Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

They just don't build beautiful hunting guns like they used to.

I think the popularity of bolt guns/AR's/semi-autos and the decline of the popularity of wood and blue steel killed off the old Savage. Could the Model 99 have survived if an all-weather/matte finish and a plastic black stock was offered at least as an option? Why do Winchester/Marlin blue/wood levers still do so well in sales? Oh, cowboy action shooting. Cowboy stuff is COOL these days. A trend that has been growing with American youth since the early 1990's. In the 1990's, country music, cowboy hats and pickup trucks suddenly where a hit with young America.
They still do well for the same season they always have with hunters. They carry easily, come to the shoulder quickly, and are chambered in big game cartridges. They also offer fast follow up shots.
 
No, I'm just mad because the particular guns I LIKE and the styles I LIKE are no longer produced. The 21st Century World hates my guts. They saw me coming and went out of their way to purposely hurt my feelings. My parts are hurt over the death of those three beautiful guns in my OP.
They are not dead, just no longer made. They are still available, if you look around. We share similar tastes except I have an affinity for Mannlicher stocks and 100 year old rifles. I own one plastic stock Ruger American in 30-06 only because I won it in a raffle. It is the most accurate rifle I own but is far from my favorite. I had the stock dipped in a burlwood wood pattern as I hate black plastic.
 
That one I did not do. Don't know who did. Just bought it because they are cool, if handsomely ugly, machines. For $500, hard to go wrong. Gotta figure out how to get a scope on it someday.

As for palmability, I don't know, nor care. But there is this Norwegian guy that knows how to work a bolt without it ever touching his palm.

Go to the 13:30 mark, or just watch the whole damn thing. It's pretty cool, even if you don't speak Norsk.

And here is another. These guys know how to put on matches.
The commentator lady was worth the watch in second video. Woof! Note the gal shooter's palm/finger never left the bolt handle when she was shooting and cycling. She pulled the trigger in that specially modified gun with her little finger. Appeared to be very light calibers. Definitely not hunting guns.
 
Guess I haven’t been here long enough to be familiar with Tomterrific. Enlighten me.
 
Guess I haven’t been here long enough to be familiar with Tomterrific. Enlighten me.
It was a dark and lonely time. Boredom. Nothing to hunt. Darkness. Cold. Snow.

And then, out of nowhere, TomTerrific arrived. At first, he warmed our hearts with a burning rage at his inanity. But gradually, we began to see the importance of his mission. The chaos had a purpose. He brought us through the darkness and then as spring began to approach, he disappeared just as quickly as he came to us.
 
Pretty guns, but, respectfully, I'll take my Remington 700s over that Husky any day. :sneaky:

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I never was very wild about the wet glossy look. Remington's "bowling pin" Dupont finish was shiny and didn't wear well. Too hard I think. After years in the field my old 870 Wingmaster's beautiful burl stock developed spiderweb cracks in the finish. It was too hard and didn't shrink and expand with the wood in outdoors humidity, especially duck hunting. Layering up oil finish can produce the same shiny deep rich look but very soft. A fingernail can scratch it (but very easy to fix with a bit of the oil finish on fingertip). I prefer oil finish buffed down to the wood with steel wool. There's something about the feel of smooth naked walnut in the hands. I feel connected to the gun.

I recently added a rail to my old Springfield and initially felt awful about it. If I wanted quick detach rings, it was unavoidable. No one makes extended QD rings and I needed the extension to keep my scope on classic Weaver bases so switching them for a rail was the only solution short of drilling more holes in the receiver (ugh!). Turns out I was able to find a rail that wasn't hideously tacticool slotted end to end and had a cutout for convenient loading of box magazine. Doesn't look too bad (except for the mat finish which is soon to be fixed when I have the gun reblued). It resembles the old Leopold and Redfield mounts and rings.20220210_231856_resized_1.jpg
 
Guess I haven’t been here long enough to be familiar with Tomterrific. Enlighten me.
He's an opinionated old fella for sure, but obviously has some experience in the field. Seems he may be having trouble getting around and the keyboard may be an outlet. He doesn't let the crowd of self centered childish cyberbully assholes on here get to him. He's definitely old fashioned and stubborn about it but not offensive. For that I will treat him with the courtesy he deserves. Tom does have a thing for asthetics.

Welcome, by the way.
 
My son got to pick his rifle for his 16th.

He picked an xbolt Medallion .300 win


It's a really pretty gun imo. Too pretty for a flatbrimmer, I was impressed that he was into pretty wood stocks.
 
It was a dark and lonely time. Boredom. Nothing to hunt. Darkness. Cold. Snow.

And then, out of nowhere, TomTerrific arrived. At first, he warmed our hearts with a burning rage at his inanity. But gradually, we began to see the importance of his mission. The chaos had a purpose. He brought us through the darkness and then as spring began to approach, he disappeared just as quickly as he came to us.
A small subset of us belonging to the Cult of Tom are eagerly anticipating his return. We meet every full moon to offer a blood sacrifice. Bring your finest walnut & blued rifles. Snacks are served after.

Seriously though, I kind of liked his threads on some guns I didn't know much about. We usually got to see photos of some pretty, old rifles. Was a bit of a polarizing figure here with bold statements equating to "Everyone under the age of 40 made all the guns look cheap." He may or may not have been onto a deeper truth.
 
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