best cheap used rifle /shotgun you have enjoyed
- Thread starter dog driller
- Start date
Savage 30/30 pump proved to be exceptionally accurate. Mossburg 500 12ga shotgun with the screw in chokes proved to be a very tight shooter with a turkey choke installed, and never malfunctioned.
Darn old mossburg 308 bolt action was a tack driver with it's 9 lb trigger pull.
Savage 30/30 clip fed 30/30 was also a tack driver.
Darn old mossburg 308 bolt action was a tack driver with it's 9 lb trigger pull.
Savage 30/30 clip fed 30/30 was also a tack driver.
Rocky1
New member
Picked up an early Stevens manufacture, store brand, .410 single shot, youngest son has it. Currently trying to talk him back out of it since he paid more for his last shotgun, than I paid for my last 4 guns. And, he's never used it. It was in seriously tough shape when I found it, paid $30 for it at a local sporting goods store. Someone without a brain had tried to restore it, using an antiquing kit of some nature, and 80 grit sand paper across the wood grain, all over the receiver, along the barrel.
Screwed the nicely aged brown finish on the major metal components up royally!! Really made a mess out of the stocks!!!
Took a couple sheets of 400 grit, a pack of 0000 steel wool, and several hours to sand and polish all of the gouges and scratches out after stripping the purple antiquing finish they applied to wood and steel. It was UGLY!! Their efforts mandated softening the lines of the stocks a little, as the 80 grit cut some pretty heavy scratches on edges everywhere. Put a light medium walnut colored stain job on it and refinished with a few coats of Tru-Oil, then applied a nice dark cold blue kit finish to the steel, thinking that would wear thin and age again at a quicker rate. It turned out right sweet honestly, and the bore was spotless and shiny when I bought it, so it made for a nice little skunk gun. Carried it a time or two upland bird hunting with some success as well.
Screwed the nicely aged brown finish on the major metal components up royally!! Really made a mess out of the stocks!!!
Took a couple sheets of 400 grit, a pack of 0000 steel wool, and several hours to sand and polish all of the gouges and scratches out after stripping the purple antiquing finish they applied to wood and steel. It was UGLY!! Their efforts mandated softening the lines of the stocks a little, as the 80 grit cut some pretty heavy scratches on edges everywhere. Put a light medium walnut colored stain job on it and refinished with a few coats of Tru-Oil, then applied a nice dark cold blue kit finish to the steel, thinking that would wear thin and age again at a quicker rate. It turned out right sweet honestly, and the bore was spotless and shiny when I bought it, so it made for a nice little skunk gun. Carried it a time or two upland bird hunting with some success as well.
Dad gave me my first shotgun at age 12. Remington 870 12 ga. The ol gun has been used a lot, not beat but heavily used. Stalk is cracked, chipped, and there is no more varnish on it. It's been worn down to bare wood. The metal is no longer black, it's now a shiny bare metal color. It's killed pheasants, ducks, geese, quail, doves, coyotes, fox, badgers, coons and who knows what else. I worked at a sporting clays range during my high school years where it was with me every day of work. Hundreds of thousands of rounds have been fired through it. Never needed a part replaced however it will no longer eject a federal shell. I just use Winchester and Remington now. Thought about new stalks or just replacing with a new gun, just can't do it, the ol gun means to much to me. I'll use it till she won't shoot anymore!
swift one
New member
Years ago, I bought a used HR handi with a 1x12" .223 heavy barrel. That thing shot some incredible groups with handloads. Just about anything from 50-55grs with H322 was quite simply putting my Encore 22-250 to absolute shame. I regret like hec selling that rifle to a friend that was getting into predator hunting. Between calling stands, he used to keep the rifle in the bed of his truck. Ruined it. He had a bag of salt in the bed that apparently opeded up and salt went down the barrel. He put the rifle away at the end of the season without cleaning it. Took it out the following Sept, and the salt just ate the bore up. What a crying shame. I killed a ton a varmints and predators with that rifle...
CAFR
New member
Bought my first Remington 788 in .223 in 1976 for $170.00 new. It is still my most accurate and loved rifle in my safe. I'm very eclectic about guns and have dozens of different makes, but none have procreated like that 788. He now has 4 788 brothers in various calibers, and they all out shoot the Sakos, Mausers, etc. that share the safe with them. I think that they are the most accurate rifle Remington ever made. Too bad they discontinued them in the 80s. They should have brought them back when they decided to get back into the budget rifle market, instead of producing the 710s and 770s, which suck, IMHO.
Rocky1
New member
Originally Posted By: CAFRBought my first Remington 788 in .223 in 1976 for $170.00 new. It is still my most accurate and loved rifle in my safe. I'm very eclectic about guns and have dozens of different makes, but none have procreated like that 788. He now has 4 788 brothers in various calibers, and they all out shoot the Sakos, Mausers, etc. that share the safe with them. I think that they are the most accurate rifle Remington ever made. Too bad they discontinued them in the 80s. They should have brought them back when they decided to get back into the budget rifle market, instead of producing the 710s and 770s, which suck, IMHO.
