The 50 Best Guns Ever Made

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5. Smith & Wesson Model 29
Some people date the birth of S&W's Model 29 .44 Magnum to the 1970 movie Dirty Harry, but they are ignorant and deserve our scorn. The Model 29 debuted in 1955 and is one of those rare firearms that force us to redefine what a gun can do. The .44 Magnum enabled handgunners to not only hunt big game but to shoot it at rifle-caliber distances.

The cartridge, developed by Remington, fired a 240-grain lead bullet at 1500 fps. It was twice as powerful as its nearest competitor, the .357 Magnum. It was a handful to shoot and still is. Next to it, the .45 Auto is a girl's caress.

The Model 29 revolver, for which S&W chambered the new cartridge, was as fine a gun as Smith-"or anyone else-"knew how to make. Selling for the then astronomical sum of $240, Model 29s were beautifully fitted and finished, and each one came in its own handsome wooden case.

Both powerful and beautiful to look upon, the Model 29 was very accurate as well. If you didn't care to break your hand with .44 Magnums, you could shoot .44 Specials in your Model 29, making it as docile and accurate a revolver as you could want.

Dirty Harry was a vulgar sideshow. The S&W Model 29 is a masterpiece that changed the sport of shooting.

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Comment on This Article

At 8:03 PM, 2009-01-07, Galen said:
The ongoing debate of what is the best firearm will never go away. It will always be personal preference. There is no doubt that some guns are better than others. Before you purchase a gun, read some gun reviews to get an idea of what the majority likes. I have a Winchester Model 70, Remington 700BDL, Benelli R1...all great guns, but I can't say that one is drastically better than the other - they all shoot well. Practice will make your gun better.

At 6:24 PM, 2009-01-05, Matt said:
I think that the remington 870 is a great gun to use. It is pretty much like a tank and doesnt ever break if you keep it well maintained.

At 11:23 AM, 2009-01-04, Doug said:
Nothing but Fudd guns? Boring...

At 3:01 PM, 2009-01-02, Josh said:
chris a very small percentage of people hunt like that. your opinion is inaccurate, during the fall hunting seasons we all walk at least 20 miles. in fact this year i've walked more than that, smelt the deer before seeing them, froze my butt off on a rock, broke in a new pair of boots, read an article about staying in shape for hunting, and ran with my indian guide up and down hills. i have enjoyed every second. by the way some people physically can't do the walking but are still mentally fit for the hunting. hunting buddies dont give up though.

At 9:28 AM, 2009-01-02, chris said:
hunting isnt like it use to be several years ago hunters walk the woods and killed their food now hunters but out bait and food and sit their ass up in a tree stand and get drunk or stoned and shoot animals all day what happend to life god didnt create tree stands people did so lazy people dont have to walk in the woods and hunt their food

At 3:29 AM, 2009-01-02, Matt said:
I've ate pieces of deer steak for breakfast with this model! iIn 30.06, this shakes down everything from dik-dik to Rocky Mountain Elk. The caliber is the best, and the wood grain finish is enough to make sportsmen drool. Scoping can be difficult, but, okay, shoot the factory loads.

At 6:09 PM, 2008-12-31, Jim said:
1911 .45 ACP??

At 4:22 PM, 2008-12-30, Jack said:
The Springfeild 1903 should be number 1. With the skill of a marksman and a good scope you become walking death to all forms of medium to large game.

At 4:19 PM, 2008-12-29, GMunny said:
I Love my Remington 700BDL .270 with a Nikon Monarch UCC scope. I was able to tack 3 consecutive rounds through the same hole with this setup. Dropped a beautiful 4point this year with it as well...Great Rifle!

At 9:31 PM, 2008-12-27, Raven777 said:
The winy sucks! I have never had so much problem mounting scopes on one brand of rifle, shim. shim, shim. Sako, are the best; plus they all shot. The old guys will die out and the wimy will too.

At 1:26 AM, 2008-12-27, bigdanhess90 said:
I'm really not to sure what the big fus about the Winchester pre 64 model 70 is. I've heard that because it use a claw to extract and load that you can do so while the rifle is upside down (like if you are being attacked by a bear). Well I've tried working the action of my Remington 700 and it works flawlessly. Not to mention that for a factory rifle chambered in .243 win, it can shoot 0.6 inch groups at 100 yards! with 100 grain bullets. The only work that has been done is lightening the factory trigger.....so far

At 11:00 AM, 2008-12-24, clh323 from Pittsburgh said:
All lists are debateable, isn't that why they're created? However you got the most important thing correct. The pre-64 Winchester Model 70 is undoubtably the best sport rifle ever made. There is a reason this fantastic rifle was used by military snipers through the Vietnam War until custom rifles for that purpose were built. I've hunted with almost every thing out there but when I want to feel unbeatable in the field, my .30-06 Model 70 is on my shoulder.

At 12:43 AM, 2008-12-24, james goodman said:
I actually have several of these fine choices,but where is the most important rifle of the 20th century, the M1 Garand?

At 5:51 AM, 2008-12-23, Abby Normal said:
I can tell you this right now if I was to put this list together a few things would take place, first being no winchester models!!! I'm left handed and a side from the 94 (which ejects from the top) not one of those guns is made for a left handed shooter! Hail to Benelli, Ithica, Savage, Marlin, and Remington! They make a quality firearm that can be shot from either side of the fence.

At 6:10 PM, 2008-12-22, cweeet said:
who made this list ,I see no colt python WOW!!! and ive also owned a colt sauer sporting rifle, quite possibly the smoothest action ever, terrible omissions i think

At 2:03 PM, 2008-12-21, annoyed said:
is anyone else pissed off by the colombia advertisments?

At 10:19 PM, 2008-12-18, slamb said:
I was surprised not to see more Rugers. I have never owned a Ruger other than a 10/22 but really admire the M77s which are very attractive rifles.

At 9:12 PM, 2008-12-15, Thomas said:
The Remington 870 deserves some sort of recognition. I don't know anyone that has ever owned one that doesn't having anything but admiration for it. In fact, a lot of people i know carry it as a backup to their more expensieve autoloaders.

