There sems to be a trend developing among rifle buyers that I'm not even certain how to describe.

This may just be my impression and may be all wrong, but I'm starting to get the feeling that more and more custom rifles are being bought for their decoration value than their shooting attributes...particularly when it comes to custom stocks.

This obviously is personal taste, but to me, too much concentration of extreme figure and strong colours in stock wood detracts from, not adds to, the beauty of a rifle.

To me, beaurtiful stocks have some accentuated markings in them, like perhaps light fiddleback in the butt and forend , but the real beauty comes from hard, solid wood, with absolutely correct grain flow for accuracy and strength, meticulously fitted to an action.

So, please let me ask you all some questions to see if (and how far) I am out of date.

I know I will be leaving out many options. I apologize in advance. I also apologize for my lousy typing skills and the resulting typos.

Question:
How much figure do you like in your rifle stocks?

Choices:
As much as I can get, throughout forend, wrist & and buttstock
The most I can get in the buttstock. with a moderate amount in the wrist and forend
A lot in the butt, but not much in the wrist and forend
Just enough in the whole stock to keep it from being "dead plain"
I don't care about figure, I care about sound grain flow

Question:
Okay, if you like fancy wood, which kinds do you prefer

Choices:
Light coloured Walnut
dark coloured Walnut
Maple
Something else (please specify)

Question:
Which type of grain do you prefer in fancy-grained stocks?

Choices:
Fiddleback
One predominate Burl with feathering from that
Heavy marbling throughout
Crotch figuring based in the toe, fanniing out foward and up through the rest of the butt area
Tiny tighht knots here and there
Something else in Walnut(please specify)
Bird's eye (Maple)
Quilted (Maple)
Fiddleback (Maple)
Something else in Maple

Question:
Do you like your stocks to be checkered?

Choices:
Yes, wrap around on both wrist and forend
Yes, small panels placed mainly to improve shooter's grip
No, I like my stocks plain except for wood color and figure
No, I prefer stippeling to checkering
I prefer carving (what kind, and where?)

 

As I've aged, I have come back to wood stocked rifles. I also have more money to spend on them. Therefore I now look at rifles like my dogs. Beautiful lines and pedigree are great, BUT don't mean shit if the do not function. Beautiful lines, pretty wood and function are required.

If I wanted strictly function, I'd go with some sort of stainless-steel black rifle with a plastic stock and those honkin' HUGE awkward scopes and mounting rings.

Since I spend about a hundred hours holding and admiring my rifles for each hour actually spent shooting at game, I choose to build and own rifles that can be categorized as art objects, mainly for the simple pleasure that I get from admiring the details.

However these art objects MUST be capable of splendid performance, i.e. accuracy of 1 MOA or better and 100% reliability in operation.

I find it very easy to admire and cherish rust-blued steel with highly figured walnut but almost impossible to feel warm-&-fuzzy about stainless and plastic or, for that matter, plain wood with no checkering. Might as well buy your rifle down at Wally World with all the other Bubbas...

Craftsmen have always decorated their tools and warriors have always decorated their weapons. I'll continue to decorate mine too, if only with the rather simple improvements that I can make myself since I can't afford the really good stuff (grin).
Regards, Joe

Mr. Steele,

My sentiments exactly! You said a lot!

joe said it all

quote:

I'd go with some sort of stainless-steel black rifle with a plastic stock

The older I get the more I like the trouble free use of sty/stainless guns.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

I'd go with some sort of stainless-steel black rifle with a plastic stock

The older I get the more I like the trouble free use of sty/stainless guns.

You still hafta CLEAN the durn things though, so while you're at it ANYWAY then why not clean some more of it in addition to the bore and the mud?
Regards, Joe

Well I find a wood and blue steel bolt action no harder to properly clean than a SS and plastic rifle and much easier to thoroughly clean than one of the AR type rifles with all the nooks and crannies for dirt to hide,and a gas system that fouls the bolt. Since I just cannot put up a dirty firearm of any kind without a proper cleaning (a result of 12 years in the Army I suspect) I might as well enjoy the process and handling a finely crafted firearm gives me great pleasure.

Jerry Liles

quartersawn walnut with guitar string grain.. dark as i can get - figure looks nice, but i am indifferent

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
quartersawn walnut with guitar string grain.. dark as i can get - figure looks nice, but i am indifferent

Your indifference stands out mightily. I can not disagree with you, however.

Stephen

There is nothing like good wood.

Canuck,

Your opinion is your own. I like guns with superb wood. Not every gun has that fancy wood but I want a few to admire.

These days we have ss/syn guns as well.

This rifle was for sale. Since it was expensive I at least have a picture of it.

quote:

Originally posted by roughone:
There is nothing like good wood.

That's what she said!