What's your favourite rifle?

Originally Posted by Marco620
Marlin level action 45-70.


Still have my first .,, Marlin 30-30 lever action
 
Originally Posted by 4WD
Originally Posted by Marco620
Marlin level action 45-70.


Still have my first .,, Marlin 30-30 lever action

I always wanted a lever-action 30-30. Wish I could find my departed brother' in-law's Winchester Model 94 from 1967, purchased when the riots broke-out in Detroit.
Someone in my family has it and isn't fessing-up to being the new owner.
 
My BiL has an old Winchester still in the box … it was old but mint when he got it many years back
(when his dad passed.)
Unfortunately he knows what it's worth … and generally our deals go in his favor anyway ...¬
 
My favorite would be my first. A Ranger 22LR bolt action. I bought it a gun show sans magazine; shot it for several years as a single shot. Still do although I finally found a magazine that works. No blueing and I'm told the stock isn't original, but open sights on something like a 24" barrel means it's more accurate than me--I know how to aim for close shots or 100 yard shots by using Kentucky windage on it.

Ironically my least favorite gun was bought at the same show, shortly thereafter, an H&R 9 shot revolver that quickly went out of time. Then I spent a small fortune to repair--only to not have it actually done right. It lives in the bottom of my safe as a lesson learned (don't buy cheap and certainly don't chase good money with bad money). In hindsight I could have bought a new Ruger Single Six for what I have in that gun, it'd still be working and it'd still have value.
 
Please keep the discussion on topic. Gun control is intrinsically political.

I'd much rather keep this topic open, however if I have to remove any more posts it will be locked.
 
Had the 700 5R Milspec (.308) out a couple of weekends ago, really enjoy shooting it too, and definitely far cheaper to shoot than the .338LM
lol.gif


[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Had the 700 5R Milspec (.308) out a couple of weekends ago, really enjoy shooting it too, and definitely far cheaper to shoot than the .338LM
lol.gif




You need a reloader to shoot that .338. The costs come way down.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by hatt
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Had the 700 5R Milspec (.308) out a couple of weekends ago, really enjoy shooting it too, and definitely far cheaper to shoot than the .338LM
lol.gif




You need a reloader to shoot that .338. The costs come way down.


I do, see the Magpul thread
lol.gif


Even reloaded though, it's still more costly than box .308.

They are both great rifles, and I enjoy shooting them for different reasons.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Originally Posted by hatt
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Had the 700 5R Milspec (.308) out a couple of weekends ago, really enjoy shooting it too, and definitely far cheaper to shoot than the .338LM
lol.gif




You need a reloader to shoot that .338. The costs come way down.


I do, see the Magpul thread
lol.gif


Even reloaded though, it's still more costly than box .308.

They are both great rifles, and I enjoy shooting them for different reasons.

A quick breakdown on costs looks like:
Bullet $.80(SMK)
Powder $.40
Primer $.04
Not too bad if you have a supply of brass you saved. Even having to buy brass isn't too bad if you take care of it and have a bolt gun. It sure beats $3+ a trigger pull. You can also save on bullets($.40 will get you a good bullet) and powder if you want a budget short range load.
 
Originally Posted by hatt
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Originally Posted by hatt
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Had the 700 5R Milspec (.308) out a couple of weekends ago, really enjoy shooting it too, and definitely far cheaper to shoot than the .338LM
lol.gif




You need a reloader to shoot that .338. The costs come way down.


I do, see the Magpul thread
lol.gif


Even reloaded though, it's still more costly than box .308.

They are both great rifles, and I enjoy shooting them for different reasons.

A quick breakdown on costs looks like:
Bullet $.80(SMK)
Powder $.40
Primer $.04
Not too bad if you have a supply of brass you saved. Even having to buy brass isn't too bad if you take care of it and have a bolt gun. It sure beats $3+ a trigger pull. You can also save on bullets($.40 will get you a good bullet) and powder if you want a budget short range load.




IIRC, running the cost for me up here, it was $1.38/round the last time I bought projectiles and powder, which is a far cry from $4/round for the cheapest box ammo I can get at the moment, which is Federal AE soft points.
 
