I Don't fully "get it"

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HngMnHnryDvdsn

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Anyone ever get a rifle and not fully fall in love with it?
Took my Springfield Saint to the range today along with my Henry. Both rifles I need to shoot more and improve my accuracy, only a 25 yard range and I still struggle to shoot the bullseye consistently.
The Henry i added a ranger point precision peep sight and my grouping has drastically improved, however I still consistently shoot right of poa, even with the sight adjust almost fully left. Per my research I feel it may be a bit of trigger control and possibly anticipating recoil thats causing my to shoot right, elevation is good but off center a bit. Still love the rifle, easy to clean, fun to shoot, love the lever action.
The AR however I don't "fully get". The prism scope I have on it is much easier to dial in, tho due to ammo availability I can't pile up 1 or 2 brands/loads and really get a solid feel. Its eaten and extracted everything I've thrown at it including some Russian steel case, so thats a plus. It's fairly comfortable in my hands, tho I feel with a few tweaks it could be more comfortable (debating a free float 15" handgaurd to give may improve ergonomics for myself). Not difficult to service/clean but definitely "more complex" compared to the Henry. Its a fun rifle to shoot but I'm not fully in love with it, and am debating selling it and putting the funds toward another lever action or towards a future handgun fund. That or I just got to shoot it more.

Anyone else get a rifle/handgun they thought they'd love only to feel kinda meh about?
 
If you can, let someone else shoot your Henry and see if they have the same result. Seems there could be an issue with the sight.

I don't like ARs, I have one and shoot it to keep things moving and confirm function. That's it. Disliking ARs is normal, it means you're using your head instead of following the crowd. You should always keep one for defense of home and country.
 
Had one rifle, an HK 91 that I never really took to. I'm not what you call a big guy; I'm 5'10" and around 160 to 165 lbs. yet the stock on that rifle felt like it was short enough for a kid who was 9 or 10 years old. The overall ergonomics were definitely not conducive for extended range sessions as I felt I could never get comfortable even shooting off of a bench. My brother had a Springfield Armory M1A and a DSA SA 58 at the same time and those two rifles were, excuse the pun, head and shoulders above the HK91 in of their stock designs and by the way they balanced and handled.
 
There was this Model 96 Swede that got butchered by Century...

I have a Remington R-15 Compact VTR that is very accurate. However, to me it seems like the semi-auto action ENHANCES the recoil, especially compared to my Ruger 77 Featherweight and T/C Encore in 223. The 223 is not supposed to kick.
 
I got a Browning AB3 in a trade I was pretty excited about. I was looking for a nice hunting rifle and it ticked alot of boxes for me.

Nice and light weight, right at #7 without scope or ammo. 26" barrel I liked. Good trigger. Locking bolt. Nice magazine design and locks up nice. Full sized nickled bolt is smooth, 60°throw is nice. Stock fits well, Nice recoil pad, stock dosen't flex much. Very nice stock for an "economy" level bolt gun.

But, it's a #7 rifle chambered in 300wm. I'm a believer in "there's no such thing as too dead" but that just didn't sound like a good time to me. I can't think of a reason to shoot full powered loads in it for anything I'd hunt. I could work up a reduced load, but it's always a crapshoot to how accurate that'll be.

So I'm trading it straight across to someone for a 7mmRemMag AB3. I think I'll be pretty happy with that as my "do-all" hunting rifle..
 
I also have no love for ARs. I had a Stag Arms Lefty just never turned me on. It shot ok, but I liked my AK better. Not a huge auto loader fan. They have a purpose just not one I need to fill.
As far as the point of impact with the Henry I would try more types of ammo. My natural shot placement is high and right I just remember to choke the chicken (better grip).
 
Anyone else get a rifle/handgun they thought they'd love only to feel kinda meh about?
Click to expand...
Yes.
For me it is a semi-custom Browning ABII. It was a .25WSSM that I rebarreled to a 6.5WSSM. It's ok and the accuracy is satisfactory, if not outstanding.
But for some odd reason, it just doesn't tickle my fancy like I thought it would. :(
 
I wanted to like the AK so bad, but the Century AK I bought was just plain junk.

First time I brought it out, I fire one shot and the action freezes solid. Binding gas piston, broken straight out of the box. Back to the manufacturer on warranty.

I shot it infrequently after that, always with really lackluster results, but the final straw was this summer. I brought out an old phonebook to tear to pieces, so I set it out about 20 yards away and fired at it with my AK. It missed. I looked at it dumbfounded, checked that my rear sight was set to 100m, then fired again. Missed. Unreal. I unloaded and got my AR out of the truck. Bam-bam-bam, 20 rounds blowing it to pieces just like you'd expect. :D

I put the AK on paper after that to check if it was sighted in, and I couldn't even tell because it was throwing shotgun patterns. If I've seen a less accurate rifle, I can't remember it.

