Traditional Sporting Rifles

A traditional sporting rifle is one with a certain pedigree. It is intended to be taken into the field, sometimes undergoing quite harsh conditions. It may, or may not carry optical sights, but it always wears a wood stock. Examples of traditional sporting rifles abound, from the Savage 99, to the Winchester model 70, and everything in between.
The best examples of this pedigree display an obvious nod toward quality, a factor that often includes some type of skilled finish work. It is not important, the specific action type, other than the requirement that it be tuned properly enough to work correctly, every time.
It is not important the exact cartridge it is made for, as long as that cartridge has proven itself in the field.
What then, is the usefulness of such creations in todays' world of plastic parts, modular guns, and magazines that devour entire boxes of ammunition?
First and foremost, the average hunting situation demands accurate shooting first, and multiples of bullets showering the target second. Thus, we can conclude that limited magazine capacity is no drawback for the traditional gun.
Second, while some modern guns may be capable of excellent accuracy off the bench, the accuracy that matters is that achieved in the field. A 2 MOA rifle is fully capable of taking game in excess of 300 yards-assuming the cartridge is up to the task. Thus, little iddy bitty groups might look good enough for oohs and ahhs, but are in essence purposeless. Most traditional rifles will shoot at least one load 2 MOA or better, so traditional sporter accuracy is no drawback, either.
Despite many words to the contrary, I've never watched in horror as my stock swelled up due to humidity. I've never witnessed rain spotting up my barrel to instantaneously turn it into a rusting crowbar, either. However, I have discovered more than a few "synthetic"-read plastic stocks-that wobble around, weigh more than a truck, put uneven pressure on the barrel, and come along with bizarre racing stripes. I've come to the conclusion that its just cheaper and easier for today's gun companies to dress rifles in plastic, and that any advantages of plastic stocks are minor, until one begins to consider exotic materials. Thus, once again, the traditional sporter is at no genuine disadvantage.
Now, dear reader, you may have something to add to this debate, but from where I currently stand, I find no real practical advantages to modern modular, plastic, high capacity guns. This means that traditional sporters are every bit as viable in the field as they always were...and a number of them are beautiful to boot.