Why Wood Rifle Stocks Are Better Than Synthetic 

Years ago I fell into custom synthetic and stainless rifles as “the way to go” and they shot great, now they occupy the back of the safe and all I seem to carry these days are walnut and blue steel. It just feels right.

Nothing like a beautiful wood stock in a fine rifle.

You have some fine Winchesters! Wood vs. synthetic, ehh? Some types of synthetics are very good, but most are too flimsy that come on factory rifles. I love good wood, it absorbs vibration well, and looks good on a hunting rifle.

Every scratch on a wood stock tells a story - I’m inherently more careful when using my wood stock rifles as opposed to my synthetic stock. I liken it to running an aluminum boat versus a fiberglass hull. Great video Tom.

I will always prefer a wood stock because no two look just alike. That's to say every wood stock has its own distinct character that makes it truly unique.

Mr. Rogers with weapons. Keep up the good work!

I just thought it was me, but I understand exactly what you're saying. I was in the local gun store the other day and there just wasn't any wood stocks to speak of, and the one's that were there, well it was like they came from scrap wood from a construction site. Nothing like the old days, when just looking at the wood made you want that gun over another one. After watching your video I certainly felt your passion. Thanks for the walk down memory lane

Thank you for talking about WOOD stocks and blued steel...I was browsing RU-vid the other day and all I could find was plastic guns with carbon fiber barrels..AND Yes I call all synthetic rifles PLASTIC...Plastic guns seem to be the rage right now and I don't see it changing...but Plastic rifles have no soul...they are a tool, much like my hammer. When I go hunting or shooting I much prefer my rifle to have a little soul..the nicks and dings put on the rifle by folks like your grandfather are what give the rifle soul...Thank you for this video

Personally I find some fire arms to be art not a tool. With wood stocks you can put two rifles side by side same make same model . One of them will pull your eye more than the other. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder . Great show.

Thoroughly enjoyed the video. Great presentation and topic. Thanks for coming back to your original viewer base.

Your videos and gunblue490 makes my day. Always be waiting on yours videos 👍🏼

Glad to see your doing firearms stuff again Tom! That’s my favorite topic you cover! Really enjoy your channel! Thank you 🙏🏻

Great job, Tom. Thanks for making this video.

Hi Tom enjoyed your video , I have purchased four new rifles this year and they all have wooden stocks I just love the look and feel of them !! Thanks keep them coming I’m subscribed to your channel for awhile now and enjoy your down to earth style

No matter what the feel of a wood stock in your hands is special.

Another good video Tom . I to love wood . And yes it’s good to laugh at ourselves. Keep them coming. Good luck fishing .

Tom, you are a very nice person, and I love wood as much as high-quality synthetics! But the laminate is UNsurpassed! 😃👍

Wooden stocks do have their benefits. This is especially true in colder climates. Synthetic stocks, are actually fairly brittle in cold climates. This is especially true for synthetic stocks on more budgeted rifles. The same budget stocks don't like extreme heat either. In some rifles I've seen like the Savage Axis and Mossberg Patriot, when you fire long strings of shots consecutively their groups start to open up. The stock does shift. I will add that fiberglass and Kevlar Synthetic stocks hold up better. Like your Bell and Carlson, McMillans and HS. Precisions. The higher end brands of stocks have an aluminum bedding system of some sort. Wooden stocks seem to obsorb more recoil. Wooden stocks definitely have a warm feel to them. Where Synthetic stocks shine in my opinion is in humid environments. I like them both for different purposes.

I'm the type that hasn't met a gun I don't like whether wood, synthetic, or Legos, but I'm a real sucker for a pretty piece of wood. Beautiful burl or nice figuring really catches my eye as artwork would to others. Good luck and God bless.

When you die ,the relatives won’t fight over your Tupperware! They will fight over your cast iron 😂 I think you’ll get the parallel🇺🇸. thanks so much for sharing your videos

Great video Tom, and totally agree that Wood stocks are so much better, they have character and function, you can just look at them every day and appreciate the quality and finish of a good timber stock, especially on a Winchester Model 70. Dunno if we got some different models out here in Australia, but I have a 1976 push feed XTR, nice timber with the ebony forend and capping with the white lines, shoots just as classy as it looks too.

