What happened to beautiful guns???
It seems the days of nice wood and metal are gone, for the common man. Replaced by synthetic crappola. If you do want a nice firearm, made of steel and wood, you better be prepared to pay for it, or look for an older firearm.. Gone are the beautiful Marlins, Winchesters and so on. All you see are these plastic AR-15 style guns at the shows or in gun stores. I don't like the looks of the Henry rifles, but they do have some nice reasonably priced firearms. Any others that are still reasonable and nice looking?????? The one gun I was looking at, was another 257 Roberts, made by the Montana Rifle company, but they stop producing it in that caliber. Oak
0
-
Pretty much why, I buy Older guns. 
I prefer blued steel and fine furniture.0 -
It's all quantity over quality now. Easier to squirt some plastic and metal into a mold, and get them out the door fast as possible. 0 -
35 Whelen wrote:It's all quantity over quality now. Easier to squirt some plastic and metal into a mold, and get them out the door fast as possible.
I LOVE beautiful wood stocks and the exquisite craftsmanship of metal workers. Those guns are truly works of a blended art of wood and steel. Who wants to carry those works of art into the field with rain, briars, handling dings and warping?
The bottom line for a gun is to hit what you are aiming at. The most accurate rifles in the world, the ANSCHUTZ Match 54, now come with, OMG! plastic stocks. Walnut is available but the top of the line has plastic for a reason. It is less susceptible to changing with weather, temperature and less prone to damage.
Time changes things, improvements are not necessarily bad they are made for a valid reason beyond cost factors.0 -
bpost wrote:35 Whelen wrote:It's all quantity over quality now. Easier to squirt some plastic and metal into a mold, and get them out the door fast as possible.
I LOVE beautiful wood stocks and the exquisite craftsmanship of metal workers. Those guns are truly works of a blended art of wood and steel. Who wants to carry those works of art into the field with rain, briars, handling dings and warping?
The bottom line for a gun is to hit what you are aiming at. The most accurate rifles in the world, the ANSCHUTZ Match 54, now come with, OMG! plastic stocks. Walnut is available but the top of the line has plastic for a reason. It is less susceptible to changing with weather, temperature and less prone to damage.
Time changes things, improvements are not necessarily bad they are made for a valid reason beyond cost factors.
I'm not 100% against plastic, but save for one or two rifles over the years, all of mine have had wood stocks, and never once was I scared to take them into the field and put them to use. None of mine are especially "beautiful", rare, or valuable, but they do have character. They are tools, meant to be used. I don't believe in owning firearms of any kind that would spend 100% of their time in a safe, looking pretty, and nothing more.
A good example is my .45 Colt Anaconda. Finest, slickest revolver I've ever owned, or likely ever will. Oh, sure, I could toss it on the auction side, and have it sold in two days for probably $2500, but I'd rather feed it copious amounts of H110, and, on occasion, hear from random people at the range that they can't believe or understand the blasphemy that I didn't buy it as nothing past an investment piece.
Times do indeed change, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the word "improvement" isn't still subjective.0 -
Old wood and steel are my curse. I buy wall hangers with fence post stocks and make them new again. I like the old Remington .22's because the brown finish is usually hiding some pretty grained walnut underneath. Couldn't help myself and picked up another Rem 341 from Kasey with a stock that was rode hard and put up wet. As soon as the commie Calif DOJ decides I can own it, it'll be my next project. I'll post before and after pics when it's done. 0 -
I'm in agreement 100% with Oakie on the wood and steel choice, along side that view......I despise handguns that look like cordless drills with the mags looking like battery packs. 0 -
Oakie wrote:It seems the days of nice wood and metal are gone, for the common man. Replaced by synthetic crappola. If you do want a nice firearm, made of steel and wood, you better be prepared to pay for it, or look for an older firearm.. Gone are the beautiful Marlins, Winchesters and so on.
Oakie I know what you mean. Winchester quit making the best shotgun ever in my opinion long before today though. I remember it as if it was yesterday and it was in May of 1964 they quit making the Model 12.
I had been hanging out and working at my dad's PURE OIL service station for many years in Knoxville, TN when I was a kid and I was always digging though the trash every evening and saving AC oil and air filter box tops in order to get enough points to order a Winchester Model 12 from AC's gift catalog. I finally got enough points in box tops in the Spring of 1965 to order a model 12 only to find out that Winchester had quit making it the year before. I was 14 and felt like crying. It was devastating to me since I had looked forward to owning one for so long. I had worn that catalog out looking at the pictures and dreaming of owning one just like my great grandpa's, and my grandpa's and my uncle's. I finally had to settle for a model 1200 that was offered in the catalog that year instead which was a big big let down for me.
