jayjaypunisher
Member
this should be interesting, there might even be data out there that I couldn't find but here goes- what do you guys think the best SELLING .....lets say RIFLE of all times is? be particular to brand cause "AR" is way too vague
Best selling?
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Tim the student
Member
10/22? Just my WAG.
If you wanted to include shotguns, I'd bet that the 870 is tops there.
If you wanted to include shotguns, I'd bet that the 870 is tops there.
CoRoMo
Member
I remember Field & Stream doing a survey and found more model 700s out there than any other rifle. That was sort of specific to hunting rifles though, but I'd still say it has to be up in the top portion of 'best selling rifles of all time'.
leadcounsel
member
AK47 worldwide.
Ruger 10/22 for specific rifles.
Remy 870 for shotguns.
Ruger 10/22 for specific rifles.
Remy 870 for shotguns.
Baba Louie
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Best SELLING? For years in the US, I'd say the Win 94. Maybe a Red Ryder or Daisy BB gun? Altho' if you say Mauser style, bolt action, centerfire you can't be too far off.
jayjaypunisher
Member
which AK?
I think I'm gonna vote Ruger 10/22
I think I'm gonna vote Ruger 10/22
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Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
I think my friend leadcounsel has nailed it~! I'm in complete agreement. 
Ruger Redhawk
Member
Let's not forget how long the old Winchester lever actions hve been around. I'd have to say the Model 94. I'm sure more game has been taken with a M-94 then any other rifle.
Worldwide I agree the AK.
Worldwide I agree the AK.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
Limiting the AR to only particular brands and models is like limiting the Remington 700 or Winchester 94 to certain years, barrel types (and in-house only), and stock styles.
The AR-15 platform is the top selling centerfire rifle in the USA and has been for several years. Yes, 30+ companies make it, but they are the same design to the extent that parts from different manufacturers are interchangeable. There's also the fact that most AR receiver forgings are made by just a few companies, regardless of brand.
The AR-15 platform is the top selling centerfire rifle in the USA and has been for several years. Yes, 30+ companies make it, but they are the same design to the extent that parts from different manufacturers are interchangeable. There's also the fact that most AR receiver forgings are made by just a few companies, regardless of brand.
doubleh
Member
I'll go with the Marlin Model 60 in .22LR
Winchester 94 for centerfire hunting rifles.
Winchester 94 for centerfire hunting rifles.
MachIVshooter
Member
As far as one particular model, the 60 holds the title. For a family, I'd venture Remington 700's and customs based on it, though a few years back, I think the Winchester 94 probably had it.
For a type, I agree wholly with the AK platform.
Definitely 870 for shotgun
For a type, I agree wholly with the AK platform.
Definitely 870 for shotgun
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jayjaypunisher
Member
I'll give on this one, your right but given that I'd a agree to the AR platform as CURRENTLY but not sure I agree to best selling TO DATE
anyone know the year the first Commercial AR was sold, in its current "design"? point being it hasnt been that awful long compared to some others that are still selling after 100 years, just a thought
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
1962, I believe. Sales went through the roof in 1994, though, and the AR was probably top of the annual centerfire sales heap by 2004 or 2005. I think it's safe to say that more were sold 1994-2004 than in all the previous years since 1962.
For interest's sake, here's a Colt AR-15 ad, circa 1965.
I believe the top of the "total number sold in the USA" chart for centerfire rifles may be the SKS. The Georgia Arms Collector's Ass'n once estimated the total number of SKS's in the US as 7 million, which is only slightly behind the Remington 870 shotgun at ~8-9 million. I can't find any verification of the 7 million number, though.
jayjaypunisher
Member
Awsome Ezra, wouldnt have ever considered the SKS, thats some intersting numbers
Hoxviii
Member
Issue is with an AK, an AR, an SKS, or any other "who knows who made it" gun would be analogous to asking, "What is the best selling vehicle in the US?" and answering with something like sedan or pickup truck. Way too vague and way too open. Like was stated earlier as precise of an answer would be "mauser type bolt action".
You have to affix a brand to the model in order to get a real idea of just how much impact a particular company has on the firearms market.
