Author Topic: WORST RIFLE? BEST? (Read 16944 times)

Lawdog · « **Reply #60 on:** October 26, 2003, 07:09:45 AM »

cwallis,

Don't be shocked, Remington earned everyone of those remarks. Just ask any of us that have had to deal with Remington over problems with their products. Oh, and just for the record the reason the U. S. snipers use the Remington is because Remington was the low bidder for the contract. Had nothing to do with the quality of their product. Also the M40A1 is not exactly the same rifle you can buy off the shelf. Lawdog

K75RT · « **Reply #61 on:** October 26, 2003, 01:58:44 PM »

Worst was a Remington 700 in .243, something was wrong with the chamber and it was hard to close the bolt, upon firing the primers flattened and some brass flowed, this was with factory ammo. Brought it to a smith and he headspaced it and it wouldn't close on the go. He told me since the gun was new that it should be sent to Remington immediately for warrantee work. Prior to him sending it he took a chamber cast and said the chamber appeared to have been cut incorrectly. When the rifle came back I sold it as I did not like a new rifle getting to a consumer with no quality checks. My best rifle or favorite is a custom Mauser 98 built on a blueprinted DWM Argentine action. It is chambered in .35 Whelen, sports express sights, French Walnut stock with an ebony forend. Really a beauty and a shooter.

cwallis · « **Reply #62 on:** October 29, 2003, 03:51:22 PM »

Well then, for once I guess I did good by cheapin' out and buying my Savage! (except for the glass) This rifle really makes me feel like I can shoot.

340wby · « **Reply #63 on:** October 30, 2003, 05:13:15 AM »

I do quite a bit of handloading, rifle tuneing, and rifle rebedding, trigger adjustments,ETC. I think the two best deal in rifles are the SAVAGE bolt guns and the TIKKA/SAKO for price/quality. I VERY RARELY need to do more than work up a load the rifle likes with those, I have not had good luck with several remingtons (mostly 742s anf 788s) but they may have been the exception,BROWNINGS and WEATHERBYS have almost always proven to be exceptionally accurate with the correctly matched ammo, but then you expect that when you pay that kind of money. I have yet to see a BROWNING,SAKO,or WEATHERBY that I felt was not an EXCELLENT rifle, but then I don,t buy the vangards so I don,t know about those

Hounddog · « **Reply #64 on:** November 04, 2003, 04:19:09 AM »

I have a Howa 1500 Lightning in .223 that shoots sub MOA @200yds w/factory ammo. My wife liked it so much that I had to by her a Howa 1500 Varminter for Christmas this year.

Just this past weekend we were testing some handload combos and had two groups 1.25" and 1.38" from 40gr VLC and 40gr V-Max in front of 26.5 gr of Benchmark at 200 yds. (10 shot groups center to center).

We really love to shoot these guns.

Wayne

colt451911 · « **Reply #65 on:** November 04, 2003, 07:20:23 PM »

I am suprised to hear negative comments about the Browning a-bolt. I have two friends with a-bolts and both are very happy with them. I have to say that my friend Nathan's Browning .300 wsm is the best rifle I have ever shot. As for Zastava, I own a Charles Daly Mauser in .243 which is produced by Zastava. I have never really measured the grouping by let this attest to its accuracy, I have nailed two ground squirells from around 100 yards. It has failed to extract exactly once and that is the only quality problem it has ever had. I would not say that it is as good as the a-bolt but I also spent half the price Nathan did. Also, Charles Daly has a lifetime warrenty on all of its firearms so defective parts shouldn't be a problem, at least in theory.

Just a quick note the military did not choose the remington 700 based soley on price. All military weapons are put through testing and quality certainly would have been a factor in their chosing the 700. As Lawdog mentioned the military model is slightly different. Also, most sniper rifles are older, sometimes dating back to vietnam and are simply updated with new barrels, stocks etc. Im not sure if this applies to the M40A1.

Lawdog · « **Reply #66 on:** November 05, 2003, 10:31:57 AM »

colt451911,

Quote

Im not sure if this applies to the M40A1.

