Hand_Rifle_Guy
Member
the point of the "commercial' designation is to EXCLUDE MILITARY-DERIVED DESIGNS.
That means no FAL's, AK's, M-14's, G-3's, AR's, Garand's, etc. In short, anything built for the military first, and the civilian market afterwards.
That doesn't leave very many choices, AFAIK. The Browning BAR. The Remington 7400 series. Things of that nature.
Here in the PRK, our draconian 'assault weapon' ban pretty much cuts off access from most of the commonly available military actions. That leaves people who didn't have one already somewhat SOL if they want to own what many regard as the "best" of the autoloaders for general-purpose use.
So I ask, knowing that "Best" is a very subjective term open to the influence of many variables, which self-loader you would consider the most desireable, and why?
BTW, my personal favorite is the Remington Model 8/81 Woodsmaster, because it is a John Browning design that was in production for about 40 years before going out because of WW II, and being too expensive to produce to resume production afterwards. 40 years is pretty good for a first-generation design, which speaks well of J.B.'s engineering. It's a long-recoil design that does not rely on gas impingement to operate, a design element I find appealing from a practical reliability standpoint. The guns themselves are beautifully made, with all-machined parts who's workmanship reflects the ideals of craftsmanship from an earlier time, as the guns were initially marketed in 1906. They're well-balanced, much like a Winchester levergun, and their 22" barrels make them quite handy for woods-bumming or what-have-you, while their beefy construction makes for enough weight to have them settle nicely on target when takeing a quick sight on something off-hand. The action absorbs recoil very well, they come chambered for a variety of useful (And a few useless.
) rounds like the .35 Remington and the .300 Savage, and their solid heft means they're BUILT, like a Ruger revolver.
I've got two. I like 'em better than my 7400 and my BAR. And as an added bonus, my two M-81's together cost less than HALF of the going rate for a BAR. I've never even seen an M-8/81 for more than $400, although there aren't that many around.
I'm also wondering about any commercial auto designs I may have left out of this post. I know there's a few more, I just can't think of 'em right now, so I'm wishing for people to fill in the blanks.
So which one do you like, and why, when forced to be "satisfied with less" without the choice of the military-derived actions? It might really matter to the PRK in the immediate future with the way our idiotic legislature is so enamored with banning the "scary-looking" guns.
That means no FAL's, AK's, M-14's, G-3's, AR's, Garand's, etc. In short, anything built for the military first, and the civilian market afterwards.
That doesn't leave very many choices, AFAIK. The Browning BAR. The Remington 7400 series. Things of that nature.
Here in the PRK, our draconian 'assault weapon' ban pretty much cuts off access from most of the commonly available military actions. That leaves people who didn't have one already somewhat SOL if they want to own what many regard as the "best" of the autoloaders for general-purpose use.
So I ask, knowing that "Best" is a very subjective term open to the influence of many variables, which self-loader you would consider the most desireable, and why?
BTW, my personal favorite is the Remington Model 8/81 Woodsmaster, because it is a John Browning design that was in production for about 40 years before going out because of WW II, and being too expensive to produce to resume production afterwards. 40 years is pretty good for a first-generation design, which speaks well of J.B.'s engineering. It's a long-recoil design that does not rely on gas impingement to operate, a design element I find appealing from a practical reliability standpoint. The guns themselves are beautifully made, with all-machined parts who's workmanship reflects the ideals of craftsmanship from an earlier time, as the guns were initially marketed in 1906. They're well-balanced, much like a Winchester levergun, and their 22" barrels make them quite handy for woods-bumming or what-have-you, while their beefy construction makes for enough weight to have them settle nicely on target when takeing a quick sight on something off-hand. The action absorbs recoil very well, they come chambered for a variety of useful (And a few useless.
) rounds like the .35 Remington and the .300 Savage, and their solid heft means they're BUILT, like a Ruger revolver.I've got two. I like 'em better than my 7400 and my BAR. And as an added bonus, my two M-81's together cost less than HALF of the going rate for a BAR. I've never even seen an M-8/81 for more than $400, although there aren't that many around.
I'm also wondering about any commercial auto designs I may have left out of this post. I know there's a few more, I just can't think of 'em right now, so I'm wishing for people to fill in the blanks.
So which one do you like, and why, when forced to be "satisfied with less" without the choice of the military-derived actions? It might really matter to the PRK in the immediate future with the way our idiotic legislature is so enamored with banning the "scary-looking" guns.
