Reviewing The Cheapest Rifle On The Market 

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Let's see the big dog get behind that rifle. New shooter and cheap rifle, let's remove at least one variable before we make a decision on the Stevens.

I don’t know that I’ve ever commented on any video anywhere until now. My Stevens 334 wood stock .308 is a tack driver. Just watching the video from the angles provided; the shooter appears to have a very poor stock weld. He lifts his head off of the stock after every round fired. His trigger manipulation needs some work. Basically, all of his marksmanship fundamentals appear to need some work. What are my qualifiers? Retired USMC Scout Sniper, former chief instructor of 1st Marine Division Marksmanship Training Unit. Again, I wasn’t there while you made the video so I don’t have a true and accurate picture of what happened but from the video it doesn’t appear to be the rifle or scope.

I think you should have let him shoot a higher end gun for comparison, so we could see a shooter ability comparison.

He definitely needs basic formal marksmanship training. The breathing, movements, trigger work, and flinching was definitely something you see untrained shooters do.

I think Girsan, SAR, and Canik all produce quality firearms. I have personal experience with all three brands. However, the only one that I’d say is better than most American/European pistols is Canik.

you will never get good groups wearing black socks with shorts🤣

When it comes to budget bolt actions, just buy a HOWA. Good trigger. Accurate. Has an aftermarket following.

All I can say is there are at least 25 other videos on the Stevens 334 with a wood stock, and they all had better results than you. That trigger can be adjusted after softening the thread locker. Slather the bolt with iosso bore paste and work it until it’s far better than it was. We all know the kid is a new shooter and the groups are mostly his fault. Practice makes perfect.

I've heard Canik is really good and I think they come from Turkey. I've watched video after video from other creators and Canik seems to pass the things they subject them to.

Tip (maybe just me) on a new rifle, always retorque the action screws before the first firing. I have found them to be anywhere from 15 to 55 in lbs, new, front and rear different.

I have this exact same gun in 308win . Very 1st group I shot at 100 yards with a lead sled to remove me as a variable shot .32” with factory Norma 150gr soft point. I’ve switched to hornady American whitetail 150gr and it’s under an inch every time . I shoot a lot and have expensive rifles that can barley shoot a .32” group with hand loads . The gun has a rough trigger but everything else about it punches way above its price range. I hope you try again cause this video was disappointing for sure . Or hell buy another and see if you got a dud haha

Jim KNEW this video would draw LOTS of comments......Well done. 👍

Maybe that kid should learn how to shoot before he tries to review a rifle

I have this rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor and it shoots under 1 MOA all day. Most groups being around 1/2 MOA. The Bolt was a bit sticky when new, but some deburring and polishing here and there and its now as smooth as any mid range rifle. The stock is excellent for the price. The trigger is not the greatest feeling, but if I'm getting 1/2 MOA groups, then who cares. Its not a $10k match rifle after all. You took a new rifle, a budget scope, a newish shooter and factory ammo to set it up for a fail. IMO

While I'm not doubting your abilities. I'm a long time watcher of backfire. But last year I tested the Stevens 334 in 6.5 creedmoor. You can watch for yourself the results on youtube "God's Country shooting and outdoors". I have did multiple videos with mine. Once I found a bullet that worked ( 129 gr. Whitetails) it has been very consistent. And I also have had controversy over whether I adjusted the trigger on mine. But I really did. And have taken my Stevens out to 550 yards.

I have the 334 in .308 with a wood stock, sub moa out the box

Realism. First, consider ancillary costs. I learned this as a young man who lusted after having a horse. A cheap horse costs exactly the same as an expensive horse to feed and care for -- and to transport and outfit with tack. It's the same with a rifle -- hunting and going to the range cost the same no matter what (just think about the cost of FUEL!). With that in mind, it's pretty easy to get a good rifle for a thousand bucks. If you can afford $500 for this rifle you can afford to wait a bit, save a bit more, and finally come up with a thousand.

Bro should not be shooting 308. It is beating the shit out of him and you can tell its affecting his accuracy

For one thing I can afford a $1000. a thousand rifle, I have several. But I decided to try a budget budget rifle and I bought a Stevens 334 in 243 Win. I will admit the trigger is a little rough but it is adjustable. The bolt in mine was fairly decent out of the box and has become smoother with a 100 rounds or so. The barrel is free floated and I shoot mine off a bi-pod and Scorpion rest and have had no issues with accuracy. At 100 yards with 3 different brands of ammo and 3 different bullet weights they all shot 1 inch or less. Don't beat up the rife because its made in Turkey or the lowest price. I have also seen the sane rifle in 6.5 CM shoot 1/2 inch at 100 yards. The biggest problem I see is a inexperienced shooter with little or no proper training. A very poor review I my opinion.

