a hand-laid composite stock is "composed" out of materials such as fiberglass, kevlar, graphite cloth, or some combination, saturated in an appropriate binder, placed into a mold to set, or solidify. the resulting stock is stronger and more stable than an injection-molded stock. it can also be as little as half the weight of an injection-molded stock. inletting and bedding can be accomplished by molding in as part of the manufacturing proceess, machining in the inletting after the stock is finished, molding directly to the action as a separate process, or molding a machined metal component in place during manufacture. finish is provided by a layer of gel coat applied to the mold before the cloth is laid up.