What's the attraction to cheap rifles

Because a cheap rifle is way better than no rifle. If you can't appreciate or understand that idea, you have way more money than most people do.

Cheap? ...Or Inexpensive.

The "Mossberg Patriot Synthetic - Vortex Scoped Combos," for instance, are not "cheap."

At < $400, they are, however, inexpensive.

They were 1st CF hunting rifles for my sons.




GR

I've owned cheap rifles, the first one being handed-down from my brother. It was a Remington 514 single-shot and the barrel was very soft. I shot lots of .22 shorts in it and belled the chamber, so LRs wouldn't extract and needed to be pried out with a knife. It was accurate and worked well for about 30,000 rounds, so I can't complain too much.

South Prairie Jim said:

As the title says , I'm trying to understand what it is that draws people to these cheap rifles , are they going into the safe with the good rifles?
Are they going to be handed down after we're gone ?
Is it just that we are looking for a project ?
If money is an issue why not save a little longer for a quality rifle?
J

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I know proud people who cherish their grandparents single shot shotgun which fed their family for three generations. What you call cheap can't ever be replaced when it has that kind of value.

Garandimal said:

Cheap? ...Or Inexpensive.

The "Mossberg Patriot Synthetic - Vortex Scoped Combos," for instance, are not "cheap."

At < $400, they are, however, inexpensive.

They were 1st CF hunting rifles for my sons.




GR

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This


For me, I don’t need 1moa accuracy at a bazillion yards. I need minute of pie plate at 3. I also need a firearm I won’t feel bad beating to all bleep when I drop it, take it through brush, let it get rained on, stick it in the dirt, fall on my rump and knock it against a tree, shoot corrosive ammo through....etc etc.

I’ve also noticed when I worked gun retail that a lot of people confuse “inexpensive” with “not good” and get hung up on cosmetics or things that in no way impact the functionality of the firearm (looking at you guy who pulls the bolt out all the way just so you can test the wiggle).

On that not, a lot of the heirloom and pass down guns we know and love were cheap guns of the day, made in high quantities too.

Furthermore, firearm tech has come A LONG way. Metallurgy and optics fabrication is exponentially better than it used to be at a significantly lower cost to manufacture.

I forgot to mention, I mainly use the gin for hunting and I mainly hunt for food. Why would I hunt for food if the cost of doing so was so much more expensive than buying it?

Cheap guns are affordable.
Cheap guns are fun.
Cheap guns put cheap food on the table.
Cheap guns are cheap training.
I could go on... .

daniel craig said:

For me, I don’t need 1moa accuracy at a bazillion yards. I need minute of pie plate at 3....

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And that, for me, along w/ durability, delineates b/t "cheap" and "inexpensive."

After tightening up the factory optics mounting system? The Mossberg Patriot .270's shoot ~ MOA w/ PPU/150 gr.




GR

South Prairie Jim said:

No no no
Hand downs from dad or granddad are not what I'm asking about, I have shotguns from 1927 etc. Im also not being judgemental im trying to understand

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Tools for Craftsmen... or just the common man.

Think it's as simple as that.

(Dad got a M70 EW/SS)






GR

You shoot what you can afford. I have a Remington Sportsman 78 that I bought new in 1986. Put a Tasco 3x9 scope on it. Total around $300.00. Still have it complete and with my hand loads I've put 3 rounds in 3/4 inch. Did that about five times. Will never get rid of it.

For many, the firearm is just a tool to be used for hunting, defense, or just fun. And if it does the job at a certain price point, then why pay more?

As someone who enjoys all things firearm, I like a nice high end rifle. But I also like that you can get a quality rifle that does the job relatively inexpensively.

Because most of the expensive ones, suck to.

Plenty of sub moa budget rifles out there. Even a few 1/2moa.

I'm attracted to accurate rifles. Modern manufacturing practices and technology have made it possible to produce a much more accurate rifle at less cost. Spending more doesn't necessarily get you more. Nothing new about this. No rifle has ever been designed that cut more corners to be produced cheaply than the Remington 721 rifle in 1946. Which with minor cosmetic changes morphed into the 700 in the 1960's. People either forget, or never knew that the Remington 700 was the original cheap rifle.

Most of what sells today as a budget rifle actually improve on the 700's shortcomings. In fact Remington introduced an even cheaper to produce 788 in the late 1960's that was a better rifle than the 700. But was discontinued after less than 15 years because it was making the 700 look bad. Many of the design characteristics of todays budget rifles not only reduce production costs, but are proving to make the rifles more accurate and reliable than the older designs.

