doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Prettiest factory rifles?

I have to put the Mannlicher Schoenaur near the top of that list!

The indoor pics just didnt do it justice so I stepped out into the damp outdoors:

MS is a very elegant little rifle.

Personally I'd put any high-quality break action single shot stalking rifle that is not over-ornamented at the top of my list of rifle pulchritude. The English and Scottish seem more restrained in their approach to ornamentation, but I've seen German, Austrian, and Belgian guns that I would gladly accept.... For a FACTORY rifle, I'd probably want a mid-1930s Merkel or J.P. Sauer, make it a 6.35x52R or a 7x65R.

To me, near-perfect fit, finish, and form of the metal and stock trumps anything you can do afterwards, like stock carving, inlays, and scratching.

Checkering needs to be just enough to accentuate gripping (see MS above).

I DO like inclusion of a LITTLE of the intended prey in the rifle, such as a horn forend tip or a perfect, simple engraving of an appropriate animal. "Effective symbolism is the antithesis of complexity." To put it differently, you don't use a symphony orchestra to call an elk.

But if you did chose, say the London Philharmonic, perhaps "Peter and the wolf" by Prokiev (sic) might do the trick??

Two votes for factory rifles: Some of the Savage Model 99's or some of the Ruger No. 1's. Antique factory, would vote for the Henry or Ballard.
Chuck

Dear Chuckster,
I sometimes agree with you but in this case I'lI have to state that I think the Savage 99, all Savage 99s are about the ugliest factory rifles ever produced. IMO there is no such thing as a "pretty" 99!
The "prettiest": In my opinion the 1970s era Winchester XTR, Featherweight M-70, with the scroll style checkering and schnable forend tip.
Steven

For me a pre 64 Winchester Model 70 is one of the greatest looking and performing factory rifles of all time, something about the overall style of these rifles.
1953 Featherweight .308 and a 30-06 standard

It is interesting how people's tastes differ. I always considered the bolt rifle of any flavor to be the least attractive of all rifles - until the AR15 "platform" came along. But then, maybe a "platform" is not a rifle at all...

Anyway, I'm in agreement with Steve about the 99s, and find Marlin 93s and Winchester 92s and 86s to be the celebrity-level lookers of the lever guns and multishooters.

But when it comes to just best looking factory rifles across the board, then it has to be the 1885 Winchester Special or Special Sporting Rifle by a country mile and a bit more with only a couple of the Ballard variants still within view.

These top even their predecessors, the English muzzleloaders (Alex Henrys and Rigbys etc), which would be next in line.

Sadly, among currently manufactured rifles, I see nothing out there that is anything but an eyesore. Why modern firearms have to be so darn ugly is beyond me. It can't cost much more to make an aesthetically pleasing rifle than it does to make one with the proportions of a brick.

I'll second the M-S as being tops, but I also find vintage Savage M1899's to be exquisite. To each his own, but I don't get what people have against the Savage rifle.

If I were to begin to make an ugly rifle, I'd start with a Mannlicher stock, add the spoon bolt, then perhaps some gaudy gold inlay.

For me the Win 1886 or a Dakota 10 is where its at.