# Ever been really disappointed in a gun?



## amon (May 8, 2002)

Most of us have some really nice pieces and we like talking about them. But what about guns you've owned or fired that failed your expectations?

Two guns that were really pricey and had great reputations that I was really disappointed in:
1. SOCOM
2. G3

I understand that having strong and long trigger pull is desirable for military, LE, gloves, etc. But the triggers were just BAD. The sensation was like stripped gears. Herky jerky, way too tough, you could actually hear the creep. It was just god awful.

:smile-mad


----------



## bone (Sep 17, 2010)

mini 14, couldnt hold a pie plate at 50 yards, had it one day


----------



## 8iowa (Jan 28, 2008)

By far, the most disappointing rifle I've ever owned was a Weatherby ultra light in 308 Winchester. At that time it was also the most expensive gun I had ever purchased.

It had a nasty habit of jamming when trying to bolt a cartridge from the magazine to chamber. I tried all kinds of different loads, they would all jam once or twice in ten rounds. This didn't make any sense, as the 308 cartridge was designed to operate in fully automatic weapons.

This rifle had the typical high comb "Weatherby" type stock, which required me to mount the 2x7 scope on high rings. It not only looked stupid with the scope "on stilts", but it also perfectly placed the scope to bop me in the nose, as this light rifle had a rather rapid recoil velocity.

I couldn't do any better than about 3" groups at 100 yards. Thinking it was just me, I let a fellow benchrest shooter give it a try to see if he could do better. He couldn't, and handed it back to me with a bloody nose.

I was glad to see that rifle go.


----------



## CMR (Jul 25, 2003)

Marlin 1894, .44Mag.
Couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with it. Accurate, it was not.


----------



## hunt-n-fool (Oct 10, 2006)

I had a beautiful tikka T3 laminate/stainless rifle with a high quality Leupold on it. It would shoot roughly 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards.

I thought that I had bought the rifle of my dreams, just didnt realize that the dream was a nightmare in disguise! Sold it, put the same scope on a 308 tikka, and the groups were less than 0.6 inches at 100 yards.

It wasnt the scope that produced the poor group size, doubt it was all the different types of ammo I ran through it either.


----------



## gunsngolfn (Feb 12, 2009)

Well, it took alot of thought and for a moment I could not come up with any of my guns that would fit the question, then it came rushing back and I got kinda sick remembering this horrible POS, not even a good paper weight Kel Tec P40---- P stink n u


----------



## amon (May 8, 2002)

Doesn't have to be one of yours...anything you've ever fired.


----------



## WhitetailJunkie (Nov 3, 2008)

I have one but I am disappointed for reasons other than a problem/defect in the gun. 
A really good friend of mine used to grouse hunt with a Browning BSS 20 ga with an English stock. I fell in love with that gun from the moment I saw it. He refused to sell it but his brother happened to find one exactly like it at a gunshop up north. He called me and I bought it sight unseen. Although I love the way the gun looks and feels I cannot seem to hit the broad side of a barn with it.:lol::lol: So it is now a safe queen (until my son is old enough to try it) and I'm back to using my Citori for grouse.


----------



## kotimaki (Feb 13, 2009)

When I was young , I was blessed with a pretty good dog , a plentiful supply of birds and the most god awful mossberg 500 twenty gauge you had ever seen....a 28 vent rib with a poly choke.....and oh how I longed for a double gun.....
Long about my 14th year I found an opportunity to trade that gun for a side by side 12 , and what a mistake that was....the gun kicked like a mule and every once in a while both barrels would let loose at once...to this day I don't miss that gun at all......

Sent from my PB99400 using Tapatalk


----------



## bronc72 (Nov 25, 2008)

Ruger Mini-14, the only way to get a tight group out of it was to wait 5 minutes before shots. Ruger claims that it now manufactures its own barrel and they are more accurate now, however I will not buy another to find out.


----------



## Nick Adams (Mar 10, 2005)

amon said:


> Doesn't have to be one of yours...anything you've ever fired.


The M16a1 I was issued. (biggest POS I ever fired)

I had a Colt Commander for a few years back in the 80's. Nice gun, but never got it to shoot well. (most disappointing gun I ever owned)

-na


----------



## Rugergundog (May 21, 2008)

CETME .308, 6" At 100 yards.


----------



## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

Nick Adams said:


> The M16a1 I was issued. (biggest POS I ever fired)
> 
> I had a Colt Commander for a few years back in the 80's. Nice gun, but never got it to shoot well. (most disappointing gun I ever owned)
> 
> -na




I hear ya on the M16 Nick.........I was issued three different ones in a two week period........all of them were junk.....I really liked the M14 I had been using but I had orders to swap it out.........really really liked that 14 though......could be the selector switch though.....:lol: although the 16 was a tad easier humping.....

Back in the 70s I was in a gun club in Jackson and saved some money and bought a gold cup.........what a piece of trash that was.....traded it off after a month after putting over 500 rounds thru it....junkiest gun I ever owned..........guy I sold it to still cusses me out to this day..:evil:


----------



## Rugergundog (May 21, 2008)

M16's are by no means as reliable as their venerable counterpart the AK......however upgrades to the rifle and cleaner burning ammunition have improved reliability of the M16(AR). Accuracy demands of today's battlefield have shifted favor to the M16 as well.

Don't get me wrong; i agree with issues of the M16. I was issued a A1 while in the Army and it had its share of issues. No longer in the military I own a Armalite M15 (civilian variant of M16) and put more rounds through the rifle and by no means clean it as often or as detailed as i was required by by platoon leaders....and cross my fingers have yet to had it misfeed. However I have had my AK do a few screwy things on me. Now granted i have not done the olde "bury either in the mud" ordeal, ahahah.

