What's your pref's and why...

Simple question, complicated answer given Stainless has gotten better over time.

I just hunted with a stainless rifle, synthetic stock for the first time ( besides varmints) last year..
I REALLY liked it...didn't have to worry about scuffing it etc.Killed a deer over a mile from the road, put him in a roll-up sled, along with the rifle...virtually hosed it off when I got home...

Wouldnt have done that with blue/walnut...

Ingwe

Being somewhat "Old school", I just can't warm up to the look of a stainless rifle unless it's coated.

I'd like to answer, but I'm not old like Ingwe.

My heart goes to the blue and walnut guns. They have true beauty to me.

When I started out there was no stainless and only some cheap top break gun with a plastic stock. Now we have choices.

When the Kimber 84M came out I wanted and perhaps needed it for its light weight. The stainless version (Montana) followed and I grew to appreciate them.

Its hard for me to believe that my old 99F has no rust on it. I carried it every season in all weather and it got wet for sure. Last season in VT it rained all day. I carried the ss 84M and all was fine. Nor did my Conquest scope fog up. I had a Lyman 4X fog from rain in 1968 on that 99.

For some reason I got a ss S&W Kit Gun when they came out. It just does not look right.

Ouch!

Ingwe

I'm solidly in the stainless/synthetic camp. Blue steel and wood look nice, but I don't like having to worry over the aesthetics of my tools.

And this may make a heartless philistine, but to me a firearm is first and foremost a tool.

Same here, blued steel on Black Walnut is beautiful and second to all other Walnut.

About 5-7 years ago I added one stainless synthetic as my go to rifle when I knew or expected to be hunting in foul weather or the possiblility of falling or hunting in rough conditions was probable. I don't regret the decision.

Fast foward to 2006 when I was given an Elk hunt by a family member and was trying to decide between my Cooper Classic in 308 or my Marlin in 45-70. I opted for a new Savage (ugly rifle) stainless synthetic topped with Zeiss (ugly scope) and it was a great decision. I fell no less than twenty times over the course of a week going down the mountain with my horse behind me. I cringe at the thought of what my Cooper would look like after that trip.

I will eventually add a Cooper 21 Varmint to compliment my 22 and 57 and decided that the Phoenix would be more appropriate for that type of rifle and the conditions I may hunt with it. Although I would prefer Cooper's beautiful Black Walnut stock over the B&C.

Stainless synthetics definitely have a place and in my opinion only are better rifles, just not better looking!

I'm blue and walnut.Most of my rifle are P/64 Winchesters,Mannlichers and Mausers.Been good to me so far,40+ years of hunting.
I like the character they project,every scuff and scar reminds me of a hunt...

my varmint rifle is coated in camo dip and i like the fact that i can grab it anywhere on it and not worry about a fingerprint and i can hunt and not worry about dirt or rain.

but i do have a pretty walnut and steel rifle in the safe for nice days, and to satisfy that part of me that loves the warmth and style.

I'm not "old" like Ingwe either, but I'll answer anyway, & echo his sentiment.

I like wood & blue & will still use it under some conditions but for the last 25 years, it's been almost 100% synthetic stocks, sometimes blue, sometimes stainless.

Stainless is the way to go for everyday use, IMO.

MM

Theres no doubt that after owning several pre World war 1 mauser 30-06 rifles, that blued and wood can stand the test of time. They still shoot accurate, hell, the best rifle I've ever had was a remington 750 semi auto 30-06 in blue and wood, most accurate smooth shooting rifle i've ever shot, and thats in semi auto as well....... Taken countless deer in rainy montana days, all this being said stainless and synthetic are great, and I own a few rifles in the such, one being a .338 win mag in weatherby vangaurd stainless sub moa custom, I do prefer blue over wood and think much of rainy day horror stories is from poorly kept rifles that really didn't necessarily have to bind and rust that much as the owner of them wasn't that capable of making a good shot..... How honestly does a warped stock effect accuracy? Your still looking through the same scope zeroed (hopefully) with the same barrel, and by god the barrel and scope haven't twisted at all.......

warped wood puts uneven pressure on the barreled action. so even though it doesn't actually twist the barrel, it causes weird dead spots and vibration that can cause the barrel to throw the shots places you didn't aim.

think of a tuning fork, hit it and then someone places their finger on the side. didnt bend it but definitely caused a problem.

