Poor Novice Shooters...

[DrMike]

How does a company that brought us so many good rifles & shotguns over decades... get to the point where they're producing such a poor product?

I asked the same thing of Winchester before the New Haven plant closed. Union demands for wages and benefits that outstripped the ability of the company to produce, inability to fire workers that had tenure, loss of pride in workmanship, failure to see their product in the field in the areas in which they were produced--all combined until matters spiraled out of control. At last, if the company name is to survive, a vulture company takes over and cheapens the product through ridding themselves of all the skilled workers and cutting corners to make a profit.

 

[ksubuck]

What bothers me about it is that there are other companies competing at the same price point with much nicer rifles, at least a lot more functional rifles.

I feel so bad for that guy because he bought the name and trusted that the product would be the best out of all of the options. Stinks that he could have chose a different brand or he could have moved up to the next level with a couple more months of saving money.

I was looking at picking up one of the new 700 long range rifles but I think I will skip it now. Besides, you can't find any on shelves because of the trigger recall.

 

[Anonymous]

The really sad thing is that many novice shooters overlook the used market entirely....

I've bought perfectly serviceable rifles for less than the cost of many of these new "economy rifles".

Admittedly, the used market is full of lemons for the unwary...even some of the lemons I bought outperformed that 770 my friend won.

 

[sask boy]

The one Remington that still has a pretty good name in these parts is the Sendro . I am not positive but I believe that the stock is a McMillan. I know that if one of my boys purchased one the first thing I would do is replace the trigger with either the Timney or the Jewell.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[IdahoCTD]

The Sendero stock is a HS precision. The new long range is a Bell and Carlson M40 stock. I think the newer 789 is their attempt to better the crappy 770 and 710's. Basically all they did was copy many of the others out there like the Mossberg, Savage/Stevens, and Ruger using the barrel nut.

I build almost all my guns with Remington actions unless it is a custom with a Remington clone action. I try to find used stainless BDL guns. The 90's and early 2000's are usually the best but some of the early 2000 versions had the ugly j-lock wart on the firing pin. Almost all the older guns are really nice. It's too bad they have stooped to such a level.

 

[Guy Miner]

How does a company that brought us so many good rifles & shotguns over decades... get to the point where they're producing such a poor product?

I asked the same thing of Winchester before the New Haven plant closed. Union demands for wages and benefits that outstripped the ability of the company to produce, inability to fire workers that had tenure, loss of pride in workmanship, failure to see their product in the field in the areas in which they were produced--all combined until matters spiraled out of control. At last, if the company name is to survive, a vulture company takes over and cheapens the product through ridding themselves of all the skilled workers and cutting corners to make a profit.

People forget about all those crummy Winchesters from that era Mike.

I was trying really hard to like Model 70's about that point and bought several:

.25-06 in a beautiful dark walnut stock... What a looker! At the range? Total flop.
7mm Rem mag
.300 Win mag
.300 WSM "Coyote" - the Coyote with that interesting CRPF action stuck, though like an idiot I briefly lost control of it for a few months... Selling it and eventually getting it back.

The 7mm & .300 WSM were outwardly fine, but shooters? Hardly...

Then the New Haven plant closed. Time passed. FN started making really nice Model 70's and I was heavily involved with a certain Rem 700 CDL .25-06 by then... :grin: Which still happens to be a fine-shooting rifle.

Companies go through cycles, sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't. I hear the S&W collectors going crazy over any old S&W revolver... But I remember some REAL problems with poor quality control on S&W's for a period...

Guy

 

[DrMike]

I acquired quite a variety of Winchesters during that period preceding the closing of the New Haven plant. I did manage to make all those rifles shoot. However, fit and finish on most was atrocious and it did require quite a bit of work to make them functional. All seems to be forgiven whenever someone picks up one of the new FN produced Winchesters. If the efforts expended to keep Remington solvent work and they again produce a great product, in a few years people will have forgiven the transition. Those in the know will avoid certain manufacturing years and continue to use the product. If they linger too long, they will lose a generation of shooters, as did Winchester.

 

[cloverleaf]

I don't think I've ever even seen a Rem 770. Huh.

Sounds like you did a lot to help out that new shooter, and I sure hope he upgrades his equipment and that he enjoys his hunting season. Good for you!

Guy

You are lucky you haven't seen one. No self respecting rifleman would use that for a truck gun. CL

 

[usmc 89]

How does a company that brought us so many good rifles & shotguns over decades... get to the point where they're producing such a poor product?

I believe they are bought by a conglomerate with the only interest being the bottom line.