I believe the current generation sees a firearm as a generic device not unlike a computer,bow,cell phone.
Use it a couple of years and trade it in for the newest plastic fantastic.
I have beaters and visually nicer firearms as well.
The demand for the custom hand made wood stock rifles is waining.
You can find deals on these rifles for a 1/3 to 1/4 of what it costs to build them new.
In some ways I hate to see that but I actually will take advantage of it as I like to hunt with the rifles that are hand tailored (legacy wood).
About to acquire a custom 338 for less than it cost for the wood blank it was originally built on.
Still enjoy fine craftsmanship.

EZ

I love my wood stocked rifles. I enjoy hunting with them and when having a rest I enjoy admiring the wood and metal work. However, I seem to be adding more synthetic rifles to the list these days. I don't worry about protecting them from the elements or a moment of carelessness. I don't mind a scratch or ding. It is part of hunting but I accumulate them even when I am very careful. If I anticipate really rough conditions I reach for the synthetic "tool".

only one comment from me:

Pride of ownership!

quote:

Originally posted by eezridr:
I believe the current generation sees a firearm as a generic device not unlike a computer,bow,cell phone.
Use it a couple of years and trade it in for the newest plastic fantastic.
I have beaters and visually nicer firearms as well.
The demand for the custom hand made wood stock rifles is waining.
You can find deals on these rifles for a 1/3 to 1/4 of what it costs to build them new.
In some ways I hate to see that but I actually will take advantage of it as I like to hunt with the rifles that are hand tailored (legacy wood).
About to acquire a custom 338 for less than it cost for the wood blank it was originally built on.
Still enjoy fine craftsmanship.

EZ

Mine were built for me not another person. I have had a few that were built for others and they were nice, but!!

I can't be one with nature with plastic in my hands. Wood all the way.

I think if you call any of the good gun builders in the US you may be shocked at the wait you will have for something to come from their bench.

One is only a tool and the other a working art form. No different from custom knives and fancy cars.

This is an interesting topic. I really like wood stocked rifles and believed that is all I’d ever have. I’ve cha bed my mind. Rain, snow, and I’m hard on guns. My X-bolt is full of scratches.

My next gun will be synthetic. As Phil said, it will be a tool. I’ll still use my wood stocked rifles in the future but not as much

Demand is strong here.

Here is what happened to make plastic stocks from 1991 when I refused to make before this one time. I had a good customer that brought in some pre-64 70 win. rifles from a Dr. which wanted these barreled and stocks made. Until now I wouldn't use any plastic and I knew most anyone could go to Gun Shows and buy a plastic stock and fiber glass kit for about $100, next he had his own so called custom rifle.

I worked by appointment only and I had all the work I wanted, but sense this was a good customer I finally agreed to make up a rifle using a certain brand of light plastic stock. The original Dr. came to my shop on the next weeks days off and brought down 3 more pre64 70's to barrel and make stocks. He went over to my stock blanks and listed which ones he wanted for the caliber of his choice for me to use. The results of me giving in for his plastic stock was what caused me to get over $10,000 labor for the next 6 months from him and back then that was a lot of money. That was the last plastic stock I made!!! After this happened we gunsmiths some times need to change our way of thinking.

Les Brooks, retired gunsmith

I doubt the demand for custom stocked high end wood has diminished all that much. It was always a limited market, due to the cost of wood and labor. Nothing wrong with synthetics...they are just not wood. If a horse rolled on one of my McMillans it would be no big deal, but if they rolled on one of my true customs that would be a very sad day! I think Kobe and Shoemaker pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I made up two a number of years ago. Bondo, glass, spray paint just does not run my flag up the pole.

I know there's easy money in it ..but had enough body and fender work when I had three teen agers.

But... admittedly, plastic has it's place.

just have to be intelligent enough to realize stocks can be made out of other things but walnut - like - maple ash cherry mesquite etc - and they are all ecologically sound

Good point! Makes you wonder where all that plastic will end up

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Good point! Makes you wonder where all that plastic will end up

Circling around in the ocean with all the other plastics !

But as much as I dearly love nice wood stocks,
Synthetics do have real benefits. One look at the world's assault and sniper rifles, or Olympic target rifles, leaves little doubt as to their benefits.
In every field the professionals choose the best tools for their job and in my profession here in Alaska synthetics do offer a few benefits. And the best of the synthetics, like those by D'Arcy Echols or Joe Smithson, are wonderfully handling and a guy using them with his eyes closed would not likely be able to tell what they were made of.

I really enjoy carrying and using wood stocked rifles. Still hunting down and ancient single track trail G33/40 in 270 in wood. The sight and smell of moist fallen Aspen leaves carpet the way......adventure and nature surround. A classic wood rifle can be truly admired when it's time to rest and reflect for while.
Enjoy the day, Enjoy the rifle to its fullest extent, appreciate it fully, this is what it's all about, if you get the game....great freakish backstraps await. If not try another day, life goes on.

I thought a Creedmoor just won't stay in a wood stock :-)

My 6.5x47L looks great in a James Anderson stock and a Pierce receiver.

I was told by a now defunct plastic stock mfg. that I might as well face the facts, there will shortly be no demand for wood stocks.

That was in (about) 1983 !!

and (in the near future ) no demand for paper money

In highschool, I decided beautiful wood was the way to go, and I started refinishing guns stocks then built my own from simi finished stock and then only from a blank, mostly for myself to this day, but have sold or traded a number of the ones I built for myself over the years since 1953. I have two plastic stocked guns, one a 220 Swift Ruger 77 and the other a .338 Win Ruger 77 with the infamous boat paddle stock that I rather like, For those rain and snow days in Idaho and wherever..