At 7:44 PM, 2008-12-14, johnjhawk said:
I think this is a terrific list. I own 31 of the 50 firearms he listed and have owned 4 others. I wish I had them back. About the only complaint I have is leaving the legendary Mannlicher Schoenauer off this great list. It is the smoothest action ever and treasured by Hemingway and many other great hunters.

At 7:43 PM, 2008-12-10, Winchester 1892 said:
We used to call it Bragging at the sand box.I have a Winchester model 92 Lever action 38/40 that was used in the gold fields of Alaska in 1895/96 it not only is still in excellent working order,you can drive nails in at 35 yards with open sights if your steady enough.At 61 I've owned many weapons, but barnone the Winchester brand is top dog in my Gun safe.Very good investments too! I love hunting Winchesters for fun and profit!!!

At 10:10 AM, 2008-12-05, IBGOOSE said:
I still shoot my Grand fathers Winchester 97 Still knocks the birds down by the way im 55

At 10:51 AM, 2008-12-02, John Plageman said:
Just a few more guns that should be added to the list;The Remington Model 8/ 81, The Remington 7600, Remington Model 31, Remington 7400. Any and all of these would be better than the Mossberg 500, the Remington 1100 or the H&R Topper.

At 5:03 AM, 2008-11-25, Dan said:
just 49 to go...so i will start again. the famous bar would be my choice for #2.

At 7:55 PM, 2008-11-18, Mauser Man said:
my grandfather gave me a g-33/40 carbine when i was young and it is the best gun i have ever seen and will own.

At 12:03 AM, 2008-11-18, will said:
870 yestuhday, 870 tuhday, 870 tuhmarow.............

At 5:56 PM, 2008-11-14, bummed said:
to answer man,thanks for the reply. please be assured that,without violence,which would only cause me grief, that steps are being taken that will make him regret what has been done for years to come. take care.

At 11:42 PM, 2008-11-13, elk whisperer said:
i currently own a winchester model 70 (pre-1964)with a scope made in germany and i couldn't be any happier the gun shots straight never had a problem with it and probably never will over all this gun is #1 in my book

At 7:19 AM, 2008-11-12, Gary said:
my first gun was a sporterized m98, pre-war made in 1938. it is as fine a firearm as any ever built, and i still own it in the original caliber.

At 2:03 AM, 2008-11-12, Answer Man said:
to bummed, a real man wouldn't even ask if he should beat another man down for "stealing" a family heirloom. enough said the answer man.

At 11:50 AM, 2008-11-11, RedBikeFever said:
while it is not a sporting arm, there is truly only one firearm that stands head and shoulders above the rest. it is the ak-47. it is not a sporting arm, although it does produce variant that are sporting, it is merely the most successful design of the past 70 years. the ak and its multiple design variants have been the leading weapon of choice in every armed situation since its invention. ti is not loveable, but it is great.

At 7:42 AM, 2008-11-08, Bob said:
these articles always come down to "50 guns the guys here at the office own". i don't read them anymore.

At 9:52 PM, 2008-11-07, Gene said:
as an entry-level deer hunter in michigan the 30-30 works for me. my seasoned deer camp dudes hunt big game and they bring an assortment of high tech rifles with scopes requiring a pdf owner�s manual. but it�s my lone winchester 30-30 in the camp�s rack that gets their attention. yup, while they�ve moved on, like memories of their first girlfriend, they still dig the lever action. the trigger pull seems extraordinary, so either i�ll learn to deal with it or take to a smith.

At 11:18 PM, 2008-11-06, bummed said:
my father had a pre-64 mod 70 in 30-06. he has died since.the day we buried him my older brother heisted the gun from the gun cabinet my father made by hand and claimed it as his without any dicussion with anyone else in the family. does anyone out there think i should pound his face?

At 3:55 AM, 2008-11-06, anonymous said:
it sucks ;)

At 8:41 PM, 2008-11-04, bigdanhess90 said:
zylee real men shoot the .95 jdj that thing weighs 85 lbs and it will still knock you on your ass

At 6:01 PM, 2008-11-03, anonymous said:
i got a model 70 pre 64

At 4:49 PM, 2008-11-03, dweab said:
zylee are you're 12 years old aren't you.

At 2:43 PM, 2008-11-01, zylee said:
real men shoot the .22 hornet...the rest are girls.

At 6:09 PM, 2008-10-31, i love 69 and boys said:
i like boys and 69 with them my name jesse platz i am gay

At 5:14 AM, 2008-10-30, William A Harland said:
someone open up a can of worms.

At 2:35 PM, 2008-10-27, BillH said:
mikek: "i have my father's winchester model 52 .22 long r. contrary to your article stating they started in 1934, winchester says my father's rifle was produced in 1926." the w/52 was introduced as a target rifle in 1920, but the sporter version didn't come along until 1934.

At 10:19 AM, 2008-10-27, Mr. Turkey said:
ok, all tha talk is on the mossberg 500. who would even want to shoot that? there is a new gun in town boys!!! the mossberg 835 ulti-mag. chamber up a 3 1/2 inch. it packs a hard punch but when you can down a turkey at 93 yards, its worth it!!

At 4:38 PM, 2008-10-23, Bryan said:
i remember shooting dads crescent no.15 empire ejector 12 gauge singleshot with no recoil pad when i was 9 years old. he sat in the car and laughted as i picked myself up off the ground after shooting it! but i still held on to the gun!

At 8:36 PM, 2008-10-14, philp 101st abn said:
i have a heavy barrel adjusteable sihgting lr model 52 winchester. whats it worth boys

At 4:04 AM, 2008-10-14, turnkey said:
no 1911? no highpower? no garand? no glock? these are no more military than the model 98. who wrote this list, sarah brady?

