Thread: What is the rifle that has surprised you the most

Have found new price is often an indicator of quality - but not necessarily of peak accuracy in sporter rifles.

I also got a real surprise testing a Norinco about 18 years ago - great wee shooter and cost very little. Have had/polished heaps of them since and surprisingly many shoot well - esp after a little polishing. Best of them averaged down into 0.3s for groups set at 50. You could pay five times as much for a nice 22LR hunter and get alot less. GC and Polytech variants were often poor.

Another surprise was the Marlin 60 semiautomatic 22LRs. Two of mine averaged 0.3" and just under this for group sets at 50m - with hunting ammos!. That really got my attention. Cured me of the old idea that semis can't shoot well...like the little norinco takedown above.

Another real surprise was a Remington 600 (about 1964) in 243 which I bought for northern bush work and NZDA comps. Unusual little firearm for its time, but excellent, compact wee hunter and very good on range. Why on earth did I sell it??