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

Punks. They don't know if I fired 5 or 6 times. In all this excitement I kinda lost track myself.

If that thing's pointed at me, Dan, I'm not feeling lucky.

I think Cooper offers LH rifles, albeit push-feed.

I think the main problem of blued steel and walnut classic guns is that they are built too damn solidly.
There's so many of them out there in perfectly servicable condition that many people interested in that sort of thing are just going to buy them used and who can blame them?
Firearms manufacturers get the short end of the stick here because they really can't profit off of used guns being sold, so the marketing departments think up some grand new trend to sell new guns with.
With the state a lot of modern hunting and firearms magazines are in, it's an easy thing to shill even the worst of garbage to the general populace. You can basically create demand with a snap of your finger that way.
It's only natural if you think about it: The whole AR-15 accessory market today is probably larger than the entire US firearms industry 50 or 60 years ago. A light here, a grip there and you can keep raking in cash for years with the same gun.
Of course left handers like OP are a little screwed by this development since lefty rifles probably only make up a few percent of the ones already in circulation.

They

They are already gone. Classic wood stocks are aftermarket or custom alterations, and have been for a while. As most here know, they are only available on high priced firearms. The only way to get them now is to shell out big bux, even when buying used.

Plastic is the new wood.
You cannt stop progress.
Rust never sleeps.

If you’re talking about the Hunter, the dovetails remain. They drilled the receiver for a rail, and provide one, which is fine. Options are good. Same setup came with my Mini-14 Ranch. Not crazy about the threaded bulge, but wouldn’t stop me from buying. Haven’t seen other wood-sticked ones with threads or rails.

A thing of the past? No, but they're lacking in practicality. I'm not knocking around a classic blued-and-walnut rifle in the truck, backcountry, or underground. I don't feel bad about beating up a matte/polymer rifle or shotgun.

That's true, but most folks don't knock around their stainless polymer guns either.

For sure, my farm and truck guns are all either disposable junk or ss/synthetic.

My upland shotgun was completely redone when I bought it, including re-cut checkering, re blued barrels and re-colorcase hardened the side plates. If I shot waterfowl, the gun would be stainless synthetic.

Horses for courses....

I love good wood and bright blueing. I do have a couple of synthetic stocked rifles, and they have there uses. If classics are doomed and nobody wants them, then a bigger selection for me as I would be interested.

No, classic rifles aren't doomed. But as one of the more perceptive posters noted, there are zillion out there already--which is why there's no reason for most big rifle manufacturers to continue making more. Here are a couple of examples:



The top rifle is a German custom 8x57, probably made about a century ago. Bought it for $600 at a gun show--about the same price as many new synthetic-stocked bolt rifles today.

The one below is a custom .30-06 built on a G33/40 Mauser action. Great work, nice wood, and very accurate. Got it a couple years ago for $1500. Might have to to 10 times as much to have a similar rifle built today.

There are a BUNCH of similar old custom rifles out there.

The same thing applies to Savage 99's. Some 99 fans still whine about why Savage never started making the "old 99" again after CNC machinery made it possible The reason they didn't is there are millions of original, old 99s that can be purchased for maybe $600--again, about the same price as many new synthetic-stocked bolt rifles today.

Wood for me, hated every plastic stocked rifle I have ever owned and have eventually sent them all down the road.

Nothing say class like a savage 99.

The day doesn' t go by on this 24 hr campfire that somebody isn't talking about his next build. Several more often than not, another blued and walnut gun is disassembled, rebarreled, restocked with a syn stock , $200 trigger, butt ugly talleywhacker scope mounts ,cerakoted , laser etched decorations and a 1500 dollar scope to make it all work. Not even mentioning the thread jobs for brakes, cans and flash eliminators and tactical dodaws hanging off it. Don't want to even mention rebarreling cause the twist ain't right for the latest dodaw bullet or they that they had it cut and crowned 3 times and it's still to short. God damn people look in the mirror to see who is making blued / walnut go away, he looks like you or some asswipe on a tv hunting show. Jfc MB

Hardly a day goes by one somebody is complaining about how someone else spends their money.

Everyone and everything is doomed, eventually.

I do not believe that the big rifle manufacturers stopped making them because there are a zillion out there. Production of wooden stocked rifles is more costly than plastic ones. I believe the manufacturers do not see a market for them - except as special order firearms or custom shop pieces.

oldpinecricker would have to confirm, but it appears he cannot find them and wonders, "Will these be just a memory of the past in our near future?"

