Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Laminated Wood Stocks, is it truly impervious to rain, snow, humidity...

Are laminated wood stocks truly impervious to wet conditions therein' making them a viable choice for a harsh weather firearm?

I think they can be if properly finished. You need bedding blocks or some type of synthetic bedding compound to help with stability.

The big problem with laminated stocks is their weight. Two to three pounds heavier than a comparable synthetic stock.

I like the extra weight in that it improves the shootability. Not so much the carry-ability, but then how much time do we really carry vs sit and wait.

I believe they ARE a harsh weather firearm, if properly bedded with a stainless barreled action.

I've only owned one....it warped on me!

That said.....if it's correctly finished it's probably better than non laminated wood.

If one is truly concerned about warpage....look to McMillan.

After dozens of layers of Tru-Oil - mine doesn't warp. I wouldn`t call it "impervious" though.

I wouldn't buy another one though - too heavy. Good synthetic stocks are a far better proposition in my opinion.

Here's one I did finish.

No. They are no better than a good piece of walnut IMO. GD

I have several, all I buy for varmint rifles these days. Most are made on Rutland Plywood Corporation's blanks, including factory stocks from Savage, Ruger and Remington among others. I purchase semi-finished blanks for pillar / glass bedding.

These stocks are so impregnated with the laminating adhesive that they absorb sealer rather poorly. When viewed with magnification the glue can be seen penetrating into the wood grain quite some distance. I use a mixture of turpentine and spar varnish or urethane as a sealer, keeping the wood wet until it absorbs as much as it can. Once properly sealed and coated with a urethane finish they are as impregnable to moisture as possible. Remember, boats have been made from marine plywood for years, with a lot more exposure than a gun stock. Then boats have also been made with fiberglass. Weight is the main concern, laminates being heavier. The laminate stock seems to be less flexible than a synthetic stock, generally dampening recoil and vibration more than laminates, but this may be a perception due to the greater weight.

As to the bit about the laminates being heavy, they can be lightened. I just had a 7 RUM LSS Rem stock worked over. The rear was drilled out and the barrel channel was milled. Didn't drill out the grip area. It now weighs 2.2 lbs with bedding and decelerator pad. That is very similar to many McMillan stock weights.

Perhaps you could define what is involved to arrive at a good piece of walnut. I have a feeling we are talking about something that involves a considerable amount of time and money compared to a laminate blank from Rutland.

I think jeffo has a laminated rifle,he said laminates used for hunting in western oregon's damp rainy weather were not that good.
After hunting in wet conditions for a couple of days the rifle was shot and was 8-10" off zero ,then as the stock dried out it slowly returned to zero.
Wood and laminated wood rifles have noticeably changed zero compared to composites [hs precision].

Do you think a "good piece of walnut" would have faired any better than a laminate. Not saying a laminate is as good as a McMillan stock, but I believe it is at least somewhere in the middle of walnut and a good synthetic. I wonder how Jeff's stock was bedded meaning was it properly floated or not at all.

A good piece of walnut will be straight grained and well cured. It will be sealed as well as possible, inside and out.
The rutland wood is fairly resistant to warpage but will swell if it gets wet. In addition, the wood used isn't usually from the finest trees in the forest and, as a consequence the laminations will split. This is different than delamination which is a failure of the glue. I don't see much of this.
I use a lot of laminated stocks and like them (I like the colors available. In this respect I may be a bit of a magpie. My favorite is the electric blue!)but if I want stability in wet conditions, I would go synthetic.
On my own rifles with wood stocks, whether laminated or plain walnut, the receiver area contains very little wood since most has been replaced with fibreglass and resin. GD

A good laminate is most definitely between walnut and a quality composite. I've had a few now and after hunting with them in all conditions they hold perfectly.

CLB

That's exactly what I did to the Boyds on my 375CT, but shortened the forend as well. Got is down to just a tad over 2.25lbs.


.

IMHO laminates are not impervious (I own two laminated stocked rifles) but I like them for cold weather as they seem to feel not as cold as a plastic stocked rig. If you want one of the best bad weather rifle/stock combos get a stainless Ruger MKII with a boat paddle stock. The boat paddle stocks are as tough as woodpecker lips and the stainless MKIIs are about as rust resistant as a factory rifle gets. I've got a stainless MKII .243 with the boat paddle stock and while ugly it is reliable and tough.

I use plywood for varoius projects, like box making, etc....

I have a .280AI in a laminated Remington Mt. rifle stock. I really like the shape and feel of this stock, and I've made my peace with the plywood look. Accually, with a SS barrel and action it's kinda cool looking.

My thoughts on laminated stocks. Yes they can be lighter, but at 2.25 lbs they are still heavy. A good synthetic can be as light as 1 lb. and getting to 1.75 is not hard at all.

The wood can delaminate and cause problems.

No matter how well you seal a wood stock there is always moisture trapped inside. Most wood used in gunstocks has a moisture content between 5%-15% with around 10% being average. Remove too much moisture during the drying process and the wood becomes brittle and will break easily.

Even if you could somehow completely seal the stock as barometric pressure, and temperature change the moisture trapped inside will expand and contract. Because of the thin layers glued together the laminated wood will be more stable than solid wood, but is still not perfect.

I have rifles with walnut, laminated, cheap plastic, as well as quality fiberglass stocks. They all work and have their place, but the quality synthetic stocks are probably the most stable and dependable.

For the same reason you stated is the main reason I like this number from the Remington CS. One of the gunwriters stated that he felt it was the nicest designed factory stock ever offered.

RDFinn, that's a nice looking rig. What is its chambering?