Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Are classic rifles doomed?

Im your opinion are classic wood stock rifles a thing of the past. I ask this because im a left hand user wanting to have a few more Ruger Hawkeye lefty rifles and they are nowhere to be found.

Im all albout the new plastic stock rifles and newer materials and was an early adopter of them before they became really popular but i also desire my wood and classic Ruger 77 Hawkeye as well. Will these be just a memorybof the past in our near future? Also the prices of things are scary.

Not at my house .

Mine, either.

But as us ole farts move from the stage, who knows...

It's a different bunch coming up to replace us.

DF

A beautiful rifle like a beautiful woman will never go out of style. Now is the time to jump into the deep end and get the good stuff.

Not at my home

If my stuff is relegated to the scrap heap of time after I'm gone I won't care- I'll be dead.

Are you talking about matchlocks, flintlocks, caplocks or modern contraptions such as outside-hammer, tube-magazine lever-actions?

Nor mine. Four walnut and blued steel using grade rifles in work now in my shop:
256 Newton, 275 Rigby, 338-06, 9.3x62.

Keep the faith,
Rex

Well im talking mostly about things like the Ruger 77, Winchester 70, and mostly Mauser type derived rifles and even our classic leverguns.

Early on i was an user of plastic and tacticool items long before it became mainstream but im also a left hand person and prefer a classic left hand bolt action and levergun because they fit me and work for me. For instance im a big 30-30 levebrgun fan, but sometimes also use a Ruger scout rifle or ruger compact rifle or maybe an model 71 winchester too. From what is out on the market currently and seeing how private equaity interests have gobbled up the industry im not hopeful we'll have anything other than Ruger All Americans and other cheaply made machine/robot manufactueered arms in our future. It seems the trend

I’ve only stainless/synthetic despite wood/blue drawing at my heart strings.

There are even a few younger gun smiths who are planning on adding blueing to their services...

Younger = 50 these days.. only the older guys do blueing right now, or the mega shops... I plan to do it just because it’s the right thing to do.

From what I've read, there isn't much of a choice up your way. From my understanding, Alaska (atmoshereic and weather conditions?) are hard on a firearm.

Probably a big difference between hunting Alaska and the Ohio Valley.

Yes, as far as new rifles go I think the classic deep blue and walnut are doomed, the new generation is generally not interested in "fudd" rifles. Not interested enough to pay box-new classic rifle prices at any rate. Manufacturers have already dropped most of the blue and walnut guns and in many cases it didn't that happen recently either. Leupold no longer makes glossy scopes. Etc. If it's something that starred in a video game or movie it will stick around a bit longer, for example guns that evoke the old west, meaning anything from Marlin Guide Guns to actual replicas.

Those "classic rifles" are old man guns. Guns young people think are cool look more like this, according to what I've seen posted on the internet:

I like wood too, got a few plastic rifles, but nothing like walnut or maple.

Its difficult enough to source a proper LH rifle with wood and controlled feed and even sometimes a good levergun. But now companies like CZ is eliminating the 550 line and no more leftnhand 375 h&h, no more MRC, Winchester 70 in lefty are reare as hens teeth and Ruger 77 is avaailable maybe in 6.5 Creedmoore which doesnt interest me at all. Its getting nigh impossible to find a good left hand 270 or 30-06. Thankfully Ruger supplies us with the wonderful scout rifle in lefty but i wish there were more special runs or preorder options. Kimber makes amazing rifles but not left handed but across the industry im seeing fewer classic rifles and its even worse for us afflicted with not bejng righties.

Those "classic rifles" "old man guns" don't seem to be going down in value. Ever notice what a pre-64 anything is going for these days? I doubt that a tacticool levergun will ever be anything than a passing fad that is passing fast. Fads are fads, nothing more.

OTOH .......... They don't call the classics classic for nothing. When people grow up, they learn to appreciate such things.

Nor mine ..... Just picked up and early 50s M-721 300H&H in the rare BDL version to replace one or two synthetic rifles as a part of the downsizing / UPGRADING program.

the answer to your question can be found at the gun rack in any lgs. few young buyers are wanting wood/blue. manufacturers recognize this and their products represent what the "majority" want, which is plastic, lower price, and virtual "throw away" just like tvs, electronics, computers, phones, and a myriad other items of today. us old folks grew up on wood/blue, thus we use and value same. the generation before us (my 1st son is 45) like wood but has more plastic guns. his kids have all plastic guns. so, the answer to your question, in my opinion, is "yes".

My 15 year old daughter is moving up from her Ruger 77/357 to a 7mm-08 this year. I pretty much gave her free reign to pick anything she wanted for a rifle with a definite "push" towards a S/S for ease of care. I showed her just about everything out there and she only wanted walnut/blued, finally settling in a model seven cdl.
So, there's still hope for the youngsters!

I like blued/walnut as much as anybody but I also like the modern forearms. What I don't like is when they take a classic like the model 77 and thread the barrel on all the models, do away with integrals scope mounts so they all wear picatinney rails, and discard offerings like the 270 and 30-06 which are my favorites. I'm a model 77 fan but they no longer make a 77 that excites me.