Well, I have a few safe queens. Pistols in 99% or better condition that I bought with little intention of shooting. Like that Gorgeous Blued Colt Trooper III .22LR 4"...or my Grizly .45 WinMag. These are conversation items that get shot but once a year.

And it got me thinking: Which rifles sit in the safe, untouched, because you just HATE to shoot it? For any reason? I mean, the rifles you have where you constantly question why you even bought it?

I touched off three rounds yesterday with my Rem 673 in .350 Mag. Dropped into a sub 1" group at 100 yards. It does this so consistently - if it doesn't, I screwed up!

And I'm rapidly coming to hate this rifle. The stock feels like a club on some days, and every other time I shoot it I hate the rib on it. And the action feels clumbsy.

And it's recoil just pounds me. It feels worse than the .375 Ruger Alaskan I fired.

Maybe I just need this rifle as a knock-around rifle.

I just hate pulling it out of the safe because I just know I'm going to hate pulling the trigger for any variety of reasons. It truly makes me wince.

So how about you guys? What rifle sits in the safe, collecting dust, because you just HATE to pull it out, for whatever the reason?

I have no safe queens or safe step children. I have sold off guns I hated & anything that was a true "collecter" piece. So now I only have shooters. I do have an old Ruger SBH that has probably 10000 hot rounds thru it. It spits out the cyl. to a dangerous level, forcing cone wear I suspect, & I do not shoot it anymore. I won't sell it, & since it had been hard chromed, the gunsmith can't get the old bbl. off so it sits.

The one rifle that I don't like but won't part with is my stainless Mini-14. It was originally a police surplus rifle, so has the flash supressor and bayonet lug, and I added a Butler Creek folding stock to it, before the Clintonian Era. It is pre-Ranch Rifle, so the sights are awful, a crude rear peep that is too small, and the adjustment range is also too small, so when I tried to modify a ghost ring it wouldn't zero. If I put a scope on it, it would hang out on a flimsy mount, unless I went with a scout mount, and then it would be putting on a scope and mount that cost twice what I paid for the rifle. I have used other .223 rifles, and there's no doubt that most other Mini-14's are more practical. Hell, my MAK-90 is a far more practical martial rifle. But, it's really unusual and a "Pre-Ban" semi-auto, so I will probably just keep it in the safe, only to take it out once a year and run a box of .223 through it for kicks.

I only have 1 rifle, 1 shotgun, 1 ML and 1 .22lr. My wife has 1 rifle. We both have 2 pistols each, 1 semi for duty pistol events, and 1 revolver for PPC 1500 matches.

I prefer to be very proficient with a select few then have a couple safes full of rifles I may not even remember how to use. If I don't have a use for it, I dump it.

My only collectors are 2 rifles and 2 shotguns which belonged to my grandfather. They don't get used, just sentimental.

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
...And I'm rapidly coming to hate this rifle. The stock feels like a club on some days, and every other time I shoot it I hate the rib on it. And the action feels clumbsy.

Hey rnovi, That is what I call "Trading Bait". If I don't like it, I swap it or sell it for something else.

A longer barrel would help your 350RemMag as much as it would mine. But, mine Kills so well, it is here to stay.

quote:

And it's recoil just pounds me. It feels worse than the .375 Ruger Alaskan I fired.

Maybe I just need this rifle as a knock-around rifle.

I just hate pulling it out of the safe because I just know I'm going to hate pulling the trigger for any variety of reasons. It truly makes me wince....

There is no Law which forces you to use FULL POWER Loads. You can throttle back just a bit and easily have it at 358Win or 35Rem levels. You can even shoot 357Mag or 357Maximum - equivalent - Loads in it if you give it a bit of thought.
-----

I had a really nice Kimber 22Rimfire years ago when they first came out. Beautiful Termite Food and the Blue looked so deep you would think you could reach into it. Outstanding Trigger which released like a piece of glass breaking. Shot fairly well too.

Only problem was it constantly concerned me about getting a drop of sweat on the barrel, touching it and the salt in my hands ruining the barrel, and the thought of rain or water dripping on it in the woods was out of the question.