At 2:23 PM, 2008-09-28, bob said:
hi lets have sex

At 11:48 AM, 2008-09-27, Jason Windeler said:
i have shot both the win. model 94 and marlin 30as. although not the 336 my marlin is a deadly accurate rifle. in fact, i have shot two bucks in the neck and dropped them dead in their tracks with that marlin. it has an old bushnell sportsview on it with raised rings and i can't even imagine how it would shoot with a newer scope on it. however, i was a little disappointed that the marlin 30/30 didn't make the cut for july's most accurate factory rifles. i know it would out perform the mossberg 464 30/30.

At 2:39 AM, 2008-09-27, Taylorism said:
"...if you mention that you have a short-action (g33/40) mauser for sale, people will begin weeping and licking your shoes..." lol for one thing, the g33/40 is not a short action, it's a small-ring long action. for another thing, it's not a mauser '98, it's a brno 33. it's true a lot of people go crazy over 33/40's, but the truth is that a great many of them are made with flawed metal. the czechs built them for the germans while under occupation. they messed with production quality every way they were able. you want a really good czech weapon, get one made before 1939 or after 1945.

At 5:47 PM, 2008-09-25, Dave said:
when it comes to a lightweight productive bird gun the charles daley 20 ga. is hard to beat. mine is a bout 25 years old, auto ejectors single triger with selective safty. i have had and shot over 40 side by sides and over & unders and never had one come up like this charles daley.

At 5:45 PM, 2008-09-25, Dave said:
when it comes to a lightweight productive bird gun the charles daley 20 ga. is hard to beat. mine is a bout 25 years old, auto ejectors single triger with selective safty. i have had and shot over 40 side by sides and over & unders and never had one come up like this charles daley.

At 8:57 PM, 2008-09-23, bigdanhess90 said:
ok this list was created as an article in a field & stream magazine. the criteria for the list were the following: 1. hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols that were huge a commercial success. 2. they limited their choices to weapons from between the 1900 to the present which is why several arms like the 1873 model p and the sharps, and the pennsylvania rifle were not added. also the two exceptions to rule one are numbers 2 and 14 both of which started a military but during the 50's, 60's and even the 70's it was in fact cheaper to build a rifle on a military action instead of buying a rifle from the factory (hard to believe nowadays). plus even today the mauser 98 is still used to build custom rifles as well factory rifles.

At 11:45 PM, 2008-09-17, Smal said:
good lord,there is only 50 spots,and we all have differing opnions ,depending on our tastes also,i love the military ww2 weapons,but ,i do have many non military weapons,and the stainless ruger 10-22 i recieved long ago from my now ex wife,is the best gift,i ever got from her,thankfully she did not claim it in the divorce,lol,that and a stevens model 87-d i have had since my grandfather handed down to me ,are the best two accurate 22 cal rifles i ever had,on my ruger stock i think it was a limited production its a grey looking silver streaked looking stock,im sure its got a name but i long forgot it ,anyone know what its called?? smal

At 2:05 PM, 2008-09-12, Andrew said:
my comments relate to the article about the s&w model 29. the author wrote that the model 29 debuted in 1955 which is incorrect. the s&w .44 magnum debuted in 1955 and became the model 29 when s&w designated model numbers to its guns in 1957.

At 11:50 AM, 2008-09-08, tim said:
the 870 is on here it is number 10

At 7:26 PM, 2008-09-07, i so hot said:
you did not put a remington 870 im so hurt field and stream wat is happening our so corrupt!!!! taking bribes from people to put this on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At 9:58 AM, 2008-09-07, jerry1041 said:
the model 98 mauser was and is the bolt action standard by which all other bolt-actions are measured.to think other wise is pure folly.

At 9:05 PM, 2008-09-06, Tommy said:
i can not believe you did not mention the m1 garand i am hurt!

At 1:30 PM, 2008-09-06, badmac933 said:
the thompson/center contender is the finest long-range handgun i ever fired. i own one with several barrels, each for its own purpose. my 14" bull barrel chambered in 30-30 win. can knock down steel silhouettes at 300 yards just using the steel sights. if some knuckle-headed burglar tries to escape on foot, i can take my time because he will be well within range for quite a while. :)

At 10:04 PM, 2008-09-04, Stacy said:
have a fox 20 guage serial number series 201800. where do i find value and the best place to sell this collectors gun

At 12:28 AM, 2008-08-28, bigdanhess90 said:
ethan is right this list is just one person's opinion. i for one don't agree with some of his choices but who cares. this list was all just in good fun.

At 3:28 PM, 2008-08-28, Ethan said:
honestly people, we all know that we can't ever decide on the 50 "best" firearms. but some of the comments i see on here are ridiculous. i think the list is a good list. do i agree with everything, no. but who does? i'm sure after he published it, he could have moved things around a little bit. we should stop arguing about who has a better gun and why. the anti's don't care what gun we shoot, they want them all cut in half. i'm sure everyone has heard the term "divide and conquer". we are dividing ourselves right now. we're giving the anti's half the battle right there. now come on, man up and quit complaining (no offense to any women who have posted or will post, it was merely a figure of speech). whether you hunt or just shoot, it doesn't matter. firearms are our passions, and nobody will take them away from us.

At 8:05 AM, 2008-08-26, John said:
you're missing something tom. every modern bolt action rifle design began with the model 98 mauser. what's more, highly accurate, supremely reliable hunting rifles in calibers from .17 all the way up to .458 are still being built on this century old design. none of the above can be said of the upstart ar-15

At 12:10 PM, 2008-08-24, Tom said:
duh!!! springfield armory, (military???), and mauser model 98, both fine guns, but both military in production. including these and not ar's is short sighted, and narrow minded, and an obvious double standard. pity!

At 12:08 PM, 2008-08-24, Tom said:
while a list of weapons that is supposed to be hunting fiearms is a nice intent, to include a mauser model 98, and a springfield (armory....duh!!! military??!!) model 1903, both of which were produced for the military, and not include ar-15's and the like, is to use a double standard. shame on you, and shame on you also for not recognizing the fact that so many commercial guns are offshoots of military weapons, both in design and use!

