I had a Romanian SKS that worked great. Mine was an arsenal rebuild though. I traded it off a long time ago for a Norinco 98 12 gauge. A local police officer wanted the SKS really bad and had the 98 that he used as his patrol shotgun. We were both happy and my son still uses the Norinco 98 to this day.
OK What's the WORST Rifle You have ever owned ?
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I had a Romanian SKS that worked great. Mine was an arsenal rebuild though. I traded it off a long time ago for a Norinco 98 12 gauge. A local police officer wanted the SKS really bad and had the 98 that he used as his patrol shotgun. We were both happy and my son still uses the Norinco 98 to this day.
I once had a Savage Model 340 in 30-30 that I had to get rid of cause every time you pulled the bolt back, the firing mechanism would slip out of its groove and if you pushed the bolt forward before fixing it you hopelessly jammed the bolt so that you needed a vise to hold the gun and a rubber mallet to bang on the bolt knob to open the bolt. Traded it for a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and was a happy camper for several years.
Terry G
Member
Same thing here. It just looked so cool and I had a GI one that I bought from a Sailor for $30.00. It worked fine and was pretty accurate. I sold it for what I paid for it, there was no way I could get it home. The Universal was unmitigated crap. Malfunctioned every time I shot it. The rear sight was always coming loose and there was no way to really tighten it. Traded it in on a Colt SP-1 that I still have.
Riomouse911
Member
My Dad gave me a gun he got stuck with that is easily the worst rifle I own.
I guess a friend owed him money, so my gullible Dad took a “valuable, limited edition commemorative” 1894 Winchester Golden Spike .30-30 to square up. What a steal… for the “friend.”
<Sigh>
All this gaudy thing commemorates is the many years of hard use and abuse with every patch of missing bluing, numerous stock dings, flaking gold-tone finish on the barrel bands & receiver, and a pizza-dough-floppy lever that feels like it is falling off the gun even when it is being gripped against the stock.
I only keep it because he gave it to me. Maybe someday I intend to have it cut and made into a cerakoted 16.5” trapper length carbine.
Maybe.
Stay safe.
I guess a friend owed him money, so my gullible Dad took a “valuable, limited edition commemorative” 1894 Winchester Golden Spike .30-30 to square up. What a steal… for the “friend.”
<Sigh>
All this gaudy thing commemorates is the many years of hard use and abuse with every patch of missing bluing, numerous stock dings, flaking gold-tone finish on the barrel bands & receiver, and a pizza-dough-floppy lever that feels like it is falling off the gun even when it is being gripped against the stock.
I only keep it because he gave it to me. Maybe someday I intend to have it cut and made into a cerakoted 16.5” trapper length carbine.
Maybe.
Stay safe.
someguy2800
Member
Now that you say it...
Its not actually mine, but my father in law won a 10-22 international as a door prize years ago. I was pretty jealous over it because I had been lusting after them for years, and was pretty excided to shoot it. Well his is also about as accurate as a squirt gun. Its the only 10-22 I've personally witnessed that was hopelessly inaccurate.
Kp321
Member
Savage 24 22 LR over 410. Too heavy for a 410 and not accurate enough for a serious 22. Selector and trigger guard both broke within a couple of years. Still have it, it was the first gun I owned. Christmas gift in 1958 at ten years old.
I have a French POS military rifle. A MAS 49/56... It came to me never fired, only dropped once!
After owning it for 20+ years I finally ordered some 7.5 MAS ammo for it. To my surprise it is and excellent shooter! Quite accurate and fun to shoot!
The only turd I have ever owned was a Sears semi-auto 22lr that never cycled properly.
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Bcwitt
Member
Mk4 Enfeild. Total POS.
I was about 19 when I picked out my first bigger than 22lr rifle, a Universal Carbine. The guy in the gun store shook his head... No. Then told me to pay an extra $20 for one with a wood handguard. Still have it, still love it... Very happy I dodged the Universal carbine bullet (it probably would have jammed anyway).
Only because of the dilapidated condition it was in when I got it;
In junior high school, I traded an old but functional BB gun for a non functional Remington Bolt Action 22 rifle (can't recall the model). It was in rough condition and had a broken bolt assembly where the bolt was totally broken off and separated from the assembly. I actually brought the rifle to school and had my Shop teacher braze the bolt back on to the assembly. Can you imagine doing this today? Different times.
