What bolt action rifle do you regret buying

[IvW]

Remington m700....

 

[Kevin375]

Are you sure your scope erector springs are not maxed out on windage or elevation. And, or that the scope tube is not in a bind.
Both create POI shifting shot to shot

No, the scope is fine and the mount as well.

I meant I have tried several weight of bullets ( 225, 250 and 300 gr) and brands ( Hornady, Woodleigh, A-Square, Nosler and Degol) and powders ( N165, N555, RS60 and RS70) and the impact shiftings were more impressive than all my Blaser's.
Between a Woodleigh 250 gr pushed at ~2630 f/s and a Degol Starkmantel 300 gr pushed at 2280 f/s with the same powder (RS70), the last one hit the target ~ 16 inches above the Woodleigh. The harmonics of this barrel are impressive.

My R93 in .375 H&H mag also have a standard barrel (17 mm) but from a 250 gr bullet, up to the heavy 350 gr bullet, and with a lot of different powders ( N140, N150, N555, RS52, RS60, RS70, Somchem S341 and IMR 4350) and several factory ammunitions, the vertical shift is probably around 6 inches maximum, and this barrel is definitely less finicky than the Lothar-Walter.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Saw kind of a half ass attempt on YouTube to answer this question.

I am specifically asking about current production guns.

So the Blaser would be the R8, but not the R93.

Savage would be the current line if Axis, 110/112/12 Series and the Impulse

Tikka would be the T3

Browning X Bolt and A-Bolt

Winchester current production M70 and XPR

Sako 90 only

@Muskox
Easy answer .
If I don't like a rifle I won't buy it.
I have tried a few that don't fit like tikka and blaser. It's not that I don't like them but if they don't fit what's the use, they stay in the shelf.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Remington 700 in 30-06 and Remington 742 in 308.

The 700 shot 4 feet to the left at 100 yards. Eventually found the barrel was factory threaded into the receiver cockeyed.

The 742 would group about the size of a Beachball at 100 yards. Worked for months to find the problem, but eventually passed it off.

The Savage rifles I've owned all shot the tightest groups and never gave the slightest hiccup. The downside is they usually have the ugliest injection molded stocks you will ever lay eyes on.

@skydiver386
I picked up a Stevens 200 aka Savage 110 with the plain Jane grey factory plastic stock. The only mod I did to that was fit a magnum limbsaver recoil pad.. Yes the stock is plain but that thing fits me like it was custom made for me and mitigates the recoil of full power Whelen loads beautifully.
I could get @Forrest Halley to jazz it up with a few rattle cans of paint but I think it's fine as is.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

A Browning A-Bolt, but not because of the rifle, but because of the cartridge. It's a .243 WSSM.

@oscar1975
Anything with 243 in it is a waste of time. The 243WSSM is even a bigger failure than the 243.
Winchester took an already horrible cartridge and made it even worse. The 25WSSM was supposed to equal the 25-06 in a far smaller cartridge. Like all the WSSM cartridge family they were a dismal failure and the action can't even be used for any other cartridge.
Bob

 

[EarlsSon]

It pains me to see that Remington is not on the list, Remington, definitely my Remington 700 in .233 with that stupid tri-angular barrel with the built in muzzle brake. Perhaps the Remington "fan boys" choose to omit that choice completely !!!!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

No more Remington or Winchester for me. Rifles were crap. Frustrating for me but a great source of income for gunsmiths.

Tikka T3’s never seen a bad one.

Sako’s….usually good but the occasional brumby turns up.

Custom builds (excluding Rigby, H&H etc) never again. Long waits and often with no happy ending.

If I need an off the shelf hunting bolt rifle then I’m buying either a T3, R8 or Rigby/Mauser 98. They’ll all work and shoot better than me.

@R eight
Custom build, long wait but excellent results. Sub moa guns beautiful finish
Moral of story
CHOOSE YOUR GUNSMITH CAREFULLY.
Rob spittles out Rylstone way. A master in wood and metal. Shotguns,handguns and RIFLES.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bugger that! Just asking for an AD.

