Am I the only one who doesn’t really care for carving on a rifle stock?

[Buff1958]

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Sometimes a little bit of bling looks pretty good to me.

Love the patch box

 

[mikesto44]

I like plain guns too ! Got my butt chewed by Kibler because I didn't care for the hash marks on his CNC carved guns. So much for personal opinion ... lol

 

[Wirehair]

I have both plain and carved. They're all hunting guns. I just finished assembling a Kibler Colonial which included carving because it seemed appropriate for the style. My carving is simple (due to carving skills) but tasteful. It took a lot of extra time, but I anticipated that when I bought the kit. Since I don't build rifles for sale, this was just for personal satisfaction. It will be used this deer season.

 

[bud in pa]

I like to use my guns, and sometimes when out in the woods things happen. I have tripped, I have dropped it,and how mant have stood it up leaning against a tree? Plain stock is easier to patch and refinish.

 

[Mike in FL]

I like well done hand carving but to be honest, I do not care much for the CNC carving.

I agree. A rifle with machine carving (let's assume it's a Kibler) is not unique or custom in the sense of "special" because others are just like it, while hand carving is one of a kind even if the pattern is basically the same. I guess paying for ANY carving is vanity, and if I want to be vain about my gun, I prefer total vanity knowing the carving is indeed special.
Good grief, that sounds like a VP's word salad. But maybe you see what I mean.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

View attachment 354109
Sometimes a little bit of bling looks pretty good to me.

very nice

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

Yeah, this Jaeger is a little over the top …

dang I like that

 

[Wirehair]

Why did the old masters even carve rifles and do so at such high a high level? Perhaps it was because the rifles they built were an expression of their dedication to the craft. These rifles differed by builder and region but combined form and proportion that represented state of the art at that time. Carving was a given part of the total product. These guns were both utilitarian and art forms that were expected to give a lifetime of performance under often severe conditions. Some degree of carving today is just an acknowledgement of and tribute to the old masters. I don't consider it frill or vanity.