Swapped it in and got " 2 " Stainless and Synthetic rifles which went Hunting as soon as they had Loads ready to go. Made no difference about the weather, sweat or laying them on wet leaves - they got to Hunt.

Glad I had the Kimber, but even happer when it left.

I like all my guns And I shoot all of them. All 36 of them.

A Winchester M70 Stainless Classic in .338 Win. Magnum. The most miserable POS I have ever owned. I have several M70s, one an el cheapo special made specifically for Walmart and they all have McMillan stocks, yet this overpriced piece of Big W shit has the cheapest POS hunt of Tupperware I've ever seen. Accuracy is totally nil. If it is an example of Winchester's quality in their last few years, I can see why they shut down. I consider that rifle to be so bad I would not either sell or give it away to anyone I liked or disliked. it's that bad.
Paul B.

I don't have any I hate.
The only safe queens I have are...

22 lever action Ithaca....1st rifle given by my Dad 1975

12 Gauge Remington 1100....My Dads shotgun....he has been gone 13 years now RIP.

I will never let either of these (queens) go.

i have no safe queens. all my guns get hunted or are for home defense. to me, guns are another tool. some made better than others, but tools nonetheless.

lol, a Colt Lightweight Sporter (AR-15) and a MAK-90, mainly because I love M-1 Garands, M-1As, and SIGs much better when it comes to semi-autos. After that, I love my safe critters!!!
LLS

Ruger 77/50. 6 1/2 lb .50 cal, with crap recoil pad.

I hate shooting my Henry lever action 22lr. that I bought at a Duck's Unlimited auction for one reason:

Every time I do I'm reminded that I somehow did not notice that the cheap bastards at Henry had put a plastic barrel band and a plastic front site on the thing.

Unbelievable and very disappointing.

Shoots fine though, and now I don't really give a shit if I scratch it.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:
A Winchester M70 Stainless Classic in .338 Win. Magnum. The most miserable POS I have ever owned. I have several M70s, one an el cheapo special made specifically for Walmart and they all have McMillan stocks, yet this overpriced piece of Big W shit has the cheapest POS hunt of Tupperware I've ever seen. Accuracy is totally nil. If it is an example of Winchester's quality in their last few years, I can see why they shut down. I consider that rifle to be so bad I would not either sell or give it away to anyone I liked or disliked. it's that bad.
Paul B.

Yea, I know exactly what you mean because I had one exactly like it. I kept it far longer than I should have, then decided to use the action as a custom gun. After worked over by a gunsmith, Pac-Nor barrel, trigger job, McMillan stock, it turned into a very sweet shooter - exceptionally accurate. So be encouraged, they make great donar actions, assuming the threads are square with the receiver.

I'll bet that thing will feed the 375 Ruger cartridge.

KB

Paul I second what Kabluey said! Sounds like you have the perfect donor action for a custom job Its amazing how something can be brought back from the dead. My dad gave my bro his old 1903 that he got from his father...long story short the sporterized 1903 got more sporterized but just wasn't "right". After the ramline stock (2nd stock for the gun) was broken in a car accident (cousin was borrowing it and rolled his truck hunting) he had our buddy put a new barrel on it, slick up the action, and put it on a nice B&C carbalite. The old junker was given a good make over, and now it'll keep on shooting for many years.

Just think of the possibility you have, I'm sure there is something with a .532 bolt face you've always wanted!

My Ruger stainless .338 which feels like it has sand in the action. I like my other two Rugers.

I should never have bought an Arisaka type 38, rebarreled to 308. It has the original stock, but uglified, and still too short. It closes on the no go gage. It has plenty of holes drilled and tapped, half of them stripped, all of them out of line with the bore. Those bolt handles are ugly!

I over paid for a project rifle, and it is too much of a project for me, considering it will still be an Arisaka when I finish. I put a $40 price tag on it at a gun show, I got some laughs, but no offers.

HATE a RIFLE? I don't belive it!

Don't have any.