See this video reminds me of a few years back I found a Al Biesen Winchester in 270 and thought they were asking a little too much not realizing who he was, now I really wish I had bought it and yes it was a beautiful rifle! I had the same thing on an XTR 270 one of the first years they came out and my brother in law took it hunting in the rain and it warped too. Took it to a master gunsmith and he was able to repair the stock and then glass bedded it and it shot like new. Having hunted and reloaded almost 60 years you are correct about wood stocks being better because they were a living thing and most of the time no 2 wood stocks are exactly the same. Great video as always keep them coming!

TR, you're becoming my favorite channel!

Another nice video. I've had a few composite stocks but at one time I had 89 Browning rifles, all with gorgeous wood stocks.

I'm old school all the way. Wood stocks, blued steel etc. (no Cerakote ) Also I like the older cartridges. 6.5x55 Swede, 7x57 Mauser, 300 Savage, 32 Special, 8x57 Mauser as well as .308, 303 British and30-06.

I’ve got a model 70 that says Light Weight on the barrel . I never knew why but after your video I know . Thanks for info and your good videos.

Cause I just like wood. Maple or walnut. Whether it better I don't know. But it's pleasure to see a fine stock on a shotgun or rifle. But I'm old school ,I've got 270. 3 position lock. High grade. Winchester. With a nice wood stock. With a cheek piece. Carved. Into it. Really good gun. Never will get rid of it,, mines not a feather weight. But it doesn't kick bad neither. Because of the extra weight. It has the boss on it which is nice too.model 70,, bolt action. Pretty accurate. Within and inch groups at 200 yards.

Been looking forward to getting back to the gun videos! I'm not a fisherman 😉😁

i was thinkin what caliber would be best to fix you boat motor! LOL

I really like your featherweight! An American Classic all the way around for sure!

Tom I love the hunting rifle videos....I also love pre64 Winchesters..I have 3 of them and they hunt every year.

You remind me if men in my past I highly respected regarding guns thanks for chatting

I have a old rem 6mm mode 700 from the 60’s. My grandfather gave it to me and I shot my first buck with it when I was 13. It has a beautiful stock that has many scratches and dents from a lifetime of hunting. Now I’m 44 and gramps gone but i’ll keep hunting with it. I’m teaching my son to hunt now. It may be old but it’s very special. I love the old look and feel of the wood stocks compared to the composite.

Great video! I have a 1943 Kar98k that the original stock has been cut down and sporterized, action bedded, barrel free-floating, and rebarreled to 7x57. I love this beautiful rifle; it's a dream to shoot. But I honestly don't think I would have given it a second look if it would have had a synthetic stock. I found it at a gun show earlier this year. It also had a Leupold M8 6x scope on it, and I got it for 450 beans.

I absolutely agree about the appeal of wood stocks. My 7x57 ( left to me by my father in law, a great man) is a 1930s Mauser action rebarrelled and sporterised. Wood stock. Love it. Use it for all of my deer shooting. But I travel to hunt in Europe and Africa. I take my Blaser. Accurate, composite, soulless. If a baggage handler breaks it I'll be ticked off but not heartbroken - and they'd have to work really hard to break that plastic. You are right - the wood is once a living thing, the plastic is not and so not special. Loving your videos by the way.

I currently own mostly older military surplus rifles which also are wood stocks and mostly blued but some parkerized steel. A few of the rustier modified rifles I’ve reconditioned and the derusting, re bluing, sanding and hand rubbed oil finishing is really enjoyable.

Yeah I love wood stocks, I personally like the weight of them, with heavier barrels, makes for less recoil, and they are a pleasure to look at. Great Show.

I'm a bid wood stock fan period and just like them better period regardless of which is "better"

Enjoy watching your videos

Good video, I agree with most of what you stated. I own several synthetic stock firearms. On the other hand, in the last few years I've started collecting wood stocked rifles(especially Winchesters) I believe they are under priced. I enjoy watching your videos. They are always entertaining and informative. However, I notice when most people post about Winchester bolts actions they seem to neglect to mention Winchester reintroduced the Control Round Feed in 1992. They've been around in the market place for 31 years. Your Cabelas Super Grade looks remarkably similar to my to French Walnut Super Grade. Moreover, the Featherweight and Compact Featherweight are both sold with Control Round Feed Actions today. It seems as though some Influencers today don't realize that Control Round Feeds manufactured today are readily available, and are stronger than actions manufactured prior to 1964, due to tighter tolerances and improved metallurgy. More than that, some pre-war models needed to have the safety switch changed or modified so the owner could mount a scope. That big paddle switch didn't allow for much clearance. Don't get me wrong, Pre-64s are wonderful rifles. I really enjoy the look of the stock, the cone in the receiver, and the metal butt plates. I don't care for the screw in the barrel connecting the stock or the non-free float. I would rather have a new one. I do miss the iron sights. That being said, I prefer old Colt Pythons (or old Colt Revolvers) to new ones any day of the week.

