Shato...I agree heartily...A man after my own heart...

I prefer walnut, but will settle for laminate...

My reasons are purely asthetic and personal... I like wood, and I like blued steel... IMHO,if PIMPS carried rifles, they would be synthetic and stainless....

I can't deny the utility of synthetic stocks and stainless finishes... They are very practical, and if you like them, more power to you...Many hunters could care less what thier gun looks or feels like, as long as it does the job..That's fine..Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

As for MOI, I subscribe to the old axiom " Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun.."...