It was a couple of years later before I was able to afford to buy a used one. Then about 25 years ago I inherited all those old model 12's that belonged to my great grandpa and grandpa and uncle and I had also bought a couple more of them over the years. They're still my favorite shotguns.0 -
Wood is nice but it warps. Leather is nice but it gets nasty. Plastic is cold but its functional. Like the internet its not traditional but moving forward in function. 0 -
Smitty500mag wrote:Oakie wrote:It seems the days of nice wood and metal are gone, for the common man. Replaced by synthetic crappola. If you do want a nice firearm, made of steel and wood, you better be prepared to pay for it, or look for an older firearm.. Gone are the beautiful Marlins, Winchesters and so on.
Oakie I know what you mean. Winchester quit making the best shotgun ever in my opinion long before today though. I remember it as if it was yesterday and it was in May of 1964 they quit making the Model 12.
I had been hanging out and working at my dad's PURE OIL service station for many years in Knoxville, TN when I was a kid and I was always digging though the trash every evening and saving AC oil and air filter box tops in order to get enough points to order a Winchester Model 12 from AC's gift catalog. I finally got enough points in box tops in the Spring of 1965 to order a model 12 only to find out that Winchester had quit making it the year before. I was 14 and felt like crying. It was devastating to me since I had looked forward to owning one for so long. I had worn that catalog out looking at the pictures and dreaming of owning one just like my great grandpa's, and my grandpa's and my uncle's. I finally had to settle for a model 1200 that was offered in the catalog that year instead which was a big big let down for me.
It was a couple of years later before I was able to afford to buy a used one. Then about 25 years ago I inherited all those old model 12's that belonged to my great grandpa and grandpa and uncle and I had also bought a couple more of them over the years. They're still my favorite shotguns.
That is an enviable collection.0 -
wpageabc wrote:Wood is nice but it warps. 😊
Warps? Not my old Winchesters. in the picture above one of my Winchester Model 1912's was made in 1918 which is 101 years old another one is 98 years old made in 1921, another is 85 years old made in 1933 and 3 model 12's were made in 1957, 1958 and 1959 which are 62, 61 and 60 years old and none of them are warped.0 -
Cooper Arms still makes some nice looking wood guns in 257 Bob 0 -
Smitty500mag wrote:wpageabc wrote:Wood is nice but it warps. 😊
Warps? Not my old Winchesters. in the picture above one of my Winchester Model 1912's was made in 1918 which is 101 years old another one is 98 years old made in 1921, another is 85 years old made in 1933 and 3 model 12's were made in 1957, 1958 and 1959 which are 62, 61 and 60 years old and none of them are warped.
If we had a like button I would push it for those nice old model 12s. That's all I've ever used hunting.0 -
There is plenty of them out there. There is also sooo many more cheaper options available now than ever.
A thousand bucks can buy a nice wood and blue steel bolt gun. $400 dollars will buy a rifle that will do the same thing, just doesn't look as nice. Guess what most people choose?0 -
I too, love wood and blue steel . That said it took me a long time to warm up to the synthetic stuff . But, all my guns are working guns and I hunt in some nasty terrain at times . Enjoy the fact that I can almost take the water hose and clean them up !. I own no safe queens . All of my wood and steel bear scars that were earned honestly . 0 -
Look at the age of the gun buyers.
When was a Kid watching westerns where everybody used a lever action I became a Marlin addict; as I got a little older I learned to appreciate military rifles, especially the "sporterized" ones with pretty stocks.
Younger folks who grew up during VN bacame used to plastic rifles and semi-auto pistols so that is their basis of beauty.
It's not "wrong", it's just that things change over time.
If you really want to hear some complaining about things changing try some of the "hot rod" forums -- when the National Street Rod Association changed it's rules to allow post-war cars (still at least 40 years old) there were some really loud howls from the "real" hot rodders :roll: .0 -
We exist in a disposable world. Besides we all know Plastic is forever unlike wood .0 -
Very nice collection of model 12'sSmitty500mag wrote:Oakie wrote:It seems the days of nice wood and metal are gone, for the common man. Replaced by synthetic crappola. If you do want a nice firearm, made of steel and wood, you better be prepared to pay for it, or look for an older firearm.. Gone are the beautiful Marlins, Winchesters and so on.