It's called character. Thanks Tom.

looks like my Model 70 was made in 1952, great info thanks

I dont think I can ever recall anyone accusing a synthetic stock of being GORGEOUS! The same can't be said about wood stocks.

Preach it brother

I recall reading in a few different articles on wood stocks that a stock maker can steam a walnut stock to enable a slight degree of reconfiguration. For example, with shotguns, the amount of cast off (or cast on for lefties) can be altered. I wonder if this might be a solution for your warped Win. Model 70 stock?

Are you my doppelgänger. I totally agree with everything you said. That’s kind of spooky

Hey Tom great video. I wanted to ask if you ever solved the barrel problem you had with your 270.

Woods got history! Wood has a feel that plastic doesn’t.

Your in my bad books now Mr River I love wood, i'm a carpenter by Trade. Choice of wood (the slab that a stock is shaped into) is paramount as is the controlled seasoning of the slab. i have and and have had many fine wooden stocks, several i've made as you have by hand myself at great pain and at the expense of a lot of time - enjoyable but time consuming. As to synthetic stocks, yes they are new which says a lot as to why they are or are not appreciated. (Time will change this as it is with alloy chassis for the new generations) However living in a climate where the temperature the moisture and literally as we say can change in a day, my default working stocks are synthetic and also stainless steel sits nestled in them. My take it out from my temperature and moisture controlled safe on a sunny day to show of is "my shiny deep blued steel actions in a high grade wooden stock". This is a rare and cherished event . Kia Ora. love your stuff from New zealand. P.S Tell that Lake space invading varmit to "Bog Off".

All other considerations aside: I'm one of those who think firearms should be as beautiful as they are functional. I have never seen a synthetic stock that I thought was "beautiful", even in the least degree. There's just something special about wood matched to metal - especially figured wood matched to blued gun metal.

So, what a great topic! I’m only buying wood stocks and they are vastly outnumbered in the marketplace. Sadly, the race to the bottom line there are casualties. They are quality, jobs and pride. Bring back real craftsmanship across the industry.

Wood is pretty, and quieter in the woods when branches rub on it, buuuuut in wet or extremely humid areas they have issues. Warpage is the big one and the second is always needing to check the mounting bolts.

I just ordered a new brown Winchester factory laminate stock from eBay for $60 Fits 2002 SA model and up Sweet deal.

I bought a Model 70 feather Weight XTR in 1986 when I got out of the Army. It is a 7X57. Its the most accurate rifle I've ever owned. It shoots anything and everything Ive put through it with no problems. I shoot groups that are covered with a dime! Ive done that cositently over these years!

Darn it Tom you make a compelling argument. I'm looking at them Winchester beauties, and getting a streak of envy. I love my model 70, but I have to admit, as functional and comfortable as it's synthetic stock is, I absolutely love a chunk of walnut with some character. You might have convinced me to either go out and buy another, or see if I can find a stock to match. I do have another rifle that I need to replace the stock on, and was planning on getting a Boyd's laminate, but they also have some really nice Turkish walnut and maple. I may just splurge and get the prettier stock for that one. But that stock project of yours is looking good! Do you think you get it checkered?

Have to agree I love a good wood stock. Many of the super grades come in Maple and while it's a handsome rifle, I wonder if there's a difference in the durability (more or less prone to warp, crack etc. They're pretty to look at, but I think I prefer the Walnut. Right now my only wood stocks are on my Henry Golden Boy and a 1950 Pre-64 1894 in 32 Winchester Special. You mentioned gunblue490---well he's the one that turned me on to that "underdog" "old school" caliber. happened to find one and it's just a beauty. most of my others are synthetic. One I like is a Stocky's M-50 full length aluminum bedded and heavy. Being heavy it's a bench target/varmint. But all the same I'd prefer wood.