At 8:56 AM, 2008-08-24, Doc Holiday said:
ruger 10/22 is one of the best .22's not doubt. but how is it the most popular when the last time i looked at the numbers marlin model 60 led the pack in sales. i know the marlin is cheaper to buy and is cheaper built....but it's popular.

At 12:04 PM, 2008-08-23, anonymous said:
spas 12 your a retard

At 8:35 PM, 2008-08-22, anonymous said:
spas 12 is the best shotgun ever

At 11:50 AM, 2008-08-22, anonymous said:
one of the most famous revolvers ever made, the colt 1873 model p, was not on the list, but the ruger single six is? whoever made this list obviously did not do his homework and his knowledge of guns does not go beyond a cabella's inventory.

At 10:50 PM, 2008-08-18, No Name said:
love it or hate it, the ak-47 is the best military assault rife of all times. durable, reliable, and packs a punch. what you sacrifice in accuracy, you gain in effectiveness. what other weapon would you carry for combat within 100 yards in sand, water, mud, snow, ice, trees.....

At 10:46 PM, 2008-08-18, steve said:
only a few handguns. what about glock. glock perfection and inovation, yet not amoung the best 50 of all times?

At 12:48 PM, 2008-08-17, Erik said:
i can understand somewhat why the m1891 mosin-nagant was left off the list... but i and many people i know use scout versions of the m38 and/or m39 for deer hunting yearly and reliably. it could be argued that in this day and age, there is no better value for your money than an m38 or m39 if you want something quite accurate (read minute-of-deer) and with a big enough punch. i really think you should take a look at some of the mosins out there that are used by quite a few people. yes, they may be mil-surps, but i'd venture a guess that there are just as many people using these (probably more) than remington 700s due to the price factor.

At 10:45 PM, 2008-08-15, Confused said:
while i do agree with a few and i do mean a few guns like the 10/22 and the remington 870 the people who made this list looked over many of the great guns that formed this great country. like the s&w model 10, 1911 and the forgotten over under 22/12 ga. while were just making list to have guns on it why not add the tec-9, remington 740 and the last ditch china winchester's.

At 10:59 AM, 2008-08-14, Don Corbin said:
i have a winchester model 88 c-f-r 32-20 serial # 908143 where can i find the manufacture date and value? thank you, donruth@earthlink.net

At 2:30 PM, 2008-08-13, anonymous said:
there are many browning firearms missing, the bar, blr, how does the model 98 lose first to a 98 knock-off, doesnt make sense at all...i know the pre 64s are nice but its a copy...retarded. how does the a5 not win nits the first invented by how many years???

At 10:49 PM, 2008-08-12, scotty m said:
all of u rambling about your remingtons must have never shot a weatherby or beretta becuase those are the two best firearm manufactures in the world. i would love to know what u remington lovers think what remington rifle is better then a mk v and what better shotgn is than a al 390 is haha remington is just for poor redknecks who cant afford good guns

At 8:08 PM, 2008-08-12, YO YO said:
it should be 50 best rifle list, and then 50 best pistol list, etc. there are too many guns out there to just pick 50, plus this list is obsolete!

At 7:31 PM, 2008-08-11, Ted said:
bigdanhess90: how many guns on this list are still being made? maybe 12-15? how many were in continuous production for over 40 years? if .357 is to small for hunting, why do you not complain about the ruger blackwawk? or the .22 caliber single six? were both of those intended, or used, purely for hunting? and both, of course, are openly described by ruger as copies of the colt peacemaker. we get it. you don't like colts. but you can't change history by ignoring it.

At 6:06 PM, 2008-08-10, tennessee hunter said:
the mossberg 835 and 500 shotguns are excellent shotguns my 835 has held up for many seasons thru rain hail snow and any other kind of weather imaginable, and by the way where are the browning a bolts and the browning buckmark.

At 12:43 PM, 2008-08-10, shooterinfl said:
good list but...no winchester super x1 which is so smooth it would cost over 3k today to produce. maybe winchester was a fool for trying to make such a nice shotgun and sell it for 400. nylon 66? what kind of group have you got out of it.

At 5:38 PM, 2008-08-08, bigdanhess90 said:
ted please read the following: if the python was so popular why is it no longer manufactured? also the reason it is not listed is because it's a target revolver therefor the author did not deem it worthy as a hunting pistol. probably because most deem the .357 magnum round to be too lite, even for deer.

At 5:30 PM, 2008-08-08, bigdanhess90 said:
to bubbabarhopper from the sounds of things i think your the type that hangs out in bars. as for you saying that i'm wrong, if you read the additional info paragraph you would see this "you'll notice that there are no military or target arms here (with afew exceptions for reasons explained)". what i ment in my statement as with the reasons they gave, most of the arms listed started life as hunting firearms.

At 12:10 AM, 2008-08-07, CP said:
would have loved to see an ithaca flues model on here. great side by sides if u ask me.

At 6:17 PM, 2008-08-07, alex said:
wtf a copy of another guns makes the list but the lee-enfield doesn't this list is bs

At 2:46 PM, 2008-08-07, anon said:
ha...no 1911, hi power, glock? at least they have 870s in there... worthless list.

At 8:35 AM, 2008-08-07, Bob said:
it is difficult to understand how field and stream could have misses the holland & holland royal sidelock. this action is the most copied sidelock action in the world and copies or derivatives of it are used by nearly every "best gun" maker. h&h offers their royal action on sxs shotguns, sxs rifles, and even o/u shotguns. without question the royal sxs shotgun should have been on your list. after all, it is the best of the best.

At 12:14 AM, 2008-08-06, RabbitKiller said:
me and my model 34 remington killed so many california jackrabbits that it opened up san francisco to the gay population. i have since repented of my early life and gave all my guns to hillary and obama and barbara boxer and now i am trying to re introduce the california jackrabbit to san francisco. however the rabbits won't stay there. they just move to bakersfield as soon as they can afford busfare. sorry duke,sorry elmer,sorry dad. i'll try to make it up to you. there has been too little said about the springfield 03 too. not to mention the 30.06 round. it has had nearly as much influence on modern gun design as the mauser. but as long as were griping, i'd like to see the hawken rifle included, as long as we aren't racially biased according to which end you load from. also; winchester and colt are rank newcomers to the arms manufacture compared to remington. remington was making smoke poles before there were cartridges. matter of fact god shot those wild bighorn sheep that he used fer adam and eves aprons using a remington .50 so there.

