doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Prettiest factory rifles?

If everyone had the same taste, there would be only one happy woman and one color car in the whole world.
Mike

For me, it is the acres and acres of blank nothingness on both sides of the receiver-grip thingy. You could plant corn there. And no hammer. What's my thumb supposed to do? At least the other ugly lever (1895 Winchester) has a hammer.

The later M-70 Featherweight also look to me like a nicely proportioned and executed design. For older American long range single shots, I think the Sharps 1877 can be a really nice package. I'll tend to do a double take on nice clean MS's, and some Oberndorf Mausers as well. Decent Winchester '92's can be good lookers to my eye, also.

edit to add, I like Savage 99's, but I'm not the biggest fan of their looks. The sometimes overly slim fore end, to me clashes with the long receiver and perch belly stock, but I was tempted to get one a while back and wouldn't have wanted it any other way. For lever guns with big long receivers, I think some of the Bullard's are lookers.

Johnr,
I agree with you, only change would be that the pre war 70's are the best of the bunch. The M70 pre war bolt handles define the term and by far the best ever made. IMHO.
I also like the early 1899 Savages in higher grades but not as much as the M70's in utility grade.
As for the 1895 Winchesters just remember they were Winchesters hope to own the AR-15 market of that time. Ugly!

Brent, I don't know what the actual definition of "factory" is when applied to sporting rifles, but have you looked at current Montana-made Win 1885 clones?

I have a C. Sharps that could be upgraded to "Special Sporting" status fairly easily, I think, although the "Thick Side" receiver keeps it out of the realm of "real Winchester" aesthetics. (And the schnabel could use a nose job....).

And have you looked at a recent Merkel K-1? The "plain" ones fit my preference stated above.

As far as I'm concerned, there is one excuse for bolt action rifles, and it is called "prone." Just my opinion, and well worth what you paid for it.

RWTF, I suspect you COULD pull a few horn notes out of "Peter" and call an elk. But if you played more than that, LORD KNOWS what would come to the blind....even in Idaho.

Mike, I think CSharps and Shilohs are most definitely factory, like Kimbers and Coopers in the bolt rifle world. I like the CSharps 85s okay, and I see many of them that shoot very well on the firing lines, but they seem to persist in making the thick-sided versions. I don't know that they make them slimmed down though one certainly could do that after the fact. I suppose I would rate them the prettiest of currently made factory rifles.

BTW, if you want a really nice highwall action only, MVA will have them in all configurations including all 4 trigger types and even the takedown. I have one (nontakedown) on order and wood and barrels on hand. It is expected any day now.

I don't know of many gun makers that can make a nice schnable today. The Shiloh forearms don't look right, much less good, either.

LRF, apparently the Russians bought into the 95 Winchester assault rifle, if I recall correctly.

The attraction of bolt rifles is still that anathema to me. I like seeing the quality of workmanship that custom rifles exhibited on this forum show, but ...

Who is MVA?

"It's all a matter of taste and there's no accounting for taste" as a fella I used to work for would say.

Some comments I agree with others I don't. Probably the same as everyone who has posted. While I admire the old Savage 99's and even more so the 1899 and owned an 1899 carbine for a number of years it was never their looks that attracted me to them. As others have mentioned give me the '92 or '86.

Bolt rifles, domestic I'd have to go with the Mod. 70 Featherweight. Among foreign makers the 1903, 05, 08 and '10 M/S do have a great claim, (I think I got the model years all correct). I also really admire the pre-WWI and between the wars Mauser's but am not certain most could be called "factory".

Single shot rifles, domestic, the Dakota is a very lovely rifle but I don't know if it is considered "factory". Being partial to my '74 Shiloh Sharps they have to be near the top but so is Ballard and the 1885 Winchester. Foreign, a fine German stalking rifle is about as good as it gets...according to my "no accounted for" taste. Double rifles....as much as it pains me to say it given my preference for German doubles I have to give it to the British and especially their pre-WWI and up to WWII DR's. Double guns, again I'd have to give the olive wreath to the British.

Montana Vintage Arms, or Montanavintagearms.com if you will. I doubt the actions are on their website, but they make the finest iron sights anywhere. And some very good scopes as well.

And they be nice folk to boot.

Pretty much agree with what has been said so far - but would like to add the Brno 22H / F (the ones with the integral scope mounts) to the list. JMHO of course --- John