Worst rifle you ever bought
- Thread starter DShortt
- Start date
KMart
Gold $$ Contributor
The old "mattie mattel special"
jds holler
Gold $$ Contributor
I don't think I've got any rifles that I haven't warmed up to, or at least accepted for what they are. Same as my dogs. jd
Friend of mine bought his first rifle last Friday, a Ruger 10/22 carbine. Plastic stock. Package deal with scope already mounted. We took it to the range. Pistol range was full so first shots were at 50 yards. Bullseye was about 48 or 50 inches above the ground.
Those first shots hit the ground in front of the target. We put up a piece of paper that's 24 inches wide and 32 inches tall with an orange bullseye sticker in the middle. With all of the elevation adjusted into the scope it was still hitting 20 inches or so low. Aim at the top of the paper and hit near the bottom. We swapped the rings front to rear, same thing. We took the scope and rings off my 10/22 (which was sighted in at 50 yards). Same thing, first shots into the ground, not enough scope elevation to get within 18 inches of the bullseye.
Oh and he chose to pay more to get the package deal, rifle, scope and rings rather than buy just the rifle. The included Viridian scope is without a doubt the worst scope I have ever seen. Rings too. We set the eyepiece so he had a clear sharp reticle. At 50 yards the image of the target was blurry to both his eyes and mine. We adjusted the objective lens (I know it's not intended to be adjustable but nothing to loose at this point) by taking off the threaded ring around the objective lens and turning the lens in and out. When the image was clear there was a HUGE amount of parallax error. If we adjusted for minimal parallax the target was so blurred that precise aiming was not possible. And before we even started fooling with the scope, the amount of image distortion has to be seen to be believed. I think this is what's called spherical aberration of "fish eye effect" but again...terrible. Almost give you motion sickness.
What an introduction to the joys of rifle ownership and shooting!
Those first shots hit the ground in front of the target. We put up a piece of paper that's 24 inches wide and 32 inches tall with an orange bullseye sticker in the middle. With all of the elevation adjusted into the scope it was still hitting 20 inches or so low. Aim at the top of the paper and hit near the bottom. We swapped the rings front to rear, same thing. We took the scope and rings off my 10/22 (which was sighted in at 50 yards). Same thing, first shots into the ground, not enough scope elevation to get within 18 inches of the bullseye.
Oh and he chose to pay more to get the package deal, rifle, scope and rings rather than buy just the rifle. The included Viridian scope is without a doubt the worst scope I have ever seen. Rings too. We set the eyepiece so he had a clear sharp reticle. At 50 yards the image of the target was blurry to both his eyes and mine. We adjusted the objective lens (I know it's not intended to be adjustable but nothing to loose at this point) by taking off the threaded ring around the objective lens and turning the lens in and out. When the image was clear there was a HUGE amount of parallax error. If we adjusted for minimal parallax the target was so blurred that precise aiming was not possible. And before we even started fooling with the scope, the amount of image distortion has to be seen to be believed. I think this is what's called spherical aberration of "fish eye effect" but again...terrible. Almost give you motion sickness.
What an introduction to the joys of rifle ownership and shooting!
Russian Toz 122 bolt action 308 win . Chrome bore , large bolt , nice wood , 2 8 round detachable mags , side scope mount and rings , all steel made in the Tula factory . What could be wrong ? Goes bang , accuracy is 2” at 50 yds , no matter what I’ve tried . I was thinking of rebarrelling it but ....
I haven't seen anything from Christensen Arms that I've been impressed with.
I think they've got them better than what they used to be. I had a newer 581 series that would shoot 3moa on a good day. The 582 series I had wouldn't do that. 3 1/2 - 4 moa. My buddy had a couple of them and they shot the same as well. We would trade rifles.... Same results. Cool little rifles, but accuracy and Mini 14's just don't go together.
In the spirit of the thread it would likely have to be either my Savage Axis or my 2 Savage 12FV's. For the price I paid for them I should not say anything negative about them at all since I practical stole them and they where all new.
I value intellectual honesty though. They are very accurate dumpster fire designs! If I had paid full price I would be more negative.
They have the right stuff to be made into insanely accurate rifles but they are absolute text book examples of how much money can be removed from a product and still turn out a marginally acceptable product. Only when you can get one for 1/2 of normal market price are they absolutely fantastic!
Price to purchase versus what they can be made to do is a huge thing for me. Even an average minded person with average design and machinist skills can turn out a slick, accurate action for $1200, $2000, $3500 etc....