I almost picked up a rifle recently very similar to your 257 Roberts. It was in 280 Rem with the same stock and CRF. Was in very good shape. My brother in law is the proud owner now thanks to my tip on it as he’s wanted a 280 for a while. Know much about that rifle or were some special ones made in the last 20 yrs in that caliber being CRF?

My wife has two classifications for my guns: Pretty and Ugly. There is not one "Pretty" gun that has a composite, camo or laminate stock...all walnut. We are at that stage of life where we have been trying to pare down some of our stuff. I recently parted with a 1980's Remington 870 Wingmaster with some beautiful dark walnut woodwork and rich bluing. My friend said the slide looked like a wet chocolate Hershey bar. I really appreciate your promoting GunBlue490. I have been a fan for years. He is a little old-school....but so am I. I cannot find one thing to criticize in his vast knowledge of all things firearms related.

I agree with you 110% Tom. I have compared many wood and synthetic stocked rifles of the same brand and caliber - the wooden versions (especially the real American Walnut ones) always appeal to me the most. Wood has inherent beauty and warmth, and is to be cherished and respected. Wood is just the perfect material to use - it offers natural comfort to us that is 'just right'. I've concluded only wooden stocked rifles work for me.

Hello, I appreciate you. Thanks for putting this video out. It is good to look at the stories etched in the stock especially if the rifle was handed down to you to be handed down to yours. I have a question. Do you do restorations or creations for others?

🇦🇺😎👍Interesting content Tom

That’s why you should seal a wood stock with something that keeps the wood from being affected by moisture in the air or no moisture in the air.

I am 73 years old, I love the efficiency of my ARs. But for real deep deep love, I need blued steel and walnut. I have 4 custom rifles built on surplus military actions. One 1903 Springfield in 30-06 with a full length Manlicher style stock. One 1891 Mauser in 7.65 Argentine with a Manlicher style stock. And two 98 Mausers, one a switch barrel in 22-250/30-06 in a stock that the gunsmith carved out of an original military stock. When I first saw this rifle it was in a beautiful walnut stock, but he wanted more than I could afford, about $400 more than I eventually paid for the rifle in the modified military stock. This was the first rifle I bought in 1973 after getting married just the year before. The last custom rifle in my collection is another 98 Mauser in 30-06 with a full length stock and a European style butter knife bolt handle. I also have a post 64 Winchester model 70 XTR in 30-06, a Voere Stutzen in 270 Winchester with a full length stock and double set triggers and a Weatherby Vanguard in 25-06 in the factory wood stock and lastly I have a stainless steel Ruger model 77 in 30-06 in Ruger's synthetic boat paddle stock. Can anyone guess which one would be the first to go if I was forced to sell one?

I myself like the idea of a wood stock ,I do glassbed and float all my wooden stocks I make for myself and customers but you can't beat a beautiful figured piece of wood

Hello Tom,wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your videos. I have learned a great deal. I am a grandfather with 6 granddaughters 2 great granddaughters and 1 grandson. He just turned 5 and may be a hunter some day, but only 1 granddaughter, my 6 year old has shown any interest in guns. Weatherby Vanguard has produced a rifle for the ladies with a sloped down stock that slopes to the right and actually looks warped. Could your warped stock actually be intended for a female shooter? By the way, I bought one in 6.5 Creedmore designated for her when she grows up in case I am no longer around at that time. It is a beautiful rifle.

Hey Tom, I have a 30-06 Winchester model 70 Lightweight that I bought new but can't really remember when. Pretty sure it was mid to late 80's. Anyway, I just dropped it off at my gunsmith last Saturday to see if he can make a "shooter" out of it. It never grouped very well and even though had/has that that unmistakable quality of fitting me perfectly, had been relegated to the back of the closet for lack of accuracy. It wasn't horrible, probably 3" at 100yds , but I always had something that shot better. I know it has a bed and free-float in its future as well as a trigger job and a decent recoil pad ('06 kicked like a mule in that lightweight). It's funny that I found your video the week after I dropped it off! I will certainly let you know what magic the Smith is able to draw outta her. Hope it's worth the $$$!

Great video! I have the same Featherweight as yours in 257 Roberts and I think it was also made in 1982, hard to confirm. I'm crazy about that rifle!

