Have you ever had a rifle you didn't like?

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Mosin Bubba said:
My hit rate for rifles has been a lot better than with pistols, I guess there tends to not be as much "feel" involved with them as with handguns.

That being said, I bought a Century Romy AK and it flat out sucked. Right out of the box, it had a piston frozen solid that required the gun to be sent back to Century. After 2 months or so, I got my rifle back from warranty work and put some rounds through it. It was terrible.

2 liter bottles at 100 yards? Not happening. The stock felt terrible, even after I put a rubber recoil pad on it to lengthen the short Combloc stock, it still felt terrible. The donkey-dick foregrip looked kind of cool in pictures but felt like crap in my hand. About the only positives I have is that it hasn't jammed since it got repaired, and the wood and parked-metal finish are actually VERY nice. It shoots horribly, but it does look good.

Still, I wasn't happy with it when I paid $400 on Buds, and after the sanctions on Russian small arms went through, the prices on all AKs pretty much doubled. $750 for a WASR today is a joke.

I would sell the thing and pocket a couple hundred dollars profit on a POS rifle I don't really shoot. But part of me is like "are you sure", because if I sell this AK now, I will never own one again. I won't buy back in at today's prices.

Honorable mention for the Mini-14. I was going to buy one for $750, but I asked a friend to borrow his and try it out before I took the plunge. Good idea. The stock was too long for me (feels like it was even longer than the usual 13 1/2" LOP), it was heavy for what it was, and it shot like crap.
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The AK has never been known as an accurate rifle. Nor was it ever intended to be. It was designed to be a platform used by poorly trained conscripts to throw lead downrange by the ton and to do so reliably under the most adverse conditions and with minimal maintenance.

I gotta agree about $750 being outrageous.
 
I had to think pretty hard on this -- most of my problem children have been handguns.

I guess the most disappointing rifle for me was a Baikal .308 O/U double rifle. The main issue was access to the lower chamber -- you had to break the action wide open for enough clearance to get a spent case out, and since it lacked ejectors you basically had a single shot after firing off the first pair.

Double.gif
 
I have two rifles that I would rather leave in the safe than shoot. Both were bought in 2000-2001ish
Remington 597 stainless so called stainless barrel and synthetic stock. Absolutely garbage very finicky about what it likes to eat and the magazines are problematic with several different versions releases since I bought it.

Russian SKS letter gun. Paid about $100 for it. It was fun to shoot until I bought better rifles and realized what better really was. I was in the gun shop right before Christmas and they were in the $700-800 price range.
I had to laugh and ask the guy at the counter if I was seeing that correctly or if they were mismarked.

I don't really want to sell anything but if someone walked up with $700 or offered more for the SKS I would probably let it go and buy something else to replace it.
 
bdickens said:
The AK has never been known as an accurate rifle. Nor was it ever intended to be. It was designed to be a platform used by poorly trained conscripts to throw lead downrange by the ton and to do so reliably under the most adverse conditions and with minimal maintenance.

I gotta agree about $750 being outrageous.
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Agree on conscripts. Add women and children and non-firearms people in the mix. In ten or fifteen minutes of instruction a laymen can learn the basics of operating and maintaining an AK. There aren't confusing bolt hold opens/releases just rock mag in pace, rack bolt handle and go.

I consider any rifle that can shoot an 8 inch group at 100 yards to be accurate enough for most purposes. AK inaccuracy is often overstated a lot, partially because of the crude sights. It doesn't coddle your eyes like the sights on an AR but if you take the time to work them they can get the job done. The often canted sight blocks rattle the noob but once you have a sighted in gun the rest is only in your mind, lol. I have seen some pretty canted sights that still did the job AK.

I would pay $750 for a WASR if I could examine in person first. I find any basic combloc AK about as good as another if the bore and build are good. 6-700 is just what they want for bottom rung AKs now.
 
Lots. I guess I'm a slow learner, but I don't really care for lever actions. My first rifle ever was a Marlin 336 .30-30 gifted my by my father-in-law. Wasn't long before I traded it (with his blessing) for a bolt action .308. Since then I've had several other levers in .30-30, .44 mag, and .357 mag. In each instance, I found a good deal, slicked them up and got them shooting well ... only to remember that I don't really care for lever actions. Nothing specific against them, but they just don't float my boat.

