The advantages of a laminated stock
Q We have been seeing more and more laminated stocks on hunting and target rifles. They seem to be comprised of laminations of birch, walnut, maple and other woods. Can you tell me who made the first laminated stocks? I’ve been told it was Savage and also Remington. – Vince Bradshaw
A The first use of a laminated stock that I know of was on German military Mauser 98s during World War II. Unlike today’s laminated stocks, however, the Mauser stocks are hard to pick. The laminations were so thin (about 1.6mm thick) that the lines where they were glued together resembled ordinary wood grain.
If you get the chance to look at a Mauser which has a light-coloured stock that looks like pine, examine it closely and you’ll probably find it is made of laminated beech. I doubt if the Germans had any idea of the strength and weather-resistant qualities of these laminated stocks, or that their stability aided accuracy. It was done solely to keep costs down by laminating cheap, easily available wood.
Post-’64 Model 70 not all bad
Q The reworked post-’64Winchester Model 70 has been kicked from pillar to post but was the action really all that bad? From what I’ve read about them, they were inherently more accurate than the so-called pre-’64. I have one of these much-maligned rifles in .270 that
