Just looking for opinions here. Which rifles do you think have the nicest stocks? I have always thought that the Winchester Model 70 was really nice, and the Kimber Classic Select is a good looking rifle. It'd be a gift and I'll be having some wood carving done on it so I'm shopping for a really aesthetically pleasing rifle, it will likely be more of a heirloom rifle.
Sadly to say, import rifles and shotguns have the greatest looking stocks. Unfortunately unless you go to the fine gun level, the fit and finish isn't the best. The walnut trees in the US are not in great supply anymore, so gun makers are going to the Turkish walnut and the walnuts in Spain.
Pedersoldi in Italy makes great stocks for their guns with Turkish walnut.
There are several places in Missouri that buy about every walnut tree they can get. If you go there, you can pick out some interesting examples. I used them for a Win Mod 12 rebuild.
Just google walnut gun stock maker in Missouri. Several links will pop up.
Pedersoldi in Italy makes great stocks for their guns with Turkish walnut.
There are several places in Missouri that buy about every walnut tree they can get. If you go there, you can pick out some interesting examples. I used them for a Win Mod 12 rebuild.
Just google walnut gun stock maker in Missouri. Several links will pop up.
It would be hard to argue against CZ having some of the nicest factory wood stocks. Their FS series with the Mannlicher stocks are gorgeous.
If I were doing this, I wouldn't worry about factory stocks--I'd find the rifle I want and then find a custom stock that has the look I want.
The rifle borders on irrelevant in the case at hand, but I do agree with you that it seems a custom stock is the way to go - I think that's what Dennis was saying too. It seems I unknowingly asked the wrong question, because some of the custom stocks I'm finding now are gorgeous and the manufacturers make them for a host of rifles. But I'm glad I asked because I honestly didn't know how big the custom stock market was, wood stocks aren't something I've ever looked into before. But man o m, some folks make some pretty ones, some are too pretty for carving - LOL.
I had a Savage American Classic several years ago, and it had a very pretty stock on it.
That's the place I bought the stock for the Mod 12 from. Every so often they get one with a little burl in it that makes for a beautiful stock. If you can travel there, a person can sort through them. At least they would let you 5 years ago.
Fitting them to the gun is a time consuming process, but when its done, and there is a smooth transition between wood and steel, it gets no better than that.
Similar threads