I remember that my Shop teacher did an excellent job repairing the bolt assembly, but the brazing repair on the bolt assembly and the general condition of the rifle made it look terrible, even though it functioned well as a firearm. Everything combined make this the worst rifle I have ever owned. But as a 14 year old with no money, that desperately wanted a squirrel hunting rifle, I was happy to have it.
Something tells me that I may still have that rifle tucked away in storage. I'll have to give that a look-see one of these days and post a pic in this thread - if I can find it.
In junior high school, I traded an old but functional BB gun for a non functional Remington Bolt Action 22 rifle (can't recall the model). It was in rough condition and had a broken bolt assembly where the bolt was totally broken off and separated from the assembly. I actually brought the rifle to school and had my Shop teacher braze the bolt back on to the assembly. Can you imagine doing this today? Different times.
I remember that my Shop teacher did an excellent job repairing the bolt assembly, but the brazing repair on the bolt assembly and the general condition of the rifle made it look terrible, even though it functioned well as a firearm. Everything combined make this the worst rifle I have ever owned. But as a 14 year old with no money, that desperately wanted a squirrel hunting rifle, I was happy to have it.
Something tells me that I may still have that rifle tucked away in storage. I'll have to give that a look-see one of these days and post a pic in this thread - if I can find it.
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May as well mention the second worst rifle I ever had. Many of you may remember Savage had a deal with Anschutz and was selling 22 long rifle firearms. I purchased one , used , at a gun show. My brothers friend convinced me it was the best deal at the show and it should have been. He was a very knowledgeable person and had more than one over the years. The problem was they were a good deal when new and a lot of organizations had purchased them as loaner , or training rifles, for junior shooters. They were generally taught to clean a rifle with these guns by people that did not necessarily know the correct way. Usually from the muzzle, with steel rod, and they were cleaned every time they were used. The one I had was reliable and that was about the only good thing about it. With it’s favorite ammo 2 inches at 25 yards was all it was good for. 50 yards was 6 to 8 inches. You could stick a 22 bullet into the muzzle just about to the case and rock it around.
At the time the wife and I had only been married about a year and had really worked hard to get enough money to buy a 22. I was just sick about the whole thing. She wanted my 10/22 sporter so I needed something for small game. This was also the first time I had got burned on a gun deal, so, that made it worse yet.
At the time the wife and I had only been married about a year and had really worked hard to get enough money to buy a 22. I was just sick about the whole thing. She wanted my 10/22 sporter so I needed something for small game. This was also the first time I had got burned on a gun deal, so, that made it worse yet.
Inland Mfg new made M1 Carbine. Sent back two or three times to get it altered to run fairly reliably. Receiver/ barrel assembly rattled loose as a goose. Magazines were s&!t and required Korean replacements to run. Wood was beautiful.
Nature Boy
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Savage A17
It was an ambitious design and has some great aspects to it but they fell flat flat on their face with the trigger and magazine.
It was an ambitious design and has some great aspects to it but they fell flat flat on their face with the trigger and magazine.
.308 Norma
Member
I figure I’ve had several “worst” rifles over the years, but they were only “worst” in one or two ways. I mean, I had a Model 70, 300 Win Mag that kicked so hard it made me dizzy - until I put a ______ ugly rubber (a Hogue brand if I remember right) stock on it. That helped a lot as far as recoil went, and I used that rifle for deer and elk hunting for several years.
Next in my “worst” rifle lineup was an early model Mini-30 I had for a while. That thing wouldn’t put 3 bullets on a pie saucer at 100 yards no matter what I tried. Yet my wife and I watched our oldest grandson kill his first deer (a doe mule deer) with it. He shot her high in the ribs at about 80 yards, she stumbled forward a few steps, and fell down dead. It just didn’t matter that the Mini-30 wouldn’t put 3 bullets on a pie saucer at 100 yards. 6-8 MOA accuracy was “good enough” for our grandson to kill his first deer.
Okay, this last one might tick a few people off even though I don’t mean to do that. The next rifle in my “worst” rifle lineup was a .444 - you already know the brand. Not only did that rifle kick unreasonably hard, I couldn’t make it do what I bought it for - which was make a close-range “fun gun” out of it by loading it with some heavy, 300gr cast bullets at medium velocities. It wasn’t until after I bought the rifle that I found out .444 cartridges loaded with my own 300gr cast bullet were too long to work through the rifle’s action if the bullets were seated so that I could crimp into their crimp grooves. Besides, it also wasn’t until after I’d already bought the rifle that I read that the company that built it recommended against using cast bullets in their rifles because of something called “micro-groove riflings.”
