Factory "Gentleman's rifle" - if there is such a thing

1899 said:
I think everyone has their own definition of what makes a "gentleman's" rifle.


First, who is a gentleman?

1. A civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man?
2. A man with an independent income who does not work for a living?
3. A man of noble birth or belonging to a family of high social station?
4. A man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior?

IMO the kit a person carries does not necessarily define them. You see miscreants in court, dressed up in a suit and tie - their clothing certainly does not make them a gentleman.

I would consider my best friend a gentleman. He hunts with a McMillan stocked, trued SS Remington 700 with a Krieger barrel - all put together by our very own Guntech. His firearm is a tool and he has it fashioned in the way it will serve his needs best.

In some ways the question reminds me of a "gentleman's knife", which is something you might carry to a fancy dinner, in the pocket of your suit. It would be quite slim, classy and elegant. So is a "gentlemen's rifle" just something classy, elegant and timeless? If that is the case I would consider, new, a Merkel single shot rifle. In my eyes a person carrying a single shot rifle has an air of confidence in themselves and their kit. For used, any pre-war Mannlicher Schoenauer or Oberndorf Mauser.

If you end up with a Mannlicher Schoenauer then you should also take a copy of Hemingway's Islands in the Stream. And Old Man and the Sea.


“A gun is to shoot anyway, he thought, not to be preserved in a case, and this was a really good rifle, easy to shoot, easy to teach anyone to shoot with, and handy on the boat. He had always had more confidence shooting it, as to being able to place his shots at close and moderate range, than any other rifle he had ever owned and it made him happy to pull it out of the case now and pull back the bolt and shove a shell into the breech.”
—Ernest Hemingway, Islands in the Stream

;)
Click to expand...

Good question! Your post reminds me of an article I read a while ago by Wayne Van Zwoll titled "why some rifles have a soul and others do not"

I guess for myself, it's the difference in feeling I get when I see the savage axis (my first rifle) in my closet and pick it up vsbthe feeling I get when I see my uncles ancient 300wby hes packed around the world for the past 40 years and harvested everything from nz red stag, a b and c kodiak grizzly, ## elk coues deer , 70" moose and a NA grand slam.

I see that thing and think to myself, damn I'd love to buy that thing a whiskey and hear some of its stories.
 
todbartell said:
Mossberg Patriot Revere

re·vere
/rəˈvir/
verb
revere; 3rd person present: reveres; past tense: revered; past participle: revered; gerund or present participle: revering
feel deep respect or admiration for (something).



MG_1036.jpg
Click to expand...

That's a surprisingly nice rifle. I wouldn't have guessed it to be a Mossberg. Are they all that nice or did you get the pick of the litter?
 
Does a Bergara B14 woodsman count?

May not have the panache of a 275 Rigby or a Lee Speed, but it is a handsome, traditionally stocked rifle.

B14LM201.jpg
 
For me, and one that was handed down to me from Dad, is his Husqvarna model 4000 light weight, with 'very' nice factory wood and in 30-06. :) I last used it in AB on a Mule Deer hunt on draw. When the 'time comes', I'll pass it on to my right handed Granddaughter in AB. As things sit, most others in the family it could go to are lefties. Other than that, and from my existing 'harem', I'd put forth my model 65DL Schultz & Larsen in 308Norma Mag :) .
 
todbartell said:
Mossberg Patriot Revere

re·vere
/rəˈvir/
verb
revere; 3rd person present: reveres; past tense: revered; past participle: revered; gerund or present participle: revering
feel deep respect or admiration for (something).



MG_1036.jpg
Click to expand...

I like that sling. Do you know the brand and model?

Thanks in advance
 
Type A mauser 98 sporter in 9.3x62, pre-64 300 H+H model 70,BRNO21 7x57.............need a 6.5x54 MS in a 1903 Win 70 FWT 6.5x55 for modern.
 
Ardent said:
A blue collar gentleman’s rifle is a Ruger No.1, that was literally its reason for being. And at the price point, or even triple it, nothing in my eyes is classier. Especially an RSI or 1A.
Click to expand...

Five years ago they were around $1000, now close to $2000.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom