I want wood and steel. A rifle made of walnut and steel, like a fine Fox double, has a certain je ne sais quoi.
I can appreciate a love of good walnut. I love it, too. But, rifles are precision arms. Rifles and shotguns have entirely different intentions, and to compare them for the sake of sentimentality is being narrow-minded. The early pioneers of accuracy were obsessed with finding out why a rifle couldn't place all the shots into one hole. They weren't enamored of walnut against cheek, like some of us are, but wood is all they had. They wanted accuracy, period, and strived for perfection. I'm reading Mann's book,
The Bullet's Flight, right now, and have found a bit of insight into that "drive".
If someone is more enamored of wood than synthetic stocks, that is fine. But, synthetic stocked rifles ARE more inherently accurate in the long run. Tikka bolt guns are the most accurate production rifles made, bar none. I have years experience with them. Most will shoot one hole groups out of the box, at 100 yards, with factory ammo. I'm somewhere in the middle. I love beautiful walnut, but I also appreciate superb accuracy. My usual needs in a rifle don't require gilt-edged accuracy, as I suspect are Brian's needs (though I do own a Ruger Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor). I can get by just fine most of the time with walnut. But, I sure as heck don't decry the use of synthetics for those times/people who require/want greater accuracy. Hey, you don't free float a barrel on a wood stocked rifle because you like the looks of gaps in the inletting. You do it because wood moves when moisture and temperatures influence it.
