Top 5 Hunting Rifles and Top 5 Wishlist Infantry Rifles

[deerhunter61]

There was an article in the American Rifleman about the Top Ten Infantry and Hunting Rifles. I thought it would be interesting to see what your Top 5 hunting rifle list is and also perhaps your top 5 Infantry rifles is or what your Top 5 Infantry "Wish List" is?

Their list:

Infantry Rifles
1) M1 Garand
2) AK-47
3) Mauser 98
4) M 16
5) 1853 Enfield Rifle-Musket
6) Lee-Enfield
7) StG44
8) FAL
9) Dreyse Model 1841 "Needle Gun"
10) The Henry Rifle

Hunting Rifles
1) Winchester Model 70
2) Winchester Model 1894
3) The American Longrifle
4) Remington Model 700
5) Ruger 10/22
6) Mauser Model 98
7) Marlin Model 336
8) Savage Model 110
9) Mannlicher-Schoenauer
10) Weatherby Mark V

Here are my top 5 Hunting rifles...these I own:

1) Browning BBR 7mm Mag - The most accurate deer rifle I own. 1/2 inch MOA
2) Remington 300 Rem Mag - This one I got free from work over 20 years ago. It is also a very accurate rifle
3) CZ 22-250 - This is the most accurate rifle I own and is a lot of fun to shoot!
4) Marlin Model 336 30-30 - A gift from my Father-in-Law. Great shooting rifle and it was the rifle I used to shoot my first deer.
5) CZ 452 22lr - I just bought it...this one was a tough choice because I just purcahsed it but it is so accurate and fun to shoot...also cheap to shoot! So it won.

Here is my Infantry Top 5 "Wish List". Unfortunately I do not own any of the below but I have already prepped my wife and hope to purchase at least the first 4 over the next 4-5 years.

1) M1 Garand
2) M14
3) Springfield 1903
4) Mauser 98
5) The Henry Rifle - Since they listed it as an Infantry rifle...

 

[elmerfudd]

As far as I'm concerned, hunting rifles are whatever can get the job done effectively. There's no point in making a top 5 list since there are hundreds of good hunting rifles that will kill game just as effectively as the next rifle.

Infantry rifles are somewhat different and it seems here that there needs to be two criteria. Which gun was the most historically significant and which was actually the best and both need to be evaluated in comparison to guns of their era. Otherwise a wretched gun like the L85A1 would be considered to be superior to guns that were the best of their era like the Garand.

So here are my top 5 lists.

Top 5, most historically significant.
1) AK47. Produced in extraordinary numbers for over 60 years. Provided a modern weapon with plenty of firepower to third world militaries all over the world. Arguably the most modern rifle in use worldwide for about 15 years after it's introduction.
2) M1 Garand. The best general issue weapon of WWII and by a large margin.
3) Lee Enfield. The best bolt action battle rifle with a faster action and twice the capacity of most of it's contemporaries. Used worldwide on a large scale for over 5 decades and in a limited capacity even to this day.
4) Mauser 98. A very strong and safe action, used in huge numbers with numerous derivatives like the Springfield and Arisaka.
5) M16. I find this to be a deeply flawed, but brilliant design. It was years ahead of it's time when it came out. Unfortunately, it should have had a few more years to work the bugs out. Ergonomically it's just close to perfect and it set the stage in that regard for years to come.

Top 5, best of their era.
1) STGW44. The best fighting rifle of WW2 bar none.
2) AK47. The best rifle in the period after WW2 but before Vietnam.
3) SMLE. The best battle rifle up until the arrival of the Garand. The #4Mk1 was better, but come that time the bolt action was on the verge of being obsolete.
4) M1 Garand. The best rifle out there from 1936-1944.
5) M16. A visionary design, that while I don't think it was ever the best, was far enough ahead of it's time to still be considered one of the most modern rifles out there nearly 50 years after it's introduction.

Guns that just wouldn't make it even if I did a top 10.

1) Springfield 1903, Enfield 1917, Arisaka. These are all just Mausers with better sights.
2) M14. This is an improved Garand that was used for a very short period of time. It wasn't innovative or world changing.

Guns that were historically significant, but not that great.
1) Mauser 98. Slow action, low capacity, bad sights. There were much better rifles out there even at the peak of the Mauser's popularity.
2) Mosin Nagant. If I were to make a 6th spot on most historically significant rifles it would probably go to the Mosin Nagant, but I still find it to be a rather crude weapon with a very slow action, low capacity and an awful safety.

 

[45B@cav]

Infantry Rifles
M16
AK47
STG44
M1 Garand
FN FAL
G3
Mauser 98
Mosin Nagant

 

[556A2]

Hunting:
1. Marlin 336
2. Winchester 1894
3. Mauser 98
4. Remington 700
5. Winchester 70

Infantry Rifle
1. M16
2. AK-47
3. FN FAL
4. Mauser 98
5. Lee-Enfield

 

[Rio Laxas]

I just can't believe the Sharps rifle didn't make either of their lists.

 

[Nolo]

Depends on what you mean by "Top 5".
Most influential?
Most desirable by me personally?
Since my "most influential" list looks an awful lot like the American Rifleman one, just moved around, here's the
Combat Rifles Nolo Wants Something Fierce:
-Bushmaster/Magpul ACR in 5.56x45mm NATO
-Bushmaster/Magpul ACR in 6.5 Grendel
-Heckler and Koch G3 with original trigger group and wood furniture in 7.62x51mm
-SIG 556 Carbine with a not-funny-looking handguard
-AR-15 Carbine with Magpul lower, handguard, FA slickside upper with CH slot and Hogue grip (Yes, in fact, any OTHER AR is not on this list... I am weird)

 

[Snapping Twig]

Personal favorites in the locker:

Colt Sauer - without doubt, one of the finest rifles I've ever handled.

FN Mauser 98 Browning early 70's - This is like a Sako or pre 64 Win 70 with controlled feed/ejection.

Remington 700 w/ SS Hart custom barrel in 6.5-06, accurized.

Ruger Mini 30 - Mine's accurate, .308 bore 189 series, fun to shoot, totally reliable and sports an old Butler Creek stock.

Ruger 10/22, early 70's gun I bought at a drugstore as a teenager. Never let me down - shoots like a laser.


Military

AK has to be the most significant - too many out there too long.

AR - Not a fan, but again, it's been out there serving freedom for a long time.

M1/M14 - Garand action, innovative in its day, accurate and durable.

FN/FAL - What can I say - it's good.

Mauser 98 - They work well with a track record going back to the beginning of modern firearms.

 

[deerhunter61]

My List

When I detailed my list it was simply from the perspective of MY favorite hunting rifles and as far as the Infantry rifles it was from the perspective of the ones I would/do want to own. I am sure there would be value to owning some of the ones others have liisted but I guess I am just a little partial to the rifles the US soldiers carried into war. Also the reason I did not put the M16 on the list is simply because unless I apply for a dealer license I can not own one. Something about it being full auto....perhaps I am wrong?

 

[Geno]

I would have to say:

Infantry Rifles:
1) M1 Garand
2) M1A
3) 1903
4) Mauser 98
5) AK-47

Hunting Rifles:
1) Weatherby Mark V
2) Remington Model 700
3) Winchester Model 70 Classic
4) Winchester Model 1894
5) Marlin 39A Golden

 

[xd9fan]

Infantry Rifles
AK47
M1 Garand
K31
M1A
FN FAL

Hunting Rifles
Marlin 336
Ruger 77/17...(love mine)
Marlin 39a
Remington Model 700
Remington 870