What ever happened to guns

What ever happened to guns being pretty?? Now I’m not trying to spark a debate on nice wood vs synthetic or blued vs an all-weather park finish, as they all have their use and place. However I was thinking about it and started looking, I’d wager 85-90% of guns mfg today are either toting plastic over wood or cerakoted/parkerized/all-weather finishes if not both. I still think the blueing on Older Colts is one of the sexiest things around, and the rosewood grips on my S&W target model 1950 will turn more heads than MIss November.
I don’t mind the looks of my AR/AK one bit, and my glock is one of the best functioning pieces out there but I hate that gun makers seem to have completely given up on the aesthetics of guns, in favor of just function.
Any who that’s my rant for the day, carry on y’all.


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I too miss nice wood and real bluing. I guess they've given way to cut costs....

Young people say its to pretty, I might scratch it, and then they don't want to pay for it because it means nothing to them. Hard to beat calico,tiger striped walnut!

AS 45/70 said, it comes down to cost. Imagine if you can the amount of hand polishing required to achieve the lustrous bluing on an older Colt or Smith. I have gotten to the point that all I collect are blued guns with walnut....

Bailey Boat said:

,,,,, gotten to the point that all I collect are blued guns with walnut....

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agree,,,,,nothing nicer,,,,,,,

Direct from S&W.....

Cost.
That was why they dumped most the blue and matte finish blue guns, turned to rubber grip and not wood.
They stopped making them do to no demand at the cost they had to start charging.
Few years back they started doing some special runs and most did not have the high polished finish. They are being built with a lot more tools and machines, not the hands on work of the old days.

Last I talked to them they would still do some custom shop guns and limited runs in blue but not many if any high polished like in the past.

Dern Ikea.....

Eric Revo said:

Dern Ikea.....

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Yep
I would say more Walmart.
Back in the 80's early 90's Remington started its upturn and down fall....
There was a big push for the Walmart guns.
They pushed for cheap wood, plastic and painted or Matte finished guns.
At the time wingmasters were a big seller, also the walnut R700.
Walmart pushed Remington and others to build based on Price point.
Build it cheap so we can sell it cheap. Next thing more of my customers were moving to Browning and other import guns.
They did not want to pay the 550 for a wingmaster be in the group of shooters that were shooting the 200$ Express. Same for the rifles.

Value fell off and also quality. From that point on the big box stores sold more and more of the cheap made guns making the dealers stock more of them to price match and compete. When they did that the higher end guns fell by the wayside....

Next thing you know they start importing cheap guns and adding the Remington name to them. The name took a hit and people moved on.
Savage was in the same loop. They had to start rethinking it and move forward with newer and better products. Reming really has not. They had many failed trying.

The gun manufacturer's are just giving people what they want, based on sales. If you want pretty wood and nice blueing, there's plenty to choose from for those that are willing to pay for it.

Everything in the marketplace is consumer driven based on the principles of supply and demand and that applies to guns just like it does to underwear and socks.

It's a conveniently ignored fact that American consumers drove American products (and jobs) out of the marketplace. We've got no one to blame but ourselves for the price and selection of all the things we buy and consume.

I agree with 41magfan in that manufacturers have reacted to the demand from consumers for firearms built and designed for fairly specific uses, be them rifles, shotguns or handguns. As interest in varying shooting sports grows- like bird hunting (upland or dove), waterfowl hunting, target shooting (rimfire, big bore rifle, shotgun and handgun), big game hunting in varying climates and conditions, personal protection, etc. so does the availability of usage specific firearms. I have graduated from a single shotgun for all uses, a handgun for target shooting and a rebuilt Spanish Mauser for deer hunting to a variety of guns tailored for my specific uses. Some are prettier than others, like my walnut stocked and heavily engraved 28 SxS for bird hunting or my classic Sweet Sixteen for pheasants and late season doves compared to my composite stocked A-5 for waterfowl and composite/stainless rifle for deer hunting. But with the latter ones I don't have to worry about corrosion or stock dings in tower stands to keep them looking beautiful. Even the use of stainless steel in classic pistols like the venerable 1911 means I don't have to worry about cleaning my carry piece daily should weather conditions turn crappy...a simple daily check for lint bunnies and a wipe down and I'm good to go.

I totally agree that a classic walnut stocked and deeply polished & blued gun is much more attractive than a composite & parkerized version I for one choose to not subject a gorgeous piece to the rigors of a duck boat or flooded timber when the modern gun will hold up better and not only require less maintenance but won't show the wear and tear as much. Plus with the adjustability of modern guns (stock cast & drop adjusting shims, adjustable LOP spacers and the like) I can fit an ordinary off the shelf piece to fit my needs with the specific clothes I wear.

Black walnut is expensive

woodmoose said:

agree,,,,,nothing nicer,,,,,,,

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Amen John.......or Cherry or Maple!

41magnum said:

Amen John.......or Cherry or Maple!

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Now we are getting somewhere!!

All of my guns except for 2 are blued with wood stocks, IMO the Browning Lever Action being the best looking of the group. Weatherby still makes some very fine looking rifles, even in the Vanguard Series, and there are others. But for the most part I don't see a lot of new guns on the shelves that really spark my intrest because of their beauty.

Plenty of nice wood stock and blued guns being made today. You just won’t find very many for sale in box stores or priced less than 1 grand.

I was thinking about this thread last night and I think in all fairness we also have to blame our illustrious government for the loss of really high quality bluing.

I sent a 3.5" mod 27 back to Smith a few years ago for a complete re-do. I had carried the gun many years while hunting and the finish was wearing a little thin. When I specified the "original" bluing they politely informed me that it wouldn't be exactly the same since the chemicals originally used in that formula were now outlawed for use by the EPA.

Well 13 weeks later I received my gun back from them and to say the finish wasn't "exactly the same" would be a gross understatement. It looked like something I would do out in my shop. It was blue, the finish was fairly even and since there wasn't much polishing to be done I guess it turned out okay. Obviously I was disappointed and later sold the gun because it was no longer what I wanted. In hindsight I wish I had left it alone and not attempted a restoration.

I love my wood stocked rifles. I believe Weatherby, Remington/Marlin, Winchester, Henry, CZ,Browning and quite a few others still make a nice wood stocked rifle but they are a premium. I am partial to Weatherby for the value but my Winchester 88 has some nice wood as well. I would love a model 70 super grade with a walnut stock.

My synthetic stock rifles have their p lace as well. Especially in the rain. Although not as pretty some of them are darn good shooters too.