Taking wood stock into the mountains from MI

[gvsugod]

I have a remington 700 in .300 win mag. Got it from my grandpa when he passed a few years ago. Its my only rifle caliber I have to take out west, adding something new isnt really an option right now, may change in the coming months.

I have heard wood stocks can swell or shrink messing with the zero on the rifle. How bad is this in reality? Or is it just horror story anecdotes that are remote that I am hearing? This is not a safe queen, this gun has been in the mountains of PA and seen plenty of action as a deer rifle in MI so I am not worried much about that.

 

[archp625]

My advice is to practice, practice, practice before going out west. Find the best load that the gun likes. Once you get to where you are hunting make sure you have your zero then go hunt and have fun. Guys have been killing animals for years with wood stocks.

Thirty to forty years ago a guy wouldn't buy a gun unless it was a nice piece of wood. Now guys wont buy it unless its synthetic.

 

[Oldffemt]

Some stocks are stable others aren’t. No real way to tell other than to try it. My M 70 stock is very stable with no notable POI change from MO to CO. I took a wood stocked savage 243 to WY once. I had it dialed in to 500 yards before leaving home, shot a doe the first day at 400 yards and the second day after some snow couldn’t hit a 2‘ x 2‘ piece of plywood at 100. Best thing you could do is make sure the barrel is free-floating, and make sure any exposed wood in the barrel/ action area has a coat of oil based polyurethane on it.

 

[Downeaster]

Youll be fine with a wood stock. Maybe you could double check that its not giving any uneven pressure in the barrel channel, but if this is your one big game rifle im sure you are pretty familiar with how it shoots already. Practice at distance and work on a dope chart that you can tape to your stock. Even a reticle diagram with yardages could be helpful if you dont wanna dial.
All that to say youll be fine with a wood stocked gun as long as you have good technique and know your trajectories.
Good luck

 

[jeffminokla]

Have hunted with wood stocks all my life. No real problems that could be blamed on a wood stock. Usually when I've missed, it wasn't the gun's fault.

Take it and have a blast! Pun intended.

 

[sodak]

Jack O’Conners rifles had wood stocks and he seemed to do ok in the mountains.

 

[TauPhi111]

I haven't experienced that kind of warping myself, but I understand it has to do more with humidity than atmospheric pressure. Different woods are more or less prone to it as well, and laminate wood is just about as good as synthetic. Here are 2 simple things you can do: 1, simply check zero or rezero the rifle once you get to where you are going if the area has vastly different humidity than where you live (AZ, SW Colorado, NM, NV, etc or PNW on the wet side of the spectrum). 2, a bit more involved project is to pillar and glass bed your rifle. Bedding in that manner ensures that when your stock does expand or flex, it does not put different pressures on the action. Also make sure your barrel is free floated and does not contact the fore end as someone has already mentioned.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Western states are a lot different then Alaska

You'll be fine.

Can always pick up a Boyd's laminate stock and use that for harsher climates (or a synthetic factory takeoff on eBay)

Be more concerned with good scope, rings, zero and competency to 300 yards then the actual firearm.

 

[LaGriz]

"I took a wood stocked savage 243 to WY once. I had it dialed in to 500 yards before leaving home, shot a doe the first day at 400 yards and the second day after some snow couldn’t hit a 2‘ x 2‘ piece of plywood at 100. Best thing you could do is make sure the barrel is free-floating......"

Similar issue on my 1st western hunt in 1994. My rifle: Model 700 Mt. Rifle .280 Rem Walnut stock. Was shooting under an 1" when I left home with temps in the 90's, humid and at sea level. Traveled to Colorado by truck, sighted in at 6000+ ft. and would not group! 1st shot was 6''wide left and 5"high. WTF! Went thru 16 shots at the range chasing the group back to the original setting.
Once back at home my gunsmith pillar-bedded and free floated the barrel. My smith also cut a groove in the skinny for end and inserted a piece of aluminum bar stock & glassed it in place. Never had another problem. A lot of Remington 700's were built to have slight pressure on the barrel. Mine happens to shoot well with the free-floated barrel. Do need to improve the trigger somewhat and get rid of the creep. She is very picky about ammo selection. When I find a load it likes it, preforms very well.
LaGriz

 

[manitou1]

Just open the barrel channel a bit and maybe bed it. Or... just shoot it when you get there to make sure it is dialed in.
Folks hunted with wood stocks for hundreds of years and were successful. Millions of folks still do.

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

For any feedback you are getting about floating barrel and pressure points... As I understand it the 700 barrel is fully bedded along stock with upward pressure at end. Very difficult to really change all of that. unless your very handy and have right tools. I think you should be fine as is. You mention that is the only western caliber you would take available to you. Not sure what your are planning on hunting but a 300 is certainly not required out here. If you have other options and you would be more comfortable with those then maybe consider them.