In 1974 after my first Dall sheep hunt I corresponded with Jack O'Connor several times after having his read his stuff as a kid for the decade before. His replies are cherished keepsakes. Depending on your own hunting conditions a wood stock rifle might suffice vs. a synthetic, from a technical perspective it'll never surpass it from a purely aesthetic angle it generally wins. But the harsher the weather and terrain and your means of access more rugged a wood stock takes second seat to synthetic for about the last 40 years. An inexpensive, injection molded "plastic" stock after a few days in coastal Alaska or hanging on the back of a pack sheep hunting will outperform the best wood stock. A hand laid up synthetic, blue printed stock to your action definitely scores first. Shooting a heavy magnum in very cold temps you will chance splitting a wood stock especially a well figured one even if stored outside but it won't happen very often if at all with a synthetic. And while the P64 M70 will NEVER be truly duplicated, no matter what Winchester may claim, the wood stocks on the last few years of their run P64s (62-63) were pretty crummy stocks. Big difference between an early PreFWT and a late PreFWT and I've owned quite a few of both. On a Catskill deer hunt I wouldn't hesitate to carry a Bissen stocked or G&H Springfield rifle but packing moose quarters on a packframe where you might need a rifle on hand for bears I'd opt for something a little more rugged. I have several Brown Precision stocked M70s, and all have picked up the inevitable dings and bings of a rifle used in tough hunting country, the memories are just the same as the honored marks on walnut. Incidentally, when US Repeating Arms reintroduced their M70FWT in the early 80s their marketing strategy was to offer some oddball calibers (7x57, 257 Roberts), put that weird fore end tip on the stock, along with the Fluer de Lis checkering, which was never standard on a factory P64 , either Standard or Featherweight. What they did very obviously, intentionally chose to ignore was to add CRF, Mauser type extraction, and was a big reason why it didn't sell like the hotcakes their salesmen intended.

How do you feel about the browning a-bolt rifle? It is my favorite, and I love it in 30-06.

I had a ruger American with a synthetic stock. Was way too light kicked like a mule. I hated that gun and traded it for a HOWA 1500 308. Stock is alot beefier. Absolutely love it. It's all about the brand

Tom what load does the .257 like? I have the same rifle and the only load it likes is 80 grain Barnes. Everything else is horrible! Thanks

How do you recommend taking care of a new model 70 stock in French walnut? How often does it need any attention? Leaning against a wall harmful (don't have a gun cabinet yet, and am not interested in any safe. Thanks.

"Unique", wood, as you said, also was once was alive, is much more unique then plastic. Wood has a natural character that synthetic dont! Like finger prints. I like wood more! But I do like what synthetic systems can provide, and have a few.

Hello Mr River, I like you love wood stocks. Recently when I bought my first precision centerfire rifle, I just knew it had to have a classic wood stock. Yes just as you I can see some advantages to synthetic stocks, I love my Bell Carlson stock on my Winchester, however for me wood is eye-candy, and I will always love wood more than synthetic any day of the week. But to be honest, I just love all quality firearms, and don’t see myself ever selling my synthetic stocked rifles. So did you say linseed oil is what I would want to use on my Featherweight Walnut Stock? If so, how often would you recommend to treat the stock with oil? What do you recommend for safe storage of rifles Tom? Do you use a safe with a desiccant, or a electric heating rod? What humidity do you recommend 35-45%? This might be an interesting video, “How to properly and safely store rifles to prevent wood swelling and prevent corrosion to barrels? Take care and God bless Tom. 😎👍

Wood Stock make a Gun look pretty. pleasing to the eye, plus a wood stock is stiffer which makes a rifle kick less and in my opinion shoot bedder. if the barrel is free floated more accurate.

Nice you can paw all over those guns that might never get used as collection guns. I have made my main loving as a hunting & fishing guide working in Alaska - Pacific NW and in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. My guns now are nearly all synthetic stocks so not to get chewed up and warp in the bath weather I must use the guns in. I have become so well at building AR 10 uppers in wildcat cartridges I am selling off most of my bolt rifles to make AR 10 uppers in the WSM cartridge.

