Fancy Wood or Plastic?

[DrMike]

When I'm no longer walking in the mountains, whoever secures my arsenal can worry about whether to restock or not. As I've already stated, each rifle is a story unto itself. Each beauty mark is a story of a hunt that enhanced my days.

 

[brianwyo]

I have not hunted with a wood stock since 2005. I just bought a new model 70 super grade in 25-06 that will become my Antelope and Deer gun this year. I will post pics this weekend. It is sweet. I think for 2012 I will take a pledge not to touch a plastic stock. Maybe I need to take my 7WSM featherweight out for one last try for my cow elk this weekend. :grin: Brian

 

[DrMike]

By all means, that cow elk deserves the respect you will show by dropping her with your 7WSM! I'm looking forward to your pictures of the Super-Grade.

 

[Wincheringen]

Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun.

 

[Guy Miner]

I like those wood-stocked Ruger bolt action rifles. Many moons ago I had a tang-safety Ruger 77 .300 Win mag. Good rifle.

 

[DrMike]

There is nice character in the wood, Wincheringen. Beautiful piece you have there.

 

[35 Whelen]

Ok I couldnt help myself ................. I know you guys are all rifle fellas; but here is a stock we are getting ready to slip onto a little Fox A grade we have restored . This customer loves fancy wood . It has a classic checkered butt and the gun is converted from a pistol grip; to an English Straight grip.
Whata think of this for wood boys!

:mrgreen:

 

[DrMike]

That is some handsome wood. I should think that anyone would be pleased with that stock on his shotgun or rifle.

 

[Oldtrader3]

e wood, I would think that any one would like having a shotgun graced by a shotgun stock of the appearance of this one.

 

[Mooswa]

That wood is enough to bring a tear to your eye. Just packing a nice upland gun around sporting that wood is likely to make any day in the field a better one. :wink:

Very nice.

 

[35 Whelen]

Same guy had us restock a Sterlingworth with one of the finest pieces of Black Walnut I ever saw about 5 years ago. He got it outta Mo and paid dearly for it as it had been stuck for over 30 years .
He then had me transfer a pattern that the custom shop used on Grand American Model 21's onto that stock ; but god only only knows why?????? It looked spectacular to say the least,[got some pics somewhere] but quite outta place on an old Sterlingworth; with about 30% case colors ???? Hey he was happy so I guess that is all that matters?
Another time he had us send a 20ga Parker Trogan out; to our engraver; and have two rabbits cut into the sides and bottom as he was going thru a 'rabbit huntin" spell at that time ???? The engraver did a fantastic job but it looked like putting a set of fender skirts onto a Camero !!!! Go figure. Certainly took all the collector value outta a perfectly good little Parker!
I was so taken with that wood he sent me that time I got the guys name and called him and bought a blank to build a stock for a Factory Engraved 1899 we have, and I did that one with a Deep Perch Belly; and it came out decent, We again did a factory pattern transfer on that one; to include the checkered side panels . I have it in the safe with a hangin tag on the gun but it is actually compleatly restored ................ I will post a picture of it sometime we are discussing fancy looking lever guns! :wink:

 

[Wincheringen]

There is nice character in the wood, Wincheringen. Beautiful piece you have there.

Thanks, its the only run of rifles Ruger has ever stocked in Black Walnut. They've done some Circassian that has been very nice. I have two No. 1A Boddingtons in 7x57 with the most intense Circassian I've ever seen.

 

[efw]

I love fancy wood and rust blue, personally. I consider it an aesthetic part of the hunting experience carrying a beautiful shooting iron.

Not that all mine are beautiful, but I'm a curmugeon when it comes to synthetic stocks... just can't bring myself to it, no matter how much utility they may offer...

 

[Coyote Hunter]

No fancy wood for me - it wouldn't stay that way.

The Remington M700 .30-06 on top was purchased new in 2007 or so. This picture was taken just before or after it's first hunt, for elk in 2009. Opening morning I carried it to the top of Bear's Ears in NW Colorado. On the way down I slipped on the rocks twice. As a result the wood, action, barrel and scope all have permanent "character" marks.

