There are wood stocks and then wood stocks, also synthetic stocks and then synthetic stocks. If you have a Handi rifle that you like that is a real shooter and you take pride in its performance it can be treated to a beautiful checkered walnut or tiger stripe maple stock set. Or if you like synthetics have a custom laid up Kevlar stock made every bit as elegant as the wood.
I believe the pallet wood, laminated or synthetic stock sets that come on Handi's to meet a particular price point are mere starting places. Trap and skeet shooters spend huge amounts of money just on stocks. Not only to make their guns pretty but to handle properly. A well fit stock with proper LOP, cast off, cast on, toe in, toe out, comb height, etc....... can make the difference between an average shooter and a good shooter. A lot of us forget the shooting platform is made of 3 different but equal parts, the stock set, the receiver barrel assembly and optics. Equal attention should be paid to each one for each particular platform. Personally, I like the lowly and often overlooked pallet wood stock. With a little imagination and a few hand tools there is a thousand different ways to alter it. Leave it as is beat it up and abuse it, paint it, carve it, checker it, stain it, oil finish it, fill it full of lead or make it as light as a feather. Its up to you. Regards, Piney Creek