In my opinion, I have own a number of pre 64 model 70 rifles and their good rifles. But, the Ruger M77 mk2 is almost the same. The Ruger m77 mk2/Hawkeye has a lot things that are even better. Scope rings, trigger, number of chamberings. A lot of the guides in northern Canada and Alaska use Ruger m77 as their loaner rifle because they are so tuff.

If you actually hunt with your rifle and use it as a tool in all weather conditions, synthetic is much better. Not affected by moisture and it is much more durable. If you want an heirloom firearm to pass down to your kids and to shoot a couple of deer each year, get a wood stock.

Love the looks of a beautiful wood stocked but gave up on them back in the 1980s. I do love laminate wood stocks and they are very stable. I probably would have put a Boyd stock, pillar bedded and free floated ending the problem?

I love the look of a wood stock.Winchester has made some beautiful wood stocked rifles.The problem is when a person is in wet snowy conditions or heavy rain your chances of rust increase dramatically.I don't like the look of a fiberglass stocked rifle,but with a stainless action your chances of pitting or rust occurring is none at all. For dry conditions a wood stock is perfect, but not for wet conditions.Cold conditions can make a tight action jam,but not with the stainless actions.

I found a brand new FN built model 70 supergrade in 7mm rem mag. It had a gorgeous reddish hue to the feathercrotch stock that was a big part of my buying the rifle. But the grain angled through the stock and one day it warped worse than yours did. I sent it back to Winchester, commented about the angled grain and they restocked it. I was really looking forward to seeing what the new stock would be like, hopeing it would be pretty. When it came back, it was obvious the wood was dense, quality wood, but it had the straightest grain running straight through the stock, it looked like a laminate stock. And the color was a sort of dull, darker brown. It's aesthetics were very disappointing to me. I'm sure it was a stable, good shooting stock, but this was a supergrade rifle and it didn't even begin to have comparable looks to the original stock. It just ruined that rifle for me. I wish I could get another one on par with how that 7mm was originally. But I console myself with my model 70 supergrade in 30-06. It has a beautiful feathercrotch pattern in the butt, but straight grain running through the pistol grip to the fore end tip. And attractive coloration to boot. It is a very accurate and attractive rifle and so far every game animal taken with it has dropped in its tracks with one shot. It is the rifle I wanted my whole life and is my favorite of all, but that doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy a nice second one too!! 😉 I also found a special limited edition B78 in 30-06, built using the current 1885 action with the current trigger but sporting a 24 inch barrel. But it has an absolutely gorgeous rich brown stock with a gorgeous extensive feathercrotch figure on both sides of the butt. The stock was a very big factor in my buying it. The 24 inch barrel was a very nice addition, instead of a 26 or the standard 28 inch barrels usually on the 1885. It gave the rifle a very handy and compact size of 40 inches overall while still giving full ballistics of the 30-06 cartridge. The fore end flexed just enough though, that it affected accuracy a bit, but I relieved the barrel channel enough that it's full floating is maintained despite the flex and now it shoots accurately and consistent. It has taken all its game so far with 1shot also. It is my 3rd favorite rifle, but my first, second, and third favorites are so close and they will be with me to my dying day.

Is there something special to G10 material, or is it just a rebranding of something that already exists? I prefer my G10 grips on my SIG P229 pistol over my wood grips, but I don't know how that material would translate to a rifle stock. I know it's not as pretty as wood, but I love the feel of it (especially the checkering) and, like synthetic, it won't warp over time and allegedly you can work it similar to wood.

I love wood and blued steel on my guns that's all I run.

Nicest rifle I’ve ever shouldered is my fathers Steyr mannlicher stutzen (full length Bavarian walnut stock)

I have one of the Cabela's like yours in 257 Roberts. It doesn't weigh like a featherweight, I have Remington 700 mtn rifles in 270win, 7mm-08, and 280rem, and the 257 is heavier than any of those. I love the rifle though and it shoots great.

you seem like your a good dude and i enjoy your videos- i came into owning / "collecting" firearms after my time in the military so im not as experienced as some other guys and gals- so i try and absorb information from a wide variety of sources, yours being my go to "fud" source lol (dont worry- i say that with pure love and admiration buddy) anyway- while i respect your opinion / passion for wood stocks, i seem to personally be in a very small group of gun owners that view firearms purely as tools. in my eyes, why would i need or want my hammer or screwdriver to look pretty? sure, i can see the aesthetic appeal of some stuff (like an engraved single action revolver) but aside from something i would put up on a wall to collect dust, for my tools that i intend to perform, i honestly see aesthetics as a negative- id rather not have to worry about scuffing up a rifle im using for hunting / etc but thats my two cents on the topic- god bless and keep being you buddy- rock on

You don’t see people spray painting their high polished walnut stock either.

