New "Plastic" Guns.....Uninspired and Repetitive.

1srelluc

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Nov 21, 2021
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Anyone else getting that vibe or is it just the Fudd in me?

Must be because I'm older but I swear the "fantastic plastic" guns are turning me off more with every sub-$500 model they come out with.

I mean how inspiring is a Savage Axis? Sure it will kill a deer as well as a pre-64 Winchester but I'd be embarrassed to hand one down to the next generation as a family heirloom.....I won't even get started on handguns.

I swear walking into most gun shops is like shopping in Target's bargain bin and half of them look like they were made by some autistic person with a CDC machine.

Never mind the "mission creep" as their owners hunt for stuff to get them to shoot right. It's like manufactures are just churning-out "cheap" guns with the notion of "well it sorta works, let the customer finish it".

Jeez, and I thought the "lawyer guns" of the 80s were bad.....My gunsmith gets a constant stream of out of the box guns that don't work right. He just tells the customers to send them back because if he as to work on them it voids the warranty.

He showed me a new Savage where the bolt was binding.....Small wonder, there was a fucking "hump" in the bolt.....Plain as day to see.
 
I have been wanting to buy a rifle for along time now can't seem to find one that I want to buy. It's becoming like a lot of other professions craftmanship and quality are no longer available.
 
What's them custom stocks, man? My friend's uncle had his prize .220 Swift in one.

Get teh plastic-wrapped thing and merge it into one o' them stocks, good to go!

You know, it's like sliced multicolored wood. Dammit, it's not "Stocky's", it's a dude's name. Grr!

This looks kinda like it.."Richard's"? That doesn't seem right..but it's similar.

Maybe that IS it. :dunno:

That .220 Swift was a tack driver. It was sweet! $1 a pop, though.

The stock did look kinda like this:
 

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I have been wanting to buy a rifle for along time now can't seem to find one that I want to buy. It's becoming like a lot of other professions craftmanship and quality are no longer available.
I'd suggest a Tikka Forrest or Hunter.

Browning also has some decent offerings, I was right impressed with their X-Bolt Hunter.

Even those manufactures use mostly plastic stocks these days with a limited number of wood stocked rifles but at least they don't feel like they were made from recycled melted-down 2-litre soda bottles. ;)

Something older off the used rifle rack is just fine if you know what you are about as far as to what to look for.
 
What's them custom stocks, man? My friend's uncle had his prize .220 Swift in one.

Get teh plastic-wrapped thing and merge it into one o' them stocks, good to go!

You know, it's like sliced multicolored wood. Dammit, it's not "Stocky's", it's a dude's name. Grr!

This looks kinda like it.."Richard's"? That doesn't seem right..but it's similar.

Maybe that IS it. :dunno:

That .220 Swift was a tack driver. It was sweet! $1 a pop, though.

The stock did look kinda like this:
They are called laminated wood stocks.....Very strong and stable though a bit on the hefty side.....Boyds has a nice line of them.

Hardwood Gunstock Manufacturer | Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
 
I'd suggest a Tikka Forrest or Hunter.

Browning also has some decent offerings, I was right impressed with their X-Bolt Hunter.

Even those manufactures use mostly plastic stocks these days with a limited number of wood stocked rifles but at least they don't feel like they were made from recycled melted-down 2-litre soda bottles. ;)

Something older off the used rifle rack is just fine if you know what you are about as far as to what to look for.
An aunt of mine had a BAR with intricate gold engraving in 30-.06 and she took a deer every year. That gun was beautiful.

Bah, I can't even bring myself to gun hunt anymore. It upsets the forest. Now taking a deer or 2 quietly does not.
 
Anyone else getting that vibe or is it just the Fudd in me?

Must be because I'm older but I swear the "fantastic plastic" guns are turning me off more with every sub-$500 model they come out with.

I mean how inspiring is a Savage Axis? Sure it will kill a deer as well as a pre-64 Winchester but I'd be embarrassed to hand one down to the next generation as a family heirloom.....I won't even get started on handguns.

I swear walking into most gun shops is like shopping in Target's bargain bin and half of them look like they were made by some autistic person with a CDC machine.

Never mind the "mission creep" as their owners hunt for stuff to get them to shoot right. It's like manufactures are just churning-out "cheap" guns with the notion of "well it sorta works, let the customer finish it".

Jeez, and I thought the "lawyer guns" of the 80s were bad.....My gunsmith gets a constant stream of out of the box guns that don't work right. He just tells the customers to send them back because if he as to work on them it voids the warranty.