I didn't like my Ruger Mini-14 Ranch in .223. Did a lot of work to it and could never get it shooting under 3-4 inches at 100 yards. Maybe good enough for someone else, but not for me. I sold it to purchase my first AR. I didn't like my Springfield M1A Scout, either. Nothing wrong with it; just not my thing.

Just a few examples; I could go on.
 
The older I get, the more picky I am about my rifles. The saying "only accurate rifles are interesting" definitely applies to me. They also need to fit and balance and feel right. I've taken quite a loss on a number of rifles that I really wanted to like, but for one reason or another, just didn't get along with. But that's how you know.
 
I had a couple winchester leveraction rifles that were disappointing.
A model 88 in .308W the darn thing was into patterns than groups.
A model 250 .23Lr same thing.
A couple Mosins that thinking back on they needed some counter boreing.
A 1909 Argentine Mauser Carbine that was chambered for .311/06.
A pair of Charter Arms AR-7's in .22Lr.
A WesternAuto 30/30 (marlin 336 as) with a hosed bore (coastal boat gun)
Winchester model 70, .225 W -
ammo reload hassle (access to reloading materials at that time)
 
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About three different AR’s, I’ve liked all the rest. Come to think of it I’ve only sold one rifle that wasn’t an AR, it was a 1874 Sharps repo and I LOVED it but life demanded money I couldn’t up any other way, sadly.
 
sparkyv said:
Ruger American Predator 6.5CM that won't group better than 1.1MOA @ 300yd for me regardless of the rounds I roll for it. Buddy likes it, good enough for minute-of-deer, so he's taking it off my hands. My RAPR in 223Rem shoots lights out.

The other is a Remington 788 in 6mm Rem that I've had since a teen. It feels like trying to shoot a fence post, but it too shoots lights out. This one I'll keep for nostalgic reasons, but maybe I can find a better feeling stock that won't break the bank.
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I know exactly wh you mean by the original 788 stock! My .308 felt like a poorly conceived battle club.
I replaced the original stock with a Ramline synthetic about 25 years ago. I like the looks of it and it made the old 788 feel much more trim. I am pretty sure it would shoot a little better if I bedded it in the stock, and that is something I may still do....
IF I ever get my shop set up!!!

Love the 788! And like you say, shoots lights out!
 
I've had several that didn't cut it. I am with DB on the Nylons and got rid of 5 that I had collected. Bought an old Mossberg (don't remember the model) that was a nice looking light rifle in 308. It was stainless in a synthetic stock. Every shot hammered my knuckle with the bolt knob. Hammered the shoulder too, but the finger was what did it in. My first centerfire was probably the biggest POS that I have owned. A 6.5 Carcano that wouldn't keep 3 shots on a Sunday newspaper at 50 yards. It didn't stay long.
 
bdickens said:
The AK has never been known as an accurate rifle. Nor was it ever intended to be. It was designed to be a platform used by poorly trained conscripts to throw lead downrange by the ton and to do so reliably under the most adverse conditions and with minimal maintenance.

I gotta agree about $750 being outrageous.
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AKs can be done well - a friend has a MAK 90 and it's fine. It's fit tighter than the Romy I have and shoots a lot better. Plus I actually like the thumbhole stock. The last I saw, the going price for them was about a grand, and that's probably twice of what I'd be willing to give for one, but those MAK 90s are still a pretty decent rifle.

On a different note, I kind of think the SKS is the rifle everyone wants the AK to be. They're durable, dead-simple bullet hoses, and unlike the AKs, they can be imported to the USA as is and retain that wonderful Combloc reliability, rather than get mucked with by importers like Century. My SKS isn't very accurate (it was about 5 MOA when I sat down and put it on paper), but I'm more forgiving when that rifle only cost me $280.
 
bannockburn said:
Only rifle I didn't like was my Charter Arms AR7. The plastic they used for the stock on that thing seemed like it was made from recycled garbage bags. Showed every little mark and scratch on it and was hard to get a decent cheek weld with it. The receiver looked like it was finished with some spray-on silver paint and fit rather loosely in the stock when assembled. The barrel was never a very tight fit into the receiver and the bolt charging handle use to come out of the bolt at any time. The magazine was another cheaply made part and was no doubt was a major part of the gun's reliability problems.

