I'm not trying to turn the 858 into a precision rifle and I don't expect it to be, But given a choice wouldn't you rather have the most accurate battle rifle as long as it remained 100% reliable?
You're right, if I had the choice of anything I so desire, an 858 wouldn't be it. However, you were comparing the inherent accuracy of an 858 to other service rifles as well as the RFB. For the role the 858 was designed for, its more than accurate enough. The real question that needs to be asked before spouting about a rifles inherent accuracy is, what level of accuracy is needed for the rifles intended role?
Like I said, the x39 is good for cheap plinking and general play but it's nothing compared to a 223 for accuracy and the increased energy of the x39 is not that big of a margin.
Yes the 858 is better than an SKS by a long shot but it's still limited by the cartridge, the 858's I've played with didn't impress me in any department other than they look cooler than an SKS and are still non restricted. A striker fired rifle, milled receiver, open top chamber, last round hold open, short stroke piston system. That's far from just "looking cooler" than an SKS. That's some top level features for a 60 plus year old rifle.
The "half assed effort" is filling different markets with their products. It's smart business to offer econo rifles (which are appropriately priced) and also run a higher end line to get your products out to more people.
Same as Savage and Remington do with their econo lines. The difference between Savage, Remington and Keltec, is that the low end products from the first two actually work.
They offer rifles from $300-$2500 which gets more people shooting their brand.
I know you hate bullpups but the RFB is not a cheap plastic toy that happens to cost $2400. Now that I've owned one and put a few hundred rounds through it without a failure that wasn't my fault and was no fault of the rifle I can say that I would have gladly paid $3000 for it and still wouldn't regret the purchase. It fills a position in the market that we were lacking in Canada for a long time. If you don't like them that's fine don't buy one but don't bash them just because they are bullpups and aren't "battle proven". The action is battle proven and so are the mags. Kel-Tec just put a little twist on it by putting it into a bullpup with a forward ejection system to make it truly ambidextrous.
If we are talking about "the best rifle ever" then something that is not battle proven, doesn't even come close to being that rifle. The design is far from cutting edge and it still suffers from many of the classic bullpup problems. Of all the bullpups available in Canada right now, this is the only one that interests me, and purely because its 308. With the problems its demonstrated, and the fact that it is far from being worth the asking price, I've lost all interest.
Your right, it's not a battle rifle but it is built with some pretty high end materials (look up what steel was used for the barrel), Anything that should be steel is steel and it's quality steel not just stamped sheet, just like an AR or any other quality rifle the important parts are metal and the furniture is plastic.Three criteria need to be examined. Design, materials, and craftsmanship in construction. The design is basic, the materials may be something special, but the craftsmanship just isn't there. A wonder steel for the barrel is but one ingredient in this recipe.
You question reliability? How many rounds without failure does that take? You already said it isn't a battle rifle so don't compare it to a battle rifle. Watching youtube videos almost all failures I've seen have been from crap mags, garbage ammo, or the operator not understanding how to operate the gas system. Yes it would have been better if it was a self regulating short stroke system but it's not and it isn't very difficult to adjust and fine tune the rifle for the ammo being used. I never load 5 different loads into a mag then go shooting and even if I did I could just adjust the gas system to work with the lowest pressure load and it would cycle all the rounds in the mag, fine tuning only reduces wear on the rifle and reduces felt recoil. That's right its not a battle rifle, therefore it can never compete against proven battle rifle designs which makes it less than "the best rifle ever". If you want to compare it to other hunting rifles then it still doesn't compare. Its less reliable than a bolt gun and likely less inherently accurate. You admit that your rifle won't run with different ammo in the magazine. With that in mind, how does the RFB still rate as "the best rifle ever"? I do agree that the vast majority of problems with any system is user induced due to ignorance or plain lack of knowledge.
