
Why choose a wood laminated stock for your rifle?
For those of you who might be either too young or too new to the world of firearms, the colorful wood laminated stocks you see in the catalogs of literally every rifle manufacturer are a fairly recent development. Prior to 1987, there was not a single wood laminated stock being offered by an American production rifle manufacturer.
What is a laminated gunstock made of?
Our Laminated Gunstocks are Composed of 1/16" Birch Veneers Which Have Been Completely Saturated With Colored Dye, Then Hydraulically Pressed and Bonded Together Using a Superior Resin Adhesive. This Process Results in a Stock That Is:
What is a Boyds laminated gunstock?
One really cool feature about the Boyds laminated gunstocks is that the color in each individual layer of wood is actually infused into the wood fibers themselves. The color doesn’t sit on the surface, it goes clear through, front-to-back, each wood laminate layer.
What are the benefits of a laminated stock?
This will help with reliability and consistency. Laminated stocks are a great replacement for many of today's tupperware stocks that come on lower priced rifles when you are striving for the best accuracy, and many factory rifles come with laminated stocks as well.

What is laminate gun stock?
A: There are many benefits of a laminate gun stock, which comprises many layers of hardwood pressed together using heat, pressure and. resin to form a uniform material. It allows for an internal and external stock design that is far stronger than any standard factory wood or plastic stock on offer.
Are laminated gun stocks good?
Bottom line: A laminate is just flat-out better at being a gunstock than the traditional one-piece chunk of wood. Not only is it much stronger and stable, it has a tactile warmth about it that no synthetic can match.
What does laminated mean in woodworking?
A wood laminate is a thin sheet of material used to cover the core of a wood project in order to change the appearance of the material. Laminates may be any material, but typically they are made veneers, which are thin sheets of wood.
Are all Boyds stocks laminated?
Every Boyds gunstock is constructed of top-grade laminated hardwood that's dried to exacting specifications to ensure rigidity and stability.
Which is better wood or synthetic stock?
Synthetic stocks are stronger than any wood stock. They're made of a solid, thick and dense material, which will provide you with stability when you're shooting. They are also easier to mold to your shoulder, which will put the shooter in a more comfortable position and lead to a better shot.
What wood are most gun stocks made of?
walnutWood stocks While walnut is the favored gunstock wood, many other woods are used, including maple, myrtle, birch, and mesquite. In making stocks from solid wood, one must take into account the natural properties and variability of woods.
Is laminated wood stronger than solid wood?
The solid wood beam carried the least weight at 3.54kg which was 48% less than that carried by the 8-layer laminate. My conclusion is that a laminate wood beam is stronger than a solid one and that increasing the number of layers in a laminate made it stronger.
Is laminated wood cheap?
Laminate flooring is cheaper than wood… You'll typically find laminate options starting at less than $1 per square foot and topping out around $5 per square foot.
Is laminated wood real wood?
Laminate is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product. It is designed to imitate the appearance of real wood. The core layer of laminate flooring is manufactured primarily from melamine resin and fiber board material. The top layer has an imprinted textured image made to look like real wood.
Do Boyds stocks need to be bedded?
Boyds stocks are meticulously engineered and machined from the most stable materials to maintain a free floated barrel to reduce the opportunity for collision between the barrel and stock. However, in some cases it's recommended to bed your action.
Are Boyd stocks any good?
The heavier Boyds stock helped absorb the recoil, making shooting with it installed was far more enjoyable than shooting with the factory synthetic stock. The Platinum model also has an enlarged cheek rest that tames the bite you often feel in your cheek when shooting with thinner synthetic stocks.
What is a pillar bedded stock?
Pillar bedding is the insertion of hollow metal tubes glued solidly in place around the front and rear action screws.
When did Rutland plywood change to laminate?
Jack Barrett and his company, Rutland Plywood, changed this in the mid-1980s. Utilizing special epoxies, the company layered extremely thin veneers of birch to create stock blanks. In many cases, stock blanks consisted of 30 to 36 1/16” veneers.
How long do you cut logs for veneer?
Logs are first debarked and cut to length — about 40 inches. These log sections are then placed in a huge steam room for a couple of days where they soften and become easier to machine. Next comes the turning process that actually produces the veneers.
Where are logs placed on a lathe?
The logs are placed on a lathe where they are spun at high speed against a huge blade. The logs, of course, are never perfect cylinders at the start, so the first few revolutions against the inward-moving blade come off as irregular sheets.
Is laminated stock stronger than one piece?
As touched upon earlier, laminated stocks are not only highly distinctive and colorful, but are far stronger and more stable than one-piece stocks. You can, for example, take a wood chisel, orient it parallel with the layering of the veneers, and whack it all you want with a hammer; the stock will not split along a seam.
Is laminate better than wood?
Bottom line: A laminate is just flat-out better at being a gunstock than the traditional one-piece chunk of wood. Not only is it much stronger and stable, it has a tactile warmth about it that no synthetic can match. It feels like wood because it is wood. Me, I like them as much as ever.
Why is wood used in rifles?
So even when a wooden rifle stock is well varnished or oiled it can draw moisture from the atmosphere, expand, and then shed the water in dry conditions , resulting in shrinkage.
What happens if you buy a new gun?
So if you, for example, notice that the stock has split you are entitled to have it replaced or have a replacement gun. Go back to the shop you bought it from and ask for a repair or replacement.
Is a synthetic rifle good for a job?
A well built traditional rife is a very practical and beautiful object but there is no doubt that for those who demand ultimate performance, weather-resistance and inherent strength, the modern synthetic rifle is the best tool for the job.
Is Rigby Highland a synthetic stock?
It’s just about as stable as a synthetic stock but a lot more elegant. Being a natural material, even the best wood absorbs water in damp conditions, then sheds it when the weather is warm and dry. Rigby Highland rifle.
Is walnut good for a rifle?
So whilst good walnut certainly looks nice, it does have its disadvantages on a very accurate rifle, particularly if you plan to use it in all weathers. However walnut is quite hard and dense and if properly seasoned is relatively resistant to warping and splitting.
Do synthetic rifle stocks warp?
Synthetic rifle stocks. Synthetic stocks, which are plastics of various types, do not draw in moisture, expand or shrink. They don’t warp either. Their stability in all conditions of heat, cold and humidity ensures constant accuracy once the rifle has been properly zeroed to your chosen load.

Humble Beginnings
The Birth of The RPC Laminate
- By the time I became a full-time gun writer in 1970, I owned three rifles stocked in Regent laminates and wrote about why I liked them on a regular basis — a fact that did not go unnoticed by Jack Barrett. Jack was a gun enthusiast and hunter who, in the mid-1980s, had begun developing a birch laminate specifically for rifle stock applications. At that time, RPC had been i…
How The Magic Happens
- The actual process to arrive at a blank ready for shipment to firearm and stock manufacturers is a fascinating one. Logs are first debarked and cut to length — about 40 inches. These log sections are then placed in a huge steam room for a couple of days where they soften and become easier to machine. Next comes the turning process that actually produces the veneers. The logs are pl…
The Laminate Advantage
- As touched upon earlier, laminated stocks are not only highly distinctive and colorful, but are far stronger and more stable than one-piece stocks. You can, for example, take a wood chisel, orient it parallel with the layering of the veneers, and whack it all you want with a hammer; the stock will not split along a seam. I’ve also seen a laminated ...