Something's off with that gun, but I'm too frustrated with it to spend the time and money to find out. I'm planning to sell high on it in the next couple weeks.

A friend has a MAK 90 with the thumbhole stock. Its build quality is worlds better than the Century, and I will vouch that it is at least phone-book accurate. That one's fun, but it's not $1000 fun like sellers have been wanting for them. More of a $500 kind of fun.
 
Obturation said:
If you can, let someone else shoot your Henry and see if they have the same result. Seems there could be an issue with the sight.

I don't like ARs, I have one and shoot it to keep things moving and confirm function. That's it. Disliking ARs is normal, it means you're using your head instead of following the crowd. You should always keep one for defense of home and country.
Click to expand...
I have the exact feeling as you. Nothing wrong with the AR, I'm just not a fan. But I have one, and will keep it for defense. Shoot it a bit just to stay familiar with it.
 
Yes, it didn't become any true love- but only because of preferred target distance.

Shooting over 50 yards never really grew on me.
Having the True WW2 American classic just seemed like overkill at 25-50 yards, hitting plastic bottles. It would Not be cool to go into details (in public), but at least it's the truth.

Mosin Bubba: It's really unfortunate that you never spent about an hour on the older "AKfiles", or checking for premature bolt lug etc wear depicted (where you can see the extra wear) in videos on AKOU (Youtube): AK Operators Union.
Am glad that you learned about, or decided to invest in the MAK 90's quality.

This is a classic example of the > excellent advice< : "Buy AKMs imported by Century, not.... designed by them."
 
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For me it was the SKS. I bought two for $65 each. I think they were my first centerfire rifles. I liked the concept of a short, beater rifle for the farm. After stocking up on the absurdly cheap ammo, I started shooting it.
I hated it.
I hated everything about it.
Click to expand...

That sounds a lot like my SKS experience. I can remember being able to buy a rifle and 1000 rounds of ammo for $200. Or just the rifle for around $60-$70.

I had a couple and never warmed up to them either. I did keep them long enough to make a small profit when I sold them. I don't regret selling them, but do wish I'd waited a little longer, they are worth a fair bit more than $70 today. I think I got $100 each.

I've tried to like pump action rifles and modern lever actions like the Browning BLR and just can't warm up to them either. Even though I have no issues with a pump shotgun and traditional lever actions.
 
I have a nice AR and I like it and am glad that I have it but truthfully I only have it because some politician(s) said I should not have one. But I am not in love with it. I love my Marlins, my M77 Ruger M77 .270 and my Kimber 1911 and Ruger Blackhawk in .45LC. I just cannot get into the modern sporting rifle, just not my thing, meh.
 
I own an AR on principle; I am not into ARs. Perhaps of more interest, I don't like lever action rifles. I really want to. My first centerfire rifle was a Marlin 336, given to me by my father-in-law. He didn't object when I sold it to buy a bolt action. I had a 336 Cowboy for a while; I did like the straight stock better than the pistol-gripped 336, but it still didn't float my boat. I really wanted to like the pistol cartridge levers. I've owned two Marlin 1894s in .44 mag, and three in .357 magnum. I find a good deal, buy it, slick it up ... and then don't enjoy shooting it, so it gets flipped. I'm still visually attracted to them, but know from experience they aren't worth pursuing.

I would like to shoot a Henry Long Ranger sometime, but I'm not going to buy one to see if I like it.
 
HngMnHnryDvdsn said:
Anyone ever get a rifle and not fully fall in love with it?
Took my Springfield Saint to the range today along with my Henry. Both rifles I need to shoot more and improve my accuracy, only a 25 yard range and I still struggle to shoot the bullseye consistently.
The Henry i added a ranger point precision peep sight and my grouping has drastically improved, however I still consistently shoot right of poa, even with the sight adjust almost fully left. Per my research I feel it may be a bit of trigger control and possibly anticipating recoil thats causing my to shoot right, elevation is good but off center a bit. Still love the rifle, easy to clean, fun to shoot, love the lever action.
The AR however I don't "fully get". The prism scope I have on it is much easier to dial in, tho due to ammo availability I can't pile up 1 or 2 brands/loads and really get a solid feel. Its eaten and extracted everything I've thrown at it including some Russian steel case, so thats a plus. It's fairly comfortable in my hands, tho I feel with a few tweaks it could be more comfortable (debating a free float 15" handgaurd to give may improve ergonomics for myself). Not difficult to service/clean but definitely "more complex" compared to the Henry. Its a fun rifle to shoot but I'm not fully in love with it, and am debating selling it and putting the funds toward another lever action or towards a future handgun fund. That or I just got to shoot it more.