At 5:58 PM, 2008-08-05, Ned said:
my model 37 has never let me down.

At 10:20 AM, 2008-08-05, sniper man said:
the model 70 falls no were need the rem 700. have any of you compared the 2 bolts side by side? not to mention the 700 is far more accurate.

At 9:49 AM, 2008-08-05, uhpilot said:
if it's hunting guns, how about some of the first hunting guns....the 1874 sharps.

At 9:15 PM, 2008-07-31, poooooooooo said:
pooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At 4:54 PM, 2008-07-31, Manny said:
rem. 700 police in .308... enough said!!!

At 7:41 AM, 2008-07-30, Win a Green Card said:
to bigdanhess90, please reserve your name calling to the bars you may hang out in. i for one was linked to this list indirectly and did not see an intoduction to a "hunting gun" list until i read it in the additional information area after i posted a comment. in the additional info area it states that the list "is" limited to hunting rifles. you are incorrect in your statement by saying "most" are hunting rifles.

At 10:10 PM, 2008-07-29, MeanDean said:
the marlin 39 (39a) began life as the model 1891 in 1891, redesigned as the 1897 in that year and the 39 in 1922. the "39a" designation was given in 1939. the "redesigns" consisted of minor changes only and is essentially the longest continully manufactured rifle in the world. p.s. i was "in the field", crossing "streams" in a place called vietnam. never mind what we hunted!

At 10:18 PM, 2008-07-28, Darren said:
i love the fact a weatherby is in the list. weatherby's are some of my favorite rifles

At 7:22 PM, 2008-07-28, Ted said:
bigdanhess: please read the comments you rant about, before ranting. i didn't say sam colt was the most copied firearms designer. i said the colt company is. you know, the company that employed browning through much of his career. browning is solidly represented on the list. but no colt model is present, not even the ones browning designed. it seems obvious that field and stream is excluding the entire company, because they're primarily known for military weapons. to be fair, it could also be because of ron stewart's remarks of a decade ago. but either way, it's clearly a political decision, not a functional one. basically, every revolver is a derivation of colt's paterson pistol. and just about every semi-auto handgun is derived from colt's (yes, browning designed) model 1900. and since they insist that they're focusing on hunting weapons, i'd venture a guess that colt pythons have taken down a lot more game than smith & wesson triple locks. and of course, the triple lock was based on colt designs. just like every other revolver.

At 11:36 AM, 2008-07-28, hello said:
this sucks man i have a 12 gauge and it will eat this gun for breakfasts

At 8:50 PM, 2008-07-27, Bigdanhess said:
john moses browning (see below)

At 8:49 PM, 2008-07-27, Bigdanhess90 said:
oh and by the way ted more firearm disigns are owed to

At 8:41 PM, 2008-07-27, Bigdanhess90 said:
for all you idiots wishing the ak, ar-15, and 1911 were here you must not know how to read. the introduction says that most of these rifles are hunting rifles and that he was avoiding military designed weapons the two excpetions were the 1903 and mauser 98 due to the fact both were sporterized and the 98 especially contibuted alot to alot of todays bolt rifle designs. and many of the target rifles mentions in your rants are accurized hunting rifles rem700=40x more or less. other guns like alot of winchesters levers and some other repeaters i have no idea why they are not here. over all i think they should have kept each type of fire separate and in different lists.

At 7:35 PM, 2008-07-27, Ted said:
no other company has made contributions to firearms technology rivaling those of colt. not even close. almost every handgun in existence is based on colt designs. to exclude colt from this list is blatantly political. has field and stream completely sold out the the brady bunch?

At 7:00 PM, 2008-07-27, anonymous said:
i shoot a 20 gage and i`m ten

At 6:58 PM, 2008-07-27, qdog said:
your all ideates

At 8:00 AM, 2008-07-26, STEVE W. said:
i am confused a bit about this list. how can you leave colt out of this list completely? ssa, 1911,and what about the python?.....hello!!!

At 7:27 PM, 2008-07-25, John Plageman said:
outstanding list. i would have liked to seen the remington 31 here somewhere, and certainly the browning a bolt

At 6:34 PM, 2008-07-25, Alan P said:
or the colt ar-15?

At 3:29 PM, 2008-07-25, Alan P said:
and... how could you leave the colt 1911 .45 auto off of the list? do you have something personal against colts, or are you just a dolt?

At 3:27 PM, 2008-07-25, Alan P said:
seriously, now. how on earth could you leave the colt 1873 peacemaker off of the list? are you nuts?

At 12:54 PM, 2008-07-25, WildCotton said:
1911. ar-15. model 700 (.308)

At 12:46 PM, 2008-07-25, anonymous said:
1911 & ar-15. where are they?

At 9:07 AM, 2008-07-24, Ed said:
i am a die hard 70 man. its combination of looks, handeling, feel, and made in the usa is hard to beat. i have several old 70,s in several cal. and there accuracy can't br brat by any hunting rifle made now. all shoot sub 1 min. the old 70's have it all

At 1:04 AM, 2008-07-23, Barflyfisherman said:
ain't no balls to suck, 'cuz yur darn tootin' that i blasted them off with buck shot when theyz wuz jumpin yo mama.

At 5:31 PM, 2008-07-22, Larry said:
my top ten list, not necessarily this order: 1) mauser 98 2) winchester 92 3) winchester 63 4) brno 465 (.22 hornet) 5) remington 700 6) ithaca 37 7) brno 2e (also called cz-452) 8) mannlicher schonauer 9) marlin 336 10) remington 66

At 7:40 PM, 2008-07-21, bitch said:
this gun sucks nigga balls!!!