I own about (12) rifles. One of them is stainless, one is chrome plated, both with Tupperware stocks. The rest of my rifles are blue with wood stocks, except for one model 70 that has a plastic stock. I ave no strict policy regarding Stainless.

If it's just a tool, yeah, go with plastic and SS. When you're done killin' something, just throw it in the truck box and wait 'til next time you need it. Like a 7/16" wrench.
But if the aestetics of the rifle appeals to you, and the memories that are envoked whilst you clean it, you'll buy a blue/wood rifle.

I like colorful plastic stocks and silver colored tools

Not sure I qualify as OLD, but I am older than I used to be and starting to get older than I'd like. :p

It depends on the hunt tbh. I have an absolutely gorgeous blue/walnut 30-06 that I use in good weather in mature timber. Classic looks, classic cartridge, the quintessential American deer rifle. It is about the most forgiving rifle to shoot that I have seen and fits me like a glove.

I have a 7-08 in Montana garb that I bought for everything but those mature timber in decent weather hunts and especially for some of those brutal backpack hunts. This season it got exposed to greenbriar and brush that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, freezing rain, and a couple of very cold, very wet, and very heavy snowstorms.... and a few spills.

Each has its place and I love them both. Some people buy a rifle in this cartridge for this animal and another in that cartridge for another animal and so on. I went the other route and bought two rifles in all around cartridges that can cover a very wide array of animals. One was in the classic old school tradition and one is ultra modern and lightweight.

Will

I think that a lot depends on where you hunt and what kinds of conditions you face. Here on the rainy west coast the ss is fantastic. I love wood-blued guns but they simply cannot take the punishment that an ss gun can.

I remember one particular hunt in the northeast slope of the Rockies, near the Yukon border. My sons and I got stuck out in the middle of nowhere in the rain all night. We'd taken an elk at sunset and were far away from camp, so we just made a fire and hunkered down. The next day the two wood-blued guns were starting to rust and had to be taken apart, cleaned, and oiled. The ss gun was fine as is.

Except for a commitment to go retro with a lever gun next season, I generally run stainless/synthetic hunting rifles. I prefer utility over appearance in my hunting rifles. CP.

I'll take a nicely blued rifle with a walnut stock any day. The only thing I own that's stainless is my S&W revolvers. It doesn't take me that long to clean a rifle after each hunt.

I live in Oregon and it rains a lot in the fall so I prefer stainless and synthetic stocks to wood less up keep. I am not a
artist to me a rifle is a tool. And hunting the wet woods in Oregon I always end up having to spend some time on up keep with wood stocks removing dings ect?

Define "old" first...

Define "old guy(s)" for me.

I'm nearly 52, but don't feel much different then I recall feeling at age 30.

Stainless, 'cause Nebraska has humid summers and if I take a rifle out to play with, I don't want to worry about rusting. That said, since stainless costs more, my truck guns are rusty blued CM with dented/scratched wood stocks.

Jeff

If you gotta ask ... guess what!!

Spot, for me its both, A nice walnut stock is just something that you want. My first Kimber montana last year sold me on the SS/synthetic stock concept. I think until I find that its time for me to stop shooting deer its wood for nice days, Montana for all the others.

i grew up reading jack o'connor and started using using a wood/blue tang ruger (270 win, of course) back in the early 70's. after a little sealing, it never gave me a problem through many seasons in alaska. i went throuh a brief 5 year stint with s/s rifles, but i only have one s/s 270 left, and it will be gone as soon as my grandson gets old enough or my son wants to move it to his home. i've been back to wood/blue for several years and have no desire for anything else. i don't mind the wear on metal or the dents in wood - in fact i kind of like them. ymmv

I'm almost 66, and drawing Social Security, so I guess I'm there in the old guys catagory.
I dearly love classic rifles with gorgeous wood. My idea of what I want to hunt with as my hunting days are ending. Maybe if I say enough nice things about Ingwe's rifles, he'll let me have one of his to do that with ?
OK, I'm a hopeless dreamer.....
The truth is I don't have such rifles for big game hunting. All of mine have stainless barrels and synthetic stocks. All of them are built with the idea they are going to mean country and are going to hunted hard. All of them are designed and built or modified to work under those conditions. None of them are blued. They feature the most weather resistant, flat black paint for finishes, for instance.
It's not that I can't afford nice rifles. It's just that I don't have the time or inclination to keep up such guns when used under such conditions.
I know those who do and that's fine for them. Maybe someday I will too, but not yet. E

I have heard too many ss rifles having problems.I have worked on some and it seems that they are not as slick as cm rifles.
I just like the look of wood and it you seal it up it should not have problems.

