Wood or synthetic?

Kevin Peacocke

Kevin Peacocke

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I have always been a wood stock person, but honestly never owned one that was Wow. You rub them with linseed oil, put a bit of imagination into it, but at the end of the cleaning session you put away a mediocre stock.
Then I bought a Blaser R8, with the 500j barrel. It is a Professional with the plain Jane synthetic stock in olive. I admit I like the functionality of it, but it wasn't bought by choice, but because it was available in Zimbabwe, a rare find in fact.
Then I stumbled across a Selous stock at Safari and Outdoor and it fits the Wow category. This has got me thinking; a truly top level hunting companion at last. I loan my rifles out on our hunts and now an advantage would be swapping out the stocks so that lesser care won't matter so much.

I don't know. What do you think?

IMG_5938.jpeg
 
There are not many people to loan a .500 Jeffery too to begin with. If the receiver/barrel shows wear from use in the synthetic stock as a working rifle it will look out of place with the beautiful wood furniture installed.
 
Kevin Peacocke said:
I don't know. What do you think?
Click to expand...
This is wonderful MODERN rifle, with classic looking stock.
If I were to buy Blaser R8 in some caliber 375 H&H or bigger for Africa, I would look exactly for that.

I am not a fan of polymer stock.
The only thing that looks worse than polymer stock is aluminum chassis on tactical rifles.

The only polymer stock I have, is GRS berserk polymer on my 308 win, which I use exclusively for shooting at the range.

Yes, polymers have some advantages on humidity and heat compared to wood, but:
classic rifles with wooden stocks, conquered the world in last 500 years (and won the wars in between).

They will continue to be functional in the foreseeable future.

Finally, it is all about the taste.
And speaking of this, I have never seen a polymer stock on Holland and Holland or Rigby rifles.
Wood is taste.
 
When you have a beautiful gun like that you are always concerned with keeping it looking beautiful. I have several rifles that I use for hunting and a few of them look pretty nice, nothing like yous, but nice. I personally don't want a working hunting rifle nice enough to make me worry about keeping it looking nice. Especially a dangerous game rifle. My guns have a few dings and scratches. That's what happens when you hunt. I can't imagine borrowing a beautiful gun like yours and constantly thinking about keeping it looking perfect. If you loan it out you definitely need to put the synthetic stock on it so you don't have to worry about it and more importantly the hunter won't spend his time worrying about it and keep his mind on the dangerous game he is pursuing.

Just my opinion

Beautiful gun you have there!!!
 
Schüler Jumbo said:
There are not many people to loan a .500 Jeffery too to begin with. If the receiver/barrel shows wear from use in the synthetic stock as a working rifle it will look out of place with the beautiful wood furniture installed.
Click to expand...
The barrel, etc is almost new.
 
Mark458 said:
When you have a beautiful gun like that you are always concerned with keeping it looking beautiful. I have several rifles that I use for hunting and a few of them look pretty nice, nothing like yous, but nice. I personally don't want a working hunting rifle nice enough to make me worry about keeping it looking nice. Especially a dangerous game rifle. My guns have a few dings and scratches. That's what happens when you hunt. I can't imagine borrowing a beautiful gun like yours and constantly thinking about keeping it looking perfect. If you loan it out you definitely need to put the synthetic stock on it so you don't have to worry about it and more importantly the hunter won't spend his time worrying about it and keep his mind on the dangerous game he is pursuing.

Just my opinion

Beautiful gun you have there!!!
Click to expand...
I haven't bought the woodwork yet, just feeling out the option.
 
First, let me say what a beautiful rifle you have. Color me jealous. Not only for the wood, but for your ability to handle such a cartridge.

To the subject, I’d say horses for courses. In your set of circumstances the wood will do very well. Time and wear will most likely make this even more valuable to you and your family.

