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Deteriorating Quality

SATRP

Master Class
Founding Member
Sadly, I've recently read too many posts on hunting boards about frustration caused by poorly manufactured rifles marketed by American rifle manufacturers that were once preeminent brands in big game rifles. I sure much of the frustration was caused by shooters who have gone with inexpensive rifles thinking they were of pristine quality and MOA accuracy. These once dominant names in the American big game rifle industry have sullied their once esteemed reputations by producing inferior quality rifles.

I've been lucky with big game rifles. All three of mine are capable of astonishing accuracy with my hand loads and they're all completely reliable.

Hopefully, my take on big game rifles will save hunters heartaches and lots of money. Buy the best quality rifle you can afford. Assure its manufacturer has exemplary customer service, which would be moot with a high quality rifle. Top it with the best scope you can afford. Carefully select cartridge. A mega magnum is not necessary to kill any North American big game animal. I'd suggest a cartridge with a well-established and proven record. After too many decades of tackling high ridges of the Rockies, I can tell you with absolute certainty that heavy rifles suck. If I were given a hunting rifle do-over, I'd buy an excellent quality, lightweight .308 Win and never need another big game rifle.

There's a reason mega magnums are over-represented on the used rifle market. A mega magnum will kill North America's larget big game just as dead as will a .308 Win. Meg magnums hurt to bench shoot, which auses flinches. Flinches cause lack of confidence. Lack of confidence casue misses.

Hunters encounter unforeseen expenses when they buy inferior rifles that couldn't hold a group in a basket. Knowing that accuracy is the most crucial component in filling big game tags, they wind up sinking small fortunes in a budget rifle trying to get it to shoot as good as an excellent-quality rifle will shoot out-of-the-box. The next thing the budget rifle buyer figures out is he has more money sunk in a rifle than the price of a quality rifle, and it still won't shoot as well as a quality rifle.

A North American big game hunter needs only one rifle chambered for a proven cartridge, a quality rifle that's accurate and reliable. For about 20 years I took only my Model 700 .270 Win on big game hunts. My Model 700 was manufactured circa 1975 when Remington had a stellar reputation for reliability and accuracy. At the time, I couldn't afford a back-up rifle. If hunters buy an excellent quality rifle the first time out, they won't need a back up rifle.

From experience, a cartridge is heavy at Rocky Mountain altitude.

In my opinion based upon decades of climbing high ridges of the Rockies, the perfect North American big game rifle should weigh about 7 pounds, shoot sub MOA, be completely reliable, and chambered for the proven .308 Win. Other proven cartridges should be suitable.

Going budget route, especially when out-of-state tags can run over a grand, has a high probability of leaving budget buyers forlorn. Buy quality the first time and sleep comfortably.

Merely my attempt at saving rifle buyers money and anguish, that's all.
 
I've personally never seen a rifle change itself. Any rifle, that has been set up correctly, should shoot the same each time the trigger is pulled. Mishits are a shooters problem not the rifle. JMHO
 
I get some of that frustration. I bought a Browning A-Bolt II in 30.06 maybe 20 years ago. It's shot lights out every day since with some good handloads. I was looking at getting another Browning for my .300 win mag for elk hunting, so I read some reviews. The new A-Bolts, or ABs as I guess they are known, seem to be of much lesser quality. Thankfully the Model 70 still gets stellar reviews and the bolt is smooth as glass so I'll be going with that. I'd have a hard time getting a Model 700 now, after all the times Remington changed hands. It makes me nervous. I figure I'll be giving that rifle to someone from the next generation some day so I'm happy to pay the extra $500 or $600.
 
I get some of that frustration. I bought a Browning A-Bolt II in 30.06 maybe 20 years ago. It's shot lights out every day since with some good handloads. I was looking at getting another Browning for my .300 win mag for elk hunting, so I read some reviews. The new A-Bolts, or ABs as I guess they are known, seem to be of much lesser quality. Thankfully the Model 70 still gets stellar reviews and the bolt is smooth as glass so I'll be going with that. I'd have a hard time getting a Model 700 now, after all the times Remington changed hands. It makes me nervous. I figure I'll be giving that rifle to someone from the next generation some day so I'm happy to pay the extra $500 or $600.