So, everything that I didn’t like about that .444 was simply because I didn’t research it better before I bought it. I’m sure .444s are real “thumpers” on whitetail deer and black bears in the eastern woods. They’re just not all that great for us “out west tinkerers” that like to play around with heavy-for-caliber cast bullets at medium velocities.
Next in my “worst” rifle lineup was an early model Mini-30 I had for a while. That thing wouldn’t put 3 bullets on a pie saucer at 100 yards no matter what I tried. Yet my wife and I watched our oldest grandson kill his first deer (a doe mule deer) with it. He shot her high in the ribs at about 80 yards, she stumbled forward a few steps, and fell down dead. It just didn’t matter that the Mini-30 wouldn’t put 3 bullets on a pie saucer at 100 yards. 6-8 MOA accuracy was “good enough” for our grandson to kill his first deer.
Okay, this last one might tick a few people off even though I don’t mean to do that. The next rifle in my “worst” rifle lineup was a .444 - you already know the brand. Not only did that rifle kick unreasonably hard, I couldn’t make it do what I bought it for - which was make a close-range “fun gun” out of it by loading it with some heavy, 300gr cast bullets at medium velocities. It wasn’t until after I bought the rifle that I found out .444 cartridges loaded with my own 300gr cast bullet were too long to work through the rifle’s action if the bullets were seated so that I could crimp into their crimp grooves. Besides, it also wasn’t until after I’d already bought the rifle that I read that the company that built it recommended against using cast bullets in their rifles because of something called “micro-groove riflings.”
So, everything that I didn’t like about that .444 was simply because I didn’t research it better before I bought it. I’m sure .444s are real “thumpers” on whitetail deer and black bears in the eastern woods. They’re just not all that great for us “out west tinkerers” that like to play around with heavy-for-caliber cast bullets at medium velocities.
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
The 1st Gen Universals, up to about serial # 99K, are GI compatible and often used some surplus GI parts. Mine is a 4-digit gun and came with an Inland slide and bolt, and a Rockola recoil plate, lol. I did swap in a GI trigger housing as the original was cast aluminum, and filled it with GI small parts. Since I had it apart, I also replaced the springs, restaked the piston nut, and adjusted the action hang.
It has been 100% reliable and is shockingly accurate.
But ya, the 2nd Gen Universals aren't great- most seriously the stamped, skeletonized slides are well known for cracking. Despite this, people are asking crazy money for them, hoping to lure in unsuspecting noobs. Jack First even found it worthwhile to produce a couple runs of billet replacement slides for the 2nd Gen guns, but they were $$$$.
Interestingly, all of the Universals did use forged receivers- some of the only commercial carbines to do so.
The post war copies of the M1 Carbine have been on a lot of "Worst Rifle" lists over the years. Too me that's a clear indication that as far as M1 Carbines go there is no substitute for USGI. Nobody ever puts a USGI Carbine on their worst gun list. My Saginaw is my favorite rifle period. My Inland is second.
Obturation
Member
I had a carbon 15, not the version bushmaster made later on, the professional ordnance one. Holy moly was that a poor critter. It jammed constantly regardless of ammo, mags or anything else. Funny thing was that the whole thing was plastic so the stovepiped case would be pinned against the receiver and it would melt it and since it malfunctioned more than it worked you could imagine it didn't take long before the ejection port was a melted crater . it was fairly accurate for what it was but nothing on it was standard AR stuff and pro ordnance was out of business so no hope for repair and it was so darn ugly and damaged after a few attempts to shoot the thing that I was happy a local shop gave me $500 for it.
Cool idea, horrendous execution , that had some cool features and was not cheap.
That rifle was only slightly worse than the next runner up, a mosin nagant -which on its own is fairly terrible. I had one I got for like $60 back years ago that I didn't even bother looking at before purchase. The bore looked fuzzy and hairy for some reason , it split most cases it tried to fire and was so long and goofy it was completely useless. I understand it was an abused old Turd but even in perfect condition I consider the mosin very crude and so ugly that I prefer to not even think about them.
Cool idea, horrendous execution , that had some cool features and was not cheap.
