Guns are much like cars. Yes what you have is something on the order of a ford pinto!! But to think that it is representative of all models of ford would be ridiculous!! All of the large companies like Remington, Winchester, Savage, Browning and the list goes on; make some form of a quality rifle/shotgun that they have build a name around. Some examples will include the M700, 870, M70, 590, BAR, etc. Every company has a few to choose from.
But as everyone knows, not all people are willing to pay for quality and want to get something that will work in a pinch for really cheap. Thus the firearm companies are building some price point equipment that is meant to catch the attention of the guy who doesn't want to spend a couple of mortgage payments on a rifle!
To say that these rifles are no good, is going too far, IMHO. They will work, they just lack some of the basic features found in higher quality firearms. For example the Stevens 200 is a great rifle, but to make it affordable they had to cut corners on things like a good stock and trigger. Same with your rifle and most other price point models. Make sure to note that yours was a whole new rifle model and line. As Remington has entry level rifles in the M700 but, they still have the basic features common in all M700's but with fewer bells and whistles.
In either case, you should try and get a hold of Cabelas and or Remington and try and get some satisfaction. But please remember that their are no fully functional GT-40's in the market priced like a pinto! You generally get what you pay for.