Best selling commercial rifle I'd go with the Winchester 94, it was around forever and really, who never owned one? I'm willing to bet it was even better selling than the generic category of AR variants. Sure, a bunch of people have AR variants but a BUNCH more have a Winchester 94.
SKS as best selling military rifle because they were so damn cheap along with the ammunition.
Shotgun is definitely the 870, self loading the 1100.
You have to affix a brand to the model in order to get a real idea of just how much impact a particular company has on the firearms market.
Best selling commercial rifle I'd go with the Winchester 94, it was around forever and really, who never owned one? I'm willing to bet it was even better selling than the generic category of AR variants. Sure, a bunch of people have AR variants but a BUNCH more have a Winchester 94.
SKS as best selling military rifle because they were so damn cheap along with the ammunition.
Shotgun is definitely the 870, self loading the 1100.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
Actually, saying "Mauser 98" or even "98K" would be a better analogy, since the the Mauser 98 was one design that was produced by a great many companies/facilities (not just Mauser), but the parts were built to a single spec and are functionally interchangeable like the AR-15's.
In today's gun market, the name stamped on the product is less important than the product itself. Talking about the AR-15 is like talking about the M1 Garand; it was made at multiple facilities by multiple companies, but it is one interoperable design with interchangeable parts. And not many people realize that, say, a Rock River AR and a Colt AR are often built off receivers from the same forge (e.g., Cerro), just with different grades of parts and with final machining and heat treating done by people wearing different company hats.
Mostly agree on the cumulative totals. Winchester says 6 million Winchester 94's were sold in 112 years (and some others say 7 million) before production ceased in 2006, which works out to 54,000-63,000 a year on average, though sales were higher in the 1950's than before thanks to rising incomes. I'll bet at least half of those still exist, probably far more, so it's fair to say there are at least 4 or 5 million still in U.S. homes. And best I can tell, 3.5 million Remington Model 700's have been sold since it was introduced.
IF the 7-million-SKS's-in-the-USA estimate is correct, then the SKS would just barely edge out the 94 (because, as you state, it was so darn cheap until a few years ago). I am still kicking myself for not picking up some of those $69.95 16" barreled models back in the '90s. But again, I have not been able to verify that number.
As to AR-15 sales, in the mid-2000's when I ran the numbers, AR-15 sales were running between 200,000 and 250,000 a year total from ~30 different assemblers, so say a million every four or five years (with the pace having picked up significantly since 2007 or so). It's been the top selling centerfire rifle since probably 2004, and since total sales have almost certainly exceeded the two million mark by now, I dare say it won't be all that much longer before the AR passes the Remington M700's cumulative 3.5 million mark.
As to whether it will reach the Winchester 94's 6 million mark, that's hard to say. In the Winchester 94's heyday, there weren't all that many rifles to compete with the 94 in the "does everything" role, but there are a lot more choices out there today, and it's a lot easier to get them to market. Given the AR-15's continued popularity with my generation and the next, though, I'd say its chances at equaling that mark are pretty good.
Agreed. From what I can tell, the number of 870's sold over the decades stands between 8 and 10 million, which probably makes it the single most produced centerfire firearm in the nation.
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NMGonzo
Member
Civilian only or armies too?
Worldwide?
Worldwide?
jayjaypunisher
Member
never specified but was meaning civilian commercial sales, and US only
Hoxviii
Member
Not apples and oranges at all. None of those AR15A2's are built with the same parts from the same company, while only loosely theoretically to the same specs.
For the last couple years, the best selling vehicle in the US has been the Ford F-150. If Chevy built an "f-150" it wouldn't be counted in the specs. In fact, the identical truck produced by chevy and GMC are listed as two separate entities by any and all groups that collect sales data. Same truck, different label, equals different truck.
Pretty straight forward to me.
For the last couple years, the best selling vehicle in the US has been the Ford F-150. If Chevy built an "f-150" it wouldn't be counted in the specs. In fact, the identical truck produced by chevy and GMC are listed as two separate entities by any and all groups that collect sales data. Same truck, different label, equals different truck.
Pretty straight forward to me.
That can be said of the same model from the same company.
IIRC it's the F-series trucks. If so, each model is built a little differently and therefore belongs in a different category.
You analogy is equivalent to saying brand X number three pencils are the biggest seller because so many different companies make number two pencils.
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