Wow Ingwe I have to get me one of those rifles you can shoot a deer with a mile away...sorry I couldn't, or rather wouldn't control myself.

Randy

By the way I am the same in that I appreciate the servicability of the stainless although my eye apprecciates fine grain wood and polished blue. I have two stainless, a Tikka T3 Lite in 06, and a Ruger mini thirty in 7.62x39. All the rest are wood/blue or wood natural.

Randy

I'm not old, but am going to respond anyway because I like "classic" styling. However, I do like the piece of mind stainless brings, but it has to be coated to look like bluing in order for me to like the looks of the gun.

Seeeee....thats another good thing about stainless/synthetic...the accuracy..

I didn't really shoot the deer from the road ( thats illegal here)....

I got out of the truck, walked across the burrow pit and rested the rifle on a fencepost, so it was really like 5279ft. away..........



Ingwe

I guess I am a traditionalist at heart and while I can see the appeal of ss/syn I cant go past the wood/blue for my own rifles. For me now it is the pleasure of carrying a pleasing to the eye rifle that brings satisfaction. I have never had a ss/syn rifle since my first in 1959. If I was looking for a rifle now that may have to go the distance I think I would look favourable at the ss/syn side as some have made quite an impression on me over the last few years however my wood/blue combo's will see me out. I dont hunt in hard weather now anyway.

Von Gruff.

I only have one stainless rifle out of about 3 dozen. I bought it for looks only and it still wears walnut (it's a lever action). I'm old enough that if it's that wet outside to warrant an ss/syn rifle, I probably don't need to be out there either.

I like blue/walnut. That said, I've had my fair share of synthetic/stainless guns. I finally settled (for the most part) on coated stainless in a good synthetic stock. It's been my experience that the stainless barrel give the best cold bore performance and accuracy - YMMV.

I'm experienced, not OLD!

I have a 50/50 mix of both and I like each for different reasons.

However, the synthetic stocks with free floating barrels are the most consistent and reliable.

I'm 64 years old and have slowly evolved into stainless.

The only remaining blue/walnut rifle I have is a M70 Supergrade Classic .270 Win. it is very accurate therefore deemed to be "keeper status".

I have two blue actions with custom stainless barrels, and all my other rifles including a new Vanguard are stainless.

I don't think I would spend a dime or go to the trouble of having one coated.

Says it all..

I've not been in condtions that I've needed SS/syn.. Doesn't say it can't happen.. But I've carried a certain PF M70 around for over 35 years and I'm not sure there's more than one more teeny ding on the stock or bluing from when I bought it..

A tool it is, but I take care of my tools..

I guess I can be classed as old, though I don't feel old. When I buy a ticket to the movies they sell me a child�s ticket. I'm not sure if that is supposed to be a price reduction for a "senior" or if it is just supposed to confuse us.

Anyway...I really like the classic style with blued steel and walnut, but have used a stainless Ruger M77 in 300 Win magnum as a traveling rifle for a long time. I hunted in Alaska and never noticed a rust problem with a blued 338Win Ruger. I switched from a Browning Safari to a stainless Kimber Montana in 308 for most of my hunting when the Browning was stolen. I love the light weight and accuracy. I'm still getting used to the stainless part. Both my Ruger traveling rifle and the Kimber wear black CeraKote finish and I wish the Kimber had a walnut stock.

I've got a couple of varmint rifles in stainless & plywood and really can't warm up to them. There would be no point in having a stainless/syn rifle for me as I can't even like the varmint rifles I have. They shoot fine but just have no warmth to them.
And yes, I guess I am getting old___er just can't admit to it yet.

