Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Does your taste in rifles keep changing

I was looking at an expensive Colt/Sauer rifle the other day. God it looked so awfully shiney. I remember a hunting pard had one of those back around 1980 and I thought it was great, it was so smooth and I didn't even think about the shiney Liberace look.

I didn't buy it because I didn't want to pay so much and then have stock and metal re done with a matte finish.

I have even ordered a McSwirly and not used it because my taste changed.

Is this looneyism, am I evolving or just going nuts?

Does your rifle tastes change? Do you loose interest in your old stuff after it happens?

i have always liked wood/blue, either a ruger, a rem 700, or a m70. that hasn't changed in 45 years.

I'd say you are not alone. I took a break from hunting.......should say I lost interest then I saw a Ruger No.1 that I had to have. I just sent it down the road, same with bolt guns. I had a Long Action BLR and swore I would never get another. Guess what I have 2 now, although they are short actions. I let a Winchester Classic Stainless in 270 go that was real accurate rifle, just didn't have the interest anymore. Right now I am on a lever gun kick although I still have a few bolt guns!

Mine's never changed.
SS barrel, action, composite/fiberglass stock.

Stainless and fiberglass to beat around, old blued steel and walnut (usually Winchester with the exception of a Marlin 39M) to appreciate.

Then you must be fairly young then...

Dober

try a tikka,it will change.

When younger I bought new Rems Brnings and Rugers. Now older, only buy honest used blue/wood with the smell of gunpowder and oil.

Dober, as you know, I'm old, and I would say my tastes have changed over the years. ( "Evolved" implies a progression, not applicable here..)
For game animals, I like wood and blue, and not the shiny stuff, kinda classic looks.
For varmints I like strict utility, cause I shoot( as you know) the crap out of my varmint rifles. SS, Synthetic, even camo goes... Whatever works and works well under heavy, low maintenance use...
Ingwe

Older is the key word here bud not old...grin

Dober

(snowing like a witch here!)

...like a witch, that's nasty....grin

Not snowing here yet.
And you are too kind, yes, I am simply older... ( The "wiser" part is not applicable here either...)
Ingwe

When I was a kid we used wood/blued for everything, from duck hunting on the swamps to deer hunting in the snow. That's all there was, and I'm only 35...

Now that I have SS and Fibreglass available to me, I prefer to use it. I'd still buy wood/blued if I really like the gun, but only if the price was right...

Heck I was thinking of the word sage instead of wise...

Dober

I'm 39 Mark, when I was 14 I really got into hunting/shooting back then 99% of guns were blued/walnut or some sort of wood.
The "customs" had stainless with composite stocks and I always wanted one.
I admit my first rifle was blued/wood because I could'nt afford the "customs" until I got a job that paid halfway decent and that wasnt until I was 24 or so.
Now days you dont need a "custom" to get the SS and composite.....I guess thats why I always liked em.

Well I have two "keepers" both M70s that I have had for more than 20 years, but I have had the barrels swapped out on these.

A lot of other rifles have come and gone including M70s.

Looneyism is a damn expensive restlessness.

Only thing thats changed is I like em lighter.

how tasteless

I like equally well the hard-nosed utility of synthetic stocks,and th reassuring knowledge that they will not change point of impact on me.But if a wood stocked rifle proves reliable, I would rather hunt with that these days

Pre 64 M70's and good Mausers,in nicley figured walnut throw me into a swoon.And my biggest problem is that,ever since I knew what they were(late 60's)I never saw a pre 64 M70 I did not want to own......

I've gotten into a kick of picking up "less common" rifles, especially those in standard calibers (don't want to be searching all over creation for a box of ammo).