Taking Stock

When you're a bush plane flight, a 20-mile horseback ride and a 20-mile backpack trek deep in the mountains, you don't want your rifle stock to snap in half or shift its point of impact. You want a stock as tough and unyielding as the mountain it might bounce down. In short, you don't want one made out of wood.

While wood has been an effective gun stock for hundreds of years, the extreme hunter wants a hand-laid, laminated fiberglass and/or graphite stock cured in an epoxy resin. When the going gets tough and steep, the tough carry a laminated fiber stock because it's waterproof, stiff, stable, up to three times stronger than wood and, sometimes, half the weight. (Laminated wood stocks impregnated with epoxy are just as stable and perhaps even more durable, but they're usually quite heavy.)

Synthetic stocks ain't necessarily pretty or classic, but they perform, season after season. Heavy sporter models usually weigh two to three pounds--same as walnut--but a lightweight version might weigh no more than 21 ounces. Some superlight, hollow models dip as low as 11 ounces and still support a 175-pound man. I know because I once sat atop a Rifles, Inc. stock laid to span the arms of a chair.

Regardless of the weight, hand-laid glass is stiff and inert. It will not absorb water and will not change the rifle's point of impact by altering pressure against barrel or action. Fiberglass stocks will contract and expand slightly in extreme heat and cold, but so does stainless steel.

Not all synthetic stocks are created equal. Inexpensive, molded plastic stocks (usually urethane) are not as stiff as hand-laid laminated synthetics. Wrap your hands over the barrel and fore-end of a molded stock and you can easily squeeze the two together. You might be able to twist the stock side-to-side. Some molded stocks have been seen to droop in the heat. In contrast, laminated synthetics are so stiff that some rifle makers, such as New Ultra Light Arms, use them to add rigidity to their barrels for enhanced accuracy. A molded synthetic will be waterproof but requires plenty of space between stock and barrel to prevent unwanted changes in pressure and point of impact.

A laminated synthetic stock is so-called because strips of fiberglass cloth, graphite fiber, Kevlar cloth and sometimes woven graphite are hand laid in a mold and saturated with epoxy, then cured under pressure. Cavities in the butt can be left hollow, which minimizes weight but adds a distracting and potentially game-spooking "thunk" when the stock is struck. Hollows can be filled with fiberglass or light urethane foam to deaden sound. The receiver areas can be molded to fit specific actions or filled with solid fiberglass and machine inletted like wood.

H-S Precision incorporates a full-length aluminum bedding block in its glass stocks to further stiffen the fore-end and the thin grip area. Actions are then tightened against the aluminum base for a tight, secure metal-to-metal match.

McMillan builds its stocks with solid fiberglass receivers that have withstood crush tests far beyond torque requirements. Bell & Carlson builds both all-fiberglass stocks and a version with an aluminum bedding block. Some makers use aluminum pillars for bedding. The fact that all these stocks have been used successfully for years suggests each bedding system works.

If you're buying a new rifle with a synthetic stock, spend the extra bucks for a laminated one rather than one of the molded versions. If fitting a current rifle with an aftermarket stock, again, go with the hand-laid fiberglass models. Most manufacturers offer a variety of shapes and styles, and most are offered in a variety of color schemes.

Be picky about the finish. Most synthetic stocks are slippery when wet. Molded checkering doesn't seem to help much. Textured finishes (literally sand incorporated into the paint) provide excellent grip and control, but the sandpaper texture might irritate your hands. Test one before you buy it.

Some of the new "rubberized" finishes such as Browning's DuraTouch armoring and Remington's Hogue overmolded grips--as well as those on guns such as Sako's Finnlight--provide a secure hold on synthetic stocks, as does Bell & Carlson's new MaxxGuard coating.

Today's hard-charging hunter has more stock options than ever before. Define your needs, research materials and choose the handle that will hang with you through the toughest conditions. Chances are it'll be a synthetic laminate.