Beautiful wood/works of art -- Do you hunt with them?

[Kevin Peacocke]

A hunt is so special, preparing for it, collecting all the gear, daydreaming. I confess I am a nostalgia junkie and believe that one owes not just the animals, but the whole experience respect. For me that means proper leather boots (Courteney's), Classic hat, a hand made knife, good clothes(Westley Richards), good single malt Scotch and cigars for the evenings .... and the finest walnut stock you can afford on that special rifle of yours. Of course use it, carefully yes, but savour every moment.

 

[Rick Cox]

I'd like a used rifle that shoots well and looks good. The scratches and dings ease my mind. I won't be the first to add character and it is my job to see that I won't be the last either. My Ruger No. 1 is my pride and joy of all of my guns in the collection and it has been all kinds of used before I even got it. It goes with me everywhere. I don't have to worry about it.

The things I keep as safe queens are for sentimental value. Only when they can recite the stories of the men that carried them will my sons be allowed to use them.

I was cured of beautiful wallhangers disease at 15 years old. I was shown a collection of beautiful guns and asked which one unwanted to shoot. Sheepishly I pointed to a high grade gun and quickly said that I understood it was not possible. That great man laughed and said, "Son those are guns and meant to be shot. They just happen to be nice to look at." Twenty minutes later I was shooting the gun of my choosing. I will be forever grateful for that lesson.

Good story!

 

[Accidental Villain]

Ok another thing I am curious about, for those of you with really fine exhibition grade guns who hunt with them, how do you keep the wood nice?
Do you worry about it?
Do you have a different stock for your hunts like a fiberglass stock you use or do you just not worry about it?
I currently dont own any super fine wood on my rifles, but I do salivate over it. I did take 2 of my rifles and restock them then put a London oil finish on them. Was a fun, long process I enjoyed. I do find it somewhat regretful when I come in from a hunt and see a new battle scar, and to be honest If one of my sons "dings" one of these guns I put all this time in, it bothers me to a much greater extent than when I do it.

Now, If you want the strongest, toughest, most durable, most recoil resistant wood on your rifle you`re in for a real treat and bonus..
There is only one option, which is Juglans Regia walnut that have grown for maybe 400 to 500 years in semi desert conditions up in the mountains. Growing little by little every year under such conditions producing very to exceptional dense grain it more as a rule also is exceptionally beautiful but it really is a bonus in many cases.

I commissioned a custom on an Oberndorf M98 a few years back. This was an old school build. Hand in-letting of the action (not a grain of bedding mess on this one). During the build I received this picture with the "complaint" put in a funny way that the gun makers tools did`nt bite on the wood..it was incredible hard wood.

He spent 3 whole days just in-letting the action..

Here is one near completion. Still in the white but with first layer of oil

Nice is`nt it. BUT, it is meant to be used and used hard when necessary. I hope there will be many battle scars on this one..

 

[7x57Joe]

That is a beautiful stock Accidental Villain!

 

[Accidental Villain]

Thanks @7x57Joe ! Yes its very nice. I won`t take credit for it though. Its the gunmaker that just nailed it. I know my rifle has been the "blueprint" or copied a couple of times.
Thats kind of important when commissioning a custom, supply good materials and some cool design ideas and the gunmaker will put hes heart and mind into it and make something very special.
Anyways, it did`nt make that`a black hole in my bankaccount.. Think it set me back less than a blinged up blaster would. Very happy with it of course.

 

[Longwalker]

Ha! " blinged up blaster" is a new phrase I must remember! Love the style and form of your custom rifle Accidental Villain. It looks like it is eager to go hunt.

 

[chashardy]

I agree with the comments above. I have several very fine shotguns and rifles all with beautiful wood. The dings and scratches give the gun character. If properly maintained they just get better with age.

 

[tigris115]

tbh, I'd be really afraid to go big game hunting with a really expensive gun. I think it's equivalent to not wanting your Bentley to get scratched or dinked so you don't take it out that much.

 

[Tanks]

In Africa in countries where it is dry no problem. As a matter of fact I am getting a nice Turkish walnut stock being made for one of the rifles I am taking to Zim. For really wet environments, or Alaska I would take either a synthetic, bamboo or laminate stock.

 

[Major Khan]

Of course , I do ! Otherwise , it is merely a decoration piece .
My " Old Belgian " was a great deal shinier when I 1st purchased it from an English tea plantation owner in 1959 .
Still , for a 61 year old fire arm... I must say that I have been taking great care of it .

