Pick one

Question:
What combination do you prefer in your go to hunting rifle? And why?

Choices:
wood stock with stainless barrel
wood stock with blued barrel
synthetic stock with stainless barrel
synthetic stock with blued barrel

 

I have totally gotten rid of my stainless actions and barrels.....But I have both wood and synthetic stocks.

If the rifle goes into a scabbard on the hunt I use synthetic.....almost every other hunt I use a wood stock.

280AI Hart barrel on a stainless Sako 75 action on a McSwirly stock always goes




might take a 6.5 rem mag, 30-06, 300 win mag, 338RUM or 375 Ruger as the second rifle, but the 280AI always goes.

Just worry free.

I don't own a stainless any longer. If I'm going to do a lot of walking I grab a light synthetic. Shorter distance or blind hunting I grab wood. My two main go to rifles have both stocks and I swap them out.

Forty two year old Remington 700 ADL with over 700 rounds through it (and no accidental discharges despite the media hype). I finally had the barrel and action hard-chromed due to corrosion issues.

best wishes- oldandslow

Flat bolt M77 in .308 is my go to rifle. Game always appears when I am using it. Do baby it when I am out in Wyoming cause it has beautiful wood compared to newer Rugers.
Have one synthetic in my collection, a Sako 75 Finnlight in 7-08, the rest are wood and blue.

I normally use my Browning A-Bolt "Hunter" in .308 for Deer Hunting in Ky. Also have a Ruger Model 77 MKII in .270 I like for longer shots.

Blaser European Attache' in 7mm Rem Mag. Shoots .35 with Federal 160gr Accubonds...all I need for 90% of my hunts.

French Walnut, blue action, matte SS barrel.
Because it's my favorite rifle.
Thanks, Doug

Never owned a stainless rifle w/plastic stock,,,but would like one for rainy day hunts ..
If i lived close to the ocean or where it snows everyday thats all i would own...
This season so far i have been carrying a old tang safety Ruger 7mm magnum...they are just a good balanced no frill's work horse of a rifle...and the 7mm magnum is a very Flat shooter and when it connects ROCKS 'Em HARD!
I rank the 7mm magnum right up there with the 30-06 for plenty big game getting power...for a all round 'git er' done hammer 'em /smack 'em big game rifle!
It's scary accurate ...shoots cloverleafs w/ 175grainers!
Plus it's a ol' Warren Page favorite

My ol Blaser R93 nitrited and wood.

I like laminated stocks, especially Bill Shehane's obeche laminates. I believe that the picture is one of D'Arcy Echols's rifles, but don't quote me!

My old Swedes always seem to go out. Wood and Blue.
8x57

6.5x55

9.3x57

I love the looks of good wood stocks and I like both stainless steel and blued models. However, for a "go to" hunting rifle that has to perform in hunting situations, I chose synthetic with blued barrel and action. I believe the stainless may hold up a little better, but I don't like it in hunting situations because it seems to "shine" too much and I like the less visible blued action and barrel for hunting.

Mine, laminated stock & coated metal, 338-06.

I was a huge fan of wood and blued rifles until I purchased my Kimber Montana .325 WSM in stainless steel. I doubt I will use any of the wood stocked rifles again.

I Googled synthetic but really didnt get it.

If it aims steadier I'm getting one!

quote:

I have totally gotten rid of my stainless actions and barrels.....But I have both wood and synthetic stocks.

If the rifle goes into a scabbard on the hunt I use synthetic.....almost every other hunt I use a wood stock.

Curious VapoDog as to why you got rid of all your SS rifles ?. I use both regardless of where their carried .

I have on occasion wrapped a chamois around my nicer wooden stocks in regards too a scabbard or a rough ATV rack .

Two of my most accurate rifles are SS and I could never see myself without them .

quote:

Curious VapoDog as to why you got rid of all your SS rifles ?.

It bothered me that I was seeing so many "burst barrels" on the internet.....Sako, browning, and others.....It didn't bother me when it was just Sako..... but when others were also having the trouble I decided to dispense with my stainless barreled guns.....

Further, it was clear to me that the advantages were slim and overestimated at the time I purchased them..... so it seemed to be a reasonable move.

In retrospect.....I probably over reacted.....but I'll still not have another stainless rifle or barrel. IMO their value as corrosion resistant is not much more than blued and especially if the blued barrels/actions get anything resembling reasonable care.

I had to vote blue/synthetic by default, 3 a-bolt composite stalkers and an origianal weatherby vanguard. I love the looks of stainless laminate but I choose rifle by caliber and hunting conditions first and worry about the rifles dressings last.