In addition to stainless/blued and older hunters set in their preferences, the lever actions used by the seniors used to dominate camps when I was younger.
Now, I have not seen a lever in a hunting camp for several years.

the older i get, the more dominant my SS/synthetic gene becomes. when i was a kid, there was no SS guns, but now i pretty much won't buy wood/blue unless it's the only way i can get the gun i'm wanting.

When I stick to one rifle, I can focus on hunting and the shot comes easy. My main rifle for the last several years has been a pre-64 Model 70 FWT in 308 in a Pacific Research stock. I don't see that changing any time soon.


Okie John

Guess I prefer stainless..

more utility to them.. easier to clean off any rust that might happen to get on them..

just appear more functional..

guess I like the look also..

last several barrels I have ordered have been chrome moly, but I haven't had them blued..

spray painted one, and have just put car wax on the others if they are going to be used out in the rain..

of course I have other rifles I can use if it is raining..

Bad huh?

I was one of the first kids on the block (my club and network of friends)to get a synthetic stock back along torads 1979-1980;ever since then I've had both synthetic,sometimes blued sometimes stainless.

Obviously these have worked and I've used them on many hunts.They are great tools....I still own and use them.

What I have also learned along the way is that there is a world of difference between a lot of factory wood,and properly seasoned walnut that has been well-bedded and sealed.Such wood, if not "green",will take a lot of abuse in the field and still and still deliver great service.

As the years role by, the SS/synthetic stuff starts to look like cheap junk,and the wood stuff still looks great...for user satisfaction, nothing matches good walnut and blue steel....

When you walk into some of the stores today,looking for a GOOD rifle, you see rows and rows of the ugliest and most unappealing SS/synthetic rifles that were supposed to be the answer to all prayers,and they look like what they are....cheap mass-manufactured junk,everyon looking the same with ill-fitted tupperware stocks and all the class and charm of a rusted railroad spike.....you turn....depressed....and leave the store.

No small wonder guys will pay what they do for a Remington 725, a pre 64 M70,or a FN Belgian Mauser.

..for tire iron utility,synthetic is in a class by itself....if you can hold your nose long enough.....I have been able to most of the time.

The absolute only reason to use a wood/blue rifle is because you like the way they look. In every other aspect the stainless/synthetic rifle is more functional. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with preferring a rifle for it's looks, but I don't have the same leanings. I value functionality above all so stainless is my preference. I also live in a high humidity climate and have gotten extremely tired of knocking rust off of blued rifles.

The older I get the more fiberglass and stainless I want on a rifle.

User satisfaction is a warped stock and cracked wrist, that says it all. Course you can burn wood, about the only thing it's REALLY good for.

True. Hunted where you live...used synthetic.

Pinnel and Taliffson, Ralph Young,Hal Waugh,used......?

For that matter Scott, I see you post lots of wood/blue pics....(?)

Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Alexander the Great road what to work?

[bleep] if we follow that logic we should all be living in a cave and beating our laundry with a rock

I have a fairly good mix but always take the stainless synthetics hunting. Not a one of them isn't without enough nicks to place them in the 80% class if they were of wood.

Shotguns on the other hand are all blue and wood.

Why? Because I'm in the mountains or basalt fields hunting with rifles and walking much simplier terrain with a shotgun. Chukars are another story, there I carry an old shotgun.

So true. Just send me those ugly Huskies of yourn. And while your at it, that Savage 99 too. It's been a cold winter here in Texas, and it AIN't over yet .

It's fine for 'backyard' hunts, some guns don't come any other way, but trust you me if McMillan made a stock for a Savage 99 they would be sporting one.

Blue and Walnut here. Stainless and laminated #1's are so damn ugly. Functional yes, but........ wow.

these days I classify old as 58 on up... but it's a moving target.

MPI makes synthetic stocks for 99's. They are even pricier than McMillan's, so they must be good.

Ram-Line makes a synthetic for the Marlin 336. It should be just the ticket for your .25-35 project, bein' that plastic is better than wood an' all. Just sayin'.

I don't consider myself old at 40 but do think old school alot. The only blue/walnut guns I own are my lever actions, and for the last few years they stay at home. To me the ss/syn guns I own are great but in no way are as good looking as a nice blued/wood gun with nice walnut. I'm actually thinking about buying a wood/blue bolt gun for "nice" days and the ss/syn for most days in the brush, rain and snow....

