quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Oh CRAP! Lets be honest for just a second shall we! An ugly rifle is a Piece of Crap! A gorgeous rifle is a gorgeous rifle. Like pornography you know one when you see one. A good looking gun is worth the freight, a POS is well a POS! You might like your POS but its still a POS! Hondas Rule- NoT!~ Rob

Ahhhh, I see it now. . . . Nevada. . .

Ya, I can see where functioning every time while hunting Antelope and jack rabbits may not be all that important. But when your guide has to go in the bush to save your ass from a pissed off Bear that you gut shot with your not so functional, but real pretty .25-06 with gold inlay and high gloss bluing; I going to bet you would rather have a guide with a rifle that will damn sure function when it comes time to stopping that 9' Grizzly from taking your head off.
Or, would you prefer that above all else, his rifle just looked 'pretty'?

So pretty in fact that while your butt was getting chewed off, the guide was sitting on a stump wiping the water off the stock of his rifle with pretty wood as to keep it from swelling.

But after all, as long as you remain there in Nevada, you will probably not have any close calls where your rifle HAS to work every time, other then a charging, rabid, bull bunny!
Yup, you should be just fine. . . . . .

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
To parse:Lao Tsu once said you can appreciate beauty only because there is ugliness in the world. They are like two sides of a coin.

If functionality is superior to esthetics then more of you guys would have married ugly women who can cook and keep a clean house over what you all thought was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Who is going to be the first to make that statement here?

Rich

Cooking and cleaning are learned traits, ugly is forever.

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Oh CRAP! Lets be honest for just a second shall we! An ugly rifle is a Piece of Crap! A gorgeous rifle is a gorgeous rifle. Like pornography you know one when you see one. A good looking gun is worth the freight, a POS is well a POS! You might like your POS but its still a POS! Hondas Rule- NoT!~ Rob

Well said and so true.

There is no place for ugly.

Excuse me my dear, would you mind passing me that brown paper bag?

Thank God & our Armed Forces that we live in a country were you argue about whether it is better to own a gun that is pretty versus ugly; and not whether it is legal to own a gun

Vote in November

Long Live the USA and all gun friendly countries

"Only accurate rifles are interesting."

Doesn't matter if it's blued steel and a wood stock, stainless and a synthetic stock, or gold plated with an ivory stock, if it can't hit the target it's worthless.

On two occasions while out pheasant hunting I've had some idiot pepper me with pellets. Can't say I cared what the shotgun looked like, they peppered me with shot just the same. I'm sure the animals we hunt could care less what your rifle looks like too.

Premium walnut rigs are usually taken out for pleasant Sunday drives.

An interesting thread DWright. I have just been too busy to get here until now. I have not read every ones responses yet, but adding my 2 cents worth.

First I have to ask, why Aesthetics vs Functionality? Why can't I have my cake and eat it too????? Why not have a good looking rifle and functionality?

I demand functionality first and foremost above everything. It is useless without that. Feed, function must be there. But that can be had on a rifle that is aesthetically pleasing too.

I am not much on "plastic" stocks. My preferences are with and will always be with wood. But wood has to "function" too! I use nothing but Accurate Innovations stocks because of that. These stocks have the aluminum chassis that holds the action and runs up the barrel channel adding strength to the wood. A very easy and simple solution for stock busting, heavy recoiling rifles. Wet weather? I had one in Alaska for 10 days with rain on it every single day without issue. However, the rain did wash every damn bit of the oil out of it, and until I oiled it up it looked like a piece of plywood, it was a XX Claro, nice, not extravagant wood. Little oil, good as new. But Alaska is not a place for wood stocks, not day in, day out. So plastic is the way to fly in wet weather areas.

For me it's Winchester or nothing at all. Take the rest of them dump them in the pile with common things. I like the little light weight Ultimate stock that Winchester put on some models, man it sure is a cheap looking deal when off the gun, but nothing that I have ever put my hands on feels as nice as it does when on the gun, and they hold up fine, even on heavy recoiling rifles. They don't care about wet weather either. So the Ultimate stocks are my #1 and only choice for plastic.

