Regarding Beautiful Hunting Rifles

[El Jason]

A gun is a tool. It should be balanced and functional, just like a good pair of boots. But, it has no soul and no karma. It’s a device that serves a purpose.

Now hunting dogs, they have souls.

 

[OntarioHunter]

If one searches the internet, one can probably find that I have many times said that bolt action rifles are ugly. I try not to say that anymore, but it's still sorta true. That said, I once decided to have a handsome one, so I bought this rifle... (not my pics, but it was my rifle, for a little while...).View attachment 245094View attachment 245095



View attachment 245093

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until it blew up.

It's a Springfield 1903. What blew up? Was it one of the old ones with soft receiver? Couldn't it be rebuilt? What a shame.

 

[noharleyyet]

A gun is a tool. It should be balanced and functional, just like a good pair of boots. But, it has no soul and no karma. It’s a device that serves a purpose.

Now hunting dogs, they have souls.

Life's too short to hunt in ugly soulless boots...

 

[TheTone]

https://flic.kr/p/2nTFPtY

Some well finished plywood

 

[noharleyyet]

Some well finished plywood

Yea. it's 5/8ths...

 

[OntarioHunter]

A gun is a tool. It should be balanced and functional, just like a good pair of boots. But, it has no soul and no karma. It’s a device that serves a purpose.

Now hunting dogs, they have souls.

I think if a hunter uses the same gun exclusively for fifty years it has a soul ... rather it shares the hunter's soul. And after he's gone anyone who knew the hunter and looks on that gun will glimpse the soul of its master. Sadly, hunting dogs seldom outlive their masters. When they're both gone, they're gone. At the end of the day (or life) a collection of pretty unused or seldom used guns in a gun safe is just a bunch of soulless merchandise.1980
2022

 

[El Jason]

Life's too short to hunt in ugly soulless boots...

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate fine craftsmanship. Saddles, guns, hell even axes. You can spend a lot on additional craftsmanship that may or may not lend itself to more functionality.

I’m not saying it’s wrong, to each their own. I love my wood stocked SxS shotgun. It’s balanced well and light to carry. The wood is a bit of a pain to keep up. It’s fun to do when life isn’t busy, but it usually is. Then it becomes a chore.

For me, there are better ways to spend money than on fancy checkered wood, like going on adventures with my wife and dog.

 

[noharleyyet]

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate fine craftsmanship. Saddles, guns, hell even axes. You can spend a lot on additional craftsmanship that may or may not lend itself to more functionality.

I’m not saying it’s wrong, to each their own. I love my wood stocked SxS shotgun. It’s balanced well and light to carry. The wood is a bit of a pain to keep up. It’s fun to do when life isn’t busy, but it usually is. Then it becomes a chore.

For me, there are better ways to spend money than on fancy checkered wood, like going on adventures with my wife and dog.

Cool Winkler axe...stock pic

 

[Hunter4Life78]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Guns are like vehicles. Everyone has their preferences. Some folks like a lowrider, some like em jacked up.

Some synthetic, some like wood, stainless, blued. If you're proficient with what you shoot does it matter what it is.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

A gun is a tool. It should be balanced and functional, just like a good pair of boots. But, it has no soul and no karma. It’s a device that serves a purpose.

Now hunting dogs, they have souls.

Wow, you and I could not disagree more about tools. One side of my family were farmers who built their own homes and barns.

The other side were carpenters and builders. My personal tools go back 3 generations. They were used and held by my father, uncles and grandfathers.

Many are period tools. My finish hammer is a Stanley master and it came in WW2 era box that said "Buy War Bonds"

 

[BrentD]

For me, there are better ways to spend money than on fancy checkered wood, like going on adventures with my wife and dog.

They don't have to be expensive. Just nice. Chances are, a goodly number of my guns were cheaper than many of yours.

$750 delivered 2 yrs ago.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Wow, you and I could not disagree more about tools. One side of my family were farmers who built their own homes and barns.

The other side were carpenters and builders. My personal tools go back 3 generations. They were used and held by my father, uncles and grandfathers.

Many are period tools. My finish hammer is a Stanley master and it came in WW2 era box that said "Buy War Bonds"

And I just finished building my home. cabinets, doors and moldings with these tools, many of which are better than anything I could now buy.
Some of them I first held helping my dad build our home the summer before I was in kindergarden.