My son purchased a wood stocked 334 in 6.5CM exclusively to be his truck deer rifle. Trigger was terrible, but with a little trigger work, it is very good. We were extremely surprised at its accuracy. It is an honest MOA rifle and will keep most just under.

I bought one on sale for 340. The trigger is bad as you said, for viewer's who haven't tried it, feels like the trigger on a striker fired pistol, think glock. It can be adjusted to be a decent trigger but you have to remove and disassemble the trigger to do it. Accuracy I can't report because I never fired it with the factory barrel. Or stock for that matter. I bought some Victor Co. Viperskins and made a backbone to fit the action. Was fairly easy since it is a flat bottom receiver. Had a 6.5 barrel from project I never started so now it's a 6.5x47 lapua. The action does have a nice extractor and gets less sticky with use. I had fun building it and mine shoots great as it currently, but don't think I would recommend one for a first hunting rifle. There are better options for not much more money.

Dont know if anyone else pointed it out yet, but the purpose of the plastic cases is just weight savings. One of the guns the military was looking at to replace the M4 with was co-designed with that ammo. That was the stated purpose was to have a larger cartridge weigh closer to a 5.56. Dont know how many rounds one typically carries hunting, but when you're carrying hundreds of rounds, I'm sure it makes a little difference, at least.

I just bought a new Winchester SXP 20ga Pump High-Grade Field for skeet shooting and it is a very high quality, flawless gun made in Turkey. Retail is $550 but I bought on sale for $360 and it is incredible for the money. The SXP gets great reviews. BTW Winchester, Browning and FN are owned by the same company.

You should do a series where you take this gun and accurize this gun. Like bedding it or chassis then just keep going crazy

Backfire back with more affordable shit us normal people can actually buy, lessss gooooo 🎉

You’re the first one I’ve seen test the plastic ammo. I’m actually impressed with it. I’d like to see you shoot it for the group just to see how good it really is.

I have a request! 🤠 Do a review of the Savage 110 High Country in 7mm Rem Mag. Love the videos!

If the trigger is a dog, the gun is a dog. Thanks for the heads up.

Great video.I bought a Bergara B14 BMP 6.5 Creedmoor, Now I will start in Long Range Thank you for the content you share. I save each word to apply in my training, setting up scopes, purchasing items, etc. Great contribution for shooters around the world. greetings from Argentina.

Appreciate the video well put together

I have a ata, same rifle as yours but different brand, the screws for the pik rail were not tight nor had loctite, just a warning before the screws get damages like mine, other than that, shoots sub MOA with 308 PPU 168 HPBT

A year or so ago I went to grab a .308 rifle for out of state hunting trips. I didn’t want to spend much since I can’t hunt with it in my home state and would only use it maybe 2 times a year when I go out of state. The only .308’s I could find in local shops were a Stevens 334 with a beautiful wood stock and a Tikka T3x. After much self deliberating I decided to spend the extra on the Tikka. Obviously, the quality is not only head and shoulders over the Stevens but I think Tikka has some of the best bang for your buck. Anyway, thanks, this video helped me tell myself I made the right choice haha. Also, as far as the Turkish guns go- I use a Tristar for my turkey hunting gun and love it. Hold up well in the weather and shoots well.

The only Turkish firearm that I know is good quality isn’t a rifle but a pistol. The canik is one of the best pistols in the sub 1k range

I like your reviews of cheap guns you give them a good real world evaluation 🤙

If you're into handguns, Canik is probably one of the best for the money with tactical and competition features made in Turkey. It's used by competitive shooters and agencies all over the world!

Jim! Did you guys adjust the scope between the two TrueVelocity groups? Or did the point of impact shift just because???

True Velocity is for cutting weight, especially for things like aircraft.

Did you clean the copper jacket fouling out of the bore before switching ammo brands? 'Nobody knows this better than you.'

The benefits to the true velocity are giving guys who don't reload the consistency of good reloads in every box. It's better than any match grade stuff I've ever used with a 165-grain accubond.

I bought the walnut stock version in .308, out of pure curiosity. The Turkish Walnut stock is the best looking stock of any rifle I own under $2000 and wood stocks are a requirement on my rifles and most of my shotguns. The trigger isn't the best, but it's not bad either. Very, very little take-up and not enough total travel to tell if it's smooth or gritty. At least while shooting it anyway. I haven't shot past 100 yards and likely never will, but I'm pleased with the accuracy so far.

Canik. I’ve owned 2 TP9s and love them. Made in turkey.

Love my Turkish made CZ over/under 20ga Rabbit gun.

The moral of this video is: save up for a tikka 😂

As I understand it, the plastic cartrige was designed for miliatry use for weight savings. When you are tranporting thousands and thousands of rounds by air and land, it adds up.

2:28 Not too easy to shoot MOA groups in that kind of gusty wind -- even at 100 yards.

