Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
This came up elsewhere.
"Which is better?".
"Both".
Here's the up and down sides as I see them.
Wood's not only traditional, but pretty. It does deteriorate over time, and can wick water through the grain up to the metal. It can also warp, changing the fit of the shotgun.
Wood's also easy to modify. One can shorten the pull, shave 1/16 off the face side or lower a comb. It's easy to get exactly the grip and fit one wants. Wenig sells roughed out blanks for most shotguns that we can whittle and sand down to get an exact fit. Or, refinishing a stock is a project most of us can do.
Wood's easy to hollow out if one wants a less muzzle light balance without adding more weight forward or just a lighter shotgun.
Synthetic furniture is quite durable and less likely to warp or show rough use. It's also often cheaper than wood. Some folks even like the flat black or camo looks of the things.
Synthetics are more difficult to modify, we're pretty much stuck with the standard dimensions, pads and stud locations. For many of us, this is no major handicap.
Some synthetics have the small advantage of flexing a bit at launch,spreading the recoil pulse out slightly and reducing kick, but this is hardly noticable for most of us.
None of the seven shotguns here have synthetic stocks. None came that way. We've owned or own rifles and handguns so equipped. I may obtain a fiberglass stock from Jack West with an adjustable comb and see what it does for me at trap.
What's your choice?....
"Which is better?".
"Both".
Here's the up and down sides as I see them.
Wood's not only traditional, but pretty. It does deteriorate over time, and can wick water through the grain up to the metal. It can also warp, changing the fit of the shotgun.
Wood's also easy to modify. One can shorten the pull, shave 1/16 off the face side or lower a comb. It's easy to get exactly the grip and fit one wants. Wenig sells roughed out blanks for most shotguns that we can whittle and sand down to get an exact fit. Or, refinishing a stock is a project most of us can do.
Wood's easy to hollow out if one wants a less muzzle light balance without adding more weight forward or just a lighter shotgun.
Synthetic furniture is quite durable and less likely to warp or show rough use. It's also often cheaper than wood. Some folks even like the flat black or camo looks of the things.
Synthetics are more difficult to modify, we're pretty much stuck with the standard dimensions, pads and stud locations. For many of us, this is no major handicap.
Some synthetics have the small advantage of flexing a bit at launch,spreading the recoil pulse out slightly and reducing kick, but this is hardly noticable for most of us.
None of the seven shotguns here have synthetic stocks. None came that way. We've owned or own rifles and handguns so equipped. I may obtain a fiberglass stock from Jack West with an adjustable comb and see what it does for me at trap.
What's your choice?....
