How Important is Gun Stock Material?

The three most common types of rifle stocks are wood, hand-laid fiberglass, and injection molded plastic. A factory wood stock typically contacts the action along its entire length and the barrel often contacts the stock in at least one location. Hand-laid fiberglass stocks are typically free-floated along the barrel. Some even have integral bedding blocks. Injection molded stocks usually only contact the action in a few spots and they're often hollow. Wood stocks can warp slightly with changes in humidity while injection molded and fiberglass stocks can be affected by extremes in temperature. Any of these problems can be eliminated by free-floating the barrel and properly bedding the action. The material a stock is made out of doesn't have anything to do with accuracy. It's all about the bedding, and a well-bedded rifle will deliver consistent accuracy and point of impact year after year under any conditions.

--Larry Potterfield