What does a rifle say about its owner?

1899

1899

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I have a good chuckle every once in awhile when we get into a Savage, Tikka, Remington or whatever love/hate-fest.

I was thinking about the kind of rifles I like, and why I like them. There seem to be some stereotypes that go with certain brands. So what do you think a rifle says about the owner? Do you have hold any views about certain firearms?

For example, I think some of the fancier and custom Weatherby rifles - like the Crown Custom and even the Lazermark are gaudy. It's not so much the price that gets me, as I like Sauer, Steyr-Mannlicher (pre-SBS) and so forth.

What about the folks who have bought a .30-06 of some sort 50 years ago and are still hunting with the same rifle? Are they just stubborn old coots, or do they have the wisdom and maturity to know that they have everything they really need in that old rig?

And the opposite end of the spectrum, the folks that snatch up the "new and improved" thing-a-ma-jiggy. Are they suckers? Just bored? Perhaps they are the avant garde amonst us?

I am sentimental - so I hang on to stuff like my deceased father's rifles and shotguns. I like old stuff because I think it is practical, and don't really see useful advances, especially with respect to build quality. Same goes for chamberings, the older cartridges (7x57 to the "short" magnums of the 1960's) cover everything, and the newer stuff just seems like a marketing gimmick. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, it's just the way I perceive things.

I prefer practical over bling - so I won't hate on Savage or Tikka. At the same time I really appreciate fine wood, hand cut checkering and rust blueing because of the craftsmanship and skill involved.

What do you think? How do you see yourself reflected in your firearms?
 
I think Sako, Sauer and CZ owners are the most knowledgeable rifle owners. ;) :stirthepot2:

They are man with good taste for sure.
 
I'm guilty of stereotypeing others, but I can't help it.

The chances of a random Weatherby shooter at the range being a prick seem to be higher than average. Put a Swarovski on the weatherby and you can bet your last box of primers on it.
 
Obviously you're somewhat correct as people do by what they like and what "suits" them. Howevr, I have a friend in the states that is somewhat anal and picky about everything(I watched him tell a hot dog vender which condoments to put in what order on his hotdog). He has to have the finest bass boat, the greatest truck, best horse, primps like a woman etc.

He bought a fancy Weatherby 300 win mag to deer hunt in LA(lower Alabama):D where a monster buck is 165 lbs wet and Im talking live weight. He never did kill one without chasing and using a baseball bat, an oak tree limb or a knife after it had run 300yds.

I told him you're recoil shy and that's why you hit a doe in the hip @ 35 yds broad side in a ryegrass food plot. He "swole up" like a toad frog and said I insulted him. I said look, your nuts won't float in the bathtub and no one will call you a sissy, if you admit it and sell the fancy boomer and get a gun you can hit with or get another Weatherby in a smaller caliber.

He finaly bought a single shot 270 breach loader and is happy and I've not had to Flintstone a wounded deer since. Oh yeah, he keeps the fancy Weatherby in his hand-made oak gun cabinet for show, you know, mans gotta keep his image.
 
bellero said:
I think Sako, Sauer and CZ owners are the most knowledgeable rifle owners. ;) :stirthepot2:

They are man with good taste for sure.
Click to expand...

Oh I have no doubt you are correct and that they are the absolute "Brain Trust" of all knowlege, be it firearms, astrophysics, etc all one has to do is ask them or read their posts:p

They are all modest and humble too!:D
 
Likely the "look at me, I have a brilliant yellow Hummer" equation works on some gun owners as well, but not necessarily always.

I only buy guns that impress me, and could care less what other people think. I hunted whitetail for a good many years with a "sportered" 98 in 8x57. It had a cut down laminated military stock, a $10 scope, and weighed a ton. Later years, I had it rechambered to 8mm-06, only because a good friend was having one done and it was a better deal for two.

