Do you worry about dings and scratches on your stocks. Or wearing away of the finish? I consider them battle scars and marks of

[.30-06Hunter]

Do you worry about dings and scratches on your stocks. Or wearing away of the finish? I consider them battle scars and marks of character. I do what I can to protect my firearm but the inevitable marks of use occur. I have a relative that has a lever gun he has used since the 70's and the bluing is almost gone in the place where he holds the receiver when he carries it. He can tell you a small tale about most marks and scratches and as a little kid I looked at it in reverence and thought it was the coolest gun ever. This question somewhat ties into my previous post because it was the main gun he carried for deer until recently.

[jhjimbo]

Most all my guns have character marks from a fall here, a slip there, or a scrape somewhere on the gun. Can't imagine hunting without something making a mark.

[country road]

I consider my firearms to be hunting tools, and as such, they tend to get that "used" look. As you said, I take good care of them but there's no way they are going to look factory fresh after a few trips.

[Barnaby Wylde]

Yes, but it is of secondary import. Every day when I awaken, the first thing I do is pull up my spread sheet and peruse the twenty greatest mistakes I have made in my life, and update and rearrange as necessary.Next, I review the imponderables and Things That Don't Matter. This ranks second only to,"Does the refrigerator light really go out when I close the door?"

[99explorer]

I knew a hunter many years ago who cut deep notches on the underside of the forend on his Model 94 Winchester for every deer he shot.
He had five notches at the time. That forend must be whittled away to nothing by now.

[RockySquirrel]

marks of character, but I don’t get carried away. Every year the stocks get high quality furniture polish. They still ding. just not a severe.

[Happy Myles]

If I worried about dings and scratches and worn bluing I guess I would have to stop hunting.

[Happy Myles]

Might add, I have more than a few dings and scratches myself

[WA Mtnhunter]

Happy,
I would agree and know that I would look out of place with a pristine anything... My wife is the best looking thing I'm ever seen with!
Cheers

[Happy Myles]

WAM,
In case I get busy, Happy New Year.

[WA Mtnhunter]

Happy Myles,

Hope you found use for your sack of coal! Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, too!

B/R

[DakotaMan]

I don't think about dings to my rifle when hunting. I don't worry about resale value and will pass mine along when I pass, dings and all. I've had to sand down a few and refinish but that was more for the fun of it.

[Pray- hunt-work]

I do think about them, and I usually throw up a little in my mouth when I put a new one on a gun. But I keep going, and reach for the same firearm next time. I don't grumble about them out loud, just wonder why I thought my rifle would lean against a certain sapling or why the treestand manufacturer thought it would be a good place for a bolt or burr in the shooting rail. I certainly do envy the hunts that those weathered guns have been on, and I'm sure in 50 years mine will look the same. But to answer your question, it disgusts me a little when I scratch my guns because it's usually out of stupidity.

[Edward J. Palumbo]

I try to move and operate carefully but my rifles get an occasional ding. Some of them remind me specific trips and the guys with whom I shared it, and a few are badges of idiocy or clumsiness.

[Grassroots89]

Yes and no. I always be very careful with my guns making sure never to ding them and when I do ding them I detest both myself and the ding. But not to long ago I bought a Savage 99,which, while its stock and barrel are in good shape, the receiver has very very much "character", but to be honest I kind of like the way the wear looks on it.