Walnut and blued steel are going to become the exception rather than the rule. Guns are changing, and changing fast as technology is allowing a LOT of makers to do a lot of weird and interesting things on the cheap. Sometimes those weird things work out, and guns change.
But there will always be the gun nuts like us. The enthusiast is going to be interested in guns that look a little different. They'll seek out the roots of their shooting sticks and in the process learn about the great guns of the past.
And it's becoming easier to indulge one's love of older or historic style guns. Whether it be all the 19th century rifles and revolvers made by Uberti (It's a LONG list of guns). Or consider that a number of makers in England, Spain, and Italy are making copies of the greatest English game guns of the 19th century.
As for bolt action sporting rifles...Well, Winchester is still making a classic style model 70. And all the greats of the past are still out there, in large numbers, and not necessarily expensive.
I don't think classic rifles are going away; I just think they will be the enthusiasts rifle rather than the rifle everyone else is using.