It does. My M40A1 I have has a totally different trigger and extractor assembly than what Remington sells to the general public. As far as the military testing of "sniper rifles" there were three different rifles of the many that were tested in which the results were all three rifles where equal and so the final contract went to the lowest bidder. Some Winchester M70's were purchased and were used in Viet Nam due to Remington not being able to initially meet contractual shipping requirements. Don't go by what the government purchases thinking they only buy the best is what I am saying. Lawdog

colt451911 · « **Reply #67 on:** November 05, 2003, 11:11:39 AM »

Interesting, I appreciate the info.

38-55 · « **Reply #68 on:** November 05, 2003, 11:31:27 AM »

Worst a early Kimber 22 Hornet, bought new. Sloppy chamber, cases stretched almost to seperation upon firing. Bolt handle also came loose and seperated from the bolt body. It had nice wood though. Best is a worked over Rem 700 in 250-3000.

taxmiser · « **Reply #69 on:** November 07, 2003, 07:54:35 PM »

My experience with a Ruger M77 was enough to convince me I'd never buy another. I had a Centennial Model in 6mm Remington cal. it shot well under 1 inch groups for about 80 rounds and then could not be relied upon to hit a cardboard box at a 100 yards. My gunsmith friend and I tried everything we could to make it shoot well again to no avail. Finally he thought he would removed the barrel and examine it so he got out the action wrench and placed the barrel in the barrel vise. He didn't need these tools as the barrel turned out very easily without tools. The barrel threads were cut improperly. When Ruger assembled this rifle they filled the threads with some goo and screwed it together. Rebarreled it with a 257 Ackley Imp. and loved it. Not a Ruger has been bought by this household since but many, many other rifles have come our way. Mostly pre-64 70's.

stork · « **Reply #70 on:** November 08, 2003, 05:07:53 AM »

I am only 14 so i only have 2 rifles. The first is a chilean mauser that needes to be headspaced, and the second is a savage model 111F 30-06. I love both of these rifles.

My Savage is very accurate and it is capable of 1 1/2 inch groups with factory ammo. i ahve only put 28 rounds through this gun and one of those killed my first deer. If i practiced more i could bring the groups down to about 1 inch.

My mauser is still fairly accurate for a nighty year old rifle. It is chambered in .308 and is a blast to shoot. My only complaint is that it is a little heavy compared to my 6 1/2 poud savage.

Mr Bill · « **Reply #71 on:** November 08, 2003, 08:23:20 PM »

Best, it's a toss up between a pre-64 Win 70 300 H&H and Browning Micro Medallion A-Bolt 7mm-08. Both well balanced, smooth action and accurate with tuned reloads. :grin:

Worst, Rem 7400SP and an old Win 100. Neither are very accurate, ok for hunting I guess. 7400 is not balanced very well, open sights are terrible and the front stock rattles. Over all it feels like carrying a club. The old Win 100 has probably seen it's better days. It's extraction and chambering are not very reliable, some cases get stuck in the ejection port and some rounds get hung up when chambering. Oops, this thread is for bolt actions, disregard. :oops:

Worst bolt action is a Ruger 77RL with Tang Safety in .257R. Trigger changed to a Timney and barrel harmonics have adverse effect on accuracy. :?

Better than average are a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker 7mm Mag that is very accurate but need bolt lapping and trigger tuning, Rem Classic 8mm Rem Mag (I noticed someone elses aculades(sp?) for this one), and Sako TRG-S .375 H&H. :-)

Bill

WW1 · « **Reply #72 on:** November 11, 2003, 01:15:51 PM »

hi to all....does the Tikka everyone is sold on come in a lefty??? all my rifles are either Savage 110's or Ruger #1s, and one Encore.....
just courious as I have been known to try others.......hahaha....ww1

azshooter · « **Reply #73 on:** November 19, 2003, 03:37:10 AM »

Best Ruger Model 77 in 25-06 Had it for 17 years and it shoots well with everything I put in it. Best loads are 1/2 inch groups.

Worst - Ruger Mini-14 Ranch- best 100 yard groups I have found with handloads are 2 inches and thats with a scope. It feeds perfect and is fun but I expected better accuracy.

Most fun - Springfield M1 Garand - 1942 manufacture date. It shoots 2 inch groups with mil. peep sights at 100 yards. In hundreds of rounds it has never failed to function.

Atomic Chicken · « **Reply #74 on:** June 01, 2004, 12:15:21 PM »

Greetings!