Anyone else get a rifle/handgun they thought they'd love only to feel kinda meh about?
Click to expand...
Well I just turned 60 and have a lot of guns. I like to shoot and collect them. That is fun and makes me happy. But I have never fallen in love with a gun, car, truck, ect. They are only objects. I fully fell in love with my wife, kids and dogs. Maybe people should focus on others instead of objects. Just my humble opinion just after Christmas. Hope you had a Merry one.
 
I've got a couple.

Like Armored Farmer, I got a couple sub-$100 SKS's. They shot with every pull of the trigger but the chance of hitting something was next to nil. It caused me to drop an AK-47 from the "want list" especially after learning the accuracy potential of a good AR-15. I still have a ton of surplus 7.62x39 ammunition from the 1990's.

I bought a T/C Encore for a project rifle and, in part, based on my experience with first generation Contenders. I quickly hated that T/C removed the trigger adjustments that the 1G Contender had and the Encore never really measured up with either the factory barrel or the aftermarket barrel I bought for the project. I did get some improvement in the trigger due to some parts changing that helped some with the accuracy.

It is too bad, because my 221 Remington Fireball Contender 22" rifle is one of the most accurate rifles that I have.
 
For me, it all hinges upon shootability. I seem to like rifles a lot better, when they function, dependably and accurately after the first or second range trip. I have rifles I'm sure I'd love, if they could get past the dependability and accuracy issues. The mini-14 is a perfect example.
Who couldn't love a box fed Garand action that shoots 5.56 ? The guy who can't get it to cycle reliably, or shoot tight groups, at even 50 yards.
Who wouldn't love an AR type, that shoots 30.06? The guy that can't get it to cycle, and has a new mechanical issue with it, every range trip.

So, when the no name AR-15 build shoots tight groups, and nails game, almost every time out, or the X-Bolt stacks up an impressive list of hides, it's no wonder that they are the favored rifles, in the game.

OTOH, HngMnHnryDvdsn, you need to get out to a100 yard range, to feel your rifle's legs. 25 yards is too short a distance to accurize a rifle.
 
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^^^^^^This. It exactly sums up a lot of what I was going to post.

The OP is the reason the walls and racks of the LGS have used guns.

As some have noted above, the SKS just didn’t do it for me. It’s accurate enough for its intended use, but I’m not going into battle in a jungle. It was one of the loudest guns I’ve ever shot. Milsurps are simply military tools. They have no soul in my world. If you love them, have at it.

I’m into hitting little bitty stuff way off, not turning money into noise doing a mag dump.

I had a safe full of guns. Many of them were there just taking up space and never fired. Why? “Just because” I guess.

Now I have a few rifles, a few pistols, one shotgun. Specific uses.
 
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A junk Mosin Nagant M91/30.

There's a couple gallons of cosmoline soaked into the stock and the bolt sticks so hard you about need a mallet to cycle it.

It's not a couple faint smears of grease on top of an intact finish; the finish is mostly gone and and the stock is completely saturated. None of the silly tricks with garbage bags or hair driers work. Mineral spirits don't touch it.

I spent a few hours scrubbing it with dishsoap and hot water until it looked like a piece of driftwood and I was worried I ruined it, and then it just regreased itself over the course of a week or two until it was about the same as before.

If I get bored enough I'll try some stronger solvents or degreasers, but I just haven't gotten there yet.

I've also tried polishing the chamber and I have some other ideas, but once again, I haven't gotten bored enough yet.
 
Not ones I own but one son has a Ruger 556, the other a Mini-14 and I have a Mossberg 223/556 bolt action..so when we shoot, we trade and shoot all 3 of them(along with a Ruger 9mm PC carbine and Henry 38/357 lever)..
I like all of them but my least 'favorite' is the Ruger 556...I donno, just enjoy shooting the Mini and my Mossberg way more. So-so with the Henry and PC carbine also..
 
HngMnHnryDvdsn said:
... Anyone else get a rifle/handgun they thought they'd love only to feel kinda meh about?
Click to expand...
That describes the SKS for me. Like Armored farmer I thought that they would be good walkabout farm rifles.

I have yet to warm up to them, however. They have just never made it onto my "Hey! I want to shoot the _____ SKS some today!" list, y'know?
 
Sure, lots of them. Still have some of them. I still have an M6 Scout that has to be the least loveable firearm ever produced but it is unique...
 
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