the savage 99 has got to be one of the greatest most uniquely made guns of all time. I think there are more 99,s functioning & hunting today as well as the 94,s. ONE AWESOME RIFLE IS THE 99,s

Remington 870 is the only gun i own so far, also my first gun, I plan on keeping it till the die I die, awesome gun.

Great fun to view and read. I don't take these kinds of articles too seriously.
As one who has been a gun fan for a while (old), the ears perk up when I hear the numbers: 70, 12, 52, 21, 94, (he left out the little 12, the 42).

I like many of the other numbers too. I have owned, or used about half the guns in the list, each had personality, and was special in its own way. I've lusted after some of the others.

Each generation adds new numbers, our list will will seldom match exactly, but we can all appreciate, and respect each, and more important the man making the list.
Buck@score-your-hunting.com

Very informative piece, I learned alot. I do agree that there were some huge omissions, and some that made me wonder how they made it, but still very interesting. I own a pre-64 Model 70 .270, and I can honestly say, it's the best bolt action I've ever shot. To surpass it requires much more money than I have to spend. I agree w/the M1 and 1911 outrage. I'll throw another in for good measure, and possible hostilities, the AK-47. Many rifles on this list were attributed w/function and reliability. Foreign or not, like it or not, the AK is the pinnacle of both. I'll further stir the hornet's nest by saying it deserves to be on this list waaay before any AR. Enjoyed the list non the less.

Too bad Bill Ruger is not still with us. We could count on more great guns! It seems to me Ruger is being morphed slowly away from what Bill stood for...

The Ruger #1 is truly one of the greats!

I agree it is an excellent gun but, for the life of me, I cannot see the beauty in the Ruger 1. I've held them and tried to like them, but to me, they are just plain ugly. For a single shot I much prefer the looks of the Winchester 1885/Browning B78. Mine were super accurate, well made, and gorgeous.

I must read this article 5 times a year and I enjoy it every time.

The 870 is by far the best all-around shotgun ever made. It is the first gun I bought and is still going strong. Sure an Ithaca is a nicer gun, but it's not affordable to everyone. The 870 earned its popularity by being reliable and affordable.

I found thaat the best one is the one in my hand at the time I needed it.

But the list is ok, some I wouldn't consider the best, but then again I am a fan of the lever guns, and love my Winchester 1887 12GA. Heavy and reliable, with a steel buttplate, none of this rubber recoil stuff. The other one is a good ol Winchester 94 in 30-30, accurate and reliable also, taken several deer, rabbits, squirrels, woodchucks, and even a pheasant on the fly.

I will step out and say I disagree with a lot of the guns listed here. Several lever actions listed... the Marlin and Winchester? Why? I know they are different designs, with the top vs. side ejection, but the Winchester is an American icon. I would have gone with a commemorative saddle ring Model 94 and left it at that. And why the Mauser 98 and the 1903? The 1903, along with the .30-06 cartridge, were both blatant rip-offs of the Mauser and 8mm design; so much so that the U.S. got sued (and lost) on patent infringement. Either go original, and pick something nice like a Czech (Brno) made 98K copy (all the fine machining, no NAZI marks) or go with a 1903 (the copy, but made in America). No sense in listing both, it would be like listing a Ruger Mk I and Mk II- only minor differences between the two (such as capacity).

I think the Ruger .22 does have a spot here, but that is in my own humble opinion. It is a very fine, albeit heavy, .22 pistol with sights and accuracy that go well together. I own a P22, and I will be the first to say its sights stink.

Another question- why no autoloading centerfire pistols? The Sig 226, a perfect example of fine machining meets reliability meets modern manufacturing. And why no AR-15? The original 5.56 semi-auto (when the .222 Remington was modified to become the .223 Remington and adopted for wider mass production standards, in the form of 5.56 NATO) that was adopted by the military in select-fire forms, has been used by the U.S. for over 45 years, and has been used in some form by dozens of other countries (Canada for instance).

And why so many over and under shotguns? The Remington Model 32, really? Good guns are examples of pulling through the times with quality and reliability, and hopefully, guns that make a historical impact. The Model 32 was too expensive for its time without offering any benefits, and a complete failure because of that.

I will come out and admit, I own 18 guns on this list, and to be honest I do not see why some of them are on here. The triple lock? Again... a very nice pistol, but not a success. If we are going to mention high end guns with a high price tag and fine machining, why is no Anschuetz listed?

And why, why is "The finest battle implement ever devised" (M-1 Garand) not listed, either? No 1911, one of the biggest successes of John Browning, copied by the Russians (TT-33), Spain (Star), and in use for almost 100 years in different configurations? Popularity and historical impact both seem to have been largely forgotten in this list... in fact, what was it even based on?

As usual your list always includes your favorite custom guns that no one can afford and you leave out the guns everyone truly loves. The 1911, the M1 Garand,Remington 740/7400 and 760/7600, Marlin 1895 Guide gun, The M14,the AR15, the Dragonov and the AK47- possibly the most reliable action ever made.

the marlin model 336 is a great deer hunting gun. especialy in .30-30

I have a marlin 35. lever and it's been in my family since my papaw. My papaw, my dad, and me all have killed many deer with it.

Why are they grouping together all 870's? The Wingmaster lasts longer and looks better then that over rated model 12. The Wingmaster is top of the line (#2 in older F&S). All guns in here are good though.

The writer of this article didn't do his homework when it comes to the S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum. Sure they said it was a .44 Magnum in the movie, but the actual gun carried by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry was a .41 Remington Magnum. A real gun aficianado wouldn't even mention Dirty Harry in his article.