Another interesting comment on rifle reliability.
 

This was posted on another forum today. I found it rather obvious. :-)

"One of the ways I have some familiarity with what works and what doesn't regarding trustworthy rifles is my experience working with the Forest Service and being around the variety of .375s they issue to field crews for bear protection.

These rifles are outside constantly from about May through October, regardless of the weather since they're work rifles. They're often carried by people who aren't exactly cleaning enthusiasts so it's possible to get a couple years worth of wear inflicted on a gun in a few months. Because they're work rifles, they're not babied. They get carried through some fairly nasty conditions, to the point that some folks have been known to tie surveyor flagging through the upper sling swivel so the rifle can be quickly located when its set down. Here's a brief rundown.

Remington XCR: Sucky. The most eagerly rusting stainless rifle ever apparently. Box trigger turns into a lair for little rust monsters who eagerly seize it up. Extraction and ejection get iffy over time as well. This rifle actually has a sensible, lightweight barrel profile for a gun to be carried alot. Light barrel is not helpful however. More weight is needed for when rifle becomes a mere club.

Winchester Pre-64 and Post-64 Classic: Excellent. The gun of choice for many. Best overall reliability and easy to fix when something does go wrong. The two problem areas are mag box springs and bolt stop springs, both of which are easily repaired. Barrel profile on the Classics is not appreciated. Seems Winchester didn't want to wear out their barrel profiling machine.

Winchester Post-64 push feed: Mixed. Generally okay. Trigger design is very helpful. Extraction never seemed to be an issue but like the Remington, ejection issues develop over time, to the point that cases aren't thrown clear but rather just dribble out of the action. Replacement plungers and springs help. Same occasional issues with mag springs and bolt stop springs as the other Winchesters. Barrel alone weighs 12 pounds.

Browning A Bolt: Not trustworthy. Trigger issues. Most people attempted to keep away from it.

Mark X Mauser: Good generally, but without maintenance the triggers will seize up. Somehow less prone to this than the Remingtons however.

There are more Winchesters than anything else in inventory it seems. No Rugers due to ammo compatability issues."

There is no helping people who consider the rifles ability to be used as a club as an "advantage".

Thanks for posting.

I for one,find you not quite so obvious.Its an old story as are you.

Zzzz...

Some find the truth painful. :sHa_sarcasticlol:

I don't put much value in reviews provided by forestry workers that have no clue as how to maintain a firearm.

Most everything works when things go right.

x2~~the vast majority have trouble even loading a firearm.

Why not carry Lee Enfields, 303 Brits? No issues there, I carried one as a kid on Vancouver Island, exposed to salt, wet, dirty conditions and still functioned, like I said as a kid so you know how well it was looked after. Put 10 in the mag, flung it over my shoulder and off I went...

I think that was part of the posters point.

I have a friend that has had an A bolt for many years. He treats it about as bad as one could be treated & has never had a problem. If the trigger is rusting that to me is operator stupidity. If you don't know how to spray some gun oil then I guess you are asking for it. Have had 4 A Bolts myself & helped a few others get set up for A Bolts. Not a problem with any of them. Are there better rifles out there? Sure there is. To me it's a Chev, Ford, Dodge thing. They all have good & bad about them.

Rifle Reliability: One that works, one that fits you, one that you have confidence in, one that feeds you. Same as a shotgun or bow. No difference :)

Well there would be reliability differences between semi auto and bolt or pump action firearms. Metallurgy in firearms can make a huge difference too...haven't you ever noticed older firearms rust much easier than the newer ones?

Ammunition can cause issues too, like Winchester brass that sticks in your chamber after you shoot your rifle.

I have been killing animals with my beloved father's Enfield BSA 30-06 that was used as a sniper rifle in WWII for years, killed everything I was pointing at.

I upgraded to this rifle only because I wanted a light rifle that I could shoot confidently at longer ranges. I call her Princess :)

Does this mean your father bought a surplus WW2 sniper rifle?

Not at all. It was given to him by the man that used it and taught him how to hunt. My beloved father cherished it, refurbished it then passed it down to me, thank god! I consider it a family heirloom now. :)

Or better yet an ak47... The tfw's they hired may already be fluent with them. At least blasting rounds into the clouds part !!

Chuck, if you are relying on Dewey, AKA Kooteney, for rifle advice, I would suggest that you change the channel. His agenda is even more obvious than yours...
But then again, I don't hunt with spare rifle parts in my pack? Well done? Nothing says reliability more than having to pack spare rifle bits with you...


R.

And as usual, your trolling agenda is made quite obvious as you only post on the forum when you find an opportunity to slag specifically someone of your disliking choice. Otherwise, you're a no show, a non contributor, a basement dweller, a doughnut munching keyboard hero. Now go upstairs and get a hug from mommy....:)

That isn't from Dewey. I have never had to use any spare parts. But I've been with guys using Brownings and 700's that wish they had them. Or a Ruger or Model 70.

chuck do you carry a spare barrel and action wrench ?

I can agree with chuck for the spare parts. I had a Savage ejector plunger fail on me and the rife would FTE. Not very fun. Have spare parts at home.....never thought about bringing them on deer hunts.....until now.

Happy new year Chuck. Don't feed the troll.

hmmm I've worked with numerous Forest Service personnel and the only rifles they were issued for "Bear" protection were Marlin 45/70s with 405gr Garrets.

Most forestry workers that I've come across are dread-lock wearing, dope smoking hippies looking for mushrooms summer time job university students. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on their firearm handling ability either. :)

I'll second that.

The variety of 375s yeah right it was a yeah right after that

I think you're confusing forestry worker with treeplanter. ;)

Now I'm confused....

Yup. Big difference.