I have some real nice guns too. None are in the high class European group, but I think they are keepers. Each to his or her own.:)
 
The Nemesis owner are wise, i always buy what i think will really pleased me, got deception over the year as i have many price rifles in my safe that were not up to the task... JP.
 
I buy old rusty Cooeys and the like, and redo them to factory new look. I also realize that most of my purchases are old used models like the FN98 I'm getting tomorrow. Mainly for the sake of cost, but definitely in part....MAJOR part due to the fact that the older stuff was made with a much lesser regard for manufacture cost than for the simply pursuit of quality, sometimes at the demise of the company.
 
none of my guns look really impressive. some customs in synthetic bead blasted ss. not cheep but definatly not flashy. my cooper doesn't look special but they all fit and all shoot well. as for scopes luepold vx1 and vx11 nothing high end or flashy just what works for me. i don't go for flashy wood or high end optics just to say i own them. i would never buy something to impress other people or a rifle so large i could'nt shoot it well.
 
I like classy wood guns like my No. 1 in .300 h&h and my CZ 452. I also love my no nonsense Ruger 77 in a boring synthetic stock. I've also been know to carry a $100 mosin in the field. You can't always judge a guy on his gun.
 
i hate all sks's in any form, i hate stepping on the steel cases, i hate the bamg bang bang and i hate the spray and pray mentality. if your an sks shooter i will look down on you when im at the range.

other than sks shooters i dont really look up or down as long as the shooter can operate them.
 
I hunt with and plink with cheap rifles. A have a couple nice 22s. A rossi 37 pump and a 9422 both in mint condition. I use a mossberg chuckster 22mag. A stevens 200 in 2506 savage 111 in 300 wm and cva and traditions inline muzzleloaders. All shoot well enough for their intended purposes. I also have a double rifle in 4570 for bear hunting. None fancy but all practical. I hunt and guns as much as I love them are tools and they may get beat up. I hunt hard. That said I absolutely love fine craftsmanship high figured wood and colour case hardening. I think that would say I don't have a lot of money but I have fun and have a freezer full of meat from every game I've hunted. I don't look down at any responsible gun owner or shooter. I appreciate all guns even though there are brands I don't like. I'd love to have a room full of Holland n Hollands and John Rigbys and Purdys. I have much more finer tastes in shotguns then rifles however whenever I get my booger hook on a bang switch there's a smile on my face. I've seen an old guy take a beaver with a 3030 single shot that was all rusted at a distance of over a 150 yards. Don't sound like much of a feat but it stuck with me as he said "it aint much the gun but the shooter holden it. I got but this one gun and it do me good". I know there are stereotypes out there but shooting is a sport for people of every walk of life. I've seen complete bad ass looking guys shooting perazzis and high end berettas and I've seen dorky looking guys firing 460sw and 500sw handcannons. If we all had the same taste the shooting world would be a lot less exciting!
 
I like well-built rifles that have good fit & finish and hit where they are pointed every time. I like good clear optics that work well at first and last light. (Any rifle-scope looks pretty decent at noon on a sunny day! ;) ) I have seen some pretty good inexpensive rifles and also more than a few $3000.00 creations that look better in a gun cabinet than they do in the field.

While I personally have pretty utilitarian tastes in everything I couldn't care less what someone else carries as long as they can hit what they are aiming at and practice safety while they are hunting or shooting. While it would be hard to deny that today's manufacturing practices have improved the accuracy and reliability of even cheap rifles I still have a soft spot for North American and British rifles built during the 1950's and early 1960's. There was a time that a manufacturers pride showed in each and every firearm that left the factory unlike today when most makers look at rifles as just another widget to market to the masses at the largest possible profit margine.
 
IMO, guys with quality built, tough gear have been there, done that, and came to realize the money spent on said gear is of far greater value than the $$ spent. I use to be about quantity and bought cheap or avg stuff, but now realize that money is better spent on good stuff that lasts a lifetime.

A $2000 rifle, over 30 years of shooting and hunting is better spent than 4 $500 rifles.
 
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