He showed me a new Savage where the bolt was binding.....Small wonder, there was a fucking "hump" in the bolt.....Plain as day to see.
Soooo, you're not into "tactical tupperware"..........

Agreed, QC seems to have suffered as companies rush to meet demand and some of the new designs are "interesting" to say the least. The other day when I was at my favorite LGS I noticed they had a couple of Armscor .38s (wheelguns). I had researched them earlier, held one and it felt really comfortable in my hands but I was looking for some of the issues that had been reported. Sure enough this one had the most common problem, the barrel hadn't been aligned properly and was canted about 10 degrees to the left so the front sight was off. Pointed it out to the employee, he checked it and confirmed my observation, he was surprised, had never heard of this problem with Armscor wheelguns.
 
Nowadays some of the most popular 1911 grips aren't even wood, they're the "plastic" G10 grips.

4f7e28_54b33b4f1a7640b8aec724102620b4d6~mv2_d_1600_1600_s_2.jpg
 
Soooo, you're not into "tactical tupperware"..........

Agreed, QC seems to have suffered as companies rush to meet demand and some of the new designs are "interesting" to say the least. The other day when I was at my favorite LGS I noticed they had a couple of Armscor .38s (wheelguns). I had researched them earlier, held one and it felt really comfortable in my hands but I was looking for some of the issues that had been reported. Sure enough this one had the most common problem, the barrel hadn't been aligned properly and was canted about 10 degrees to the left so the front sight was off. Pointed it out to the employee, he checked it and confirmed my observation, he was surprised, had never heard of this problem with Armscor wheelguns.

My WWII-era 8mm Mauser is still the most well-crafted rifle I own, and it was made in the midst of a world war, under what I assume was massive pressure to churn them out fast and in huge numbers. The metallurgy and fit are top-notch.
 
My WWII-era 8mm Mauser is still the most well-crafted rifle I own, and it was made in the midst of a world war, under what I assume was massive pressure to churn them out fast and in huge numbers. The metallurgy and fit are top-notch.
It's German, what would you expect? But then again having handled a fair number of WW II Mausers and G33-40s a couple did have sticky bolts. Of course we are talking about today's firearms, even some of the big name manufacturers QC is suffering. Even Colt and Springfield are experiencing some QC issues with their new 1911s.
 
What's them custom stocks, man? My friend's uncle had his prize .220 Swift in one.

Get teh plastic-wrapped thing and merge it into one o' them stocks, good to go!

You know, it's like sliced multicolored wood. Dammit, it's not "Stocky's", it's a dude's name. Grr!

This looks kinda like it.."Richard's"? That doesn't seem right..but it's similar.

Maybe that IS it. :dunno:

That .220 Swift was a tack driver. It was sweet! $1 a pop, though.

The stock did look kinda like this:
With a hot load that Swift is just as swift as ever! Varmints are literally not safe @ any range when the ole .220 swift round is in the vicinity. Range limit accuracy when equipped with a weapon chambered for the .220 Swift depends on optics, breath control, stock weld & a steadily increasing pressure from the trigger finger. I'd bet varmints have been beheaded even @ 500 meters with the .220 Swift round(along with high end optics). There are two rifle rounds that I classify as long range artillery, the .220 Swift & the .340 Weatherby "shoulder breaker". Stay with the first mentioned round & AVOID the 2nd mentioned round altogether.
 
Anyone else getting that vibe or is it just the Fudd in me?

Must be because I'm older but I swear the "fantastic plastic" guns are turning me off more with every sub-$500 model they come out with.

I mean how inspiring is a Savage Axis? Sure it will kill a deer as well as a pre-64 Winchester but I'd be embarrassed to hand one down to the next generation as a family heirloom.....I won't even get started on handguns.

I swear walking into most gun shops is like shopping in Target's bargain bin and half of them look like they were made by some autistic person with a CDC machine.

Never mind the "mission creep" as their owners hunt for stuff to get them to shoot right. It's like manufactures are just churning-out "cheap" guns with the notion of "well it sorta works, let the customer finish it".

Jeez, and I thought the "lawyer guns" of the 80s were bad.....My gunsmith gets a constant stream of out of the box guns that don't work right. He just tells the customers to send them back because if he as to work on them it voids the warranty.

He showed me a new Savage where the bolt was binding.....Small wonder, there was a fucking "hump" in the bolt.....Plain as day to see.
I prefer my rifles/carbines to be equipped with a walnut wood stock & adjustable peep sights. They both came well used but at least I know that they are machined properly & other than that magazine catch you filled me in on regarding the 30 round magazine for my M1 carbine they always work perfectly. I guess that maybe sometimes older is better than new???
 

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