To me, this sounds like he is asking about new production. If this is the case, classic, wood stocked rifles are a thing of the past, unless you lay down big bucks for a new production rifle with optioned wood. If you are content with a used, classic rifle, the number of these will diminish over time.

To that end, he would like to know if anyone knows the status of left handed Ruger 77s. He appears to be looking for some.

"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."

oldpinecricker, as you know, the left hand market is small to begin with, so a used rifle of the kind you want will be harder to find. I think that you will have to look hard to get what you want.

I feel the same way, nothing like blued steel high gloss scopes and walnut furniture.

And I have a local gun shop here that is really more a tactical shop but will take anything in on consignment including classics.

They price them low telling people that there is no demand for them here because you can't hunt with a rifle in Jersey, only shotgun or muzzleloader.
These classics are what I call "Catskill Rifles" in that old timers used to hunt New York State and gave it up due to age or health. For the most part have been sitting in a closet or gun cabinet for years till the man dies and the family just wants it gone because no one in the family hunts anymore.

I've picked up in the past 2 years(stolen really) 3 Remington 760 pumps, 3 Marlin 336's in .35 Remington, and 2 Remington 700 BDL's, ALL very clean with little use. One 760 was so dusty from sitting in a closet that you couldn't see into the muzzle, it was solid dust.

One of the 760's was a first year production, March 1952, absolutely clean for it's age and I got it for $200!!!!! Hard to find a good .22 rimfire today for $200 !!!!

So I guess some of us make out due to the fact that "taste" in guns change, I know I for one will buy classics whether I need them or not, but I am most definitely "old school".

Old Pinecriker,
Sounds as if you may be about ready for a double rifle or two or maybe more interesting lever action rifles such as an 1895 .405 WCF or 50 .110 .
Both the DR and lever gun are ambidextrous and I shoot mine both righty and lefty.

I have bolt guns too, but REALLY like my levers and doubles. Either can be peep sighted or scoped or both.
Beretta .45-70 DR


Simson Suhl .405 WCF DR with red deer hind


See Avatar for 1895 .405 WCF with Cape Buffalo.

Steve,

"I do not believe that the big rifle manufacturers stopped making them because the are a zillion out there. Production of wooden stocked rifles is more costly than plastic ones. I believe the manufacturers do not see a market for them - except as special order firearms or custom shop pieces."

Well, duh!

No, manufacturers did not stop making wood-stocked, blued rifle JUST because there are already a zillion out there. But that was a major factor. Why wouldn't it be, when anybody who wants a "classic" Savage 99 (or even a "shooter" pre-'64 Model 70) can purchase one TODAY for a price comparable to a new, plastic-stocked rifle?

The overall trend in rifle manufacturing, especially since WWII, has been toward quicker, cheaper mass-production methods. Among the first examples are the Remington 721/722, introduced in 1947 for a MUCH lower price than the Model 70 Winchester, due to methods in large part developed when Remington made 1903A3 rifles during the war, including button rifling and stamped sheet-steel parts.

Some shooters complained about this back then, which sounds very much like the complaints here. Yet the 721/722 rifles succeeded, to the point where they morphed into the highest-selling bolt-action centerfire rifle of the last half of the 20th century, the Remington 700. The 700 essentially killed off the pre-'64 M70, despite the 70 being made the "classic" way, and the 700 having stamped ALUMINUM parts, and impressed checkering. (In fact many hunters today consider the 721/722 "classics," because they have wood stocks.)

But the big point is that the average hunter or shooter has never considered "classic" all that important. If the rifle functions correctly, why not? Another good example is the Savage Model 23, another wood-stocked "cheap" rifle that shot more accurately than more expensive "classic" rifles. This was because Savage used various less-expensive, quicker manufacturing techniques, including machining the very simple bolt-action out of the rear of the barrel.

ALL such stuff (including injection-molded synthetic stocks) has been the overall trend for rifle manufacturing ever since mass-produced rifles appeared. But many rifle loonies tend to bitch about every change made since THEY started shooting, even though they (if they really want to) can buy the "classic" rifles of their youth for very affordable prices.

John,

Profit has always been the bottom line. That's a given. I responded to your 'zillion' remark.

I was trying to help with oldpinecricker's problem, so back to that.

oldpinecricker, to repeat, you're going to have to keep your eyes peeled for used pieces or shell out big bux to a custom shop.