I really like synthetic stocks. I like them much better than wood stocks. However you will have very little if any trouble with a good wood stock if you keep it well sealed from the weather. This means inside and out with care to keep the barrel channel sealed. My problem with wood is simply that I hate to scratch them up and get dings in them which is bound to happen in the field. The up side is that when they get worked over good, you get the fun of refinishing it the way you like it.

In my experience you can't really go wrong with the 700 Remington or the Browning A-Bolt. I have both. Both have synthetic stocks.