The rifle on the bottom is a Ruger MKII in .300WM I picked up new after elk season in 2004. Apparently the boat paddle stocks didn't sell well and Sportsman's Warehouse was clearing out their inventory. Have to say I really like the stock (have 3 rifles so stocked now) and sure don't worry about dings and scratches...

 

[SJB358]

By all means, that cow elk deserves the respect you will show by dropping her with your 7WSM! I'm looking forward to your pictures of the Super-Grade.

I am with Mike. Let that 7 work!

Earl- WOW, that is to die for wood!

 

[EOD Diver]

Put me down for wood and blued steel. Some of my favorite pics are of Jack O'Connor with his last sheep and his Al Biesen rifle. The muzzle bluing is worn from riding miles on horseback in a scabbard in the Yukon as they got acquainted. The barrel is dinged up almost its entire length, and the floor plate looks almost as if it is case colored from being carried up craggy and cloudy granite mountains. Imagine the barrel condition after years of pushing Jack's favorite 130 Nosler on top of a stiff load H4831. I'm guessing the checkering wasn't quite as sharp as it used to be when it left Al's shop, but with so much use, that .270 became an extension of Jack. It became his friend. Look closely and you'll see a few dings here and there, and that oil finish has been caught in a rain storm or two. That's character. Beautiful rifles are meant to be hunted like mustangs are meant to run. I'm sure that beautiful rifle has laughed at a many a blizzard, endured a slip into the snow, and enjoyed the warmth of a crackling fire following a cold hard day's hunt. That rifle speaks to me because I've got a friend just like it. Granted, it doesn't have a Biesen pedigree and it's never killed a sheep, but my well-worn pre-64 .270 has a lot of stories to tell. Her bolt glides like an ice skater chasing a Zamboni on a cold night. Born in '51, she looks like she's had a long and storied hunting career. Her bluing is worn, stock tired, and trigger heavier than the ideal 3lbs, but oh what a lady and a pleasure to be around. Purchased for 500 bones as a donor action for a future project, I can remember the grin from the man that sold it to me as he counted my money, no doubt thinking that he'd duped a, then, young country bumpkin. The plot thickened when I took her to the range and discovered that this well-worn beauty still had a lot of life left in her. In fact, with a little TLC and some handloading, she thanked me for plucking her from the rack and giving her another chance with 3/4" groups and 3000 fps with 140 grain accubonds. No doubt a modest girl, she prefers not to brag, but has killed more than a few elk and enjoys ringing steel gongs out to 760yds with almost routine regularity if I can hold up my end of the deal. When Fall comes and it's time to go, I can hear her hold her breath through the safe door as I dial the combo and select my partner for the hunt. When the cards are down with time running out, I can count on her to deliver the goods. Her recoil is a gentle caress on my shoulder and a pleasant reminder that you don't need a bazooka to kill game. She smiles when she comes out of the scabbard to be greeted in camp by some of the newer stainless steel bimbos sporting plastic stocks, reminiscent of my toddler's pink Malibu Barbie Corvette with the heart and brains to match. It's true, we've endured some ribbing from the robots who claim they're impervious to inclement weather, that they won't shift zero due to moisture or humidity changes, and that they can better our best 3/4 inch work, but at what point did hunting with a machine become more fun than hunting with a friend? Can Nintendo Duck Hunt even come close to watching a double sprig Pintail set into the decoys on a crisp November morning? Someday, I just might follow through with my original plan with a new barrel and fine stick of English walnut and add another chapter to her story, a Phoenix rising anew from the ashes. Rest assured, I am happy to know that when I am gone, my son will continue to hunt with a true family friend and a beloved piece of his father. And that kind of satisfaction, my friends, you just can't get with stainless and plastic.

Joe

 

[Anonymous]

I will say this...walnut and blued guns "patina" with age and use, gain lots of character and never look "bad"- just used which carries its own unique traits. I've got some old famly pieces and every scratch is a story, a hunt, an event- most of them lost to time and the scrape or scratch is all that remains.

Synthetic guns with wear and tear on them just look like crap.