I still own almost every gun I've ever bought...........with 2 notable exceptions which I sold because I hated.

1: Mossberg 835.....felt like a 4x4 deckpost in the hands, was loose & clunky and patterned miserably.

2: 700 ADL synthetic .270. Shot O.k. but the blind magazine was an S.O.B. to use with bare, warm hands let alone cold, gloved ones. Besides.......it was just plain uckin' fugly.

I sell most guns I don't use...most recently a Cooper .17 HMR. But there are thee I can't part with and don't shoot. The awful 30'40 Craig I killed my first deer with. A Browning Stainless A-Bolt I haven't used in over a decade
because .270 works as well. But I love it and just can't part. Finally, a Savage 99 in .308. I bought a couple of months ago because I wanted wanted one 40 years ago when I couldn't afford it now I just couldn't resist. It'll probably be a hanger queen till I die.

Unfortunatly I definetly have a hater. Just so happens to be a remington 700 that was chambered in 338 win mag. Thought I would make a cool pig killer out of, chooped the barrel down to 16 inches, put a brake on it, and a cheap plastic stock with a big recoil pad on it. What was I thinking a mountain rifle in 338 win mag. Great little rile to look at, but when you smash the go button you better have your eyes closed cause the muzzel blast is takeing off your shooting glasses and all that unburned powder is now in your eyes. To wild a piece to sell so it is now a reminder of what not to do.

I have a few that were handed down that I don't shoot but out of respect I won't sell.

I have a 1952 Mannlicher Schonauer that seems to never make it out of the safe. No reason for it, I just never grab it. I've taken it shooting twice since I've owned it. It's a MOA rifle for sure but I just never use it. I've thought about selling it a few times but I can't, the design and workmanship are just amazing and I love to pick the rifle up every now and them and marvel at it. I've never held a custom that could rival it's workmanship. besides, the thing could pass as new!

I've got a really nice .338-06 I had built last year that I've never shot. I really need to do something about that!

Another is an old BRNO ZG-47 in 8X64S that has never been in the woods either. I will remidy that this year though.

For me it boils down to time and the amount of guns I own. I don't own a lot but my time to shoot them is very slim. I guess I probably should sell some that I don't use but the fact of the matter is they don't cost me anything to sit in the safe and they aren't losing value. I'm sure if I sold them I would just buy others to replace them. It's a weakness of mine.

Terry

None here. If I find the slightest thing unpleasing about a firearm, I change it. If it can't be changed to my liking; it's down the road. I've traded off or sold hundreds thru the years and down to about 2 dozen; and they are all used hard and treasured. Kinda like a woman, but then, that's a whole nother story.

quote:

I've got a really nice .338-06 I had built last year that I've never shot. I really need to do something about that!

TC1,
If you ever decide that you don't like that 338-06, give me a call. That is the only thing my safe is currently lacking, a nice wood/blue classic in 338-06.


I don't have any rifles that currently sit in my safe that I don't shoot.

If I don't like a certain firearm, it's down the road.

I just went through a firearm purge over the summer, sold a bunch that weren't getting used.

I have focused on keeping a select few guns. Enjoying them and getting on with hunting trips.

Of course there are some that will never get sold, hopefully handed down.

I had a browning Medalion in 7 mag with the boss on it. It shot bug holes. It also took 20 yrs of my hearing away. I sent it down the road reluctantly...I'll never see another that shoots that well out of the box.

Uzi Mod. 45 Carbine and Mod. 45 Micro Pistol. Both have 9mm / 45 ACP barrels/bolts. Carbine has a 9mm short barrel -- 3" or 4" I'd have to look.

Both require Class III Permits, are "grandfathered" in and no longer lawful to import.

I bought them the Friday before the AWB expired because Wolf Blitzer on CNN was whining: "If the AWB is allowed to expire, everyone will have Uzis or AK-47's."

The receipts are dated during the AWB -- just to demonstrate to AWB fans that the AWB is pretty ineffectual.

I already had an AK-47.

The Uzis sit in the back of the safe, never fired, hardly ever taken out. No, I don't want to sell them.