And i still split wood with my grandfather's axe and have his scythe to cut hay for my horses, and I use his curry comb on my horses

 

[Hunter4Life78]

Wow, you and I could not disagree more about tools. One side of my family were farmers who built their own homes and barns.

The other side were carpenters and builders. My personal tools go back 3 generations. They were used and held by my father, uncles and grandfathers.

Many are period tools. My finish hammer is a Stanley master and it came in WW2 era box that said "Buy War Bonds"

Tool-Noun-a device or implement, especially held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function. For example. Gardening tools.

If one breaks down all of the devices and implements used in hunting I would say a rifle is a tool.

 

[BrentD]

Tool-Noun-a device or implement, especially held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function. For example. Gardening tools.

If one breaks down all of the devices and implements used in hunting I would say a rifle is a tool.

Of course it's a tool. I don't think anyone disputes that. But it is much more than a tool to many of us. While some may collect framing hammers and crosscut saws, you don't see anyone agonizing over refinishing and recheckering the wood, much less upgrading it to quarter sawn English Walnut and applying 27 coats of hand-rubbed witch's elixir for a perfect finish nor polishing metal to 1200 grit for a flawless bluing. Nor does anyone engrave them with pictures of construction site dogs and roofing trusses. Nor are there nearly so many websites devoted to them in all their technical intricacies, histories, and tradeoffs in capabilities etc.

If it's just a tool, then I'm sure yours bounces around in a tool box between your pipe wrenches and lineman pliers, eh?

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Firearms are also personal, cultural and historic symbols. A flag is more than a rag

 

[TheTone]

Yea. it's 5/8ths...

My favorite rifle has a similar build but with a more natural finish

 

[Hunter4Life78]

Of course it's a tool. I don't think anyone disputes that. But it is much more than a tool to many of us. While some may collect framing hammers and crosscut saws, you don't see anyone agonizing over refinishing and recheckering the wood, much less upgrading it to quarter sawn English Walnut and applying 27 coats of hand-rubbed witch's elixir for a perfect finish nor polishing metal to 1200 grit for a flawless bluing. Nor does anyone engrave them with pictures of construction site dogs and roofing trusses. Nor are there nearly so many websites devoted to them in all their technical intricacies, histories, and tradeoffs in capabilities etc.

If it's just a tool, then I'm sure yours bounces around in a tool box between your pipe wrenches and lineman pliers, eh?

.....No the rifle doesn't bounce around with pipe wrenches or lineman pliers. I do my best to take care of them as I do my rifles. Of course they all have their dings and scuff marks that they have earned.

Point taken sir

 

[noharleyyet]

Subjective threads here invariably devolve into Bill Clinton's definition of is...

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Just look at the price of used original wooden grips for Colt and S&W revolvers. They are 2 or 3 or even 4X's the cost of new synthetic grips.

and if you buy new wooden grips they do not fit well. I just went through that dance.

And if a tool is a just tool. What would rather have. A vintage American made electric tool in fine shape or new one just shipped over from China

 

[morley.tyler]

The butt plates made of Water buffalo horn on Belgium Browning's.

The notch forged into the top of the sporting rifle receivers to accept military stripper clips to quickly load rifles like a Winchester 54 and Savage 21’s

The anti-glare wavy stippling forged into the top of receivers.

The palm swells on Sako rifles.


Switching to N frame S and W revolvers, the hand carved hand checkered, Coke Bottle Palm Swell grips. I have a pair on my 41 mag. Seen them go for $600 on the internet.

Sako and Husqvarna work of art aperture sights. One piece Redfield bridge mounts with an adjustable flip up peep sight.


The midnight blue finish on model 54 Winchesters was too expensive to ever do again.


The original brass rotary feed magazine on Savage 99’s with cartridge counter

The interchangeable 3-barrel set for Savage 99’s, 300 Savage, 250-3000 Savage and the 410 shotgun.

The fore stock to under barrel lug screw which allowed barrel harmonics to be set. Doing that has my 1952 pre 64 model 70 in .270 shoot almost one-hole groups.

How quiet yet positive model 70 factory honed safeties once were.

The self-cleaning open mauser style triggers on so many old bolt rifles.

Triggers that were all forged steel not hard plated cheap white metal casting.

More expensive and foolproof mauser safeties that blocked the firing pins not just the triggers

Stop, I need a cigarette...