At 12:48 AM, 2008-07-20, Ed Palumbo said:
avoiding military rifles and focusing on sporting arms, the fn mauser supreme was a gem. the sako l461 was another superb bolt action chambered (and intelligently proportioned) for the .222 family of cartridges. i cannot overlook the ruger #1, certainly among my best. sidearms? the model 1911a1 and the autoloaders subsequently based on it deserve recognition, in my opinion. this is a difficult and controversial issue because it's difficult to approach it objectively. a list of my 50 favorites will undoubtedly differ from another shooter's preferences, but we will probably see sporting arms that are mentioned consistently on many of these lists, and that repetition underscores the validity of the choices.

At 9:27 PM, 2008-07-20, patRKBA said:
i agree that the ak and ar should have been on the list along with the 1911 and maybe some others. but this is not my list and not all of my choices would be the same as what others would pick but its always a good argument. next lets pick the top 50 cartridges of all time. #1 is the 6.5 grendel

At 7:11 PM, 2008-07-20, Jack said:
totally agree with the model 70 as being tops. after you mess up a little on your first shot on a charging elephant, the last thing you want to think about is your rifle not functioning as you cycle the bolt in blazing speed to save your life! great choice!!

At 6:52 PM, 2008-07-18, anonymous said:
what? no colt peacemaker or 1911?

At 7:19 PM, 2008-07-17, Russ said:
how could you leave winchester 63 semi-auto off and have remington's nylon 66? this list is lacking in validity by this alone!

At 2:20 PM, 2008-07-15, retiredinmaine said:
to all above i am 81 years old and have been hunting for 70 years now. i have shot many of the guns you mentioned above and i can say from experience they are all great guns in there own right. and i would like to leave you with this thought. i retired from remington arms after 32 years, and the only guns "i" have ever owned or will own are stamped "winchester" thanks.

At 12:45 AM, 2008-07-14, Mike K said:
i have my father's winchester model 52 .22 long r. contrary to your article stating they started in 1934, winchester says my father's rifle was produced in 1926.

At 12:13 AM, 2008-07-14, Mark said:
no remington 40x, colt 1911, s&w 41, m1 garand, or charles daly? not much of a list and to much junk; courtesy of their marking department no doubt.

At 2:33 AM, 2008-07-13, justashooter said:
obvious typo on the mossberg. surely they meant to induct the 590a1 instead, which is arguably the strongest shotgun ever made. wait, bunch of missing military and military inspired weapons... hmmmm, maybe they need the best 50 in several categories other than primarily hunting long-guns and shotguns. just a thought.

At 10:33 PM, 2008-07-12, D Fortin said:
i had a model 721 gave it to my son wish i had kept it was an ugly gun but it would shoot

At 5:15 PM, 2008-07-12, anonymous said:
dan'o says! i sure would have been disappointed had the ithaca 37 not made the list. my first was a 20 ga. i.c. that my dad left to me, which some low life ran off with!! after that i tried double barrells,etc. nothing would give me the results or the feel of the mod. 37. i own very early versions of 12,16,and 20. i think it should have made no.1!! many thanks to john m. browning!!!

At 2:48 PM, 2008-07-12, anonymous said:
don't know how all these autoloaders are in the top 50 best guns ever made. being a bird hunter, i still won't shoot anything but a classic browning pigeon grade 12 ga, and the matching 20 ga. those guns are made to last a lifetime. ditch the autoloaders.

At 12:40 PM, 2008-07-12, MJM said:
the winchester model 12, king of the pump guns. still carry my fathers, gonna last 2 lifetimes.

At 11:56 PM, 2008-07-11, richard said:
ruger is got tobe one of the finist firearms ever made for accuracy dependability and proformance, they can be counted on when the chips are down

At 7:13 AM, 2008-07-11, Joe Welshko said:
how can you leave out the 1911? while it did not come to mind, tom is right about the glock's contribution in forever changing the handgun world.

At 12:56 PM, 2008-07-10, Tom said:
if this list is just for long guns then i am mistaken. i am no fan of glock but it did change the handgun world forever with the introduction of polymer and its multiple copied system. not to mention the 1911 which is still in service today...many times copied the world over???

At 3:28 PM, 2008-07-09, Artee R said:
i love my 98 mauser in .270. i just open the door and say sic-em and it's all over. if only it would learn to field dress the deer.only other gun i want is my model 37 ithica deerslayer with an extra shot barrel with chock tube selections.

At 6:57 PM, 2008-07-08, cvanb said:
where is beretta on this list?

At 6:41 PM, 2008-07-08, sad sack said:
for me i was raised with an ithaca 37 12 gauge and have loved them eversince. i now own 7, 4 -12 ga, 2- 20 gauge, and l-16 gauge. wish i could find a 410. anyone outthere know where there is one.

At 5:20 PM, 2008-07-08, ultrasound said:
ruger 77 is a fine choice.

At 10:59 AM, 2008-07-08, ldavidek said:
someone needs to go back to school and learn how to spell!!!! "aquiring"????....should it not be acquiring the "50 best.....????

At 12:42 AM, 2008-07-07, Dave said:
no colt 1911 or winchester 1885 hi-wall?? c'mon, let's give credit where credit is due! john m. browning was and will always be the greatest firearms mind the world will ever know!

At 8:30 PM, 2008-07-07, chuck norris said:
the best gun ever is a red ryder bb gun!! why didn't it make the list? its the only gun that can stand up to my round house kick to the face!!!

At 4:03 PM, 2008-07-07, anonymous said:
there are numerous guns that i would have in a top 25 that arent in your 50. i know you are trying to spread the wealth around a bit, but am blown away that a winchester 88/sako finnwolf (the birth of the .308 cartridge, and arguably the most accurate levers ever produced), any 1885 single shot, browning bpr, and marlin 1895 have not made the listing... wow...

At 10:20 AM, 2008-07-07, mark said:
what about the colt python or 45 auto?