I have three new and thus FN Model 70s. All control feed. One of them is my 6.5 Creedmore Super Grade with a French walnut stock. They'll be burying me with that rifle. My synthetic Savage 243 shoots as good as any rifle I've ever fired. It's a tool.

I have some Remington 760s . The wood is nice I also have a 7600 that has the new finish it's still nice. I seen the synthetic stocked 7600 s just look junky. Planning to go to Tulsa, Ok on 4-2 & 3 for the Tulsa Gun Show lots of goodies there but be willing to pay the prices.

The only plastic stock that I can think would make a difference is the M77 boat paddle, but I think that’s the exception to the rule kinda thing.

oh btw you can use a synthetic stock as a boat paddle if necessary......don't ask how i know 😁

On old rifles i like wood on new i like synthetic. Mostly now i use same long range rifle with synthetic. I am building a titanium action carbon fiber barrel carbon fiber stock In 308 for a ultra light weight mountain rifle it will be 6.2 pounds with scope

Had God intended us to shoot synthetic stocked rifles, he would have made synthetic trees... For me, my collection of vintage hunting rifles are all wood stocks. I just prefer the feel of wood. I’m sure there are many synthetic stock rifles that are very good, I just prefer traditional wood. Good video Tom.

I wanted a bolt action rifle with a nice wood stock but when I felt my synthetic the way it felt in the my hand sold me. I may want a wood stock in the future and I may be able to swap it out in the future.

I feel sorrow for those who don't get your humor. I am from NY State and nobody I know sounds or talks like you. But that doesn't tick me off, it just makes me feel what a great country we have hear. I guess maybe some of your viewers didn't get your explanation of why you did this video. Wood and steel are your preference when hunting or shooting. They are mine too. But I hated Remington Nylons ever since I first saw one in a local hardware store back around 1960. Please ignore the few ignorant comments of a few here and please keep doing these videos.

I think one of the greatest failures in modern gun manufacturing (even high end guns) is that the wood used isn't anything compared to the wood stocks of 60 or a 100 years ago. I still hunt an old 1928 Winchester Model 12 and that stock is bullet proof. On the other hand I've got a pile of nice new rifles that if you look at the wood it'll scratch. It may very well be a result of timber practices, us rushing production and the wood being younger and just not as stout. But whatever the case, the wood used now tends to be nothing compared to the older stocks and that's another benefit of the synthetics on modern guns.

You have much interest in the Remington 760 or 7600?

I appreciate Pre-64 Winchesters rifles however; the new models that are push feed are good ones too. The action is still the same except for the extractor system. The differences are the aluminum trigger guard for one. The stock on your Cabela’s model is a Classic stock shape. The FeatherLite is more Classic European style stock. I am not a fan of Mauser style claw extractors for the idea their better is debatable. That might be a point for a dangerous game rifle for some; just not for me. The things I like are the safety and the flat bottom action and recoil lug. Are Winchester rifles better than Remington? In some ways yes and in others no; both being American is what I like most. Mine are older and have wood stocks; wood is traditional and synthetics; not so much. If wood is not seasoned correctly it can move but; that is rare for the most part. However; someone with the knowledge can straight wood just as they can straighten steel. If you ever take the time to see how rifle and shotgun barrels are made. You will see what I am talking about. Shotgun stock makers once add castoff and drop using heat and moisture to better fit a shotgun stock to the shooter. The same as Fishing rod makers use heat to straighten Bamboo rods. Look at a bent wood rocker sometime or a recurve bow. 🙄🙂

I'll guess you don't care for Chassis too. :>) My deer hunting rifle has scratches on it's cheap plastic stock. Some trigger the memory of how it got that scratch. How the checkering got a flat spot. Character. I've also scratched beautiful wood. Now THAT hurt.

Im a synthetic and ceramic cerakote guy. I like to hunt and not be worried bout weather or scratches in the brush. I just focus on hunting now. Not distracted by the fear of hurting my thousands of dollars rifle