Dogzapper
Sorry to be the one to point out the shortcoming in your noncustom, but it is pretty obvious... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> As a point of reference, everyone knows a wood boat is the prettiest thing afloat and does a lot of things no other material can do.
Of course, rotting, warping and feeding marine worms are three of those things. And sails have it all over every other propulsion device in quiet and fuel economy.
So I drive a tupperware boat with twin diesels. But a boat is just a tool and very different from a rifle which is clearly either a piece of Art or an eyesore. Again, simply stating fact, there is no room here for opinion. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
The fact is there are wood stocks being built which will not warp, will not rot and will not adversely affect accuracy. They are not laminated either. The good old boys in the gunmakers guild resist glass-bedding, forget about anything in the way of a synthetic finish.
Their resistance to reason is a large part of why wood stocks are being replaced by plastic. The work was done to find good finishes for a vast array of uses, but stockmakers would not and will not hear of it. They continue to inlet to a gnatsass and minimize bedding compound in wood. They continue to use oils with nothing to seal underneath them. They continue to look down their noses at all that do anything different.
Had they accepted better finishes and modern techniques they would not have grown the snob chasm that exists. They probably would not be able to charge the snobs, their usual clients, as much either... Just a few random thoughts to consider...
art