I like stainless for the utility of it but like blued/walnut for the looks. I've got three centerfire rifles for hunting. Stainless/laminated, stainless/plastic, and a blued/laminated. Deer season is two weeks long here. No time to worry about my rifle getting abused.

My "pretty" rifle is my Win. 52B repro. All blued steel and walnut.

I resemble that statement. This year I got my deer with a Remington Model 14 in 35 Remington. I can't honestly say that it was blued steel and walnut since the blue has been gone off that one for a long, long time, but it isn�t stainless and the wood is walnut.

Whew, had me worried a bit there. Just get that target moving real quick though, OK?

Nothing looks and feels like nice walnut/blue. For around here I'll take the wood gun because I've never really needed the other kind, if the weather is bad there's always another day. When I go to the mountains I'll likely use one of my ss/syn versions. I took a couple walnut M77s on an antelope hunt and cringed every time I had to crawl through the sage with them. Cheesy keeps telling me it's just memories of the hunt, but I have a hard time seeing it that way.

I can appreciate them both, however synthetic and ss is definitely taking over. Pa. does not have the drastic weather where it is required, but the weight reduction of synthetic is where I'm at now. Gouge a really nice piece of wood and it would bother me some. Scratch a synthetic and think about possibly repainting it in the future.

Looked at more than a few beautiful wood rifles here and other places, but have finally gotten to the place where I just don't want to take care of them. In fact the run of the mill wood on most factory rifles to me isn't worth the additional effort and potential problems.

Synthetic and ss for me these days.

Full circle for me.
Went from light caliber wood and blue guns, to magnums, SS and plastic, and now find myself grabbing wood and blue.
Most of my favorite guns are about my age, and except for a couple of wood and blue .264 mags, I'm back to lighter cartridges.

Dude - I'm growing older but not up...

Me neither, I'm only 80.

I hunt a lot on Kodiak, the farthest North and West Rain forest on North America... After more than 25 years of hunting there I have found SS rusts almost as fast as blued steel. Neither can be abused without consequences and both require the same care at about the same intervals.

Did I mention SS is ugly?

I don't know what you consider OLD !

For me on a hunting rifle I prefer: Synthetic stock (Black)

The Barrel: Stainless with a black teflon finnish, best of both worlds looks good but is rust resistant.

Dino

Sitka deer,

Is this due to salt content/proximity to the ocean? ... or is this just a case of excessive freshwater rain and humidity?

I've hunted my walnut blue rifles in rain all day without problem of rust. But I do tend to them after the hunt ... nowhere near the ocean though.

In some places they still do......all your wood gone?

If not, at some level....you still like it

I know what you mean Bob. Almost all of the factory synthetics don't do anything for me either. I've got one rifle I bought with a wood stock w/ stainless metal. When I found out that I couldn't get it to shoot at the same zero with a shooting sling, I went to a very expensive McMillian.
In spite of McM's assurances, it too, thanks to the skinny schnabel forend, didn't work either. The current Kevlar MPI on it does. A very expensive lession.
Still, with the better, properly designed and fitted synthetics, whatever they lack in beauty, for me, they more than make up for it in their lightweight and very rugged constuction. I have a bad habit of finding myself in some very mean country. And puhing myself too long and too hard in it. E

Guns are tools to me. What looks best (to me) is what works best, and there is no comparison between synthetic/stainless and wood blue when it comes to "working best". To each his own.

It seems somehow I have accumulated all permutations. I like my wood and blue, but I don't like to abuse it. I don't like the looks of plastic and SS but do like the abuse it can handle. Right now my kick for some unfathomed reason is Stainless and Wood, probably because it gives a little different look.

Way back in the day, I used a Ruger 77 270win tang safety. It was my one and only CF. Initially it shot well, but eventually it started shotgunning patterns. I hunted it in all weather. To get it to shoot after that, I sanded/floated the barrel channel. I think the stock got wet and caused uneven pressure on the barrel.

Generally, I take a rifle that is suited to the anticipated conditions. If I am traveling, I take one of each. If it is wet or raining I do the plastic and SS, otherwise I am most likely to do wood and blue.

As yes there are those that would consider me an old guy.

Blued and Walnut, please!