At 7:10 AM, 2008-07-07, Larry said:
best bolt action rifle is any sako. i have several sako's and they are so much more accurate than any of the other bolt action guns i have owned it's scary. this incudes the win 70 or sav 116ffs, the sako's i have will out shoot them on any day

At 6:43 AM, 2008-07-07, Larry said:
the best shotgun i have ever owned is the remington sportsman 58 in 12 guage. i tried the rem 1100 but there is no comparison, the 58 is better. i've hunted side x sides, and over and unders but the 58 is the best. i tried ithsca's 51 but found it was picky about what shells you shot, owned it about 1 month. i could shoot anything in my 58 and it never jammed.

At 6:36 AM, 2008-07-07, Larry said:
the moidel 99 is by far the best lever gun out there. all others when compared are very poorly made and the actions are too delicate for real use, when you work them they sound cheap. i have owned and hunted a 99 in 300 savage since i was 16 and am now 56 and it has never let me down. if times get tough i would sell all other firearms but will never sell the 99. i have 6 of them now, 2 of the 99ces for my 2 boys.

At 3:33 AM, 2008-07-06, Jase said:
best shotgun: saiga-12, best rifle: ak-47 is and has been the most influential in the world unlike most of the guns here which are just redneck rifles that have never seen anything but bubba's back porch and deer out back. pistols: theres too many good ones.

At 9:35 PM, 2008-07-05, young gunner said:
how can they say that this rifle is a mauser 98. my dad owns a mauser 91 and i have seen many 98's. they have wooden stocks and iron sights. this isn't even close.

At 6:31 AM, 2008-07-05, King Kong said:
why didn't you include (insert gun here). fellas this is field and stream magazine and with the magazine's first name being "field" most of the guns on the list will be hunting guns. the proof is in the list. however i do agree with several of the others that some very important guns were left off of this list and the name of the list should be changed to: the 50 best hunting guns ever made.

At 11:07 PM, 2008-07-04, Mike C said:
i can't believe that the colt python is not on this list. i own a model 29 classic full lug barrel and it sports a 2x leupold scope. i love the gun. i also own six pythons and as far as wheel guns go, they have no equal!

At 3:29 PM, 2008-07-04, glenw said:
regarding the model 500, i think you forgot one of the original hand cannons, the super redhawk .454 casull. yes, its a beast, but that was all before all the technology existed for high powered hand guns. if you are man enough to shoot it, you own one. i'll match it any day against the 500.

At 1:40 PM, 2008-07-04, Pull-It! said:
the winchester model 42 is not on the list! the model 42 is still a "state of the art" gun even after being out of production for more than 40 years. the model 12 and the remington 870 closely follow the model 42 as the best shotguns on the planet.

At 9:39 AM, 2008-07-04, trentonator said:
i think the browning auto 5 is a nice enough gun, and have owned several, but they choke on reloads and the changing of the friction ring to shoot heavy or light loads make it a pain in the a$$. shoot a heavy load when it's set for light and it will break your shoulder (and possibly crack the forearm). shoot a light load when it's set for heavy, and it's a jamathon. the a5 is a nostalgia piece, everyone has owned or shot one and they are beautiful to look at. for pure functionality, i'll take a beretta urika or benelli m2 over the a5 anyday.

At 9:21 PM, 2008-07-03, Guntrader61 said:
when called upon to defend this great country i want 4 firearms in my battery. colt 1911 45 acp, and m16 5.56, remington 870 12 gauge, and mod. 700 308. give me a kabar to pull up the slack and it's all good.

At 9:00 PM, 2008-07-03, mod70man2 said:
i agree the pre 64 mod 70 is in the top 1 or 2, but no one in there right mind would leave off the colt 1911 or colt saa! also this should be a public opinion poll.

At 7:21 PM, 2008-07-03, Les Carter said:
not having a wilson combat 1911 or any other 1911 on this list shows that the people making up this list dont know squat about what should be considered on the 5o best guns quest. john moses browning is rolling over in his grave!

At 2:36 PM, 2008-07-03, CHET said:
the remington 721 is the most underated rifle in america selling for what i feel is 1/2 its worth.

At 12:01 PM, 2008-07-03, Alex said:
i got a winchester model 12 competition grade by far model 12 best set of shotguns ever built.

At 10:22 AM, 2008-07-03, jonesj_83 said:
not one colt? amazing! not only is the 1911 the mauser 98 of the pistol world, i would take an anaconda or python over any smith or any ruger any day.

At 9:54 AM, 2008-07-03, Dave said:
i can't believe you left the m1 garand off the list!

At 12:55 PM, 2008-06-25, anonymous said:
anyone ever seen a colt sharps rifle in a 25-06? this is a beautifully built rifle.

At 7:50 PM, 2008-06-19, Missouri mule said:
if i could only have 1 gun--perish the thought- to hunt everything and use for self-defense, it would be a remington 870 12 guage slug gun.

At 7:39 PM, 2008-06-06, anonymous said:
two letters.......ak

At 2:11 PM, 2008-06-03, anonymous said:
i have a 20 gage shotgun, single shot lever action, made in ithaca gun co. m-66 supersingle- 3 in. chamber with deer sights - can you tell me how to find out how much it is worth?? email- mspicer@rochester.rr.com thank you

At 11:36 PM, 2008-06-01, steve ferber said:
everyone has a favorite handgun and a few have lamented exclusions here. but no mention of the 1911 colt .45 acp, with which my accurized hard-ball version has put down for good many white-tail deer and african game from steinbuck to hartebeast. accurate,great balance, quick sight picture, and the 230-grain slug was always effective within reasonable (50- 60-yard ranges.

At 7:18 AM, 2008-06-01, Colin said:
what no h&h guns? .375 h&h the greatest no 1!

At 7:00 AM, 2008-06-01, Colin said:
what happened to the top 50 list it only goes to 19??

At 8:56 PM, 2008-05-28, Dan gersbach said:
where's the colt python?