Great review, I really enjoyed your videos. Do you think you ever may review some thing from Proof Research? more specifically the Proof Research elevation MTR……

Witt Machine makes clamp on brakes and clamp on threaded adapters (for suppressors). You gotta mic the muzzle at two locations for measurements as each unit is custom machined.

IDK, I got a Thompson Center Compass (300 WM) $189.00 new from a gun shop (they couldn't sell it at the $200 marked price). The two factory loads I've tried gives similar results 2.5 moa @ 100. I do all my own hunting loads anyway, this is my first 300wm I'll be cooking up some loads, its also threaded so I'm thinking of a ECturner also... The factory stock was a joke (hollow thin plastic crap), its sporting a new boyds laminated stock (haven't got to shoot it yet).

I am brand new to the world of guns and hunting. My budget told me to get a Stevens 334 in 6.5 creedmore. I sighted it in at 50 yards, and haven't been able to go out and try further shots with it yet. I watched this video, and my heart sank. Watching the gun I had pinned my hopes on for hunting get torn apart, and thinking I need to try selling it and find something better, and stressing about finding extra cash to do so. Then I see the comments on the video, and while I feel badly for the kid, I realize they are right. It looks like he has a terrible flinch, and so I expect the accuracy to suffer for it. Dirt in the action, I can deal with. When hunting, I shouldn't have to cycle it more than 3 times, and I can bring a quick clean kit with me if needed. Trigger creep, well, I can get used to that too. Thank you to the commenters who put things into perspective for me and eased my anxiety.

My favorite quote is at the end of the video. “If you try hard enough do you think you could get this gun to shoot.” “NOPE!”😂😂😂😂

I'd love to see a video of how you can turn this rifle "into " a really decent hunting rifle. How much that would cost and what modifications you would have to make! Great video Jim👌👍💥💥

Ive hunted a turkish stoeger 3500 for many yeara for geese. Dang reliable shotgun. Zero complaints

Imo you need 20 to 40 down the barrel before you start a group. Am I wrong? Also go back over the rifle check everything... imo things settle. Gold and Silver?? I'm not paying $50 for $30 worth of silver.

12:47 Canik Firearms are imported from Turkey. I got one a few months ago, and it’s a really nice gun. Accurate, light, and it came optics ready, with a very nice trigger. I love it, and got it for a great price.

Canik Pistols and TriStar Shotguns come from Turkey. Don't know about Turk rifles or pistols other than Canik but many, many "decent" to good shotguns are made in Turkey. And forgot- Springfield has a bolt action 22 LR in the 5- 600$ range and it's beautiful, also made in Turkey but I have never shot any of them except the TriStar Viper G2. Mine will not cycle "cheap" 1 ounce loads but cycles "cheap" 1 1/8 and up just fine and it's a very well made shotgun. I wish they had not plastered TRISTAR in giant white letters but other than that, it looks good. They are in the 6- 650$ range.

Best prouct I've used to slick up a bolt action rifle is Frog Lube It's a polish, and every time I take my rifles out I actually polish the action, the feed ramp, the bolt and lugs, the internal walls magazine, and the magazine follower. It dosen't take that long, just apply to all surfaces, go do something for 30 minutes to 1 hr, and come back grab a microsoft cloth, and polish the heck out of them. A very good insurance policy

I have a Turkish sar 9 pistol. And it shoots amazing. Really flat and reliable. About 1200 rounds seep into it now.

My son bought the .243 with wood stock. Action is rough. Trigger not the greates. We havent got out to shoot it yet. Weve always fixed issues before we do. Ive got a camo Stevens 200 .243. Even in its Tupperware stock it will put down impressive grps. I dont use factory ammo except for first 10 shots. From 58-107smk's shoots all under .5 Itll be interesting to see how they stack up once he gives it the once over.

There are some very good Turkish guns, Sometimes like here imported by name brands like Savage Arms, CZ, Mossberg and Weatherby to name some others. I have seen reviews by others (who have been on or mentioned on this channel) they all liked it. The trigger can be fixed. Those groups are the worse I have ween. Please check those out and give it another try.

The ending! 🤣🤣🤣 Nice touch! 👌

I purchased one of these in 6.5 Creedmoor last fall and liked it enough that I had the local gun shop order me the other two available calibers in which it's offered, .243 and .308. All three in the Turkish walnut. The triggers are somewhat adjustable once youre able to negotiate the adhesive that's globbed on the adjustment screw....I was able to get two down to between 3.5-4 lbs and the other to around 4.5 lbs. Triggers are still spongey but quite acceptable for a sub $450 rifle with beautiful walnut stocks and all three easily meet your accuracy criteria at 100yds using Hornady American Whitetail ammo for the 6.5 and .308 and Federal Powershok for the .243. My buddy liked this 6.5 enough that he got one for his 13yr old son and I've witnessed that kid shoot a .9 in group with his...If they offered this rifle in other calibers, I would seriously consider acquiring those as well. Also, you should check out whoteewho's review of his model 334 in 6.5 Creedmoor. If my memory serves me well, he shot a respectable sub moa group with his too, with-out trigger adjustment. Cheers!

