Laminated stock: are you crazy?!

If you think of yourself as a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist, and love the side-by-side, walnut-stocked gun left to you by your grandfather, and would never even countenance the idea of an over-and-under, stop reading now – this article is not for you. If, however, you think of yourself as a modern, forward thinking gun, have a passion for innovative design and like to stand out from the crowd, keep reading, for today we’re going to discuss  the Browning B525 Sporter Laminated Adjustable.

 

Before we go much further, we had better go into some of the detail about what ‘lamintated’ means in this context. Where gunstocks are traditionally made from a single piece of solid wood – often walnut – a laminated stock is constructed, rather than carved. The process involves layering glue-soaked wood to form one solid piece. The wooden layers are arranged with alternating grain directions and compressed. So what are the advantages of laminate?

 

 

Laminate stocks have several advantages over traditional stocks. First and foremost, they’re tough. They don’t scratch as easily and can stand up to wet weather rather better as well. The strength of the material means that they are less prone to cracking, which is something that can happen to stocks profiled from a single piece of wood, especially if they undergo changes in temperature and humidity. In laminate stocks the alternating direction of the grain makes the stock almost impervious to warping. High-end walnut is particularly prone to cracking though the grip, which is typically the thinnest part of the stock.

 

 

Laminate is also a very dense material. While this does mean that laminate stocks can be somewhat heavy, it also means that they absorb recoil particularly well. B525 Laminate Sporter is very soft to shoot and has very little muzzle flip, leading to faster target acquisition. The compact material makes the stock more rigid, too. All of this combines to give favorable shooting characteristic, particularly for clay guns.

 

The B525 Laminate Sporter Adjustable comes with an attractive pricetag: RRP £2175

Worldwide supply of high-quality walnut is diminishing, meaning that the price is likely to continue to rise. Similarly, cheaper walnut stocks are likely to become less figured (and therefore less attractive to look at) over time. Alternatives to traditional walnut are always open to scrutiny.

 

 

 

Laminate stocks can be manufactured in an array of different colours , but the B525 is available initially in the most popular and subdued, according to David Stapley, who acts as Agent for Browning in the UK, he recommends the blue / grey combo. “It’s just pleasing to the eye,” he says. He also suggests that laminate could be the next big trend in shotguns, especially among clay shooters, who have always been the readiest to embrace change. "If you get in there early," he says, "you could be the trend-setter in your club or friendship circle." 

 

 

Like other models in the B525 range, the style of this gun is aggressive and sporty, and like others in the Browning stable it is hand finished and fitted using traditional methods. Apart from the limited edition Sporter One, this is the only 525 sporter with an adjustable comb that can move both laterally and vertically, via an adjustment mechanism in the butt-plate. The rib is ventilated and the gun comes with a selection of Midas extended interchangeable chokes.

 

While it may be a while before you see a lamintated stock on the game shooting field, they're already growing in popularity on clay grounds, and competition shooters would be well-advised to consider making the change.