A cartridge/rifle combo that really surprised / impressed you.

[Dr.Rob]

1894 Marlin 44 mag.

After firing my uncle's and just tearing up everything I was shooting at I just HAD to have one. You can literally blow the innards out of a bowling pin with it. Lot of fun, hard hitting for a lightweight carbine.

5.56mm/AR-15

My previous experience with .223/5.56 in an auto had been with a Mini 14 or an AK clone so I wasn't expecting great accuracy. AR's really get the most out of this caliber. Glad I finally got one.

8mm Mauser/Kar98k

My favorite military bolt action BY far. Serious power at range, pretty flat shooting. Not my FIRST choice as a hunting rifle, but I would not hesitate to use it on deer/elk/bear/moose.

 

[stjack]

OMG....my first gun was a Mosin Nagant 91/30 and I couldn't hit a barn with it, until I put a Classic Arms machine gun barrel on it and now I'm shooting sub-MOA with Privi ammo (complete with massive fireballs out the 24" barrel), sporterized Mausers, new Howa's, my son's AR's and CZ's.....there's way too many good rifles to complain about not hitting what you're aiming at...

 

[tahoe2]

8x57 mauser

I bought a surplus Yugo M24/47 about six years ago at Big5 sporting goods for $129.00 bucks. So much cosmoline you could barely see through the barrel. Cleaned up, it was shooting 4"-5" @ 100 yards (iron sights & 46 year old eyes). Not great! I know. The stock was gnarled & cracked, so I put it in a Boyd's walnut sporter stock, a Timney trigger & low mount safety, drilled & tapped and Leupold rings & mnts with a Pentax 6x scope. With my handloads, it groups 1-1/4" @ 100 yards & 3-5/8" @ 200 yards. Not bad for a 60+ year old action & barrel!! Have'nt bagged anything with it yet, but soon!

 

[Water-Man]

I've been shooting rifles for sixty years but, up until a few years ago, had no experience with a 6.5x55 SE.

At that point I bought a Tikka T3 Hunter in that caliber and it's been love since the first trigger-pull. What a shooter!

Everyone should own at least one 6.5x55 SE.

W-M

 

[TwoEyedJack]

When I was a poor college student, I had a hankering for a .223 bolt action rifle. I found a homely little Remington 788 at a pawn shop. The stock was as pretty as a fence post and the metal work was about as rough. It had an ancient Weaver scope that looked like it had never been cleaned. I had lined up a gunsmith to ream it out to .223. I bought a box of Winchester factory loads for baseline testing. I verified zero and shot a five shot group at 100 yards. You could cover the group with a dime and have room left over. Needless to say, it was never re-chambered and I moved many ground squirrels and rock chucks along in the food chain with that rifle. One of the stupidest things I ever did was sell that rifle.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Probably the greatest surprise for me was the first time we were let loose with M16A2s, SS109 and some issued Hensoldt zf24 fixed power Blits scopes. I was dead stone amazed at how far we could reach out and the authority with which the round arrived. From that day to retirement I didn't feel the need for anything else in the desert. What a rockin' combination that was!

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Bushmaster BA-50. Feel in love with 50 bmg after this rifle. I have shot numerous, but with horrible back problems the recoilon this rifle is virtually non existent. Not to mention I love the sheer force of the blast from the muzzle break. Using A-MAXs this is as accurate as any 50 I have had the pleasure of firing.

 

[1948CJ2A]

My 250 Savage. You can shoot it all day with very little recoil. Inside 250 yards it's a tack driver. I prefer it over a 243. Just a fantastic little over-achiever.