Is it just me- or do you believe that Lever Actions should be made of Blue steel & wood..Not Shiny Stainless.

I really like the stainless and wood combo. Blued guns are nice but I prefer the extra protection of stainless.

I have both. I prefer blued, but I got a great deal on an 1895GS and I couldn't pass it up. I love that shinny little cannon. I don't care for the longer barrels or the laminated stocks much though.

I would buy an 18" barrelled, straight stock, stainless Marlin in 444 in a heartbeat

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ESPECIALLY as applied to firearms and women.

I like the blued steel and walnut but stainless and plastic or laminated is more practical. Here's my observations over the past several seasons....if it's a dry day the Marlin 1895 goes with, if it's an ugly wet and foggy day, the Remington with a Brown Precision stock and stainless barrel goes.

Interesting question. Not being a lever gun sort of guy Dogman I'll give my 2 cents anyway. All my shoulder guns except one is a bolt, the one hold out is a Ruger #1 and it's got sort of a lever on it. Here's my #1, it was built in 1979 and it's a 243.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/Rugerstock2.jpg

When the stainless steel, plastic stock guns first came on the market I thought they were ugly. I'd been putting plastic stocks such as Brown precision on rifles since the late 70's so that wasn't much of a surprise, but there was such a difference between the layed up glass stocks and the injection molded plastic stocks turned out for 89 bucks, wow those almost impossible to bed limp noodle pieces of plastic were something else. My Stainless Rem 700 Muzzle loader had one that you could pull the forend away from the barrel almost an inch, yuk.

I had been having rifles for severe duty use Armaloyed for a bunch of years for customers and even a few for myself while in Alaska. It looks kinda like brushed stainless steel. I built super lightweight rifles for hunters whom wanted that kind of rifle for sheep hunting up there using Brown precision glue in stocks, pencil thin barrels and every bit of metal removed that would still leave a gun safe enough to shoot, no bottom metal and 5.5 pounds with one of Leupold's ultra-light scopes, but even with a straight stock they were no fun to shoot. Just a tool allowing a hunter to carry more weight up the steep mountains in Alaska.

I even bought into a couple of Ruger stainless all weather rifles with that awful boat paddle stock with the inserts in the grip and forend. I keep thinking about the one I saw with mother of pearl inserts and what George Patten said about pearl grips.

I do have to admit that all the handguns in the safe are stainless except the old Clark worked over Ruger MKII.

I've now relaxed with all blue steal and wood stocked rifles in the safe. Perhaps it's just that I'm getting old and am out of tune with modern things or perhaps I just appreciate the feel of a wood stock compared to the plastic seat cover feel of synthetic stocks. Perhaps it's my time in the military packing one of those black rifles around. Perhaps it's just the look of a good piece of wood, but I'm a wood and blue steel kind of rifle guy. I've always felt that a rifle is more than just a tool and there is more to enjoy than just making the shot out in the woods. I've got friends that feel just the opposite and that's OK too.

Depends on the lever gun too. I can't abide a stainless '92 and I love the way my Win 94 and Marlin 1894 both look, with their straight stocks, no checkering and blue finishes. On the other hand, I think my 1895 GS is pretty good looking as well, except for the checkering and the tadpole forearm. The advantage is, I can shoot my GS in the rain and snow (and sweaty heat) and not worry so much about rusting.
Andy

I cannot bring myself to own a lever gun in stainless steel and synthetic ot laminated stocks. In fact, I do not care for that in any gun. This is just personal. Shoot what you like and do not worry about what others think.

Dan

Is it just me- or do you believe that Lever Actions should be made of Blue steel & wood..Not Shiny Stainless.

Wow, that could a start a flame war anywhere else on the web....

But that's why America is still best....you like blue, he likes stainless....

i like 'em both.:D