What's a "cheap" rifle? What's a "good" rifle? I own a little bit of everything. Why do they all have to be "good"? Sometimes a budget-friendly firearm is better suited to whatever task and it's just the best option. Sometimes they make good projects. Sometimes it's just fun. Sometimes you just want it. Why not have both?

Cheap?


Good?


Cheap?


Good?

My main hunting rig for years was been a low end Remington 700 in 30-06 that my dad got me when I was 12. It's cheap but accurate, light and effective. I have no qualms having it out in heavy rain or snow, or setting it down on rough terrain/rocks while I'm glassing or whatever. I have nicer rifles too and do use them more and the 700 a little less these days, but there's nothing wrong with a lower end hunting rifle and from a practical standpoint they have a lot of advantages over pricer rifles.

Garandimal said:

And that, for me, along w/ durability, delineates b/t "cheap" and "inexpensive."

After tightening up the factory optics mounting system? The Mossberg Patriot .270's shoot ~ MOA w/ PPU/150 gr.




GR

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My gf shoots the patriot in 243 and it’s been extremely accurate. Bought it for about $100 because the local sporting goods store was clearancing them out and she had a coupon and rewards points.

I have a Marlin model 15... a single-shot .22. It was $79 brand new... it is not a cheap rifle, it's an inexpensive rifle.

My buddy has a Ruger Precision Rifle, I don't know what the going rate on one is, but it's not inexpensive. I thought it felt rather cheap, particularly compared to my inexpensive Savage model 10 TAC... although it shot very well, it was a bit crude and clunky.

Back in the day, you used to be able to buy SKS's, Mosins, and other surplus rifles for cheap. Although they are reasonable rifles, military rifles being what they are, I could just never warm up to piles of inexpensive surplus rifles just to have them. I would rather have 1 good M1 Garand than 8 clapped out surplus rifles, even if the ammo costs 3x or 4x more for it.

South Prairie Jim said:

As the title says , I'm trying to understand what it is that draws people to these cheap rifles , are they going into the safe with the good rifles?
Are they going to be handed down after we're gone ?
Is it just that we are looking for a project ?
If money is an issue why not save a little longer for a quality rifle?
J

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How do you define 'cheap' and 'quality'? Also, how do you actually use the rifle in question?
The majority of folks don't own a safe or a bunch of guns. From what I've seen a lot of people view a rifle as a tool for their hunting hobby. For someone who wants to take a gun out a weekend in the fall, an inexpensive plastic stocked bolt gun with a factory mounted scope can be a perfect choice. It's only job is hold zero over time and go bang when it's needed. It otherwise sits in a box or leaned in a closet and probably wont see more than a handfully of cartridges per year. Pretty much all of the low end centerfires made the last decade or so accomplish this with aplomb.

It's a good way to try out a new cartridge without laying out for a high end rifle.

It's cheaper to buy a Ruger American or Mossberg Patriot than a new barrel for your Encore if you want to test the waters.

Don't want to beat up a pretty or collectible rifle? Get a good performing TC Venture and drag it through the thorns and scrub brush.

Don't want to scratch up a nice Miroku Winchester 92? I've put my Rossi R92 through hell and back on deer drives and never shed a tear.

I have nice guns, and cheap ones. They all have a role, and I'm happy with all of them.

daniel craig said:

My gf shoots the patriot in 243 and it’s been extremely accurate. Bought it for about $100 because the local sporting goods store was clearancing then out and she had a coupon and rewards points.

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Score!

For a basic bolt rifle - they impress me.

Think the magnums have an energy level that takes its toll on the stock/bedding engineering.

But std. cartridges seem to run fine.

My only gripe is the lack of a bolt hold-down detent - so we just decock it, and use the bolt as an additional safety.




GR

Some people are cheap all around
Some people buy expensive things, but look at guns as Stanley claw hammers, and go cheap there.
Some people are hard on their gear, a truck gun would get dinged up rather quickly.
Some cheap guns actually work well.

My cheap rifle is a 700 ADL synth, but got a Gre Tan FP/shroud upgrade, a steel trigger guard and
the reworked factory stock later swapped to HS precision. It worked fine for a decade dang near original.

I do keep thinking of a RAR in .450 BM but the stock is crap, so mo money to change it if I got one.
Kinda defeats the purpose LOL

Harbor Freight vs. Craftsman vs. Snap On

Each have their place.

Harbor Freight = Tools you know you are going to destroy, modify, get stolen, or are one time use
Craftsman = Blue collar tools that do what their supposed to and if they break free replacement
Snap On = Excellent tools with great tolerances, excellent service, pride of ownership