What Are The Pros And Cons Of Having AR- 15 With Wood Furniture?

Last Updated on August 1, 2023 By Emma W. Thomas

Having an AR-15 with wood furniture offers a classic and aesthetically pleasing look with a comfortable grip. However, it comes with drawbacks like added weight, lower durability, and higher maintenance needs compared to modern synthetic materials. Consider individual preferences and shooting requirements when choosing the furniture type.

Pros And Cons Of Having AR-15 With Wood Furniture

	Pros of Having AR- 15 With Wood Furniture	Cons of Having AR- 15 With Wood Furniture
Aesthetic Appeal	The timeless look of wood furniture on an AR-15 is highly appealing to many gun users. These models display a classic and distinctive aesthetic that differentiates them from models with plastic or metal furnishings.	The aesthetic appeal of wood furniture may not appeal to everyone. Some users may prefer a more modern or utilitarian look offered by metallic or synthetic furnishings. Additionally, wood furnishings can show scratches and wear more visibly over time.
Comfort	Wood furniture can offer a more natural and comfortable grip to the user than metal or plastic versions. In colder climates, wooden handguards can feel warmer to the touch than metal counterparts.	Elements such as temperature and humidity can affect the wood, which might result in a different feel in the hand compared to synthetic or metal furniture. Additionally, wood can splinter or crack, potentially causing discomfort during handling.
Durability	If properly taken care of, wood furniture on an AR-15 can last a long time, offering a historic, heirloom quality to the firearm.	Wood furniture is susceptible to weather, extreme temperatures, and humidity, which can cause warping or swelling. Wood is also more prone to denting and scratching than synthetic or metal furniture.
Weight	Wood furniture does not significantly increase the weight of the firearm, often making it comfortable and balanced for the user.	Wood furniture can potentially be heavier than synthetic options, depending on the type of wood used. This may make the gun slightly heavier to carry around.
Maintenance	Regular cleaning and oiling can enhance the wood’s grain, adding to its beauty while protecting it from damage.	Wood requires more maintenance than metal or synthetic materials. Without consistent care, wood can dry out, crack, or rot.

AR-15 With Wood Furniture VS. Synthetic

Synthetic AR-15 are mostly used since they are durable compared to wooden ones that are prone to damages. Wooden AR-15 calls for regular maintenance, which could be expensive compared to a synthetic one that is less prone to manufacturing and other associated defects.

Wooden stocks for an AR-15 are very aesthetic, with varying patterns and art designs that could be used. It also comes with many colors providing one the ability to select based on their taste and preference. On the other hand, synthetic may come in different colors but fail to have the ability to be customized through art, as is the case with wooden ones.

Synthetic AR-15 portrays and provides an ergonomic environment, unlike wooden ones. It is easy for synthetic riffles to be customized into more reliable shapes without chipping out, unlike wood. They also come with a wider range of textures that enhances their grip making them more ergonomic than wooden ones.

Wooden AR-15 provides its users a chance to enjoy the appeal brought about by craftsmanship. It is a big deal for individuals who highly appreciate and uphold firearms as art. For this reason, one cannot substitute wood for anything making wooden riffles to be more preferred.

What Are The Cons Of Using An AR-15 With Wood Furniture?

Less durable; wood is versatile and easily damaged, especially when exposed to some elements such as water. It is also prone to minor scratches, which cannot be avoided.

Another disadvantage of using wood on AR-15 is that they tend to become heavier, unsuitable for some individuals. If used for hunting, the rifle needs to be portable and not hinder one from running around due to its weight.

An AR-15 with wood furniture is also associated with high maintenance costs. The fact that wood is not durable makes the riffle attract unplanned maintenance costs, which could involve repainting and customizing it. Adding art to the riffle is expensive, which is a must if the riffle’s wooden parts get damaged.   It is also associated with high-cost storage facilities that will ensure minimal contact with moisture. Any traces of water are considered a threat to the aesthetic nature of wood furniture.

What Is An AR-15 Wooden Rifle?

An AR-15 wooden rifle is a lightweight and semi-automatic rifle with an ArmaLite AR-15design, a derivative of Eugene stoner’s AR-10 design customized with a wooden stock.Colt’ s Manufacturing Company designed it, which also retained the riffle’s trademark, making the company its exclusive owner. From 1994-2014, the sale of AR-15 from the Colt company had been restricted, although the ban did not affect rifles that had fewer listed features. This riffle was quickly adopted after being coined by the US National Shooting Sports Foundation in the year 2009. In 2010, it became the most loved and vilified rifle in the US and was then promoted as American Riffle. However, the AR-15 wooden rifle attributes its popularity to the numerous proposals to ban or restrict its use.

What Makes The AR-15 Wooden Module Unique Compared To Other Rifles?

