Bigbulls I seem to think we agree on more than 1 topic....

haha, I hear this from time to time....and I think scratch......what's wrong with character? now im not going to drop my rifle to give it more character, but a rifle is a rifle, no matter how much it cost, i wouldn't worry about a scratch/nick, dropping a rifle sure you hope itll still shoot straight. If I were to buy a new rifle and noticed a scratch or nick sure i'd be mad, but cmon, use that sucker!

Don't get an ugly rifle either! Even if its synthetic, they make some nice synthetics....to me synthetic doesn't inherently mean ugly.

I think a satin clearcoat or oil rubbed stain finish probably shows less wear as well, vs a super shiny high gloss finish. Personally I like the non glare as well, and to show off the wood more with a oil rubbed look vs a high shine, though some love that high gloss look.

Mostly everything I ever used growing up was wood stocked, I've only recently bought my first synthetic, but its very nice/attractive, weatherby mark V fibermark stock, compared to the regular synthetic, IMO it's no comparison.

Nowadays my view on a stock is where I plan to use the rifle.....while I've yet to go or purchase a rifle for africa, all I can visualize is a gorgeous wood stocked with a blued barrel, or just some dark stainless barrel.

But say in alaska I want a synthetic stock with a stainless barrel. I think if I were to start from scratch and buy everything, most of mine would have a syn. stock with the only exceptions probably being the larger /dangrous type rifles. though I plan to get a .375 in syn/stainless, so really only .416 and .458 would then be wood/blued.

My .270 and .300 win mag are wood/blued, I think about replacing them, but they are just too nice and shoot too well to do such a thing, so my only option would be to buy another rifle.....maybe I'll have a few boys one day,or girls....and they can each choose which they want....