But if it is not Alaska, or where it's wet every damn day of the year, then give me wood. A little wet weather here and there won't hurt.

I like stainless and wood, white wood, dark, medium, as long as it's wood. Has to function, or it's not worth a damn.

I like good looking rifles, says a lot about ones personality I think. Won't catch me with no ugly crap, I take pride in what I carry! It's not "Just a Rifle" to me, it's a tool that one is to be proud of. If it gets banged up on a buffalo hunt, bear hunt, lion or elephant hunt, that is ok too, adds character to the piece, you will look back on the years and remember that little bang, scratch or bump, and where you got it! Make mine something to be proud of, but it must get the job done at the same time!

Michael

Agree'd!

I'd call every one a beauty!

There are few things as ugly as something disgusting wrapped in a beautiful exterior.

I also believe there is room for both, I live in Alaska and love my blued MK Xs with wood stocks, I prepare them for the hunt, show them some love each night in the tent, and clean them good before they go back in the safe.

However, I do have a pistol-grip shotgun, my bear gun, that I take fishing & camping, it is weather proof and gets no love till we get back home.

I personally categorize guns as hunting vs working.

I had the privilege to spend time with Phil Shoemaker and his Grizzly Skins outfit this spring. Phil & his guides carry true working guns (I had the distinct pleasure of handling "ole Ugly", shown in a earlier post). You would be temped to call them ugly (the guns not the guides); that is until you needed a back-up shot -- then they are things of beauty. On a 15 day Peninsula spring bear hunt, guides don't have time to care for a gun & their client. Phil's guns are truly weatherproof and don't come in the tent.

quote:

So Rich, are you saying your beautiful wife can not hunt, field dress and butcher and then cook a great meal? Mine can

I have met Rocky, she is definitely aesthetically pleasing and I can attest to her cooking. I'm confident after 30 years in the Alaskan bush, she can shoot & clean any game animal. In fact, she keeps a rifle in the outhouse.

Mike, are you talking about that double Phil asked you to carry

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
Pure functionality has a beauty that only those who have been there can appreciate

...like a fat, ugly woman that can cook?

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Lou:

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
Pure functionality has a beauty that only those who have been there can appreciate

...like a fat, ugly woman that can cook?

I'll take your word on women - I was refering to rifles.

Hah!

Beautiful and functional are not mutually exclusive qualities.

Ugly by itself is not a virtue.

And nothing must be ugly in order to be functional.

That's as true for human beings as for rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by D B Cooper:
Nitehawk,

Is the end cap Ebony or Horn? What caliber?

RS

The end cap is ebony. Caliber is 9.3x62.

DWright- Oregon Toxic waste dump! now that explains it! Mercury poisoning get to your Brain? Dont be a fool! You don't know shit about where I've been or what I've done as a hunter. Others on this board know the facts and your way off base! The odds are its WAY WAY more than you old boy! The fact that I don't like UGLY guns is my opinion and I don't give a rats ass if you like it or not. I doubt you have the brains at this point to tell UGLY from beautiful! Your post was meant to be insulting and shows the kind of man you are. Kiss my ASS jerk-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
I own just about every permutation: wood w/blued steel, wood w/stainless steel, synthetic w/blued steel, synthetic w/stainless, synthetic w/blude receiver and stainless barrel, blah, blah, blah.


...It was built for the Custom Shop by H-S Precision; the test target was 0.1326", but I have not been able to shoot a group smaller than 0.220". Maybe I should get rid of it.

LH Win. M-70 Custom Shop 7mmSTW Custom Sporting SharpShooter


George

A super accurate syn. like that gives me more confidence in the field than some 1.5moa rig with super walnut.
I like that one can apply a grippy surface texture to the whole stock, rather than just relying on panels of checkering.
However at times I still appreciate a light walnut stocked stalking rifle that would not be subject to harsh environments/treatment.
...if ya know what i mean,....






although this Hagn falling block double 7x57 [6.5lb] only groups 2"@100yd, I would suffer it....