All my guns are aluminum, fiberglass or plastic. I need a beautiful wood hunting rifle, budget up to $5k without scope. My LGS has some Weatherbys on the rack, but I have plenty of middle-of-the-road calibers in bolt and AR formats from .223 up to 280AI. Honestly, the weatherbys didn't feel any better than the Browning Xbolt they had in wood. In fact the browning xbolt with the aluminum action felt great, almost too great.
I don't have a bolt action 30 I don't own a .243 so guess I need to change that (.243 or 300 win mag). Opposite ends of the spectrum I know, but I'll eventually get both. I looked into buying a blank and having it carved and going full custom, but I don't think I'm ready for that process, and the hand carving + wood + barrel + action + trigger etc will exceed my budget probably.
I've looked at all the big American manufacturers and I like the Winchester 70 Super Grade French Walnut over any Weatherby offerings.
You can find Cooper's online, but not from them directly as they transition to Nighthawk ownership. This brings me then over to the European manufacturers. The top end of my budget is the bottom end of Blaser pricing, so I'm out for that. I think I can get a good-looking Merkel Helix, Sako or JP Sauer & Sohn for $5k but finding them online where I can add to cart and buy has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated, especially Merkel. Plus the straight pull bolt would be a new thing for my collection.
If you were to buy a wood stocked gun these days, with an emphasis on beautiful wood, classic lines, what maker would you go for? Are there smaller gun makers I may have overlooked?
I don't have a bolt action 30 I don't own a .243 so guess I need to change that (.243 or 300 win mag). Opposite ends of the spectrum I know, but I'll eventually get both. I looked into buying a blank and having it carved and going full custom, but I don't think I'm ready for that process, and the hand carving + wood + barrel + action + trigger etc will exceed my budget probably.
I've looked at all the big American manufacturers and I like the Winchester 70 Super Grade French Walnut over any Weatherby offerings.
You can find Cooper's online, but not from them directly as they transition to Nighthawk ownership. This brings me then over to the European manufacturers. The top end of my budget is the bottom end of Blaser pricing, so I'm out for that. I think I can get a good-looking Merkel Helix, Sako or JP Sauer & Sohn for $5k but finding them online where I can add to cart and buy has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated, especially Merkel. Plus the straight pull bolt would be a new thing for my collection.
If you were to buy a wood stocked gun these days, with an emphasis on beautiful wood, classic lines, what maker would you go for? Are there smaller gun makers I may have overlooked?
