what country builds the best guns

[bwcweld]

CZ makes the best production rifles out there. Especially for the price range

[MattSako]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Sauer is made in Germany

Damn Sorry my mystake... thumb up for germany....

[kennedy]

Shotguns:
--Italy: beretta, fausti, perazzi
--Spain: Grulla, AYA, Arrieta, Uggie

Rifles:
--Finland: Sako, Tikka

I also like Germany's Sauer and Merkel products

[Pathfinder76]

Arguably the best custom rifles right now are being made in North America. Canada has a very small group in that pool and it is very tough to top what is coming out of the USA.

[paleface]

Would love to have a brand new German 98 Mauser.They still make them but very expensive last I checked they were around 7 or 8 thousand American.

[eastcoast]

the german's are easily the best engineer's in the world, and have been for decades,they always make quality products from cars to guns.

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by eastcoast

the german's are easily the best engineer's in the world, and have been for decades,they always make quality products from cars to guns.

The best optics for sure.

Thank christ they dropped the ball on atomic physics back in the day.

[eastcoast]

Originally Posted by IR_mike

The best optics for sure.

Thank christ they dropped the ball on atomic physics back in the day.

well einstein was a german but the americans got him out in time,I have worked with alot of germans over the years,most of them are very picky and do things over and over again til it's right,I know most german's here are millrights and engineers,I guess it's a cultural thing.

[KegRiver]

I don't know a lot about the custom gun makers in North America, but I have no trouble believing they are among the best in the world.
The factory produced Rifles were no where near the best, maybe today some are, I don't know.

Who would deny that Mauser was the king of working rifles, and in a sense it still is. A good many modern rifles are based on the Mauser action.

For innovation, the Canadian Ross Rifle was right up there. So far as I know it was the only streight pull bolt action ever to see military service. It may even have been the only succesful straight pull bolt action ever produced.
I'm not sure of that.

The Ross was a well made, fine looking rifle that had the misfortune of being chosen to serve in the trenches, for which it was not well suited.
My 303 Ross is the nicest gun I own. Granted none of my guns are worth much, and never were. They are old fashioned working guns most of them made in North America.

I do know that historically Germany and England were among the best gun makers in the world.

The Italians may make one of the best shotguns, but the English used to make some mighty fine shotguns too. L. C. Smith for one.
Others such as Boss & Co., Holland & Holland and others were at one time considered among the best in the world. This was reflected in the prices they sold for. Such guns sold for $10,000.00 or more back in the 70s. When I was checking them out.

I would have to say that no country has a monopoly on the best guns.
Some countries are not known for their guns, others not know for producing fine rifles are in fact producing at least some. Canada, for instance.
Then there are countries that claim to produce the best.

Some may argue that these guns are assembled here, not made here.
Perhaps so. Is so, there are a huge number of custom guns from all over the world, that would be out of the running. And the gunsmiths that "assembled them would not get fair recognition.

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by eastcoast

well einstein was a german but the americans got him out in time,I have worked with alot of germans over the years,most of them are very picky and do things over and over again til it's right,I know most german's here are millrights and engineers,I guess it's a cultural thing.

He got himself out early.

[elkhunter11]

For innovation, the Canadian Ross Rifle was right up there. So far as I know it was the only streight pull bolt action ever to see military service. It may even have been the only succesful straight pull bolt action ever produced.
I'm not sure of that.

Actually several straight pull bolt actions made it into military service.
A few are:

Swiss 1911

Swiss k-31

M95 Steyr Mannlicher

1895 Lee Navy

[KegRiver]

That's very interesting Elk, I had no idea there were so many.

That 6mm Lee sound very interesting. The fact that they were sold by both Winchester and Remington is very surprizing as had never heard of that before.

I have searched my old Shooters Bibles and Gun traders but find no referance to them. Maybe it's in an issue I don't have.

I wonder if the others had the same problem the Ross had. The Ross had major issues with grit getting into the action, from what I've heard.
It was never a problem with my Ross or the one Dad owned. Both have always functioned flawlesly.

[browning375]

live and die by a Browning! Even if the Jap's do make them, still a very fine weapon!

[browning375]

For the bang for the buck, CZ is another great choice!!

[LongBomber]

One of the highest quality rifles has to be Holland and Holland, and the price reflects it. Martini is building some very fine rifles as well. PGW can stand with any tactical rifle maker in the world, as can ATRS who now has their own action.

For a mass produced rifle I would say the Finn's take it with the Sako and Tikka's.

[rugatika]

LC Smith is American is it not??

[Arn?Narn.]

pot stirrer...

SKB

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by rugatika

LC Smith is American is it not??

So they are. I really should read my books more often. Thanks for the correction.

They were in fact made in New York by the Hunter Arms Company. In later years they were made by Marlin Firearms from New Haven Connecticut.

Parker Brothers was another American made shotgun that could stand proud in any collection. They were bought out by Remington in 1934.
Top price listed in my books was $95.000.00
That was for a A-1 special grade 28 gauge Hammerless double barrel. 1987 price

As for England, James Purdey & sons were among the best. My books puts the top price for a Purdey at $29,000.00 in 1987.

As I said, I don't think any one country could claim top billing when it comes to gun manufacturing. However, some, like Canada weren't known for top quality gun manufacture. We were not absent from the field however.
I know that some rifles were designed and manufactured here, like the Ross.
I also know that millions of Lee Enfields were also manufactured here.