I will not argue againstthe utility of synthetic stocks and stainless steel...
However, I love walnut and blued metal, and IMHO, Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun..
... But that's just me.. One concession I'll make is for laminate...My pet .280 wears a brown laminate stock and I find it rather attractive...It's also less prone to changes from humidiity than a walnut stock..
I've never babied my hunting rifles..On a couple of my wilderness hunts my rifle got soaked every day.. The stock DID swell, but there was no change of impact that I could detect.. That's not saying it doesn't happen, though.. A good coat of automotive paste wax, like Turtle Wax, goes a long way to protect the metal finish ...
However I have no disagreement with the old axiom " Form Follows Function"...
Also, beauty is in the eye of the beholder..A lot of people like the looks of synthetic/stainless , I'm just not one of them...