Change your location and things would be very different. Costal Alaska comes to mind as one of the most difficult environments for equipment (or people for that matter) to survive in. A few seasons of brown bear and moose have the potential to turn that beautiful rig into a rust bucket with warped timber.

With your ability to swap stocks for the changing conditions (or hunters) without any change in accuracy is truly the best of both worlds. Congratulations again.

EDIT - Apologies, I thought you had already purchased the Selous stock.
 
I use both. I love the beauty of higher quality piece of walnut and the practicality of synthetic. My two favorite deer rifles at the moment are my Baily Bradshaw 7x65R and Synthetic Blaser R8 with .257 Wby barrel in place. They are two rifles that almost could not be different and yet each perfect for its intended purpose.

The Bradshaw stock gets a gentle rubdown at the end of each season. You live in a great dry weather hunting environment. I am confident that R8 would still look extraordinary when you are done being its caretaker.

blaser 257.jpg

Bradshaw - Copy.jpg
 
Now, that’s how is done! Congratulations, beautiful rifle.
 
1782046247770.gif
 
My R8's are hunting rifles not show pieces. Carbon fiber for the ultra light set up and plastic success for the rest.
 
Seems I remember not that long ago you joined in on the I hate people with plastic stock group and now You have one. Funny huh.
 
It just depends on the hunt. In Alaska and full rain every day or the jungles, wood can warp and hurt POI. So I think you need a gun or system for that and one where the weather is not going to harm a wood stock and you break out the pretty ones.
 
I prefer the prettier wooden stocks. No doubt synthetic stocks are more practical, I just can't get past my mental block of Old School wood. I do have one composite stocked rifle just in case i am hunting locally and it is pouring raining, snowing, etc. I may also take it to Rockin G for our get together to go after the feral hogs. It is a simple Savage 110 in 7MM Mag. Not a pretty rifle, pretty banged up composite stock, but it is a SHOOTER.
 
Flewis said:
Seems I remember not that long ago you joined in on the I hate people with plastic stock group and now You have one. Funny huh.
Click to expand...
You are quite right Flewis, in Zimbabwe we don't have the luxury of choice and definitely not a Blaser dealership. One comes up, in whatever form and you just take it. I have been trying to convince myself that I could get to like the synthetic stock and then I saw this beautiful wooden stock in South Africa and hence this thread. It is an awful lot of money though.
 
Kevin Peacocke said:
I have always been a wood stock person, but honestly never owned one that was Wow. You rub them with linseed oil, put a bit of imagination into it, but at the end of the cleaning session you put away a mediocre stock.
Then I bought a Blaser R8, with the 500j barrel. It is a Professional with the plain Jane synthetic stock in olive. I admit I like the functionality of it, but it wasn't bought by choice, but because it was available in Zimbabwe, a rare find in fact.
Then I stumbled across a Selous stock at Safari and Outdoor and it fits the Wow category. This has got me thinking; a truly top level hunting companion at last. I loan my rifles out on our hunts and now an advantage would be swapping out the stocks so that lesser care won't matter so much.

I don't know. What do you think?

View attachment 771820
Click to expand...
@Kevin Peacocke - I like wood and prefer WOOD on ALL stocks, even my water fowling guns. I duck/goose hunted in Saltwater mashes for 20+ years with Remington 1148, 12ga/wood stock/blues barrels…got some “rust” but only because I left it in wet case overnight once and paid the price to “Re Blue”. When Benelli came out with the Montefeltro in LH - I got the wood/blued model and it has served me well for another 20 years HOWEVER, I did eventually buy the SBE in LH and a “camo plastic” stock but ONLY Because it was Not offered LH in wood. I don’t like the Camo (unnecessary) or the Plastic (ugly) BUT —- I do like being able to let that gun bounce around in my boat. Take a dip in Salt water and NOT Care….it’s already UGLY and can’t get any worse. It also functions flawlessly, never jams and shoots where I’m looking. It’s always going to be the Ugly-Girl-at-the-Prom BUT she can COOK !!
 
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