Had a number of SS/Syn rifles over the years. I've off loaded all of them. Just didn't like them. Didn't see any difference in how they shot. I still have to SS hanguns, but only because I put so much money in them to get them the way I wanted, that I can't part with them. I've got blue and walnut rifles and shotguns that I've had for more than forty years that are still not rusty and the wood hasn't rotted off, I've hunted them in horrible weather and I've not coddled them. They still shoot well. One does need the stock refinished.
Any tool should be taken care of, even SS/Syn. When you work a gun counter, you see a lot of beat up SS/Syn's brought in for trade. Blood will pit them, parts will rust, stocks will get beat up. Folks seem to think that because they are not are not pretty, you don't have to take care of them.
For me it's blue and walnut, but to each his owne. Lifes too short to be married to an ugly woman or carry an ugly rifle, I'll take pretty in both.
Bfly

I don't qualify.

I'll let you know in 30 years or so.

over the years to my now "experienced" age, i've had a little of everything.
i have never warmed up to plastics or fiberglass. wood has such a warm feel and nothing matches a well grained piece of walnut.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me a blast from the past, holds my heart.

not taking into consideration the weather or terrain, a manlicher is king of the heap.

here's mine, nothing special, but it balances well, shoots straight, and is a real looker in my eye.
make blued steel and wood my choice.


and in second place is this 30-06.

it now wears a leupold 2-7 in weaver bases and leupold prw rings.
it weighs 7.4 lbs empty.

I don' t think I'm old, maybe to some. I like wood and blued barrels, matte or polished. But I do have a 300 mag stainless synthetic for that hunt in the future to Alaska just in case. A gun that doesn't wear wood has no soul. Just my two Lincoln's.

Synthetic and stainless rifles leave me cold and I've had a few. I have few synthetic and blue rifles and I like them better than synthetic and stainless rifles.
Nice wood stirs my blood and doesn't matter if the action and barrel are blue or stainless.

Gringo
Lots of variables and lots of responses... The worst finish I have seen is the Remington SPS matte finish. The gravel they "sandblasted" it with creates huge gouges and lots of surface area. Coarse matte SS textures are little different.

The salt has a LOT to do with it.
art

Anyone who starts out a post asking "old guys" for their opinions on firearms is askin' for trouble.

Just because they're older doesn't necessarily mean they're wiser... just means their opinions are more thoroughly calcified.

Of course, "they" doesn't apply to me... just quite yet... at least in my own mind...!?

Although I look and somedays feel old, @ 43 I'm not, but I sure have been through enough rifles to be an old timer.
I have and like both types of rifles, yet a great wood stock will always get me jazzed in a way synthetic can't, but in the end the true love of a rifle comes from the memories you make with it...I'm still working on that.

This opens the door to questions like "Do you love your gun(s)?" I don't.

"It's not that is wiser, just spent more time with my back against the wall."

I qualify as old, closer to 60 than 50. This is about fun and games, and I have more fun and satisfaction from hunting with blued guns in nice wood stocks. Had an epiphany a few years back when I'd slipped into the synthetic/stainless mud - I felt as if I'd sinned when I look at the photo in which I'm holding that stainless/fiberglass gun. No more pictures of old guy with ugly guns. Cabinet has nothing stainless nor plastic in the long guns. A couple stainless 1911s, though...

Old guys opinions are more calcified because thee have spent moer time finding out whtat works and what is marketing hype.Younger guys are still in the frame of mind like teenagers that think thier parents were dumb and then find out in thier 40's that thier parents actually knew a thing to two

Now as to the question.I am a tradionalist. I think you don't need to date or marry ugly women. I think leather belongs on a horse,not nylon tack as nylon goes on womenss legs, Horses are used for the flashy jobs and when things get tough ,you go get a mule. A 30.06 will work for about any hunting done in norh america and guns should be blued and stocked with wood,

Also, what "works" at 5,000', low humidity ain't necessarily what works in the salt marsh.

When one of those morning mists comes up so thick I can see the individual droplets as they waft through the blind but I can't see more than 25 yards out of it I cringe when I'm holding one of my blued rifles.

I'm only 75, and Real Rifles are Blued with Walnut stocks.
Here endeth the Gospel fo da day..