What is the best rifle ever made?

[RetiredUSNChief]

What is the best rifle ever made?

Well, I've always been partial to the 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun.

Hard to argue against 303,621,566 ft-lbs of energy...




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16"/50_caliber_Mark_7_gun

 

[zb338]

I don't have one, but my Son shoots a stainless Mark 5
Weatherby with a plastic stock in .340 Weatherby cal..
He has shot almost everything in North America with
it and it always works, is very accurate and has a lot
of killing power.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

That gun is in the infancy of conception! Good for anything from humanly killing flies to leveling entire mountains. Exceptional accuracy from point blank to 2 miles. Has the recoil of a red Ryder BB gun and can be concealed while only wearing a thong!

 

[USAF_Vet]

Toss up between the phased plasma rifle, 40 watt range and the M41A pulse rifle.

Then of course there is the Callahan full bore auto lock.

 

[AStone]

USNChief gets a gold star for most creative post so far.

Well, I've always been partial to the 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun.

Hard to argue against 303,621,566 ft-lbs of energy...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16"/...ber_Mark_7_gun

 

[DeepSouth]

The one that fired the bullet that killed Bin Laden.

 

[AStone]

Thanks for all the great posts

So it's Friday night. After another day at work, I finally got around to reading all responses. And I enjoyed all of them. Many brought smiles to my face, but most importantly, it's great to see people interpret this question in so many different ways, and ponder what "best" means. I particularly like those who said something like, "What ever you have at the time that gets the job done." Word up.

I also liked Eldon's response:

Well if nothing else, the question has revealed the tightly-wound amongst us.
Had someone pondered the meaning of life, heads might have exploded.

Hmmm. Now that's an interesting thread topic, but we'd have to phrase it in a way that includes guns -- THR rule.

"What is the meaning of life in the context of your favorite gun", or something.

I was further delighted that my candidate for best rifle was mentioned 3 times: Marlin 336. Mine is a C in .30-30. I mean, .30-30 rifles -- whether Marlin, Winchester or any other -- just have to be listed in the top ten. What is the statistic? More deer taken than any other rifle? Something like that. Ammo is still very available (even in a time of .22 shortage) in almost any town (outside of California and Massachusetts). And it just works.

Clearly, there are several other contenders here, also.

So, thanks much to you all for jumping in and playing.
More evidence that THR is the best gun forum on the inner tube.

I look forward to reading more opinions.

 

[WestKentucky]

BAR. It kept my grandpa alive in Korea.

 

[Ignition Override]

As a "greatest battle implement..." (at that time, if not also much later), General George Patton might have been onto something: possibly the M-1 Garand.

We toured the WW2 Museum two days ago in New Orleans. Although I don't remember seeing Patton's comment anywhere in the museum, the original question certainly 'rang a small bell'.
Thanks to that rifle, our troops had a clear advantage over those of our former enemies', which was mentioned either in the main superb movie "Beyond All Boundaries", or in another video. Yes, there were many other factors, but to save space only the Garand is mentioned here.

 

[AStone]

Mine is a C in .30-30.

Correction.

My first one was a C. I should have my head examined (or cracked) for letting it go.

This one is an A.

 

[AStone]

Well, I've always been partial to the 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun.

Hard to argue against 303,621,566 ft-lbs of energy...

USNChief's comment relates to a topic I've thought about a lot lately: tanks.

They're way smaller than destroyers, and don't carry 16" guns.

But I've been watching the film "Fury" for the last month.
I've watched it start to finish no less than a dozen times.
I've watched documentaries on Shermans, Panzers, Tigers ...
their armament, guns, crews, strategies ...

I'd like to start a thread about the guns in tanks.
I mean, they're like rifles attached to a vehicle.

But I don't know if it's too far outside the box ..

 

[gamestalker]

That would have to be the one I killed an antelope with at over 600 yards, while on the run, which ever rifle that was.

Seriously though, the best rifle?

And exactly how would we arrive at such?

Would it be the rifle that there have been more made and sold than any other make and model, civilian of course? I believe that would be the Remington 700.

Or would it be the rifle that has won more BR competitions than any other since the sport began? Again, probably the Rem. 700 action.

I personally think the M98 was is an awesome action to barrel. But the 700 action is a lot more popular these days than the M98 ever was, even as a BR rifle.

My vote goes to the Rem. 700, though there are a lot of others I wouldn't turn my nose up too. And considering the one's they've been putting on the racks over the last few years, I would possibly be inclined to go with something else.

GS

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Pre '64 Winchester Model 70.

I'll raise that post to a pre war M70. Very different guns then the post war's

 

[DRYHUMOR]

Simple answer....

The best rifle ever made, is the one you like most.

 

[bannockburn]

jim in Anchorage

I was thinking the same thing: pre-war Model 70 in .30-06.

 

[mnrivrat]

In general terms -- The centerfire cartridge rifle

 

[Ravinsomniac]

RIFLED BARREL

 

[mjsdwash]

if i had to say one, K98.

 

[Frostbite]

Model 1885 Winchester High Wall in .30-06 Springfield wearing a Leupold FX-3 6x42mm.

 

[1border4manu]

How about a M1O1A1 howitzer.

 

[JWH321]

I'd bet the accountants at Sturm-Ruger would argue that the 10/22 is the best ever made. Or at least, its the most profitable ever made. Its been essentially unchanged for 50 years now, and every gun/sporting goods store in North America has a couple in stock. I would bet that the vast majority of those on this forum either have or, at some point have had, a 10/22. Mine is from the mid-sixties. It has had around 70 bazillion rounds through it. It still has its original parts including its mags, and the only part to have ever been an issue is little part that holds the bolt back.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I think the only unquestioned winner in its category is the Mauser action.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

jim in Anchorage

I was thinking the same thing: pre-war Model 70 in .30-06.

Yes. Few understand just how different the pre and post war M70's are. The machining and attention to detail on the pre war guns is fantastic. The post war guns took many shortcuts.

 

[AStone]

^ It's so sad that that sort of decline in quality over time happens so often with rifles. One would have hoped that it would consistently improve. Of course, economics is the ruler.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

^ It's so sad that that sort of decline in quality over time happens so often with rifles. One would have hoped that it would consistently improve. Of course, economics is the ruler.

Yes you simply can't afford a skilled machinist to spend hours on a factory gun like they did in the 1930's.
CNC manufacture is fantastic no question but to me, anyway, it does not pass the eyeball test of a fine gun. Yes it's capable of perfect dimensions but it lacks the fine detail of a human made gun. In other words it looks like what it is-a gun made by a machine.