Just a little support for the M16; i think it has redeamed itself to some extent since its early issues in the jungles.


----------



## buckwacker 48097 (Nov 11, 2010)

First let me say I am a Remington guy and have had great guns made by them. I have an 1187 that has had 1000's of rounds through it and NEVER had it jam...have 1100 lt 20 and never had that jam as well...however, when I was a kid my dad traded for an 1100 that would jam just by sitting in the corner by itself. The gun had beatiful wood and flawless bluing but man that gun was frustrating! We cleaned it perfectly and even took it to a gunsmith ...he just shook his head as well?

I think the old man buried it in the backyard so nobody else would have to put up with it!


----------



## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I had an AR15 in the early 80's bought it from jays when it was a hole in the wall in downtown Gladwin. It performed perfectly, But I quickly came to the conclusion that a .223 is about useless for anything but punching paper and burning money and sold it ......Now that they are available in .308 I am looking to try again.


----------



## jayzbird (May 19, 2005)

Yes. It was with a 1982 vintage Ruger model 77 chambered in 7x57 Mauser. Bought the gun because of the caliber. Brought it home put a scope on it and was let down by it's accuracy. Didn't shoot ANY factory ammo accurately at all. After a new trigger, glass bedding and free floating the barrel it's still wasn't that great of a performer. After many handloads I finally found a combination it liked. Never spent so much time into a gun to make it shoot. I still have it, and it shoots well now. I kept it for the caliber. If it was a more run of the mill caliber like say a .30-06 or .308 it would have been gone long ago.


----------



## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Raven Arms .25
'Nuf said. LOL


----------



## Bountyhunter (Oct 8, 2008)

Interesting. Personally, I would never buy a mini 14. I hear to many bad things it seems. Maybe I'm wrong. Besides, for $800 or so, I could almost have another AR-15. As for the M16, I think today it is one of the best with quality ammo and proper care.

My dad has a Winchester M1911 12 gauge. Wierdest action ever. It is a semi-auto, and to chamber, you have to push in on the barrel or something like that. I guess at the time, Winchester could not copy the usual semi auto action. Besides that, he said it always shot about a foot to the right.


----------



## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

The first gun I went to purchase on my own, was a Mossberg 500. Stopped firing before I hada box of shells through it, sent it in got it back some time later and when I went to shoot it again it would not fire. I've hated Mossturds ever since.


----------



## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

Nick Adams said:


> Don't buy them in the first place.
> 
> Many of the guns people have listed here as disappointing are ones where you could have predicted that without putting down any money. Don't buy on impulse.
> 
> -na


 Maybe now ( because of the internet) but not 25 years ago..and we're not all experts..


----------



## BrianJ (Nov 22, 2008)

*T/C Black Diamond* - Was all over the map at any yardage, with any bullet/powder combo I tried.

*Rem 1100 LW 20 gauge* - Not really an unreliable gun, however it is kind of a bass-turd gun. cannot find desirable barrels for it at a close to reasonable price. The LT-20 barrels do not fit. would love to find a rifled slug barrel for it if such an item exists. I bought it in 78 when I was 14 (Jerry's gun shop in Rochester) - I had to have it. I Would love to go back in time and buy the Browning my dad tried to talk be into, he even said he'd borrow me the extra money that night.


----------



## BarryPatch (Jul 21, 2004)

Ruger 10-22. Not that accurate, crappy stock, crooked front sight that fell off.

It has a new heavy barrel and a Houge stock and I like it better. These two cost me more than the $149 I paid for the gun in college.


----------



## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

bone said:


> mini 14, couldnt hold a pie plate at 50 yards, had it one day


I got a great buy on mine. His wife (then fiance) only shot it a few times...
yea right.. later learned how many boxes she put threw it to learn to shoot, and of course the cheapest steel rounds money could buy. If I hit a paper plate at 100yards it's only cause a tornado came through and forced the bullet back on course!!

So did she wear it out with cheap ammo? or is it the reason she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and unable to qualify?

I'm looking to have it rebarreled. Taking recommendations.


----------



## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

amon said:


> Most of us have some really nice pieces and we like talking about them. But what about guns you've owned or fired that failed your expectations?
> 
> Two guns that were really pricey and had great reputations that I was really disappointed in:
> 1. SOCOM
> ...


This was a youth edition. Sweet rifle, like brand new, bought used from gander mountain. Couldn't shoot it there so they gave me 3 days to shoot and keep or return. It kicked like a garsh darned mule! Side by side with the 30.06, 7mm mag, 300 weatherby (with brake) it out kicked them all. Gander mountain finally agreed to take it back after having to go through corporate, and then some ol guy talked me out of it for what I paid minus what it would have costed me to round trip to lansing to return it. 

He doesn't care about the kick. he likes the size (I really think he road hunts with it). He does have one of them handi capped permits that allows him to shoot from a non running vehicle. 

It was short and sweet, light, and a kick that I"ll never forget. Bare none the worst kicking gun I"ve ever shot, and a youth model no less!! Even savage is capable of screwing up I guess... (hard to swallow that one)


----------



## Nick Adams (Mar 10, 2005)

glockman55 said:


> Maybe now ( because of the internet) but not 25 years ago..and we're not all experts..


I have been buying guns for well over 25 years. I'm no expert. 

With the exception of the Colt 1911 I listed earlier as my biggest disappointment, and an 870 slug gun which I no longer had any use for, I still have all of the guns I acquired back then and no regrets over any of them.

-na


----------



## twodogsphil (Apr 16, 2002)

Norinco ATD (Browning SA 22 copy) -- POS


----------