Oakie I know what you mean. Winchester quit making the best shotgun ever in my opinion long before today though. I remember it as if it was yesterday and it was in May of 1964 they quit making the Model 12.
I had been hanging out and working at my dad's PURE OIL service station for many years in Knoxville, TN when I was a kid and I was always digging though the trash every evening and saving AC oil and air filter box tops in order to get enough points to order a Winchester Model 12 from AC's gift catalog. I finally got enough points in box tops in the Spring of 1965 to order a model 12 only to find out that Winchester had quit making it the year before. I was 14 and felt like crying. It was devastating to me since I had looked forward to owning one for so long. I had worn that catalog out looking at the pictures and dreaming of owning one just like my great grandpa's, and my grandpa's and my uncle's. I finally had to settle for a model 1200 that was offered in the catalog that year instead which was a big big let down for me.
It was a couple of years later before I was able to afford to buy a used one. Then about 25 years ago I inherited all those old model 12's that belonged to my great grandpa and grandpa and uncle and I had also bought a couple more of them over the years. They're still my favorite shotguns.
0 -
Life is too short to hunt with a ugly gun.
I prefer the old Winchester 70's, Remington 700's, Ruger bolt actions, wood stocked guns. (and I've re-finished the stocks on several of them and touched up the bluing)and use the leather latigo or hunter brand latigo slings.
But for deer hunting during wet weather and really nasty stuff I reach for my brush beater hunting gun which is a Remington 700 stainless with a synthetic stock and nylon sling.
Can hunt with it for several days without being concerned about rust, scarred up wood, etc.
Them old Model 12's are also great guns. I have one I grew up with and it will hold 7, 2 3/4 inch shells and I can shoot it faster than a automatic and on target. It's hurt lots of critters.0 -
Check this out, I know you like 41 Mags.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/8023061300 -
Some might be in this pile. Think they are soaking them is hoppes No. 9 to prevent rust. :twisted: 0 -
pulsarnc wrote:I own no safe queens . All of my wood and steel bear scars that were earned honestly .
To me that's what makes them.....beautiful to me, seldom do you find any 2 alike !0 -
Sam06 wrote:
I have one of those Sam. I love it.0 -
You are a man after my own heart. I don't want a rifle made of plastic.
I got a bunch of Swedish Mausers, and Finland made Mosin Nagants. I especially love the Swedish Mauser damn what a beautiful gun.
More powerful than a damn AR15 and more accurate, too.0 -
0 -
droptop wrote:Some might be in this pile. Think they are soaking them is hoppes No. 9 to prevent rust. :twisted:
I have seen a few of those in Africa. Most were led by the fricking UN.
I guess it makes the arms dealers happy and stimulates the economy :shock:0 -
My preference remains steel and wood for rifles, barring Tactical/military pattern rifles. Although I must admit that I put walnut furniture on one of my ARs and it looks and performs great.
Only have one plastic pistol, a Glock 36. Have had a number of Glocks and other such pistols over the years, but they all migrated away. No style and couldn't do a damn thing other handguns wouldn't do that are more to my taste. Like 1911s, S&W autos (Gen 3), all metal Sigs and revolvers. I can stand synthetic grips on certain handguns, but still prefer wood in most instances. Blued steel is nice but stainless works too.0 -
wpageabc wrote:Wood is nice but it warps. Leather is nice but it gets nasty. Plastic is cold but its functional. Like the internet its not traditional but moving forward in function.
Really?
Been carrying wood stocked rifles in all conditions, including rain downpours, for decades, just as I have various leather products. Never once did I have one 'warp' nor swell to any noticeable point or have accuracy issues due to weather. All one need do is properly treat and care for wood and leather.
It ain't rocket science.
Synthetic stocks are fine and I have a number of them, primarily on AR and M1As and such, but 2 or 3 on sporting rifles. Wood stocks have and continue to work perfectly well, just as they have for hundreds of years.
Progress in all things and for its own sake is often counter-productive and senseless.
As I see it of course.0 -
Blued steel and wood is more visually appealing, but plastic and stainless have their uses too. 0 -
I don't like a plastic gun. Never have fired an M16. Don't like Glock.
I have the best military rifle ever made, the Swedish Mauser. Have 4 of 'em. Also Turkish Mauser and a beautiful Finnish M39.
Smith and Wesson .38 special. Got a Beretta 92FS with walnut grips. Got some real pretty muzzleloaders.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
36 comments