Life and ugly guns

[lifesupport4u]

More into function, reliability and quality built to last and withstand what is thrown at it. To me it’s a tool… like a good pair of knipex pliers or channel locks. I want a quality tool, but I don’t want a safe queen that I worry about getting any spot or blemish.

 

[WesternRookie]

Serious question: Has anyone ever actually missed a game animal because their wood stock swelled up from moisture, etc.?

I don't recall JOC mentioning that, and with all the sheep hunting he did I would think he did plenty of hunting in rain and snow

 

[Willy Dee]

My resistance to synthetic might be in the perception that it is replacing firearms that are a culmination of function, craft, and artwork. I hate walking into a gunshop and seeing nothing but black plastic and cerakote ( do not get me started on "tactical").Slowly, manufacturers are abandoning an aesthetic tradition that I hate to see go. My 94 year old grandfather recently gave me his 20ga Browning with beautiful wood, bluing, and gold inlays. It is well used, but still beautiful. It is a great piece of Americana that I hope to pass on to my son. It represents a golden age of Midwestern pheasant hunting and a pride of ownership as well as a respect for craft. I cannot say the same for my high dollar fiberglass and cerakoted ultralight rifle.

 

[WesternRookie]

My resistance to synthetic might be in the perception that it is replacing firearms that are a culmination of function, craft, and artwork. I hate walking into a gunshop and seeing nothing but black plastic and cerakote ( do not get me started on "tactical").Slowly, manufacturers are abandoning an aesthetic tradition that I hate to see go. My 94 year old grandfather recently gave me his 20ga Browning with beautiful wood, bluing, and gold inlays. It is well used, but still beautiful. It is a great piece of Americana that I hope to pass on to my son. It represents a golden age of Midwestern pheasant hunting and a pride of ownership as well as a respect for craft. I cannot say the same for my high dollar fiberglass and synthetic ultralight rifle.

Yep, my Dad's Belgian made Sweet 16 is definitely the crown jewel in my safe. I have a Citori Gran Lightning from the early 90s that is right there along with it....in addition to the beauty and craftsmanship that was a thing before corporate growth and profits became more important than quality of the product, something about the stories the wood and blued steel tells, and the memories made, is priceless.

 

[NR_Hunter]

I wish I could get a picture of my buddy’s Tikka. It has a Magpul bipod, magpul sticker on the stock poking out under this ungodly stock pouch with a Velcro patch on it that’s says “Murdery Things” in the general font and color of the Stranger Things tv show. I find looking at it mildly infuriating.

And then he’s dragging ass up a mountain and can’t figure out why.

 

[Harrier]

I prefer nicely finished wood and blued steel, but I’m also cheap (and rough on guns) so I buy old used guns and fix them up myself to my standards.

 

[np307]

I literally lies outside of my comprehension why someone would take a beautiful walnut and blued steel rifle into the woods to hunt with. I will take my synthetic stock Savage 111 every single time and never think twice about it. I have never shot an animal and then thought "man, this would've been so much better if this rifle was prettier." If that's your thing, more power to you.

 

[BrentD]

I literally lies outside of my comprehension why someone would take a beautiful walnut and blued steel rifle into the woods to hunt with. I will take my synthetic stock Savage 111 every single time and never think twice about it. I have never shot an animal and then thought "man, this would've been so much better if this rifle was prettier." If that's your thing, more power to you.

Who says we think twice?

What you have never thought, I have never forgotten.

We walk different paths.

 

[np307]

Who says we think twice?

What you have never thought, I have never forgotten.

We walk different paths.

It wasn't an expression of what's right or wrong. Just stating my mindset.

 

[MTLabrador]

I like pretty walnut and blueing and I also like stainless and synthetic, but for hunting it’s function first. Both have their place.

 

[BirdManMike]

Serious question: Has anyone ever actually missed a game animal because their wood stock swelled up from moisture, etc.?

I don't recall JOC mentioning that, and with all the sheep hunting he did I would think he did plenty of hunting in rain and snow

I had a wood stock firearm mis-fire on all 5 rounds once. Was a loaner, nice old 270. Sighted in, in mild weather - fired great, good groups. Put in a good stalk on some late season antelope, near freezing and damp, gun misfired all 5 rounds. Pin wasnt hitting the igniter hard enough. Maybe swelling? Dont know why.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I had a wood stock firearm mis-fire on all 5 rounds once. Was a loaner, nice old 270. Sighted in, in mild weather - fired great, good groups. Put in a good stalk on some late season antelope, near freezing and damp, gun misfired all 5 rounds. Pin wasnt hitting the igniter hard enough. Maybe swelling? Dont know why.

That sounds like oil in the bolt gumming up.

I literally lies outside of my comprehension why someone would take a beautiful walnut and blued steel rifle into the woods to hunt with. I will take my synthetic stock Savage 111 every single time and never think twice about it. I have never shot an animal and then thought "man, this would've been so much better if this rifle was prettier." If that's your thing, more power to you.

First thing that happened to me when I was carrying a lovely little 12 gauge o/u that was the most expensive firearm I ever bought was the drop it on some rocks and scratch the stocks a bit. Don't even notice that now. Character marks on fine guns tell really good stories. Just like they do on old Savages.

 

[WesternRookie]

I literally lies outside of my comprehension why someone would take a beautiful walnut and blued steel rifle into the woods to hunt with. I will take my synthetic stock Savage 111 every single time and never think twice about it. I have never shot an animal and then thought "man, this would've been so much better if this rifle was prettier." If that's your thing, more power to you.

