Hunting for a week to ten days in pouring rain brings out the niceties of a plastic stock. For more subdued, dryer hunts, I prefer walnut.
: I've yet to find a totaly waterproof finish for wood as they all seem to let in some moisture in worse-case senarios. Spar Varnish comes about as close to waterproof as I've found - a tip from an East-coast duck and goose hunting guide that works. It's a pain to apply with very long curing times, but as close to water proof as wood finishes come. It usually has to be re-done every year to be effective. Cracks will let in moisture.
: None of the oils work as well and the epoxy finishes aren't much better than oil.
: That said, I generally reach for the .375 or .458 wildcats when going hunting. The new 9.3x57 might change that after it arrives - we'll see. Too - I've been caught looking over a steaming pile and I mean 'pile', of fresh grizzly 'sign' when holding nothing more than a Ruger #1 in .218Bee.
: Here's a couple that pushed us off the river when it was their turn to fish.