AR-15 Rifle Has The Following Unique Features That Make It Different From Other Riffles:

It has a two-part receiver used in both militaries and during AR-15 style riffles sports. On the other hand, other riffles have a single receiver that houses both the trigger and reloading mechanism, making the AR-15 a simplified substitute for parts that would require repairs resulting from continuous malfunctioning. More improved modules and assemblies are used in the AR-15 produced by its manufacturers, which are not found in the factory riffles. These assortments and aftermarket parts and accessories made a unique riffle such that it gained a name such as “the Swiss army knife.” 

 AR-15 riffle’s lower receiver acts as part of the serial number, legally defined as the firearm under US laws. For some time, it was argued that this lower receiver does not match the legal definition in 27 CFR. A complete lower receiver is distinguished by the trigger guard head of the pistol grip, which is detachable. It also holds the trigger parts, including the hammer and the attachment point of the buttstock. The lower receiver is connected to the upper receiver by using two removable pins. During disassembly for cleaning or repair, one is required to disengage the pins from the upper receiver.

Another part is the upper receiver which contains the bolt carrier assembly. It is attached to the barrel assembly, which is usually enclosed by a handguard. The handguard is also attached to the upper receiver, and in some AR-15 riffles, it is attached to the barrel.

Most rifles are manufactured so that the ejecting cartridge is on the right side of the receivers. Right-hand-sided ejections are a disadvantage for a higher population with left-eye domination and a tenth of the total population left-handed. The reason is, holding these riffles against one left shoulder to provide maximum accuracy makes it eject hot spent cases toward the chest, face, or neck for left-handed individuals. However, with the AR-15 riffles manufacturers, they have offered specialized parts, including leftward ejecting upper receivers. Such features enable one to convert a right-handed AR-15 riffle to the benefit of left-handed users.

Some AR-15 rifles are manufactured with unique features that enable them to limit the use of detachable magazines to comply with state regulations. All AR-15 rifles used by civilians have a pistol grip like that of the military, with some having folded collapsible stocks. Such features help them to reduce the general length of the riffle. However, other AR-15 riffles with non-pistol grips are available. 

How Do Civilian AR-15 Compare To The Military Versions?

One of the most basic distinctions between the AR-15 civilian riffles and the military ones is the select fire. Military models are manufactured with firing modes that can be either semi-automatic or fully automatic mode. Some military riffles have a burst fire mode that enables them to fire several rounds simultaneously when the trigger is pressed. Most military rifles are interchangeable between semi-auto and select-fire and other accessories such as sights and upper receivers. Additionally, the military riffles usually have a 37 cm barrel, whereas the civilian riffles have either 41cm or longer.

Civilian’s riffle has additional features which prevent semi-automatic AR-15 from being converted for use with selective firearm components. Some of the modified features include the lower receiver, hammer, disconnector, safety mode selector, and bolt carrier. The semi-automatic bolt carrier for the civilian rifle has a long lightning slot that prevents the bolts from engaging with an automatic sear. They also tend to have a heavier buffer spring which is not the case in military AR-15 rifles. 

 Civilian AR-15 riffles have pins that support the semi-auto trigger and hammer in the lower receiver being larger than those in the military versions. They are manufactured such that they prevent automatic interchangeability between semi-automatic and select-fire components of the civilian rifle.

What Type Of Wood Is Used In The AR-15 With Wood Furniture?

Walnut is the most favored wood used in gunstocks. However, other woods are used, such as maple, myrtle, birch, and mesquite, to make gunstocks. When selecting the type of wood to use, one should consider the wood’s natural properties and variability. Such variabilities include strength which is determined by the grain of the wood. Woodgrain should flow all through the stock’s wrist up to its toe. If the grain runs perpendicularly, it may weaken the stock of the AR-15 considerably.

Additionally, the wood used for gunstock must be slowly dried as it prevents the grain in the wood from collapsing or splitting. It also helps preserve the natural properties such as the color of the wood hence creating an aesthetic look to the AR-15 rifle. Some stock manufacturers usually buy wood that has been dried for two to three years. They then dry them for several additional years before turning them into gun stock.

Careful selection of wood for gunstock results in distinctive and attractive qualities such as figure, crotch, and feathering, which adds desirability to the rifle’s stock.

Conclusion

Having an AR-15 with wood furniture has its pros and cons. Some of the advantages associated with it are creating the best craftsmanship out of them. They are also easily affordable since wood is readily available. On the other hand, there are associated cons such as less durability as wood is prone to scratches. They are also heavy than those made of synthetic material. Also, their high purchase price is not equivalent to their functionality and durability.

References:

https://www.guncrafttraining.com/articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-home-defense-ar-15
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-having-an-AR-15-with-wood-furniture