I know they use to tout it as the perfect survival rifle that would float if it fell in the water. This is one rifle where I hoped it wouldn't!
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Yup, in fact since Ive prolly owned 200 rifles and only have about 25 now, Id say I disliked most of them!

The AR7 was definitely one of the worst!

Others in the box of shame would be an Ishapore Tanker conversion, 7.35 Carcano, and a Gen1 Savage Axis.

One that I hate, but I keep it anyway, is my vintage Mossberg Plinkster (the one with the hard-foam thumbhole stock), its only good for about 500 rounds between cleanings before it gums up solid.

But I keep it cuz its accurate and it teaches the kids how to clear all sorts of interesting jams.....
 
Any commie rifle. Around 30 years ago I bought several AK's and SKS's for kids deer hunting and just to have. Accuracy was horrible with all of them plus they were bulky and too front heavy for kids. Anyone who thinks 8 inches at 100 yards from a bench is acceptable has never been in a gunfight. That is downright stupid, I have been in gunfights. I did have a Saiga that was way better than any of the rest.
 
I forgot about the side charging AR I built. I've never had a 10 round magazine make it through without some kind of issue. I took it with me this morning and the first two rounds made it the 3rd failed 4th fired and the 5th failed. I dropped the magazine, cleared it and shoved it back into the truck. It's been a complete waste of time and money.

The guy shooting next to me was interested in it and before I left I told him if he wants it to make me an offer. I gave him my phone number and hoping he will call.
 
Hakim. Labored with it until I figured out how to turn the gas system down PAST the mfg lowest detent set. By then I was royally sick of it. Syonara!

Others I actually owned and didn't like & let go: A Marlin 30-30 that actually shot like a house on fire, I just don't cotton to lever actions for some reason. A Ruger 10/22 that I couldn't find a barn big enough for it to hit. Don't like the AR design either but never owned one. Had an H&R 22-250 breechloader that I couldn't get to group...
 
My first hunting rifle was a Tikka M695 in 30-06[1]. I got it in stainless, with grey laminate stock, because I often hunt by hiking in the rain. It's accurate and does the job, but it's heavy. It's my only hunting rifle, and every time I go, I take it, and I hate it every time. But there's no point in getting rid of it, it's not like anyone will pay me any decent money for it. The 30-06 round is thoroughly obsolete, my Zeiss optics was middle of the road back when I bought it, and Tikka themselves moved on from the M695. You can't find larger rings or recoil pads for it. In the same time, I'm too stingy to buy another rifle, since I already have this. I'm stuck with it until I'm too frail to hunt, I'm afraid.

[1] Not count my .223 BLR lever action, good for small game and coyotes.
 
fireside44 said:
AK inaccuracy is often overstated a lot, partially because of the crude sights.
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The Russian military brass agrees, in a way. Over the time in service, they upgraded AK several times, and every upgrade brought another improvement in accuracy. The latest version, the AK-12, was prompted in large part by the spread of glass among the grunts. Remember that they aren't draftees anymore. As soon as they started shooting with optics, they noticed that the accuracy left some to be desired.
 
.308 Norma said:
I guess I don't want a Ruger Ranch .223 as bad as I thought.
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Are you guys talking about the same model? Your interlocutor is clearly describing what was known as "Ranch" rifle a couple of decades ago: a version of Mini-14 set up for optics. This is why he said "looks like M1 Carbine". The difference was that Ranch ejected a little sideways in order not to ding the scope, and had slots for rings. But the contemporary "Ranch" rifle by Ruger is actually a version of Ruger American Rifle (RAR), but chambered in intermediate cartridges. It has nothing to do with the old Ruger Ranch. Here's the URL:
https://www.ruger.com/products/americanRifleRanch/models.html
 
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