Ugliest Rifle

[Badboymelvin]

I refinished this rifle to the best of my ability, but it still is one of the ugliest rifles I’ve ever seen.

The owner thought it was pretty even though I disagree.

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Hey, that's a nice bit of wood.

Russ

 

[Badboymelvin]

I kinda like the simple classic lines and was thinking of checking out a bolt action .243.

.243s are awesome.

 

[Hedge774]

I thought Mosin's were ugly as sin, until I stumbled on to a crate of unfired surplus carbines for $199 / piece. When they shortened the barrels and stock 3.5' they tend to be better looking...

 

[Badboymelvin]

Yes, and the image is from that hunt.

It has the Carbon Fibre stock and C/F wrapped barrel.

I got a few good deals and it came together for me.

I recall your recent post about detachable magazines. There is a chance to lose them or even forget to pack them from home. In some instances on foot the solution might be a second magazine with spare ammo.

The 7x64 is for the wife and it was also a good buy so that’s where the modularity of Tikkas has worked for swapping stocks and configuring them to my taste.

I actually want to hunt with the Pink one as I like the Bell and Carlson stock. I’m not to vein to carry a pink rifle but I don’t want people to mistake it for a 6.5 Creedmoor I would never live it down.


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I remember that rifle – and seeing it again in your pic, I think that's the best-looking Tikka I've seen.
I like the pink one too, and I'd hunt with it, no problem.

As for the detachable mag falling out, it's never happened to me personally but has happened to someone I know.
And I wasn't there, so for all I know, it was a user error. Actually knowing the guy, I'm sure it was...

But I've never forgotten it, and it's always stuck with me.
However, I love the detachable magazine in the Lee Enfield, as it is all steel and locks up like a bank vault.
Oh, and it can be top-loaded too.

Russ

 

[Badboymelvin]

For me personally when it comes to looks, I'm in the less-is-more camp. I like plainness in rifles...
I like a classic shape but don't need anything fancy added...

For example, I really liked the looks of the Winchester M70 'Ranger' when it came out years ago. It's a classic shape but plain and functional, and it didn't even have checkering.
I really like some of the plainer-looking Rem 700s, and the more that is added to a rifle – especially one with a wooden stock – the less appealing it is to me.

I feel the same way about scopes; I like plainness. I don't like fancy reticles, protruding knobs, batteries or anything extra. There is NOTHING wrong with any of that; it just isn't what I like.

And as I said earlier, I much prefer a classic-shaped synthetic stock (or any synthetic stock) over a wood stock, and a perfect example is @Hunter-Habib synthetic-stocked Rem 700. If I had to build a rifle now, it would be very similar to that; in fact, it would be almost identical.

As @Hunter-Habib stated, beauty is subjective; to me, it is plain synthetic stocks, clean lines, and uncluttered scopes.
That's just me, and if your tastes are entirely different, I'd never disagree or say you're wrong...

Russ

 

[MS 9x56]

.243s are awesome.

Now your just chumming Melvin.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

I forgot to cast my vote for "Anything with a Mannlicher stock."

Couldn't disagree more.

First, it is not a "Mannlicher stock", it is a stutzen.

Also, I say the Mannlicher Schoenauer and contemporaneous Mauser wore the stutzen quite well:

Not all Mannlicher Schoenauers were stutzen.

Most stutzen since the MS are thick and clumsy by comparison as if more of an afterthought than original form of design..

 

[Badboymelvin]

Now your just chumming Melvin.

Not really sure what that means... but I love the .243.
It does everything it promises and is so effective that it rendered several other similar cartridges at the time almost obsolete.

Russ

 

[CBH Australia]

Not really sure what that means... but I love the .243.
It does everything it promises and is so effective that it rendered several other similar cartridges at the time almost obsolete.

Russ

I take it as “Chumming “ being throwing out Burley. Kinda like baiting.

Knowing you I’m sure there is no motive here. But, being an Aussie we do like to stir our mates so,

Maybe you need to post a hunt report with the .243

 

[MS 9x56]

I forgot to cast my vote for "Anything with a Mannlicher stock."

Now your just being silly.

 

[MS 9x56]

Yes the Moisin is ugly but they worked & the Lee Endfield is sort of ugly & it was the bolt action greatest battle rifle of all time . To me the FN sporter M98 of the 1960s, WIN 70, Rem 700 & even the Weatherby mk5
are what rifles should look like

Anything made of metal that works reliably in Siberia in winter is a marvel of engineering. Ugly but still a marvel.

 

[MS 9x56]

Not really sure what that means... but I love the .243.
It does everything it promises and is so effective that it rendered several other similar cartridges at the time almost obsolete.

Russ

I thought you were fishing for a rise from Bob 35 Whelen.

 

[CBH Australia]

I thought you were fishing for a rise from Bob 35 Whelen.

Bob will be here soon.
He puts .243 in his search bar he will find the comments

 

[Badboymelvin]

I thought you were fishing for a rise from Bob 35 Whelen.

Haha, no, not at all...

Bob's a mate of mine, and I don't deliberately stir him up... we just disagree on certain cartridges, etc...
We've hunted together, and apart from me, my son, and the rifle builder, Bob is the only other person to have fired my 425 Express.

I sincerely think the .243 is excellent. I live in Victoria, Australia, and the largest game we hunt there is Sambar deer, and there are no animals that could be considered dangerous – with the exception of wild dogs...
Now Sambar get pretty big, but I only hunt them in certain areas. Most of my deer hunting spots are for Fallow deer and the spots I hunt, they don't seem to grow to a very big size.

So grabbing a comfortable, lightweight rifle in .243 makes a lot of sense where I hunt.
It is nice, light, easy to carry, flat-shooting, has hardly any recoil, and is powerful enough for everything except Sambar deer.

Ammo is everywhere, and rifles chambered in it are plentiful. My ideal .243 would be an older Winchester Model 70 or Model 670 (with the blind magazine), plain, no frills, and light and manoeuvrable.

So when I discuss the .243 and say that I love it, that's why. It just makes so much sense where I hunt.

 

[gcbailey]

Life is too short to shoot an ugly rifle.

 

[Longwalker]

To my shame I've actually owned and hunted with a Ruger "canoe paddle" stainless/synthetic M77 rifle. So ugly it's best kept downwind and hidden behind a bush. I won't traumatize the good members of AH with a photo. But it was functional, tough, and didn't break. OK as a tool, but sooo ugly!

 

[CoElkHunter]

To my shame I've actually owned and hunted with a Ruger "canoe paddle" stainless/synthetic M77 rifle. So ugly it's best kept downwind and hidden behind a bush. I won't traumatize the good members of AH with a photo. But it was functional, tough, and didn't break. OK as a tool, but sooo ugly!

Ironic, but Ruger couldn't give their rifles away with the paddle stock when they first came out and now those same rifles are fetching a premium price as used here. Please, traumatize us and post a photo. Lest we never forget! LOL

 

[CBH Australia]

Ironic, but Ruger couldn't give their rifles away with the paddle stock when they first came out and now those same rifles are fetching a premium price as used here. Please, traumatize us and post a photo. Lest we never forget! LOL

I reckon they are sought after in Australia too.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I reckon they are sought after in Australia too.

Wow, Townsend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen must be trying to corner the market on those in .243? LOL

 

[Longwalker]

It's the ugly one in the middle...