

The stocks were very soft when compressed as in the front screw in the floor plate. In fact I was using shell holders as pillar in the Rem 700s. The small end of the shell holder was a perfect match for the Rem floor plate.

But the stocks seemed very hard lengthwise.

I think in general I would prefer wood or fibreglass although some of those laminated stocks can look real flash. Wby had a laminated model for a period but discontinued them. Mark V floor plates at the action screw part are quite small in area, about the same as a Rem 700.

I have a laminated stock on my 550 Magnum which is holding up just dandy BUT...it is treated just like a stick of regular wood. It's glassbedded from the barrel recoil lug to the rear tang, two crossbolts and a steel wrist pin. Or the fully bonded aluminium chassis like Accurate Inovations would work.

Almost all laminates are birch layers, and a bit soft like Mike said. A few are found here and there from bamboo or walnut but not commonly. The resin does not make the material split resistant like one might think. It doesn't penetrate the surface of the layers deeply enough to make an homogeneous material like micarta.

So yes, it works very well as long as you take all the same precautions as you would with natural wood.

My .470 AR is in a Accurate Innovations laminated stock with the aluminium frame. I bedded the recoil lug forward about five inches. I only have 20 to 30 rounds through it so far, but so far, so good.

The stock maker that inletted my 458AccRel into the factory Ruger laminate mentioned it was typically soft. But steel bedded, barrel recoil lug, wrist pin and dual crossbolts added have held it together. He was a bit incredulous when mention of another crossbolt was made and stated 'the more holes you put in it, the weaker it becomes. Leave it alone!'
Cheers...
Con

I do not have any big bores w/ laminated stocks, but do have match rifles w/ such stocks and trust me, they will crack at the wrist. Generally speaking, a match type rifle is certainly not carried and beat around as much as a sporting/hunting rifle, but it is used far more often in actual shooting w/ 2-4000rnds/yer not uncommon. With such use they do get bumped from time to time getting them out of the vehicle, but one would not think such minor impact would cause the splitting, but it does happen?? Such stocks are generally much beefier than a sporting stock, almost always firmly bedded, action screws torqued to spec, etc. and I have one now from a name maker that cracked at the wrist, less than two years old, and it has been well taken care of as well. I used "all thread," epoxy, to further secure it, but why it happened, I do not know. It's only had some 800 rnds through it and these stocks are not low priced. It will be my last laminated stock. Have a plain walnut Rem.40X Rangemaster stock from GPI for the princely sum of 45.00, cal. 308, bedded, adj.comb, adj. butt plate, handstop rail, etc. and have less than 200.00 invested, can't count the number of rnds over the past 25 yrs, and no cracks. Personally I think the laminated stocks are a cheap way to mfg. a rifle stock w/ low cost materials. I'll stay w/ walnut or synthetic in the future.

i have a boyd pepper laminate on a p17 enfield .416 taylor.... its full length bedded and has dual crossbolts in recoil areas....oil finish...no issues yet, about 90 full house loads downrange...

My 458 Lott has a Laminated stock. My Stock is not soft. I treate like all my other rifles. It cost more. It looks relly sharp. I mean really
good looking rifle.