Our opinions are often subjective to our own experience.....something tells me you are either younger than 40, or if you are 40 or over you didn't hunt until later in life. Back in the day we didn't have a choice...They were all wood and blued steel. How scuffed up they were usually said a good bit about whether you were a hunter, or just someone who talked about it. And each scratch had a memory associated with it...

 

[TrumpkinTheDwarf]

I literally lies outside of my comprehension why someone would take a beautiful walnut and blued steel rifle into the woods to hunt with.

Because hunting is a family tradition, and when you hunt with great grandpa's rifle, it isn't an option to shoot synthetic.

Walnut and blued steel has also never been the reason I missed a shot, from 30 feet to 500 yards, it's the nut behind the trigger that makes or breaks my hunt.

 

[np307]

That sounds like oil in the bolt gumming up.


First thing that happened to me when I was carrying a lovely little 12 gauge o/u that was the most expensive firearm I ever bought was the drop it on some rocks and scratch the stocks a bit. Don't even notice that now. Character marks on fine guns tell really good stories. Just like they do on old Savages.

Our opinions are often subjective to our own experience.....something tells me you are either younger than 40, or if you are 40 or over you didn't hunt until later in life. Back in the day we didn't have a choice...They were all wood and blued steel. How scuffed up they were usually said a good bit about whether you were a hunter, or just someone who talked about it. And each scratch had a memory associated with it...

Because hunting is a family tradition, and when you hunt with great grandpa's rifle, it isn't an option to shoot synthetic.

Walnut and blued steel has also never been the reason I missed a shot, from 30 feet to 500 yards, it's the nut behind the trigger that makes or breaks my hunt.
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Maybe part of the disconnect is that I assumed that the "pretty" rifles the op was talking about were glossy, unflawed, magazine cover rifles. All of you referencing scratched up rifles are not talking about what I was picturing when I said I couldn't fathom taking one into the woods.

I'm definitely in the under 40 and adult onset hunter demographic although I've grown up with extended family who hunts. I killed my first 2 turkeys with my grandpa's Winchester ranger. My marlin .22 is wood and steel. But I wouldn't call either of them "beautiful" rifles.

Maybe thats splitting hairs way too fine for this conversation. I still hold fast that I've never been disappointed to shoot an animal with any of the guns I've used.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Maybe part of the disconnect is that I assumed that the "pretty" rifles the op was talking about were glossy, unflawed, magazine cover rifles. All of you referencing scratched up rifles are not talking about what I was picturing when I said I couldn't fathom taking one into the woods.



Maybe thats splitting hairs way too fine for this conversation. I still hold fast that I've never been disappointed to shoot an animal with any of the guns I've used.

Some of them are glossy, unflawed, magazine cover type rifles. They still get hunted. Stocks get busted, replaced, mended, barrels get dented, rusted and shot out. It all comes down to personal preference. I'm usually surprised that my rifles & shotguns come through the seasons without massive gouges or scratches, but I'm not losing sleep over it when they do get bunged up. That's just part of their charm.

Enjoy what you do, with the gear you have. That's all that matters. The rest is just puffery.

 

[diamond hitch]

I have killed a lot of elk with my Husquavarna 7RM. I picked it up in Fargo as a used gun for $100. And yes I have missed a fine bull because of stock swelling of a linseed oil treatment. I learned to have mid-season accuracy checks so that didn't happen again.

Every gun after that has been progressively better and more expensive. My current rifle is a Browning High Grade BAR. It is engraved, lighter, and just a wonderful thing to look at. It was a gift to myself from my inheiritance from my father. I think of him everytime I look at it.

Do I baby it? No!! I broke the stock and bent the barrel in a horse wreck the first season. A few years ago my horse fell on ice and broke the butt stock on a hunt. I figure I have nearly $3,000 into it not counting the optics. I keep a spare for times when things happen.

I maintain high quality weapons because I can and hunting has been a major component of my life. If I lived where hunting season was a week, I would have likely stopped at the Husky.

To follow an other thread, I sighted it in the other night for the upcoming season. At 100, it shot a 1/4 inch group. My other BAR was 3/8".

My Dad always told me to buy the best quality you can afford.

 

[VOLhunter]

As a longtime competitive long range shooter I hold an intense desire for accuracy and precision. That desire certainly transferred to my hunting firearms as well. While I could never imagine a wood stock on my rifles dedicated for precision shooting, I only seek beautiful walnut and deep blueing for my future hunting guns.
20+ years ago when I started purchasing my own guns, they were all matte black with synthetic stocks. I thought they were cooler, tougher, etc. All those guns are gone, and the gloss stocked Browning A Bolt Medallion from my 16th birthday and wooded Mossberg 500 field model from my 13th remain. I’ve added a few walnut rifles over the years along with a stainless Tikka and muzzleloader for unforgiving conditions, but I much prefer to carry a beautiful gun afield. However beautiful, accuracy is still required but maybe not at such high a standard.
Being left handed, my search for classic, glossed figured walnut with ocean deep blues is frustratingly difficult. Being a country boy from a small town in East TN, I’ve never been called elitist.

 

[Doublegunner]

I have a soft spot for a good looking gun. There is something satisfying about nice walnut and polished blued steel. It warms the ❤. I do like the modern guns as well and use them regularly but nice walnut will always hold my heart. Here is some gun porn.

 

[Willy Dee]

I literally lies outside of my comprehension why someone would take a beautiful walnut and blued steel rifle into the woods to hunt with. I will take my synthetic stock Savage 111 every single time and never think twice about it. I have never shot an animal and then thought "man, this would've been so much better if this rifle was prettier." If that's your thing, more power to you.

I only take my real pretty rifles out on Sundays since I am skipping church.