LOT of truth in that...

I remember the first blued/walnut rifle I ever bought.. Was NOT an expensive rifle by any means..but at the time I had saved for 2 years to buy it.. put the first scratch's on the stock..was sick about it for a week..

I also feel the reason there are so many synthetic is demand as well as cost.. people like them.. impervious to weather, don't care if you drop them down a ravine

, and lighter weight to name a few .. the MTN rifles of today compared to the "light" rifles of days gone by hold a vast difference to one another.. I'll take today's version.. for all the reasons mentioned above.

There isn't a whole lot of things prettier than a beautifully wood stocked rifle with polished blue steel.. no doubt.. but for the real world of hunting, just like in college, I'll take the so called ugly ones..