A few BAR Questions

[azmike]

I'm looking at getting a new all-purpose rifle around christmas this year (just need a change of pace from the bolt action).  Looking at BARs.  I like the old style, not so fond of the Euro-looking LongTrac.  My questions are:

1. Does anyone know of a supplier for aftermarket wood stocks for the BAR Composite.  I am fond of the matte finish and open sights, but I prefer a wood stock.

2.  The areas where I have typically hunted are dusty and windy.  Is the BAR difficult to disassemble for cleaning?  Specifically, is it possible to take the reciever down enough to successfully remove grit and sand that has blown in?  And does anybody know if doing so will harm the rifle over time?  

Thank you in advance for your responses.

[Squeeze]

1. I do not know of a after market wood stock, for BARs.  I hunt mine, and much
prefer synthetic, so I have never had a need to seek out a source for wood stocks.
When I do get a wood stock rifle, I start looking for a synthetic stock

2.  BARs are relatively easy to break down and clean, but if a lot of grit gets in
one, I would think a complete teardown would be in order, and that is not a
trivial task.  Grit is not going to help the life of this rifle.  Me personally, if
I were hunting in those conditions, I'd opt for a AR-15, and get one of the
new uppers in some of the new hunting calibers, like 243 WSSM, or 25 WSSM.
This gun is accurate, and is made for rapid complete teardown.  But I do hunt
my BAR, in rain, and snow, in Wisconsin, and when it gets wet, I do tear mine
down to the point that I can get at all parts to clean and dry them, and that
takes about an hour, to do.  If I had it exposed to grit, I would expect maybe
another 30 minutes of cleaning time to really work into the dust trap areas.

Squeeze

[azmike]

Thanks for the response.  The other option I had in mind was an AR10, but I was hoping to go with a more traditionally styled rifle.  This will be a hunting rifle, so for durability, synthetic furniture is nice.  I just have a soft spot for a plain wood stocked rifle.  If I thought I could get a wood stock and forend for an AR10, I might be more amenable to that option, since disassembly and cleaning is so easy with that style rifle.