I've had that opinion that firearms are either heirloom (ones that may be passed down from one generation to the next) and disposable, used for a specific "tool" purpose and eventually disposed of (modern duck shotguns remind me of this category). When manufacturers began putting barreled actions in Tupperware stocks is when I thought they transitioned to disposable. Fine walnut and blued steel never goes out of style, pre-64 Winchesters and customs remind me of this. Modern precision rifles throw a wrench in this opinion as they represent the state of the art in fabrication and accuracy, pushing the limits of cartridge and rifle. High quality stocks, precision machined receivers and carbon barrels represent the cutting edge of the sport but it's becoming hard to keep up with the changes. I really started paying attention to rifles in the 80s and not much really happened for a decade or so then it seems like everything changed overnight. Although most rifles produced today shoot better than they did a decade or so, so have shooters become more demanding. I visit gun shops every opportunity I can but nothing inspires me to go for my wallet these days with the exception of Christensen Arms. I have a safe full of Model 70s (been selling them off one by one) but my experience with the CA Ridgelines has been quite favorable and they shoot right out of the box, no rebarrel, bedding, stocking, trigger work, just mount a scope and shoot. I know Tikka has a growing reputation and are quite popular but the leave me cold just like the others. All said, I appreciate heirloom firearms but rifles are about precision and only accurate rifles are interesting so I continue to appreciate modern precision rifles..