At 8:52 PM, 2008-05-28, jstroh said:
i believe s&w m29 had a price of $140 when introduced, not $240. early ones were really nice guns, really getting your attention when shooting with one hand, the practice way back then.

At 11:05 PM, 2008-05-24, el Gato 196 said:
had me mossy 500, great gun! now i have its less expensive clone, the maverick 88. again, a fine shotgun!

At 8:04 AM, 2008-05-18, will said:
haha both my shotguns are in the top 10!! both my 1100 and my 870! guess i know a good gun when i see one.

At 7:53 AM, 2008-05-10, Jerome Becigneul said:
the new model 70 classic controlled feed is a far better rifle than the pre-64. better gas ports, smoother action and the steel is improved. the pre-64, though a fine rifle does not match up the the model 70 classic

At 2:33 PM, 2008-05-09, anonymous said:
the 1100 is a great gun it might be up further like 2 or 3

At 2:32 PM, 2008-05-09, anonymous said:
were is the remington 11-87?

At 9:20 PM, 2008-05-02, Jack said:
i would rather have a springfiead 03' at number 1

At 10:53 PM, 2008-04-26, reloaderblue said:
savage 99 the legened still lives

At 9:25 PM, 2008-04-24, JTH said:
remington 870 at number 10. that's crazy! in my top 5 maybe even top 2. it should at least be the number one shotgun.

At 7:18 PM, 2008-04-22, i ripped ass then said:
you guys have it all wrong, this should be a public opinion poll fur sure.....................sheeeesh

At 7:15 PM, 2008-04-22, biganus almost said:
that the best gun is in fact the win. m.70 because of its beauty, its versatility and background. but where is that 1911? seems as if its better than any handgun around from what im hearin

At 6:24 PM, 2008-04-22, brad said:
500 mossyberg, ain't purdy but shore can take it, shoots as good as 870 but a lot easier on me wallet

At 2:17 PM, 2008-04-19, Austin Powers said:
tikka baby. oh yeah! ap

At 8:07 AM, 2008-04-14, anonymous said:
where is the colt .45?

At 9:44 PM, 2008-04-12, a smarter person said:
this list is a good one except that it dose not have a 1911 on it at the vary top what is wrong with you. you can not have a list of the top guns of all time and not include the 1911

At 3:20 PM, 2008-04-11, freddy said:
i have a brauning gold and have a tikka t3 both exceptionel guns and been shooting geese and moose name it them guns rock

At 1:40 PM, 2008-04-09, Dennis Mickey said:
my favorite rifle is the remington 40 xb rangemaster with thumbhole stock. i like it so well i have seven of them along with two others that were bought before the thumbhole stock was available!

At 8:28 PM, 2008-04-08, drew said:
matt must not of realized this is field and stream not soilder of fortune. pete why are you a moron?

At 1:54 PM, 2008-04-08, pete said:
this gun will kill you , so be very careful!!!

At 2:11 AM, 2008-04-08, Matt said:
the only 3 guns i would choose for the end of the world is the yugoslavian m70 ak47, mossberg 500 12 guage pump and the remington 700 .308. all these guns on this page are artsy fartsy revolvers and shiny cowboy rifles.

At 8:04 PM, 2008-03-28, Ridgerunner said:
obvously, none of you ever owned or shot a weatherby mark v.

At 11:53 AM, 2008-03-28, gun powder joe said:
i reck that i plumb can make a gun that darn good from just a few sticks and some good ol' duck tape

At 11:33 AM, 2008-03-27, anonymous said:
no. 1 should have been an ar

At 11:19 AM, 2008-03-27, Scott Elliott said:
no, anschutz 54?????

At 9:59 PM, 2008-03-26, anonymous said:
as far as shotguns go; what about a winchester super x-1? love mine. about this list i think the choice from #1 to # 50 were well thought out and don't thnk anyone could do any better!

At 7:04 PM, 2008-03-26, stretch said:
lee enfield 303 british, used for big game hunting on evry continate in the world.was in service for over 50 years and still serving as militia strong hold in arob nations.

At 2:31 PM, 2008-03-26, Bernie Koepsel said:
i inherited my dads savage model 99f in .243 and it has never let me down. a flat shooter and fine for anything on texas.

At 2:28 PM, 2008-03-26, Al said:
love my benelli i been duck and goose hunting for over 40 years best gun i ever owned. i'v use it in all kinds of weather and never failed and at times it doubled as a oar. love it

At 2:20 PM, 2008-03-26, Jim Alexander said:
i have owned a remington 700bdl 30-06 bolt action since 1965 that has served me well. very accurate and dependable. i also own two winchesters,30-30 and a 375 level action that are great bush fireams.

At 2:15 PM, 2008-03-26, bigbucks said:
opinions are like butts, we all have them.

At 1:32 PM, 2008-03-26, Tom Dissinger said:
i totally agree with your number one selection, but you should have posted a picture of the standard rifle instead of the featherweight.

At 1:24 PM, 2008-03-26, Tom Joyce said:
basic but beautiful. simplicity of design and the place where form and function meet.

At 7:33 PM, 2008-03-16, bob said:
the remington 760 gamemaster is the best pump rifle in the world & extremely accurate...holds up in any weather

At 10:29 PM, 2008-03-14, Pat Araw said:
yes, my dad own a remington nylon 66 peurchased in early 60' and still operational.

At 8:41 PM, 2008-03-14, Hunt'nFish said:
i would be more interested in a public poll for best all time guns. seperate catagories for rifle, pistol & shotgun. hunt'nfish

At 8:22 PM, 2008-03-14, Matt said:
where's the winchester 1873, colt saa, winchester 1887 and 1897 shotguns... where's the colt 1911...

At 12:04 PM, 2008-03-07, Brant Sulser said:
never buy a mossberg in any model they are the bigest huncks of $%$# ever

At 12:03 PM, 2008-03-07, Brant Sulser said:
the only other gun that even compares to the model 70 is the remington model 700 i also have that chambered in a 30-06

At 12:01 PM, 2008-03-07, Brant Sulser sai