Indians For Guns

I`ve been thinking recently about trends and fashions in firearms design. As an example a few years ago most British and quite a few continental rifles were fitted with Monte Carlo stocks, nowadays very few are - this being due mostly to American influence where the prevailing style is the high-comb, straight, `American` type which is ideally suited for scope use and pre-mounted or rest shooting but hopeless for `snap` ( moving target ) shooting. The Monte Carlo isn`t exactly ideal for snap shooting either but retains some, vestigal handling ability.
A friend in the US was looking for a 7x57 rifle and I found a nice - and very cheap - Parker Hale with a straight-grained Monte Carlo stock with Rosewood fore-end and grips caps and a colts foot grip. "Yeah" said he "It`ll have to be re-stocked though".
I rather like Monte Carlo stocks and find them elegant......especially when compared to the - frankly `plain Jane` American style. Mehul detests them.
What brought on my thinking about fashion trends was a rifle that was put on guntrader.co.uk the other night - a Heym SR20 with highly finished, oiled, full ( `Stutzen` ) stocked dark woodwork and a full Monte Carlo butt with colts foot grip. A gorgeous little rifle and very well priced at £495 ( I know of another with matt wood and a 6x42 Habicht Nova Swarovski scope @ £1500 ....... which is very expensive ! ) I would have bought it like a shot except that it was in .270......which is noisy enough at the best of times and would have been extremely noisy with the short 20" barrel.
Mehul - and most Americans - would have hated it but the rifle sold first thing on the morning after so obviously someone else admired it even more than I did
Members will probably remember the .375 H&H rifle pictured on IFG a few months ago that had extensive stock work involving white bone or ivory inlays. Most of us thought the rifle ruined and truly awful. One member however admired the `native` decoration.
There is, as they say, no accounting for taste !
What are your particular likes and dislikes.....particularly pet hates ? If you`re aware of particular national trends please let us know those also.

Sadly the trend here in America always seems to be what can be produced for a few dollars cheaper.

This is often reflected in the "one size fits all" approach, and I hope the average person will eventually learn to get sick of it and start using their heart again to be a judge, rather than pocketbooks or slick advertising.

Hates: is easy. The IOF colours. They somehow have got around to making their rifles with the stock coloured a peculiar shade of yellow (potty-colour), that gets on my nerves .reminds me of the pop guns in school.

In India,we dont have the luxury of choosing our firearms.So you buy what is for sale and if you dont like a particular stock style,you can very well lump it.In any case,considering the cost of ammo and the paucity of shooting grounds, most of the rifles will never be shot a lot.Any stock style and in any colour would do as long as the rifle is in good working condition.

penpusher

Aesthetically, I prefer guns with clean flowing lines rather than those with sharp angular lines.

Also, whilst I am not averse to guns made of modern man made materials, I still find it difficult to accept one that looks like something out of a mechano set but having said that, if it is ergonomically correct for its intended purpose then that is fine by me.

I am also averse to bling or atleast too much of it. A bit of it, tastefully done is absolutely all right by me.

Mack The Knife

Gold plated triggers?

penpusher

Cheeky sod!

That was a goof up, so quit rubbing it in.

Mack The Knife

Now what did I say

penpusher

Hello people, been a while. Hope everyone's in good health

Aesthetically, I like rifles with full-length furniture, reminiscent of the Pennsylvanian long rifles and Jaegers. That’s one of the reasons I decided to stick with my SMLE as opposed to the No.4 when I decided to prune my Lee Enfield collection, though it's far from being a beauty as compared to those handbuilt period rifles.

I wouldn’t use the word hate, but I certainly do not care for futuristic looking rifles with loads of synthetic materials on them. I know they serve a very efficient purpose, but not my cup of tea. Fine polished wood over plastic anytime! Saying that, I do have a Remmy with a synthetic stock and it shoots great

Krish

Sorry, I thought you knew about the shotgun trigger fiasco.

I had given them to a jeweller friend to get them gold plated as they weren't cleaning up to their original finish too well. However, I had second thoughts and asked Grumpy's opinion.

Due to the time difference Grumpy's apoplectic reply (WHAT? You ruddy tart! etc. ) came a few hours too late and I still don't think I have heard the last of it.

Mack The Knife

Hey-ho Krish, long time no see.

Good to see you here.

Mack The Knife

Hey Mack The Knife,
Been busy, what with exams and work and whatnot! In fact, I haven't opened the gun safe in more than 4 months

Hope to pop around more frequently.

Cheers mate.

Hope to pop around more frequently.

Look forward to that.

Keep well.

Mack The Knife

Ah! the triggers. Do remember them vividly.Infact was refering to them.But I thought you got it done because you liked them that ways.Just the right amount of bling.Neither too little nor too much.Don't get swayed by others.Go with what you like.So what are you gold plating in the Gypsy

penpusher

So what are you gold plating in the Gypsy?

LOL.