I purchased one at Wal-Mart at the beginning of this deer season as a backup / loaner gun. Mine is a 30-06. It is what it is, a good hunting rifle. I have $350 in the gun, scope and rings and a box of shells (bases came with the gun). The gun was cheep and has proven to be functional.
Pros:
It is capable of minuet of deer groups at hunting ranges. I have yet to try many types of ammo to see what works best. The rifle is light and has a relatively short barrel (22 inches). The rifle has an effective recoil pad installed, but I don’t feel recoil while hunting. The pad is nice on the bench. The trigger is decent out of the box. Mine is not adjustable or have the stupid "accu trigger" blade thing on the trigger. I don’t need or want that feature so I am happy with it. All and all this gun does many things well.
Cons:
The gun develops a coating of brown rust like powder on the metal if not oiled regularly. This “rust” wipes right off with a drop of oil so it is no big deal. The forearm feels flimsily at times, I don’t know if that is the synthetic stock or the free floated barrel. I have also grown to hate the blind box magazine. I purchased the gun knowing about this feature so it does not reflect on the gun in any way. I just truly hate cycling the rounds through the action to remove them. At least the bolt can be cycled while the gun is on safe(remember a safety is no substitute for safe handling practices, always handle a gun in a safe manner). Speaking of the action, I was able to “short stroke” it and have it failure to feed error during my “follow-up shot” drills on the bench. It has only happened once so it was probably me.
Anyway I hope I have helped you. If you have any other questions I will try to answer them for you. Bottom line, is it is a working rifle that promises what it can deliver, and delivers more than it promises. I would rather have(and in fact do own) a Vanguard(350 + scope). On the other hand I would buy this gun over a Remington 770 any day. My Wal-Mart has a Rem. 700 with a scope for about $50 more than I have in my Mossberg so that my be worth a look if you have these choices.
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Quote:
AMENDMENT II
A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
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