That is the down side of wood. They get beat up with heavy use. My first Weatherby 300 Mark V was a good looking rifle but after 30 years of use it looked as bad as me. good wood is niceI have a Rem 700 with a wood stock I bought new in 1964. Free floated the Bbl & hunted. It has dings ,nicks & scars , but is still beautiful to me. Has taken ton's of deer & elk. On a wood stock make sure you seal the wood under the butt plate/recoil pad. Seal the barrel channel & any exposed wood & you are good to go. This rifle is over 50 trs old & the stock is still solid. I also have laminated & synthetic. They all are great as long as they are accurate. Love them all.
Good deal! I'll keep that in mind after I scope it and start looking for what it likes.Gorgeous! If she doesn't shoot like you want. I know just what to do to make it better.
I understand, I to have a great affection for the marriage of wood and beautiful steel!!
I have never seen an oak stock. I would love to see a picture when you are done. Please post some for us.@.300Dakota
Sorry, I should have clarified, Half my reason for making it myself is cost, I'm kinda new to the long range part and I have spent my whole budget on the rifle and scope but I still find the stock disgusting so I am making my own out of oak gunnage blocks, it might not be the prettiest but it will be solid and heavy, I think this is the densest oak I ever laid hands on, I see the weight as a good thing as this is for a 300 wm.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I am pretty familiar with wood working having built some violins as well (what can I say, I like making things!)
Heavy, not so much. Because we're removing the wood that's being replaced with Aircraft T6 aluminum in the bedding chassis, we find nearly neutral weight gain compared to a pillar bedded traditional hardwood stock. Typical range is from 2.5 to 3.25 lbs. Laminates are heavier than hardwood, by any maker. This is a particularly light stock that's on the bench right now, 2lb 4oz is an exception, but it's possible.If you have $2000 to spend on one, Accurate Innovations will make you one to custom fit your action and barrel contour... with aluminum block built inside the wood. I think $1100 or $1200 is about the cheapest you can get, and if you want exhibition bastogne you can quite literally spend $4000 - $5000 or more on a custom stock. Probably among the best in the world and also probably about the heaviest. Just a guess. It will be made exactly for your barreled action though.