I would say some of my $50 Mausers purchased from a barrel full of Mausers at a Gas Station in Howell Michigan are a better starting point for a fully custom rifle if you can afford the work! LOL I can not tell you how many guys from my college and from the guys we partied with that where not college students fill their freezers with Mausers I discovered in a barrel for $50 each from a gas station in Howell Michigan in the 1990's! LOL
I value intellectual honesty though. They are very accurate dumpster fire designs! If I had paid full price I would be more negative.
They have the right stuff to be made into insanely accurate rifles but they are absolute text book examples of how much money can be removed from a product and still turn out a marginally acceptable product. Only when you can get one for 1/2 of normal market price are they absolutely fantastic!
Price to purchase versus what they can be made to do is a huge thing for me. Even an average minded person with average design and machinist skills can turn out a slick, accurate action for $1200, $2000, $3500 etc....
I would say some of my $50 Mausers purchased from a barrel full of Mausers at a Gas Station in Howell Michigan are a better starting point for a fully custom rifle if you can afford the work! LOL I can not tell you how many guys from my college and from the guys we partied with that where not college students fill their freezers with Mausers I discovered in a barrel for $50 each from a gas station in Howell Michigan in the 1990's! LOL
Wow that is shocking. I have never run into a terrible Howa built rifle regardless of brand. Average yes terrible no. I do always say though "Every company that mass produces anything lets a few lemons out the door!" sadly this is a fundamental truth. The only difference is how many lemons does each company let out the door.
I guess the worst I had was the two Mini 14's I owned. Everything was good about them expect the accuracy. I've only bought one gun that malfunctioned at all and it was a Glock 19. Everything else has been fine. A lot of Ruger hate on here. Mine isn't an older one though which did give them the reputation. My M77 VT in 6.5 Creedmoor is shooting consistent .75 moa with group sizes still shrinking. Just starting load development with it. I want a .5 moa rifle. Anything better than that is icing on the cake.
danny
Silver $$ Contributor
Of the two I owned (581 & 582 series), 3moa was the best (581). The 582 shot around 4 moa.
I did not buy it, but I cannot get rid of it....
My great uncle purchased a Remington 742 in 30-06 new. This rifle is probably the finest 742 I have ever seen, and folks ooh and aah when I bring it out.
It is without a doubt the least accurate rifle I own. It jams constantly. More than once, it decided "Why shoot one? Let's send them all.".
The only shot you can count on is the cold bore. After that the vertical stringing up and to the right is fairly unpredictable.
But it is beautiful to behold that high gloss walnut, white spacers, high safari sights, and excellent bluing.
It has been a frustrating experience, but after my uncle passed he gave it to my dad, and eventually ended up with me.
I hope my daughter is ready for it in a year or two...
My great uncle purchased a Remington 742 in 30-06 new. This rifle is probably the finest 742 I have ever seen, and folks ooh and aah when I bring it out.
It is without a doubt the least accurate rifle I own. It jams constantly. More than once, it decided "Why shoot one? Let's send them all.".
The only shot you can count on is the cold bore. After that the vertical stringing up and to the right is fairly unpredictable.
But it is beautiful to behold that high gloss walnut, white spacers, high safari sights, and excellent bluing.
It has been a frustrating experience, but after my uncle passed he gave it to my dad, and eventually ended up with me.
I hope my daughter is ready for it in a year or two...
I've had a few, but one that comes to mind as being bad was a Rem 700 classic in 220 swift. Gun was below average on looks, and when i bore sighted it and shot it at 25yds to get on paper it literally sprayed the target with lead as well as making a hole. Never have I ever seen this before or after that. Unbelievably it was still capable of 1" groups at 100yds, but when i later had it borescoped by a very good gunsmith he said it was by far the worst bbl he'd ever looked at. The throat was fried for several inches, and then the center 12" portion was rust pitted very badly.
As a charter member of the SAKO Collectors, I have owned and appreciated many SAKO rifles. Those include .22's, .223s, 25-06, 7mm, .243, and .308. However, I bought a .222 Magnum at a gun show that I could not get to shoot in a 5-day slop jar. I guess that it was my worst purchase.
danny
Silver $$ Contributor
They are shooting about as well as a rifle of that type is designed for and should be expected to shoot. They are not bolt action rifles. Comparing their accuracy to one is not an Apples to Apples comparison.
Danny
I know that's what's expected out of them. That's still crappy. Can't make excuses for them. AR15's aren't bolt action rifles either, but I've got one that shoots like it.
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