I'm going to pitch in with the other people on this thread who don't have a gun they don't like - every firearm I have ever purchased has functioned flawlessly and reliably. Maybe part of it is that I do a LOT of research before each purchase? Nah..... couldn't be.

The only firearm I ever had reservations about purchasing was a Remington 700 VS in .308 Win. I had heard great and wonderous tales about it's accuracy, but not a lot of real positive things about their quality and customer support. Luckily, I got a good one, and haven't had any problems with it. The part about them being highly accurate is only half true, by the way, this is a .75MOA rifle at BEST, under ideal circumstances, most of the time it shoots 1" to 1-1/4" groups. Over the entire life of this rifle (approaching 2,000 rounds now) I've only shot TWO 1/2" groups with this rifle, and I'm convinced to this day that they were statistical flukes. Don't let the remington "accuracy" propaganda get you - especially in regards to the .308 (choice of military and police snipers worldwide, blah blah blah etc. - yeah whatever). And yes, I'm capable of shooting 1/2MOA or better, I've been shooting accurately for most of my life and was trained correctly to begin with. I had a Spanish .308 mauser copy (originally chambered for .308, not a rechamber) from shortly after WWII with an old beat up wooden stock (looked like $#!T) that did just as good as the Remington in the accuracy department - I shot several 1-1/4" groups with IRON SIGHTS and once I mounted a 6X scope on it I was able to work up a handload that would CONSISTENTLY do 3/4" to 1" groups at 100 yds.. Every bit as accurate a rifle as the Remington VS, and I only paid $70 for it. That was probably my favorite rifle to date, unfortunately a friend offered me more money for it than I could turn down - I made a 500% profit and ended up selling it. I've regretted selling it ever since.

Best wishes,
Bawko

Mauser · « **Reply #75 on:** June 01, 2004, 02:05:35 PM »

WWI: I just picked up a Tikka Whitetail hunter Lefty in .308. I know its not a "mauser" type action, but I love the feel and obvious quality of the rifle for the money. Also, I was almost startled to find a short action bolt in left hand. I couldn't resist. Its not a tack driver (yet) but it shoots 1.5" - 2" groups @ 100 yards with a box of Winchester power points I picked up to break it in.

I've had a few good rifles: a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem and a Ruger #1 in 243. I've had a few bad rifles: a Winchester M70 in 300 Win (wouldn't eject the cases and was as accurate as a WWI 45) and a Ruger M77 in 270 (3" groups @100 yards at best).

I'm working on a great rifle: a Winchester M70 in 30/06 that I've sent to two different 'smiths and back to the factory to work out bugs and customize. Maybe after I've spent my kid's college funds it will be "great".

Question: Shouldn't Americans make the best guns in the world? Who else knows more about them or uses them more? My dad who was in the truck body biz said nobody builds a truck like Americans. I think the same ought to be true of guns. While I'm definitely not against profits, I wonder if the US makers are scrimping too much on materials and workmanship. I used to dismiss those observations in the past but don't anymore. I don't think anybody in the US makes a rifle as well as Tikka for the money. One of my gunsmiths swears by Rugers but as far as I can tell they are really hit or miss like the Remingtons and certainly the Winchesters.

jvs · « **Reply #76 on:** June 01, 2004, 03:07:15 PM »

My best shooter right now is a out of production Marlin MR-7, .30-06.

When I first got it, it always had a flyer. I had the trigger lightened up to 3 pounds, free-floated the barrel and used a little dab of glass bedding around the mounting screw.

I can now shoot the gonads off of flies sitting on a dime at 100 yards.

As for the worst..... I bought a Savage Pump Carbine .30-30 back in the 70's that was pretty wild. I sold it to my brother-in-law who loves it. But then again, it's the only rifle he owns.

The 14" Thompson Contender I have in .35 Rem isn't all that tight at 50 yards, but that's the way high power handguns are. Besides, the Contender has a tendancy to snort and is a real handfull. I dread pulling the trigger, which is why I may be a little off with it. It brings out all the bad shooting habits anyone can have. With the Contender I flinch and squint. All in anticipation of the muzzle blast and recoil.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #77 on:** June 02, 2004, 03:10:56 AM »

Put me in the group that hasn't had a bad rifle. In fact, all have been excellent shooters (0.5MOA or better) with no mechanical problems unless you consider heavy triggers to be a problem.

