Beautiful wood/works of art -- Do you hunt with them?

friendswoodmatt · May 8, 2019

Ok another thing I am curious about, for those of you with really fine exhibition grade guns who hunt with them, how do you keep the wood nice?
Do you worry about it?
Do you have a different stock for your hunts like a fiberglass stock you use or do you just not worry about it?
I currently dont own any super fine wood on my rifles, but I do salivate over it. I did take 2 of my rifles and restock them then put a London oil finish on them. Was a fun, long process I enjoyed. I do find it somewhat regretful when I come in from a hunt and see a new battle scar, and to be honest If one of my sons "dings" one of these guns I put all this time in, it bothers me to a much greater extent than when I do it.

BenKK · May 8, 2019

I have a really nice timber stock on one of my rifles and the whole point is to hunt hard with it and rejoice in the scratches and bumps! Nothing better than the finest timber all battle-scarred!

crs · May 8, 2019

well said BenKK.

cmk · May 8, 2019

Mostly what BenKK says, but I guess that if I *knew* the hunt would be very taxing on the wood I might want to swap it for a simpler stock. But that would be for situations like parachuting into a volcano, the rafting down rapids for two days, to emerge at the fly camp which happens to be a burning igloo inside a tornado.

Normal dings and scratches are part of the experience, and adds patina and character.

Ridgewalker · May 8, 2019

Wood is naturally handsome, but I nearly destroyed a fine Kimber classic on a coastal hunt in Alaska. Now anything I buy that might be used on a coastal hunt will be stainless, synthetic stocked and preferably Cerakoted. JME&O
That said, I still appreciate every little scratch and scar on my wood stocks as if each has its own story.

Pheroze · May 8, 2019

My son put a big groove in the wood stock of my 3006 while moose Hunting in Quebec. At the time I was a bit annoyed. Now everytime I see it I smile.

Shootist43 · May 8, 2019

The beauty one sees in a wood stock is relative. A few minor bumps and dings enhances the character and attests to the enjoyment one had in taking his rifle afield. A totally unblemished stock is the sure sign of a brand new rifle or a safe queen. Like a friend of mine one said "all yak and no shack."

sierraone · May 8, 2019

If I am hunting with one of Winchester super grades or a RSM I cover the stock with neoprene made for that purpose. Not the fore end but the butt stock. It gives it 100 % protection IMO. But yes I do hunt with them. And there is no effect on the handling of the firearm. I do not own any truly fine firearms, just some pretty nice ones!

wesheltonj · May 8, 2019

I use this every time my gun leaves the house. Boca Shield. http://www.bocashield.com

Ryan · May 8, 2019

I take the British view of wood stocks. No matter how beautiful the wood it's part of a tool that will get used and blemished and needs maintenance. Their firearm manufacturers perform this maintenance incuding refinishing wood on a regular basis. I have two rifles with decent wood and I have refinished the older one once or twice and know I'll do it to the other when it eventually needs it. Really no different than a new paint job on a vehicle that's being rebuilt.

spike.t · May 8, 2019

friendswoodmatt said:
Ok another thing I am curious about, for those of you with really fine exhibition grade guns who hunt with them, how do you keep the wood nice?
Do you worry about it?
Do you have a different stock for your hunts like a fiberglass stock you use or do you just not worry about it?
I currently dont own any super fine wood on my rifles, but I do salivate over it. I did take 2 of my rifles and restock them then put a London oil finish on them. Was a fun, long process I enjoyed. I do find it somewhat regretful when I come in from a hunt and see a new battle scar, and to be honest If one of my sons "dings" one of these guns I put all this time in, it bothers me to a much greater extent than when I do it.

Think you need to relax and if it happens it happens..... And I am sure they don't do it deliberately...... If it bothers you so much seems bit stressful to have done it in the first place..... They are there to be used......

Adam S · May 8, 2019

Here's my opinion, and it's worth just what you're paying for it: If a gun gets a scratch or ding during honest but reasonably careful use, it doesn't bother me. If I get a scratch from my own carelessness, ie bumping a stock getting a rifle in or out of the safe, etc, that drives me crazy.

YancyW · May 8, 2019

I use mine, you only live once and I want to enjoy this as much as I possibly can.

friendswoodmatt · May 8, 2019

Its not that the stock gets dinged its more it gets dinged because they are not paying attention. If I need to use one as a boat paddle then thats what needs to be done , that being said these kids hunt in a stand 95% of the time and the issues occur from simply not paying attention. And thats just on some nice stocks -- the neoprene cover looks good as well. I hunt with my nice shotguns so it isnt for me an issue of taking it to the field or even dinging it. But an exhibition grade gun in Africa... I dont know

Rick Cox · May 8, 2019

No one ever sat somewhere, whether waiting for game or waiting out a storm, and looking at their gun thought "Man that's beautiful plastic!"

WAB · May 8, 2019

I have beautiful custom wood and I hunt with it. If I didn’t hunt with it I wouldn’t own it. Properly earned battle scars just add to the overall appeal of the weapon.

Mike Van Horn · May 8, 2019

I recently purchased a Weatherby Mark V Royal Ultramark in .257. If l draw the tags and the lord willing l will take it Muledeer and Antelope hunting this fall

K-man · May 8, 2019

Rick Cox said:
No one ever sat somewhere, whether waiting for game or waiting out a storm, and looking at their gun thought "Man that's beautiful plastic!"

You are right, but I have been in a small tent in the middle of a blinding snowstorm thinking, "I am so glad I have a ss barrel and a composite stock."
I am like most on here, if I can't bear to hunt with it, I probably won't own it.

sierraone · May 8, 2019

wesheltonj said:
I use this every time my gun leaves the house. Boca Shield. http://www.bocashield.com

That's where my stock covering comes from. The entire Boca Shield works on any of my M70 and works on a standard M77 Ruger. It will not fit in its entirety on a Ruger RSM, the action is too big, so I cut one just to cover the butt stock and it works great!

Hogpatrol · May 8, 2019

friendswoodmatt said:
Ok another thing I am curious about, for those of you with really fine exhibition grade guns who hunt with them, how do you keep the wood nice?
Do you worry about it?
Do you have a different stock for your hunts like a fiberglass stock you use or do you just not worry about it?
I currently dont own any super fine wood on my rifles, but I do salivate over it. I did take 2 of my rifles and restock them then put a London oil finish on them. Was a fun, long process I enjoyed. I do find it somewhat regretful when I come in from a hunt and see a new battle scar, and to be honest If one of my sons "dings" one of these guns I put all this time in, it bothers me to a much greater extent than when I do it.

My 2¢, Life's too short to worry about dings in a hunting rifle. Except for rimfires with factory stocks, all of my rifles wear synthetic or laminated wood. I've found they hold up very well to field use.

Beautiful wood/works of art -- Do you hunt with them?

friendswoodmatt

BenKK

crs

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Pheroze

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