Ouch with $4/rd AE. My .45-70 has never had a factory round through it. $1.50/rd was too steep.

A funny note on .338s. I have a set of new Hornady match dies for .338 Norma I picked up for $10. I haven't had any luck stumbling onto a .338 Norma rifle deal yet. I do want a big .338 one day. I've heard the military is suppose to buy .338 Norma machine guns but I don't know if anything every happened. That would probably help get some rifles in that caliber into the market.
 
I’ve mentioned that I couldn’t choose which one was my favorite. A couple of Garands on the list and an 1884 Springfield.

But as a new owner of an M1A, I can tell you that it sure is a sweet shooter. If I could only have one rifle, this would be near the top of the list. Accurate, reliable and classic.

Bit of a story, I had found a Springfield Armory IOP* dealer, and was looking for a 9mm 1911. First store in the chain didn’t have any, neither did the second store, but at the second store, hanging on the wall, was an M1A.

The classic model, walnut stock, blued 22” barrel, iron sights, flash hider. The photo was taken with it in the range bag/box, so you can’t see the muzzle, but it’s a flash hider.

This one: https://www.springfield-armory.com/...rd-issue-rifles/m1a-standard-issue-308-rifle/

As a Garand guy, this one was very familiar, same sights, op rod function, and safety. The box magazine takes a bit of getting used to, you have to push it in at an angle and “rock” it into place unlike every other rifle I own, but is a big improvement over clips.

Recoil is modest, for a .308. It’s got a decent trigger. A bit of creep, but that‘s easily fixed** with a stone. When I get to it. I won’t field strip it for at least a year. Excessive field stripping of a wood stock rifle destroys the action/stock fit and harms accuracy.

With the gas system, frequent field strip really isn’t needed. The action stays clean. Swab the bolt and op rod tracks to remove old grease and add new. Brush and swab the barrel from the muzzle. Use a guide to prevent wearing the muzzle rifling and degrading accuracy. Just like a Garand.

I own quite a few different rifles. When I’m looking in the safe to pick one, this one will be my first choice most of the time. It just shoots well, works well, and looks awesome.


*IOP is the SA LE/Mil discount program. They publish eligibility requirements and a current price list on their site if you’re interested. The savings over a retail price M1A were substantial. Shoot Straight in Tampa, FL was very accommodating of the transaction. One extra piece of paper and some information/documentation and I got the IOP price on the rifle. Nice store. Nice staff.

** Stoning the rear hammer hooks on an M1 reduces the felt creep. I learned the technique from the armorers at the CMP. My Springfield M1 Garand has a tuned trigger. It’s very nice. About a 5# pull. No creep. Great for a match rifle, or a range toy. That rifle used to be my go to for range fun. Once I get the trigger tuned up on this M1A, it’ll be hard to choose.

A word of warning - it’s very easy to go too far with the stone and destroy the hammer. The rifle will double, or worse, and you’re looking at a new hammer, or an even more labor (and precision) intensive process to regain safe function. Don’t just pick up a stone and start playing with the rear hammer hooks.

The technique is described in this book:

The U.S. .30 Caliber Gas Operated Service Rifles: A Shop Manual, Volumes I & II​

by Jerry Kuhnhausen




DAD2A163-1802-4F07-86C5-DED8251AF640.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Grandpas Marlin 39A. 22 rifle.

This rifle has given nothing but joy and after a zillion rounds - 100% mechanical perfection across 4 generations of my family.
 
03 Springfield ,not because they are anything spectacular performance wise but I just like them.
 
Grandpas Marlin 39A. 22 rifle.

This rifle has given nothing but joy and after a zillion rounds - 100% mechanical perfection across 4 generations of my family.
I would imagine the rifle is just getting its parts seated in.
 
I would imagine the rifle is just getting its parts seated in.

Feels solid as a rock still shoots a hole through a quarter as far out as you can eye it- and cycle any size rounds

Whereas my Rossi 22 pump (winchester copy) is so far out of time as to be useless and I cant find a gunsmith that can actually fix it.
It never did cycles shorts - and over time everything else got worse and worse.



UD
 
Back
Top