That rifle was only slightly worse than the next runner up, a mosin nagant -which on its own is fairly terrible. I had one I got for like $60 back years ago that I didn't even bother looking at before purchase. The bore looked fuzzy and hairy for some reason , it split most cases it tried to fire and was so long and goofy it was completely useless. I understand it was an abused old Turd but even in perfect condition I consider the mosin very crude and so ugly that I prefer to not even think about them.
Gerd33
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A sporterized Enfield Long Branch Mk IV .303
At the time, I bought it for a cheap deer rifle but I could never get it sighted in for the first shot out of a cold barrel. From the Second shot and onward when the barrel was at least a bit warm it would shoot consistently but anyone's guess was as good as mine as to where the first shot would go.
Having posted about that rifle before it's been suggested that it was a bedding problem, but it doesn't matter as I sold it years ago and have been happy with the marlin 336 .35 Rem the sale partially financed.
At the time, I bought it for a cheap deer rifle but I could never get it sighted in for the first shot out of a cold barrel. From the Second shot and onward when the barrel was at least a bit warm it would shoot consistently but anyone's guess was as good as mine as to where the first shot would go.
Having posted about that rifle before it's been suggested that it was a bedding problem, but it doesn't matter as I sold it years ago and have been happy with the marlin 336 .35 Rem the sale partially financed.
derek45
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The 1st Gen Universals, up to about serial # 99K, are GI compatible and often used some surplus GI parts. Mine is a 4-digit gun and came with an Inland slide and bolt, and a Rockola recoil plate, lol. I did swap in a GI trigger housing as the original was cast aluminum, and filled it with GI small parts. Since I had it apart, I also replaced the springs, restaked the piston nut, and adjusted the action hang.
It has been 100% reliable and is shockingly accurate.
View attachment 1101485
But ya, the 2nd Gen Universals aren't great- most seriously the stamped, skeletonized slides are well known for cracking. Despite this, people are asking crazy money for them, hoping to lure in unsuspecting noobs. Jack First even found it worthwhile to produce a couple runs of billet replacement slides for the 2nd Gen guns, but they were $$$$.
Interestingly, all of the Universals did use forged receivers- some of the only commercial carbines to do so.
Mine looked like this ( pic stolen from Google)
unreliable sheetmetal junk
For what it's supposed to be,my Christensen Mesa has been the most disappointing rifle I've ever owned.Beautiful rifle,but it won't shoot close to their 1 MOA guarantee unless you do what they do when they accuracy test one.I think they can use 20 rounds to get a 1 inch group of 3 shots at 100 yards.And if they can get it to shoot to their spec,you pay them a $225 test fee.I'd sell it,but I don't like to sell sub par anything.I'm the third owner and I bought it from a friend who said he couldn't get it to shoot.The scope rail screws were loose and I figured I'd fixed it,but I'm thinking it may have grouped better with the screws loose.As it is right now,it's reliable to shoot a 3 or 4 inch group at 100 yards with the best ammunition.It's shown some promise with the muzzle brake removed,hopefully I can get it to shoot well enough to hit a deer at 200 yards or so.
troy fairweather
Member
Try a barrel tuner
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Thats a 2nd Gen. In addition to the stamped slide, they used a proprietary piston design and dual recoil springs, giving them only limited compatibility with GI parts.....not an improvement, though their reputation for jamming was largely attributed to the magazines Universal shipped them with.
Old Sandman 71
Member
About 10 years ago I was looking for an AR at a LGS, and ran across a gorgeous Winchester low wall in .22-250, one of the Miruku copies. Now at heart I’m a walnut and blue guy so I bought it along with rings and a Leupold VX scope. Broke the barrel in like you’re supposed to, and went through I don’t know how many different brands of ammo and loadings (reloads too) over the course of a year. I was lucky to get 3 moa no matter what I did. It finally hit the road after I could consistently outshoot it with a 1943 Winchester carbine.
Still bugs me whenever I shoot the carbine.
Still bugs me whenever I shoot the carbine.
marksman13
Member
I had a DPMS 308 that I swear was finished with an angle grinder. Roughest action I’ve ever cycled. Not terribly accurate either. I’ll never go down that road again.
I also had a Ruger No. 1 stainless/laminate in 300 Win Mag that was a 6 MOA rifle with every type of ammo I tried. I’ve owned probably 20 No. 1s and that one was the only dog in the bunch.
I also had a Ruger No. 1 stainless/laminate in 300 Win Mag that was a 6 MOA rifle with every type of ammo I tried. I’ve owned probably 20 No. 1s and that one was the only dog in the bunch.
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