Who in HELL ever decided pretty rifles don't shoot well?
My prettiest rifles are my target rifles. And they are, for sure, the best shooting.
They also get used the hardest, beat the worst, and generally get a whole lot more wear than the average hunting rifle. Rain, dust storms, getting dragged in and out of safes and trucks and up and down the firing line for many more days/yr than a hunting rifle, they take a beating.
Guys that are serious competitors often have rifles that look a lot more the stereotyped hunting rifle than they do like real hunting rifles. They sure aren't closet queens.
But mine do get babied when they aren't at a match or the range.