 

[35 Whelen]

Well of course nothing will ever be able to replace wood and blue when it comes to beauty, but sometimes it just doesnt make sense. Hunting around salt water everyday becomes a big problem with blued guns . Wood swells alot when exposed to lots of rainy weather, and very high humid enviroments. And it all sounds so romantic to imagine yourself in front of the fireplace with the dogs sleeping at your feet, a crackling fire blazing away while you smoke your favorite pipe. And nothing could look nicer than the vintage rifle stocked in handsome walnut from Turkey, except your girlfriend that is built like Pam Anderson .
However in real life, guns get left in the front seat of a pickup when its zero all nite , or leaned up in the tent in the same temps. Left out in the shed, or down in the boat or in a wet scarboard on the wing strut of an airplane. In a perfect world they always come inside with you and everynite you always swab them out with your favorite cleaner, and always look fantastic. In the real world they dont, and get rusty and the swell up and split and crack and warp. Plastic and stainless steel looks horrible to anyone that loves the looks of fine wood and deep blueing.
That is why ChrisCraft boats survived so long, but they have certainly lost the market to Aluminum and Fiberglass.......................

 

[SJB358]

Put me down for wood and blued steel. Some of my favorite pics are of Jack O'Connor with his last sheep and his Al Biesen rifle. The muzzle bluing is worn from riding miles on horseback in a scabbard in the Yukon as they got acquainted. The barrel is dinged up almost its entire length, and the floor plate looks almost as if it is case colored from being carried up craggy and cloudy granite mountains. Imagine the barrel condition after years of pushing Jack's favorite 130 Nosler on top of a stiff load H4831. I'm guessing the checkering wasn't quite as sharp as it used to be when it left Al's shop, but with so much use, that .270 became an extension of Jack. It became his friend. Look closely and you'll see a few dings here and there, and that oil finish has been caught in a rain storm or two. That's character. Beautiful rifles are meant to be hunted like mustangs are meant to run. I'm sure that beautiful rifle has laughed at a many a blizzard, endured a slip into the snow, and enjoyed the warmth of a crackling fire following a cold hard day's hunt. That rifle speaks to me because I've got a friend just like it. Granted, it doesn't have a Biesen pedigree and it's never killed a sheep, but my well-worn pre-64 .270 has a lot of stories to tell. Her bolt glides like an ice skater chasing a Zamboni on a cold night. Born in '51, she looks like she's had a long and storied hunting career. Her bluing is worn, stock tired, and trigger heavier than the ideal 3lbs, but oh what a lady and a pleasure to be around. Purchased for 500 bones as a donor action for a future project, I can remember the grin from the man that sold it to me as he counted my money, no doubt thinking that he'd duped a, then, young country bumpkin. The plot thickened when I took her to the range and discovered that this well-worn beauty still had a lot of life left in her. In fact, with a little TLC and some handloading, she thanked me for plucking her from the rack and giving her another chance with 3/4" groups and 3000 fps with 140 grain accubonds. No doubt a modest girl, she prefers not to brag, but has killed more than a few elk and enjoys ringing steel gongs out to 760yds with almost routine regularity if I can hold up my end of the deal. When Fall comes and it's time to go, I can hear her hold her breath through the safe door as I dial the combo and select my partner for the hunt. When the cards are down with time running out, I can count on her to deliver the goods. Her recoil is a gentle caress on my shoulder and a pleasant reminder that you don't need a bazooka to kill game. She smiles when she comes out of the scabbard to be greeted in camp by some of the newer stainless steel bimbos sporting plastic stocks, reminiscent of my toddler's pink Malibu Barbie Corvette with the heart and brains to match. It's true, we've endured some ribbing from the robots who claim they're impervious to inclement weather, that they won't shift zero due to moisture or humidity changes, and that they can better our best 3/4 inch work, but at what point did hunting with a machine become more fun than hunting with a friend? Can Nintendo Duck Hunt even come close to watching a double sprig Pintail set into the decoys on a crisp November morning? Someday, I just might follow through with my original plan with a new barrel and fine stick of English walnut and add another chapter to her story, a Phoenix rising anew from the ashes. Rest assured, I am happy to know that when I am gone, my son will continue to hunt with a true family friend and a beloved piece of his father. And that kind of satisfaction, my friends, you just can't get with stainless and plastic.

Joe

Joe, we gotta see a picture of that rifle!

 

[DrMike]

Joe,

A true paean of praise for the well-used rifle. Thanks for the lyrical ode to utility.