Mako
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2020
- Messages
- 216
... It seems that Wal-Mart drives the gun market now. That, and that every rifle has to have "Tactical" stenciled on the side.
I am just a curmudgeon lamenting that well made guns... are simply too expensive in a cheap and dirty market driven world.
Man, I feel the same way. Modern manufacturing methods, CNC machining in particular, has resulted in 5 and 6 hundred dollar rifles that will shoot sub-MOA all day long. Most people, unfortunately, don't care about that old world craftsmanship when they can get that kind of accuracy for those prices or even less.
FN has historically made some of the finest rifles in the world. So it's not about capability, its about the market.
Agreed. I have a '69 vintage Browning High-Power/Mauser rifle. These were the last of the commercial Mauser actions made by FN, and are considered by many to have been the best of the post-war commercial Mauser actions. The rifle screams quality. While those were the production rilfles of their day, they would be considered semi-custom by today's manufacturing standards due to the level of human involvement/hands on work required in making those guns back then. Based on all I've read, that's exactly why FN stopped manufacturing them; even in the 1970's manufacturing processes evolved to where those rifles were just too expensive to build vs the amonut of people that were wlling to shell out the premium to by them over less expensive offerings.
I have a few M77 Rugers in the safe and like them. But the Ruger American is never going to be in the Cabela's gun gallery.
100%. Ruger and a lot of others, unfortunately.
If you want a fine rifle, it has become a boutique proposition. The big names in rifle history are going to give way to the Bergaras, and Christensens.
Sad, but true. ~A year ago I bought a Bergara B-14 Ridge rifle. The quality is excellent and it has become my primary hunting rifle. I'm actually surprised at how well built it is vs what I bought it for. If memory serves, it retailed for around $900 and I got it through Gallery of Guns for $750. That said, as great as the quality is, it will always lack that level of craftsmanship and refinement seen in my Browning/Mauser and Sako AV.
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