I like only European walnut, old french was always my favorite, then today Turkish or Russian..

I love, love, love the look and artisanship of wood stocks. I have this lingering desire to get a series of pre 64 rifles and having them restocked in some fancy woodwork. But they would most not likely be used for hunting. They would be for display.
My problem with hunting w/ woodstocked rifles is diminished value from dings and scrapes and the weight. I did a bighorn hunt a few months ago and no way was I lugging that add'l weight. Also my rifle is textured composite all over which wood doesn't lend itself to.

I do need to set a goal of each year a custom wood stock for each select pre 64 calibre....

Timing is sometimes awesome! Two days ago, an old time client, has commissioned a wood stock to replace the fiberglass stock on his favorite hunting rifle, a 280 Imp.

Concern about weight is over thinking. At the most, maybe 2 oz..Of course, choosing the proper blank is somewhat important.

I proved this some years ago at an NRA class at Susanville CA...Chet Brown was there with is line of stocks and mentioned the light weight advantage.

For giggles, I took my 270 apart, removed the steel buttplate and grip cap ( to put things on a level field) and came in at just over an ounce heavier than the composite By drilling a couple holes in the butt, could have easily made up the difference

Good point Duane. I don't remember anyone making that comparison.

You want to shoot your gun or make love to it?



My bud was a "glue shooter", that is he sprayed glue on his shooting glove, buttplate, so the rifle would not move out of position due to recoil. He was more interested in hitting the target in the middle than bragging about the appearance of the thing.

I have difficulty not getting scratched and dents on my active rifles, so I am always amazed at the shooters who keep their rifle stocks shiny and perfect.

Joe Farmer was in his mid 80's, still shooting Smallbore Prone, and was the High Senior in the Nation. He was an amazing shot, and very proud of the wood on his rifle



He made the stock from a piece of wood he got from Camp Perry in the 1960's (paid around $130) and told me he had been offered a $1000 for the blank. Notice he made it a left hand rifle. Due to macular degeneration in his right eye, Joe shot left handed, even though he was a righty.

Shot pretty well with that rifle.

Mine are mostly beautiful pieces of wood-of all types, colors and kinds-bastogne walnut, french walnut, english walnut, circassian and turkish walnut, shell maple, tiger and fiddleback myrtle, and fiddleback maple, etc. I do, however, have a stable of synthetics for extreme weather related hunts. One of my favorite activities is to take the 10 minute drive to Cecil Fredi's and walk through his warehouse of 30K gunstock blanks. I'm like a kid in a high end candy store.

For many, it boils down to cost. You can buy a McMillian where all that's needed is to glass bed it, and for the cost of a nice English blank, sometimes for less. Then there's this "instant gratification" world we live in today.

I see it as the demand is still brisk for the few gunmakers still out there but the per capita custom sales are way off compared to the synthetic sales.

I'm firmly in the camp of wanting, having and using both depending of the type of hunt anticipated.

Zeke

We have been having a similar debate on the Stalking Directory. Synthetics have their place and you can get a very good functioning synthetic stocked rifle for very little money. It will shoot well but not have that wooden feel.

What makes little sense is the high cost of many synthetic stocked rifles - Blasers for example, and especially when they have leather inserts to make them more tactile.

Fine walnut is expensive- always has been. But most really fine walnut does not a strong stock make. You want straight grain less fancy wood if you want strength. However I really fo like laminates. They are hard, tough and stable, yet are nice to handle. And probably make the most sense on a stainless mountain or hard hunting rifle.

I’d really like a laminate wood stock, with the best the checkering could be under the circumstances.

Where would one even get a laminate blank suitable for say a .375?

Look at the Obeche wood laminates available from Shehane. Stable good looking wood.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
I’d really like a laminate wood stock, with the best the checkering could be under the circumstances.

Where would one even get a laminate blank suitable for say a .375?

Boyd's, unless that has changed.

I'm not sure why the laminated stocks I've run across all use such crappy wood. Years ago, I was able to have a few blanks made up of laminated English walnut (3/8" laminates) Looked pretty nice! but 1/4" would be better.

I'm sure there's some intense labor involved, perhaps that puts it out of the market??

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
I’d really like a laminate wood stock, with the best the checkering could be under the circumstances.

Where would one even get a laminate blank suitable for say a .375?

Someone used to make a three-piece laminate where they flipped the center slab 180 degrees for stability. Not sure if they are still being made or were great, but the idea was solid - to have the stability of a laminate but the look of solid wood.


Was it Kilimanjaro?

Wasn't that stock company Accurate Innovations? And weren't they at one point owned by Montana Rifle Company/Action company/Barrel company? Appears they're now standalone down in NC. aigunstocks.com. Appears they still make a laminated stock, but they're using an aluminum bedding insert with regular wood as the standard.

Looks like they still do them - : http://kilimanjarorifles.com/features/woodblanks.html

Yeah...that's the one...unfortunately, they used a different ((i.e cheaper...sapwood)) center section than what I furnished..that was the last time I had them do anything

The three laminations just don't cut the mustard from an appearance standpoint

Kiliminjaro, not AI. Sorry, didn't see the last line of your post Duane.

quote:

I believe the current generation sees a firearm as a generic device not unlike a computer,bow,cell phone.

I also like nice wood on a nice gun! Obviously old guard.

My Simson Suhl .405 WCF Double Rifle.

After Rutland's burned down I tried some other laminates that were very poor.
Does any one know about the wood blanks from this outfit in Finland? Click on their "webshop" button.

https://cwp.fi/en/contact-cwp/