 

[Accidental Villain]

tbh, I'd be really afraid to go big game hunting with a really expensive gun. I think it's equivalent to not wanting your Bentley to get scratched or dinked so you don't take it out that much.

Of course. But, put in another way,,going into battle you want the best possible guns to back you up. Your life may depend on it, and eventually the success of an expensive safari. I am well aware of this thinking as I use a vintage Rigby Big Game when hunting DG. I can promise you some of the airline personell responsible for transporting my rifle becomes very aware of me. I am also concerned at times naturally. BUT, that does`nt mean I schould`nt use it. I use it because it`s the by far the best gun for the job and I trust it 100%. It is built with premium materials by master craftsmen and this is its intended purpose.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I feel like I don't really own a rifle until it is no longer pristine. I own synthetic-stocked rifles and I like them quite well but I've burned myself on a synthetic stock that stayed in the sun too long. Wood doesn't do that.

 

[MS 9x56]

Not much sense owning a gorgeous gun if you dont take it out hunting so you can admire it in its native habitat.

 

[gizmo]

I have a super grade Win Model 70 that I hunted with for several years. It's retired to the safe now. I got to where I was more worried about dinging the wood than I was hunting. With the plethora of good inexpensive rifles now days I hunt mainly with synthetic stocks or run of the mill wood stocked rifles. I love that model 70 and still do shoot it, I just dont take it into the field anymore.

 

[IvW]

A rifle is a tool and needs to be used.....if you are a hunter....

 

[Newboomer]

A rifle is a tool and needs to be used.....if you are a hunter....

All my rifles have a few battle scars. They are meant to be used, not abused, but not immune to wear.

 

[Rare Breed]

Ok another thing I am curious about, for those of you with really fine exhibition grade guns who hunt with them, how do you keep the wood nice?
Do you worry about it?
Do you have a different stock for your hunts like a fiberglass stock you use or do you just not worry about it?
I currently dont own any super fine wood on my rifles, but I do salivate over it. I did take 2 of my rifles and restock them then put a London oil finish on them. Was a fun, long process I enjoyed. I do find it somewhat regretful when I come in from a hunt and see a new battle scar, and to be honest If one of my sons "dings" one of these guns I put all this time in, it bothers me to a much greater extent than when I do it.

I have a Chapuis DR with both beautiful wood and engraving I do not hesitate to hunt with. Any scratches add to the character of the gun

 

[MS 9x56]

Scratches and dings are what memories are made of. I know when I am hunting with my 100+ year old guns and look at the scratches and dents I try to imagine the great hunts that put them there. Builds character.

 

[rookhawk]

There are two kinds of wood guns. Guns that were finished poorly and look like garbage as they age, and guns that were finished flawlessly when new and grow in beauty with age.

If the gun was finished with laquer, polyurethane, or truoil that shiny plastic finish looks just awful as it ages. A used weatherby finish looks like a lot like a 50 year old at the bar at closing time....ten feet away in low light it might be okay but got forbid you see it in daylight.

If you have a Purdey style finish of oil, rottonstone, and slacum applied to a gun (or you bought one tht had that style finish applied a century ago) its so easy to maintain. Every start and end of season you put one drop on the palm of your hand of additional oil and you rub it into the stock until warm. All the micro scratches and small gouges get filled, the patina looks beautiful, and the wear is largely reversible forever without a refinish more than once every half-century.

The argument of forgoing all the above for an ugly glass, resin, or plastic stock is a pretty bad one. There is no repair recourse when all of those synthetics get damaged so the argument in their favor is an illogical one "buy an ugly plastic stock that looks like crap new, will look like crap used, and cannot be repaired". Worst case, you do nothing to the wood and it looks good new and like crap used and unmaintained...at least it looked good once, worst case. Best case, you look after it and it looks good in perpetuity.

 

[BJONES]

My first "nice" rifle (nice for me!) a Kimber Super America in 300 WinMag. Very pretty wood. Took it to RSA and it came back with a few nicks and scratches. At first I was irritated I didn't take better care of it. Now I'm just ready to go back and make some more memories. BTW, leave tomorrow for Namibia! LOL

Guess if it was a rifle I thought I might re-sale one day then I might have to reconsider my thinking. But if I'm keeping it then I'm not going to sweat it.