Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Laminated Stocks What Are The Pros and Cons

I'm not seeing as many at the range as a few years ago. Wondering if they are too heavy, or not as stable as composite stocks?

Weight is the big thing I have noticed. Never had any stability issues.. I do like them a lot.

Pro
1. Strong
2. Stiffer than many/most synthetic stocks
3. More stable than wood
4. Variety of colors and color combinations
5. Often less expensive than wood
6. Heavier than wood (desirable for some shooting situations)

Con
1. Heavier than wood (not desirable for some shooting situations)
2. Not as stable as a good synthetic

For me the choice of laminate depends on the rifle and its usage. For my 6.5-06AI heavy-barrel, I intentionally chose laminate for the added weight and stiffness. This rifle is primarily a target rifle, although I've used it to take antelope.

The nutmeg factory laminate on my Ruger .223 is still there. It came that way (used) and I wasn't particularly concerned one way or another. Got it primarily to have something to shoot while my heavy-barrel Ruger .22-250, also in a factory laminate, cooled.

My .308 Ruger Scout came in a laminate stock, which I replaced with a factory synthetic. Weight and balance were my main concerns and the synthetic dropped the weight to 6.25 pounds per Ruger. Although it has a forward mounted scope, this rifle is intended for use with the factory ghost ring. With the 16.1" barrel it is a handy little rifle tht is a joy to carry. I could probably sell all my other rifles and be just as successful in the woods and sage using the Scout. (Not going to happen, though.)

One of my .30-06 rifles, a stainless Ruger, came in a nutmeg laminate stock that I replaced with a boat-paddle. This is a hunting rifle where weight is a concern and I wanted a stock that was impervious to weather.

Never had any problem with wood stocks and weather, but I float all my barrels and seal the wood. Still, I prefer synthetic for wet weather.

Sometimes I have hunted in cold places like Canada, and noticed how cold a synthetic stock feels, almost as cold as the rifle barrel. I'm thinking the wood laminates would be better to have in hand or across my lap. The only con for me is with my conservative taste, the color combos I like are usually sold out for a short action m700.

Serengeti(are they still in business?) made a beautiful walnut laminate stock. They were pricey but they were beautiful.

Only Cons I see are Weight. If it is assembled and glued correctly it is probably stronger then a fiberglass stock.

These are the best laminated stocks I have used. Heavy but very nice.


https://www.aigunstocks.com/

I have a couple from Stockys. One is only a few ounces heavier than the wood stock it replaced. It is hogged out in the barrel channel and I lightened the butt a bit also.

Too heavy for my tastes and I've had a couple. They are hard to get good checkering on and the ones left uncheckered are slick. Given enough time and used in changing altitudes and atmospheric conditions they will delaminate. My preference is for a good quality synthetic, but would take a tupperware stock over laminate.

I have hunted with a laminate stock in altitude and weather, I have never had a delam problem. I guess I have been lucky

The laminate reduces vibration better than a synthetic. The only time I have seen de-lamination is on inexpensive 22s that were left in the sun in the back of a truck for weeks at a time. The weight can be reduced to close to a natural wood stock by trimming the exterior down and boring it out like Blacktailers stocks. There are some laminates made of Obeeche that are about as light as synthetics and can be dyed to approximate walnut. A quick look and Only tracker is listed for Obeeche but there are others. One was featured on the cover of Guns magazine around 1990 not sure if there is an archive available.

If Stocky's had been a bit better stocked up with color choices I would have bought one of theirs, but while shopping their website I bought a synthetic they are dealing. It's an Iota brand Kremlin model sort of a varmint/hunter carbon fiber with a LimbSaver pad.
I appreciate everyone's posts.

I like factory laminate take-offs, but have never found an aftermarket laminate handle I really liked. Some have been absolute tanks in terms of weight. I'm still fond of the 700 VLS and LSS stocks, and the last laminate I bought was a Ruger Hawkeye Predator that was pretty trim from the factory at a little over 35oz. Walnut is generally going to go only a couple ounces lighter.

The Predator stock is very nice, especially for factory. I ordered a regular Ruger synthetic thinking it might lighten the rufle up a bit, but it felt just as heavy. I gave the Predator to my son, but should start looking for a take-off for my .223.

The checkering is pretty good.

I have a laminate on a Ruger 338 magnum. Been a great stock for my traveling hunting opportunities. Might be a little heavier, I've never weighed it and don't really care. Always thought they were as strong as you could get in a stock, so that is what I used on my 416 Taylor. After a few shots the laminated wood section behind the recoil lug just popped out. I epoxy glued it back in and put a bolt through the stock right through the middle of the recoil lug area and it hasn't moved since. The rifle was originally glass bedded before the break. That didn't seem to help much. On heavy recoiling guns, and I don't really consider a 416 as heavy, I'd use a reinforcing bolt and glass bedding at the least.

I like the 700 LSS-MR and 70 WIN-TUFF stocks. It would be nice if Boyds would duplicated them in addition to their existing styles and sell them for a reasonable price.

The Boyds Pro Varmint [formerly Tacti cool] is a laminated stock that provides a cheap @$147 path to great accuracy. It does look better with a paint job.
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/product-configurator

In the picture I have milled out the stock for a Mauser in 6.5-06. I made pillars and a bedding block.

The downside of the laminated stocks is the weight. The upside is that they are wood and, as such, can be modified in shape more easily than a synthetic. Another downside of the birch laminates is that they are not always made from the finest veneers. When delamination occurs, it is usually not a failure of the glue joint but of the veneer. The maple/walnut laminates that Fajen sold were a much better material. They were also heavy but they were hard and more durable than the birch. If I have a synthetic stock with a thick fore arm, I'm kind of stuck with it. If I have a laminated stock which is on the fat side, I can make it slimmer. GD

The biggest con for me is that laminate stocks look really good. I can’t stand getting any scratches or dents on them. When I do, I always want to refinish them. It makes the rifle less of a tool for me and drives me crazy. Synthetic all the way for me, because I don’t care if they get scratched or dented 😉

I think laminate has partly run it's course.
It was a bridge.

When people were used to walnut, and ugly synthetics were rare,

laminate was a way to get stability for the consumer, and also cheaper than good
wood for the manufacturer.

But now, it seems people want plastic stocks.
injection molded stocks are light and stable for the consumer.
And really cheap for manufacturers and consumers.

Given enough time steel will rust.

Have you seen a stock delaminate?

I doubt it.

And, if you’re even nearly serious about the above, sanding and coating in Marine Spar will keep it together longer.

It’s not plywood.