I have a Remington 7400 from the 80s that is a fantastic rifle.
 
My personal view on the declining quality today in all firearms goes back to the companies just wanting to produce as many firearms as they can. Today’s manufacturers don’t take the time to make a quality product like back in the past. Then if there issues, let the warranty handle it, now, I’m not saying all gun manufacturers do this, but I will say the majority does, just my opinion on this.
 
My personal view on the declining quality today in all firearms goes back to the companies just wanting to push out as many firearms as they can, and not worry about quality of there products. Today’s manufacturers don’t take the time to make a quality product like back in the past. Then if there issues, let the warranty handle it, now, I’m not saying all gun manufacturers do this, but I will say the majority does, just my opinion on this.
Very good point.
Unfortunately In many industries it’s all about the money they can make
“in the moment”
it’s that mentality of....
“Why do it right now when we can fix it later”
Unfortunately in many cases that backfires because if the industry doesn’t monitor there re-work cost it can slowly or in some cases quickly drain the money they made in sales.
Re-work can kill even a profitable company and then there is the bad reputation that ensues.
Add everything together and it’s no longer a slippery slope it’s a downward out of control free fall.
 
My personal view on the declining quality today in all firearms goes back to the companies just wanting to produce as many firearms as they can. Today’s manufacturers don’t take the time to make a quality product like back in the past. Then if there issues, let the warranty handle it, now, I’m not saying all gun manufacturers do this, but I will say the majority does, just my opinion on this.

When I buy a firearm, especially a big game rifle or a self-defense handgun, I don't expect to ever use warranties.
 
Don’t think anybody does, but that’s how it goes today with manufacturers throwing them out as fast as they can, then saying let the consumer worry about issues and use the warranty, times have changed.
I think the people running the companies have changed. If they had the gumption of the folks before them at the company ( most long standing old name gun companies, not all), the quality would be there. Look at all the companies now under investment status. Its just that, an investment.
 
Inferior quality guns cause frustration and ultimately cost more than quality guns.

Especially for self-defense and big game hunting, buying right the first time might save more than money.

Once famed American brands (the Big Three) of big game rifles have destroyed their reputations. I won't name names, but I will convey that I wouldn't look at a rifle that came from one of their factories.

I'm convinced that most big game hunters will pay high-quality premiums, more so if they have been burned by what are really junk rifles.
 
Rifles of the older days are two categories, for me and my experience. You either bought one to thrown in the truck to hunt with that was minute of deer albeit you picked the best one off the shelf you could or you got a rifle and had a gunsmith take it from there that would make it shoot one hole.

Now you can but an H&H precision rifle that is guaranteed to shoot lights out for a bunch of money or you can buy a Savage 110 that may or may not shoot around a .5 inch but it will shoot MOA or better for around $600.00.

You are more apt to get a more accurate rifle now from most “base” manufactures now than you did years back. Just about everyone of them offer a MOA guarantee whereas that wasn’t the case back then.
 
Like Bassbob I have hunted an earlier Remington 742 since the 70s. Have one in 6mm Remington and a 30.06. I've always used Remington Core-Lokt, and never have had a problem. If I was a young man looking for a good hunting rifle I'd search for an older rifle in great shape. There are lots of rifles to found that probably never had but a couple of boxes of ammo fired through them. You may not spend less money, but I'd bet you'd get a better quality rifle.
 
I know the quality over at S&W has declined over the past, I say, 10 years, most of there revolvers with the regular 1 piece barrel are either canted or not screwed in all the way. I sent 2 model 629's back for the canted barrel issue. there 2 piece systems seems ok, but quality in most gun manufactuers are not up to what it was several years ago, sad.
 
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