full stock rifles pros & cons

You ask an opinion and you should be prepared, even expect, that not everyone will agree with you, especially when it comes to esthetics.

I consider full wood stocks UGLY. Typical pretentious, garish European excess that panders to how the gun looks rather than how it shoots.
 
I have never owned one but do like the look of them.The Ruger#1 and Styer being my favorites.

My chum just hates the full wood stock.He calls it an unsercumsized rifle
 
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Andy said:
You ask an opinion and you should be prepared, even expect, that not everyone will agree with you, especially when it comes to esthetics.

I consider full wood stocks UGLY. Typical pretentious, garish European excess that panders to how the gun looks rather than how it shoots.
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I wonder what the Europeans think of American rifles.........soulless, plain and cumbersome?:p
And, Andy, I think it's a perhaps an inaccurate generalisation to say that Europeans pretentiously prefer form over function.:rolleyes:
In my experience they demand high standards of both.
 
kombi1976 said:
I wonder what the Europeans think of American rifles.........soulless, plain and cumbersome?:p
And, Andy, I think it's a perhaps an inaccurate generalisation to say that Europeans pretentiously prefer form over function.:rolleyes:
In my experience they demand high standards of both.
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In fact (not to generalize), I do suspect that many Europeans think just that. Why must a gun have a "soul"? Why does it require an engraved hunting scene or "beautiful" (being in the eye of the beholder) wood-work?

Speaking of cumbersome, those fancy guns are cumbersome no matter how ergenomically designed they might be. Some guy shows up at Hunt Camp with one, and it doesn't leave its velvet-lined case if there is any chance of rain. If it hits the woods, there is extra care required in every situation to avoid scratches and the like. If the owner happens to actually kill something with it, he can't even relax for a photo op (which those guns beg for), because that buttstock can't touch the ground and heaven knows how blood might affect the finish. You see the same kind of behaviour at the range.

I appreciate a good-looking gun that feels good and functions well. I just think that full-wood in general are ugly, and so are many of the attempts to "add soul" to a gun. Tools are what is needed in the field, but the showpieces belong in homes and museums where they can be preserved.
 
Andy said:
Speaking of cumbersome, those fancy guns are cumbersome no matter how ergenomically designed they might be. Some guy shows up at Hunt Camp with one, and it doesn't leave its velvet-lined case if there is any chance of rain. If it hits the woods, there is extra care required in every situation to avoid scratches and the like. If the owner happens to actually kill something with it, he can't even relax for a photo op (which those guns beg for), because that buttstock can't touch the ground and heaven knows how blood might affect the finish. You see the same kind of behaviour at the range.
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I disagree with this. I have a couple of "those fancy guns" and I hunt with them. They have battle scars and that is just fine. Sure it bugs me when they get damaged, but it would bug me if I had a Stevens 200 and it got damaged too! It is not about "soul", it is about quality of materials and craftsmanship: something that is sorely lacking in "American" guns.
 
Really it's like any boys' toys...be it European or American, those neat things with delicate details are often going to be cared for...unless the guy has no utter respect. Look at swiss watches...how many people dive with their Seamasters and what not? Sure some do, but I hope they don't go searching for rocks and corral to see if the crystal or sapphire is hard enough...

Surely Americans can make beautifully crafted guns, but for a given price....no one expects a basic m700 to look like a deluxe S202 takedown.
 
Form over function,? My full stock 6.5 swede CZ is the most accurate centrefire in my collection, all the others are bog standard! Scratches, sure it has plenty and will no doubt get some more before it gets retired but itis a very accurate tool and cheaper than Tikka and Sako, Heym or steyr or any US import. If I owned a truly luxury rifle it would be a double in 700NE or similar and I would really look after the cosmetics especially if it cost more than my car or house!
 
where can one find a 6.5 CZ nowadays?

I've seen german cars after 7 years of use.... looked better than most 1 year old ones that we drive. Just a matter of the way people take care of their stuff.

Imagine you've got one that's already beaten up. But it shoulders and shoots great. Would you take it in the woods?
 
One day, Andy, I'll get enough money to buy a drilling, probably a 16g/16g/7x65R, and I can guarantee you that it will see more field work than any of my other guns from there on.
Remember that a lot of Europeans own 1 gun, and when they buy it they make it count, hence the fascination with drillings, combo guns, barrel inserts and switch barrel rifles.
I'm sorry if your experience with people who own these sort of guns is that they are paranoid about them.
For the price it's understandable but for the workaday hunters, farmers and game wardens in Europe they are tools and are just as likely to be slung over one's back while 3 big dogs drag you through a bog in search of hogs or deer.
And keep in mind that there are guys who are just as paranoid about their Winchester or Remington.
 
where can one find a 6.5 CZ nowadays?


made all the time, mine is less than 5 years old and still listed!
 
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