Three Rugers and a Savage. The Rugers included two M77's (7mm Rem Mag an d.257 Roberts) and a M77 MKII VT (.22-250), the Savage was a "cheap" 110E (.22-250).

The only work done to the rifles was adjusting the triggers (M77's and 110E), polishing the trigger parts (M77's), and free floating the barrels (M77's and 110E) - all work I did myself. No work done on the M77 MKII (came free floated with target trigger) and it shoots .5" at 200 yards.

Daniel · « **Reply #78 on:** June 02, 2004, 04:35:34 AM »

No contest, my worst was a Remington 700 BDL 7mm Mag. That puny thing they call an extractor would only extract cases about 75% of the time. Fit and finish was nothing to brag about either. I have no desire to ever own another 700.

Best? Well, that's a hard one. The two Sakos I own are very nice rifles. I have really enjoyed them. They're accurate, they have excellent triggers and they never fail to function properly.

schunter1128 · « **Reply #79 on:** June 04, 2004, 07:08:13 AM »

Only owed 3 rifles in my 47 years. Marlin 336C 30/30, Remington BDL30.06 and my HS Precision Sporter. All get the job done. My favorite is the HS.

Zeak · « **Reply #80 on:** June 05, 2004, 05:44:56 AM »

Remington 742 in 243,what a peice of junk. It would jam all the time and wouldn't eject the cases out about half the time. Traded it for a Bowning A-bolt and $80 and I was a happy camper after that. Hope the guy likes his rifle.

cowpoke · « **Reply #81 on:** June 08, 2004, 01:18:06 PM »

So far,

worst Browning A-bolt stalker in 22-250. Shoots 4 inch groups at 50 yards.... entirely unacceptable. The rest of the rilfe is fine. It has become trading material for something better.

best Remington 700 ADL in .222 it shoots very tight little groups and is just a joy to handle and use.

Probably trade the A-bolt for a 700 of some kind. Maybe a 30-06 for deer....

Ole Miss Rebel · « **Reply #82 on:** June 09, 2004, 06:47:54 PM »

I'm new to the forum, and I know that this thread has been going for a long time, but I just could not resist responding.

The worst rifle I have ever had was a Remington 7400 in .280 that I bought new. Would you believe that the son-of-a-gun would not even chamber a factory loaded Winchester 140 grain ballistic silvertip round?

I took the rifle to a my gunsmith, and he thought that the chamber was probably not reamed exactly right, and he offered to try to fix it for me for free, but I was so upset at receiving this piece of junk from "Big Green" that I traded it for a Browning BAR .308 Stalker Carbine and swore that I would never own another Remington. Also, I don't have an agenda against Remington. I have owned many Remington bolts, pumps, and autoloaders from Remington over the years and used to really like their products. I have had problems with most of the 7400s I owned and with one of the 7600s, but this last 7400 was the last straw.

It will be very difficult for me to ever give "Big Green" another penny of my money.

Conversely, I have owned Browning BARs in .25-06, .270, .308, .30-06, 7mm mag., and .300 Win. mag. and have had no problems with any of them and have only had 1 or 2 jams in one .270 rifle during a long day of shooting during the hot summer. For me, the Browning BAR rifles are "The Best There Is!"

Sincerely,

Ole Miss Rebel

Buckfever · « **Reply #83 on:** June 10, 2004, 03:30:05 AM »

Worst, Rem 742 Auto. 308. After the first shot it was any bodys guess which direction it would shoot off at least 5 inches. Had Vari-2 and Vari-3 on it. Was my dads gun and it will always be in my gun cabinet. God Bless my dad he always took me and my brothers hunting and fishing and he really enjoyed the outdoors with us.

The best so far is a custom build on a 300 Win. Mag. Remington 700 action. 1"< groups at 100yds. Stainless, Macmillian stock, trigger job, bedded, and a German muzzle break. Love how it shoots but like Walnut and blue better.
I have a 6.5+55 yet to shoot Tikka. Have high hopes for this gun to be a shooter and right up there with 300 Win. Mag.

