The worst gun you've ever owned..

[sgtslasher]

New Rugr Deerfield

Bought and got a deal... yeah right after 100 rds I finally had it sighted in.... 8in groups@150.
Thought that was excessive, took off the scope, nope the same... even 3-5 in @ 50 yds off the bench. Put the scope back on, another box of shells, sighted for minute of deer. First A.M. big doe walking at fast stroll 30 yds 2 shots and notta!!! no blood, no jump notta... take back to the range, top of berm(40 in high) at 50 yds... start over, rings, scope loctie,, same old thing... 2 wks later 70 yds big ole doe, hit!!! she wobbles off and lays down... after 30 mins, I figure I'll gut her and put her in the shade since its only 2pm... up she jumps and over the hill... Go back and pick up the trail at 6pm... Up she goes and no can see.... Lost big old doe.... rain and no trail in a.m.

Back to range, try without scope, groups still stinking, who knows maybe the scope, maybe the ammo, maybe the gas system.... traded in on sporterized Mauser 308... much better!!!! Just hated that danged gun after all the BS.... If you have no faith in it, get rid of it!!!!! Shame, cause I liked the small size and lite wt... great lil handler, too bad it wouldn't shoot....

 

[Smokey Joe]

Worst gun

I once owned an Enfield No 4 Mk I*, that had such a long chamber that reloads invariably lost the bases of their cases on firing. Made it difficult to feed the second shot. But that was OK, because firing it more than once in 5 min. caused the bbl to warp, and the POI went upward. By the 3rd shot, it was off the top of a paper target, at 50 yd.

But it was my first centerfire rifle. (Bought surplus as a kid, from a department store, and carried home on a city bus, for cripes' sake! This was a while before GCA'68 I assure you.) So it was many years before I could bring myself to get rid of it.

Second-worst was the 3-9 variable 'scope I got talked in to, to replace my Old Reliable 4x on my Old Reliable .30-'06. It worked for a couple of years, then the POI began wandering when the power was changed. Found out about it by shooting the leg off a standing deer @50 yd. while aiming at the heart. (Yes, I'm a better shot than that.) Tracked, did not recover the deer. Felt awful. Checked later at the range, found the variation to be about 8" at 100 yd when switched from 3x to 9x. You can imagine the flaming letter I sent in with the 'scope to the manufacturer, who replaced the 'scope without comment. Didn't use the replacement, though. Put a Bushnell 3200 Elite on Old Reliable .30-'06, and have had no further trouble.

Not to mention any names, but the manufacturer of that POS 'scope has initials which are the same as the Boy Scouts of America.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Smokey Joe,

Sounds like that Mk4 was one for the trash heap! Have you ever read "The Last Ivory Hunter" about Wally Johnson. Your story reminds me of of his biography.

His first serious elephant gun was a single shot falling block .318 accelerated express with a severly pitted chamber. So he took and polished the chamber with red nail polish which would alow the rifle to extract between 1 and 3 shots depending on the temperature, wind, humidity and the alignment of Mars in relation to planet X.

In any case his first year of elephant hunting included very little shooting and very much diving, dodging and running.

Sounds like your old MK 4 may well have fit the bill for Wally! H

 

[Smokey Joe]

That's a pity...

H&H Hunter, Yeah, sounds like it's in the same league, all right. Haven't read The Last Ivory Hunter; may have to do so. The Mk4 saga went on longer, actually: My younger brother-in-law used it as HIS first center-fire deer gun (and got his own gun after one season!), then it went through a house fire (just smoke damage.) With all that, the gun appreciated to 10x what I bought it for, when I finally sold it! So it was a good investment, although that was about the only benefit of having it—the only gun I ever made a real profit on!

And of course I sometimes wonder, what mighta been, if I'd bought it a longer bolt head (easily replaceable in Enfields) and a sporter stock, instead of getting rid of it.

But that's horse (and gun) trading for ya.

 

[Marshall]

So far, my worst rifle has been better than no rifle atol.

 

[H&Hhunter]

So far, my worst rifle has been better than no rifle atol.

Hmmmmmm....

You know what??? I'd have to think on that one..........

 

[nygunguy]

Remmington 870 Express

This was set up for Slugs. I couldn't hit the broad side of a 747 at 50 yards no matter what ammo I used. I never did figure out if it was me or the gun but I dumped it for a Winchester 1300 with which I have never needed more than 1 shot.