@Sideshow
Caution thread derail

Sorry couldn't resist a reminder of home for you incase you have forgotten.
Bob

 

[WI-2021]

Mine was a Savage Bear Hunter but it was about the chambering, not the rifle itself.

It was a 300WSM and an absolute useless cartridge compared to the options afforded by the 300WM. It was a horrible decision.

The .300WSM chambering was my regret with my Browning X-Bolt. Nothing wrong with the rifle, but why didn't I buy it in 30-06 or .300WM? It was also a left-handed White Gold Medallion which was quite rare. I was way too nervous about damaging it which made it easier to rehome. I was fortunate enough to double my money on it which mostly funded its custom .300WM replacement.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

According to the R700 fan club that didn’t happen and it was obviously your fault.

I had the same thing happen with a Kimber. Kimber replaced the entire bolt group but I never trusted the rifle after that. I sold it at a substantial loss with full disclosure to the new owner. So, even though it wasn’t on the list my regret was that Kimber.

I don’t understand the negative comment about Ruger rifles. Arguably my most accurate and favorite rifles are Rugers.

@Bonk
Until you see the bolt handle break off 2 new ruger American rifles which I have seen personally at the range just chambering factory rounds. Both broke just feed the round from the chamber
A NEW ruger No1 RSI in 7x57 with a bent barrel from the factory.
Makes me wonder about Ruger's quality control.
Bob

 

[wesheltonj]

I regret purchase a SAKO Bavarian in 7-08 for my daughter after her first hunt. As it was her only hunt and it just sits new in box still in the plastic.

 

[375Fox]

No one regrets buying a 7mm Backcountry yet? Looks like ammo is already out of stock.

 

[375Fox]

I set the canadian bar Near. Now the shell casing hits it, not the scope.

I won't say that I really regret the purchase, but I was definitely disappointed. Here, after all, it's not a single marriage, but a design flaw. Why did they start selling the rifle all over the world?

Was this a typo? What does setting Canadian bar near mean? Limiting yourself to simple duplex scopes and rotating scope 90 degrees is the simplest fix.

 

[Hogpatrol]

My vote, Browning, almost tied for second. Never thought a barrel could be worse than a Savage but Browning did their best. Returned it and they said it was ok. They should stick with shotguns.

 

[jruby]

I have two Sako L61R, one in 375H&H and one in a 7mm remington magnum. I also have a 338wm on a A3. All have been excellent rifles. I would buy them again without question. Dont know about the newer rifles

 

[Odinsraven]

Second Remington....have had a few examples mostly POS

 

[R eight]

@R eight
Custom build, long wait but excellent results. Sub moa guns beautiful finish
Moral of story
CHOOSE YOUR GUNSMITH CAREFULLY.
Rob spittles out Rylstone way. A master in wood and metal. Shotguns,handguns and RIFLES.
Bob

Bloody hell mate. Hell will freeze over before I take advice from anyone who touts the 35 Whelen.

 

[Dukeisok]

I bought a Savage impulse in 300 win mag. Their straight pull rifle. Worst Rifle Ever. Terribly nose heavy (more than a Ruger Safari magnum in 416), very rough action, once broken in it would fire out of battery. I sent it back and they replaced it then I sent it down the road. I’ll never buy a Savage again.

 

[NDWoods]

Browning T Bolt - Terrible trigger. Kept them a couple of years with rumor someone was going to release an after market trigger that never happened.

I had a 22LR and 17HMR intended to be prairie dog guns and such a HEAVY trigger was terrible for that application.

 

[oscar1975]

@oscar1975
Anything with 243 in it is a waste of time. The 243WSSM is even a bigger failure than the 243.
Winchester took an already horrible cartridge and made it even worse. The 25WSSM was supposed to equal the 25-06 in a far smaller cartridge. Like all the WSSM cartridge family they were a dismal failure and the action can't even be used for any other cartridge.
Bob

Well, I'm so stupid that I feel bad about selling it and the money would be very useful for a 416 Rigby that I've been wanting to buy for a while.