Mike in Ct · « **Reply #84 on:** June 11, 2004, 01:13:32 PM »

Had Good & just ok to great from ruger...22 250 HV M-77 could shoot dime size groups..terrible trigger... an M-77 257 roberts with stock, chambering(long throated wonder) & trigger issues spent forever getting it to shoot MOA..& then a 308 used m-77 (may have been worked on) Shoot cloverleafs at 100 yds all day long...2 winchesters both shoot ok in 308 & 243..Now I have the model 70 . Heavy barrel 22 250 stealth & it is a joy to shoot under 1/2 inch groups with... A Sako 270 win. with a light sporter barrel shoots factory ammo under an inch & a half..I really like the trigger & feed & eject fit & finish is terrific...Lastly my recent purchase of the Rem ADL 700 syn stock junk 22 250 sporter...Total junk...I ended up selling it back to the dealer that recommended it...at a 200 dollar loss..good riddence..but other older 700 bdl models were terrific..luck of the draw on most american made goods these days...get it in writing you should have full return on any rifle ...lots of money & the quality can vary widely...MIKE IN CT

jim21 · « **Reply #85 on:** April 30, 2006, 12:13:04 PM »

My worst rifle is a Remington 7400 in .270caliber,tried different scopes.Get a good fix on target the first 5shells then it goes all over the place,did this with all those scopes,tried open sights.It shoots everywhere,If anyone knows why this happens let me know.I took this rifle to two different gunsmiths,had it proffenal cleaned and crowned check over.Did no good.Its ready to go on auction block.

1armoured · « **Reply #86 on:** May 07, 2006, 03:27:14 PM »

Just bought myself one of the new 'Nipponese' Weatherby Vanguard Varmint 'Red Mist' in .223 .

Put it through it's paces for the first time over the week-end.
It has a 22" heavy barrel, and a great synthetic stock. Looks good too !

I put a few rounds through and cleaned and polished with JB's a few times, adjusted the trigger and sear as good as it gets. Sprayed some oil into the trigger mechanism, then loaded some 55grs and 50 grs.

55 grs 5 x 5 shot groups all under a minute. Both 52grs @ .6".

That's without tweaking or working on the load, so there's plenty potential. I'm a happy camper !

It's guaranteed 1 1/2 " 3 shot group with factory ammo in cold barrel,
so I tested some Remington 55gr 'Express' SP's in a clean barrel.
1st shot 1" high, then 3 shots in .6",
so I was happy.
Trigger is 3 1/4 lbs, and no creep.
Trigger is a bit heavier than I'm used to, but getting the hang of it.
Timney do a drop-in one for under $100, so that's always an option.

I've been lucky. Never owned a really bad rifle, but then I've been pretty methodical up to now, ...read the reviews, and had a play with them before committing myself. Price/performance is always a leveller, as well.

I own Anschutz, .22 and .222, Sako .308, and now Weatherby (Howa action). I've owned some pretty ordinary well used eqpt in .22H and .220 Swift, but onsold them to try something new.

Got my eyes on the new Savage Model 40 in Hornet.

That should be worth a punt at it's price ! Great little calibre, too !

cheers,
Sean

R.W.Dale · « **Reply #87 on:** May 07, 2006, 03:44:03 PM »

Quote from: jim21

My worst rifle is a Remington 7400 in .270caliber,tried different scopes.Get a good fix on target the first 5shells then it goes all over the place,did this with all those scopes,tried open sights.It shoots everywhere,If anyone knows why this happens let me know.I took this rifle to two different gunsmiths,had it proffenal cleaned and crowned check over.Did no good.Its ready to go on auction block.

My Remington 7400 will shoot good 1.5" groups as long as I let it cool off completely between shots. After round number three the heat buildup begins to throw the POI around.

Think of it this way a 7400 is an autoloading HUNTING rifle it's not going to shoot like an AR Varmint rifle over the course of a box of shells.

anweis · « **Reply #88 on:** May 08, 2006, 05:23:10 AM »

worst: sporterized Mosin Nagant. Best: a Winchester 62 in 22. LR pump action with long barrel and Vernier sight. I could shoot rabbits in the head with it at 150 yards if the wind was not blowing. I don't have that one anymore, but the best now is Sako 75 Deluxe in 6.5 Swedish.

K.K · « **Reply #89 on:** May 15, 2006, 02:07:17 PM »

my worst was a Japanse Arisaka. I know....you get what you pay for. I'd have hated to face American GIs with Garands!

My favorite is my first deer rifle. Remington 700 BDL in .270 Winchester. It still shoots sub MOA and is all class.