Remington 308 LTR

Well I guess my most often grabbed rifle is a Brown Precision 7mm Mag. It is electroless nickel plated and wears a 3x-9x Zeiss Diavari. It will shoot 160 grain Partitions at 3100fps into an inch at 100. That covers a lot of game. I recently got a 1951 Model 70 Winchester in 300 H&H that I would like to wear out on game though.

I started with walnut and blue in the early 50's and I still prefer the look of a well figured walnut stock. Now that SS/Syn is available I use them when its wet out.



Hunting for me is more than "a rifle is a tool". To me my rifle is important and if its good looking I admire it.

I perfer all stainless and synthetic. I do a lot of hunting with a blued synthetic 300 RUM, its my go to gun but after the original blueing is used up its going to to nitrided. Anyone who has done much hunting in alaska can tell you the advantages of stainless and synthetic. I Like my rifles light and weatherproof. You can almost watch the rust grow on a polished blue barrel up here. COnstant rain and sea spray do bad things to rifles.

I am very fond of figured wood and luster blue rifles but my go to guns for 99% of my field hunting ware high dollar synthetics. My pre 91 Winchester m70 XTR 24" .270 sports a Brown precision high country stock and my custom Savage single shot 223AI is in a Stockade Woodchuck. I shoot these two rifles allot and both of these stock companies offer what I consider to be very good quality after market synthetics.

I really dislike all the injected plastic crap that is on everything today. At least a couple of companies are adding some metal stiffeners which is a tilt back in the right direction. The ever increasing production costs is really driven down the finnish on production rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
Mine, laminated stock & coated metal, 338-06.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I am modeling my 338-06 after yours!

My bottom line rifle is an unmodified Model 70 in 7mm magnum, blued barrel, walnut stock, Leupold scope and handloads. It seems impervious to temperature and humidity, shoots the same on Montana sage flats and coastal Alaska.

It's not my best gun, that would be a Model 700 with blued heavy barrel in a synthetic stock with bedding block, but it has always been enough.

I kept just one rifle. It's early 70s Remington carabine in .350 with wood laminate stock. I have original scope which is 26mm 2,5x Nickel 'Supra' plus new Kahles 30mm 1,5-6x42 in qd mounts. It fits me like proverbial glove and carries nicely. The only negative is severe muzzle blast when bullet leaves the muzzle.

I like um all, but when push comes to shove, it would have to be my stainless/synthetic .375 Ruger. Even with it's short little 17" barrel it will reach out accurately to long ranges, AND is very handy in the thick stuff. If I fall in the creek with it I pour the water out of the barrel and keep huntin!

Ever since I shot a couple of Michael McCurrey's short barreled rifles, I've been spoiled!

I have never liked stainless. I agree with Vapodog, it's somewhat overrated. I like laminate and synthetic. I am fortunate to have a smith who still parkerizes. IMHO it's better than stainless.
My "go-to" rifle depends on the day;
250/3000
250 Ackley
257 Roberts
25/06.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

Well, I have three "go to" rifles and they are all different. The one I use the most and loan out is a wood/blue Micro-Medallion in 308. Highly accurate. The second is a wood/blue 264WM that also gets a lot of use. The last one is a wood/SS that has been tefloned in 6.5-06AI. If I do go to fourth, it is a 700ADL in 308 with a synthetic stock. I really just sort of rotate them.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

I like wood stocks and blued metal. That's all I own, and all I use. I hunt mainly in SW Washington, and the weather is often less than ideal. I just have to oil my rifle at night, and usually pull the barreled action overnight. Never had any issues. I just like the feel of wood. I do want to bed the action and float the barrel though...

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Finlander:

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
Mine, laminated stock & coated metal, 338-06.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I am modeling my 338-06 after yours!

Thanks! I have never warmed to the syn stock, so laminated made a lot of sense for an all weather rig.

Well, I take it like the weather and the planned area to sit:

Remington 700 Tiatnium, .270 Win, Swarovski 3-12x50
Ruger Express Rifle, .30-06, Zeiss 2,5-10x50
or
Winchester 70 Safari, .375H&H, Swarovski 3-12x50

all assembled on "self made" Titanium scope mounts...
http://www.titanium-gunworks.c...um-scope-mounts.html

To me wood and blued just seem to be the way a bolt action hunting rifle is 'supposed' to be. I suppose there are logic arguments in favour of synth s/s.

My go to is a Remington Model 7 in .260 Remington .. has a fixed 4X Nikon on it have taken many deer with it from 15 yards to 340 yards just the one I like the most.. after that it is my Magnum Research Mountain Eagle Rifle in 308 win

My main hunting rifle is a Ruger Mk II .270 stainless steel with a boat paddle stock.Boat paddle sure is ugly,but it is tough. A very accurate Ruger Mk II. Shoots MOA with the right load and never change's point of aim.