Remington shut them down, and refused to bring them back, because they too realized that they were a superior gun to their renowned model 700. They embarrased themselves with the 788.
Remington shut them down, and refused to bring them back, because they too realized that they were a superior gun to their renowned model 700. They embarrased themselves with the 788.
First gun I owned was a Marlin Semi Auto 22lr (not sure what model). My old man got it for me after watching me spend countless hours shooting ground hogs and rabbits with my Red Rider and never drawing blood.
To this day that is still my favorite gun I have. It has killed more squirrels, birds, rabbits, bull frogs (and even a few sasquatches) than any other gun I own. I tried putting a scope on it but it never shot as good as iron sights. I believe he paid something like $100 for it and I will certainly be passing it down to my kids.
To this day that is still my favorite gun I have. It has killed more squirrels, birds, rabbits, bull frogs (and even a few sasquatches) than any other gun I own. I tried putting a scope on it but it never shot as good as iron sights. I believe he paid something like $100 for it and I will certainly be passing it down to my kids.
Winny Fan
New member
Originally Posted By: Rocky1Originally Posted By: CAFRBought my first Remington 788 in .223 in 1976 for $170.00 new. It is still my most accurate and loved rifle in my safe. I'm very eclectic about guns and have dozens of different makes, but none have procreated like that 788. He now has 4 788 brothers in various calibers, and they all out shoot the Sakos, Mausers, etc. that share the safe with them. I think that they are the most accurate rifle Remington ever made. Too bad they discontinued them in the 80s. They should have brought them back when they decided to get back into the budget rifle market, instead of producing the 710s and 770s, which suck, IMHO.
Remington shut them down, and refused to bring them back, because they too realized that they were a superior gun to their renowned model 700. They embarrased themselves with the 788.
In spite of what gun scribes yapped about from their typewriters for years that has been carried over to the internet, economic factors killed the 788 and not embarrassment over their accuracy.
Making the multi-lug action was fairly costly and doing it economically enough to sell it at an entrance level firearm price finally forced Remington to back away. In addition, much like the current internet Savage rifles, Remington did have numerous service issues/problems with the 788 that never got much publicity. None the less, the problems with both rifles exist/existed but never get/got a lot of print space. Maybe in both cases it's a result of "pride of ownership".
Before I get pounced on as being anti-something, I currently own five 788 rifles, and they are all efficient low priced rifles. However, they are not miracles in birch wood stocks as some would like others to believe.
Remington shut them down, and refused to bring them back, because they too realized that they were a superior gun to their renowned model 700. They embarrased themselves with the 788.
In spite of what gun scribes yapped about from their typewriters for years that has been carried over to the internet, economic factors killed the 788 and not embarrassment over their accuracy.
Making the multi-lug action was fairly costly and doing it economically enough to sell it at an entrance level firearm price finally forced Remington to back away. In addition, much like the current internet Savage rifles, Remington did have numerous service issues/problems with the 788 that never got much publicity. None the less, the problems with both rifles exist/existed but never get/got a lot of print space. Maybe in both cases it's a result of "pride of ownership".
Before I get pounced on as being anti-something, I currently own five 788 rifles, and they are all efficient low priced rifles. However, they are not miracles in birch wood stocks as some would like others to believe.
Originally Posted By: kevlarsI found a stainless Ruger SBH 7 1/2" barrel in 44 mag at a pawn shop. Has a Leupold FX II 2X scope on it. I picked it up for $350 out the door. Shoots great, hope to get a whitetail with it this year.
Kevlars
Nice snag, I have a favorite pawn shop that has been good to me as well. Mine would be Savage 840/340 bolt action in 30/30 that I replaced the worn extractor and ejector on, shot great with the Hornady LE loads. Action was just a little too worn so I traded it for $100 more than I paid. Just picked up a nice 340 in .222 with original iron sights that shoots well also and very little wear.
Kevlars
Nice snag, I have a favorite pawn shop that has been good to me as well. Mine would be Savage 840/340 bolt action in 30/30 that I replaced the worn extractor and ejector on, shot great with the Hornady LE loads. Action was just a little too worn so I traded it for $100 more than I paid. Just picked up a nice 340 in .222 with original iron sights that shoots well also and very little wear.
Bought a used S&W K22 from an apprentice gunsmith who had tuned the trigger who knows what else in 1979 for 150 dollars. It was more accurate than my high standard victor that I shot in competition. Still have it and shoot it from time to time for prairie dogs peaking out of their holes.
Model 1903 bought at an Army Navy Surplus for $35.00 in the late 60's. Montgomery Wards SxS 16 gauge bought in 71 for $20.00. It was made sometime in the 1930's and really kicked but it was accurate. My grandmother's 10 gauge single shot from Sears. Had to work up my courage to shoot it when I was a kid.