Curious what if any break in procedure you had with this rifle. Awesome content , glad to see a new shooter getting into the sports. Get that man a cheek riser or some 100 mph tape! (half kidding haha!)

Jim, do you have any opinion about the new Winchester Model 70 (featherweight)? It’s a classic rifle I really would love to have but not sure about the quality and accuracy. Weatherby vanguard sporter is also a cheaper option!

I recently bought a Savage in .223, complete with a scope. I shot 4 rounds, probably a 12" group, with factory settings on the scope. My son, shot 4 rounds, probably a 2" group, with the same factory settings of the scope. Both leaning over the hood of my rig, kind of a prone style of fire ... not using bags or bipod. Not all impressed with my shooting, fairly impressed with my sons, on a bolt action gun under $400

the benefit of plastic case ammo is this its cheaper than brass case ammo and if catches on will force reloaders to buy ammo instead of reloading also the plastic will have a short life span as the plastic will become brittle and may even be subject to warping keep an eye on the market if that plastic catches on start stock piling your brass cases and other reliading supplies

Garret has his cheek off the stock. Getting a proper fit may help his accuracy.

Hey Jim, great video. I would love to see your review of the Browning X-Bolt 2. Maybe in 6.8 Western. Thanks!

It’s not for everyone, and I suggest the new or new and young maybe don’t try it unless you’re prepared to pay to fix it, but a straight crown barrel can be fixed with a $50 threading kit from Carolina shooter supply.

I own 3 the one with a wood stock in 243 1/2 to a 1/4 all day. The other 2 in 308 and 6.5 creed are the plastic stock they shoot about the same. first thing I did was adjust that trigger and relive some stock on the forend.

That’s actually funny I had the same problem with American whitetail

For pretty much all these budget rifles the weak point is either the stock or the trigger. With modern CNC its pretty much impossible to screw up on machining of receiver and barrel. For the stock it's going to be low quality polymer with flex and the possibility of interfering with the barrel. A Boyd's laminate is a good option to upgrade that. For trigger a little stoning or a spring kit can go a long way. Other than that ALWAYS check any rail screws and accept the finish i.e. bluing or nitriding is going to be questionable. But in summary Backfire is correct, it's worth saving your pennies for a Ruger American or Savage Axis 2 with the Accutrigger. Axis 2 was my decision in .243 Win with a Boyds Spike Camp Thumbhole and metal mag catch/bedding block and trigger guard. About $150-180 upgrade IIRC and worth every penny. This is my throw about gun for TX game and it's taken Whitetail and Hogs out to 150yd + with great accuracy when using the right ammo, Federal Fusion 95gr in my case.

I have a 334 in .308. i also had the Turqua which is a much nicer, and worth the extra 250-300. Kids form isnt great, but the guns not all that easy to shoot right out of the box.....which a starter gun, especially one as heavy as this should be. The trigger is the biggest issue, and can be tinkered with, BUT ive found it susceptible to slam firing if brought under 3.5lbs. On mine I fixed the trigger issues, the rough action, and have spent some time behind it. American Whitetail is about moa-1.25moa My handloads shot 1moa in at 200 in 20mph wind this weekend, and hammered plates out to 600. Out of the box i like the gun better than an axis, but its harder to shoot well. After putting in elbow grease im happy with it.

What's your thoughts on the Savage axis2 in 6.5 cm

Is the magazine suppose to ”pop” out like that when you send the bolt home? 12:01

Id prefer the ruger. But if i had this id just change out the trigger and roll with it if you can get hits at 500 yards. My question is you have a budget gun but do you have a budget scope? Half the reason we buy budget guns is to get a better scope.

You're right about guns manufactured in Turkey. I was given a HASAN Shotgun with two barrels and it's a pain to even load the magazine. It's semi-auto. Has the ghost sites on the turkey barrel with these long sharp screws that stick out and catch everything. Good looking camo finish though, but it is clunky.

I handled a 334 in a wood stock at an Academy near me. It seemed okay except the entire left side of the barrel channel was contacting the barrel. I couldn't tell if it was warped, the inlet milled wrong, or the action wasn't mounted correctly. My initial impression was I can find used Savage 10/110s and Ruger Americans on the used market all day long for $400. Why bother on new cheap crap?

Panzer arms M4 clone is made in Turkey. It has had good reviews. There have been a few negatives but you find that with all guns. But the panzer arms m4 clone is around $500. And the Benelli M4 is $2000+. Good video.👍🏻

Weird, never experienced any issues with my 334 after i sighted it in. Although i chose mine in 6.5 creedmoor instead of .308 so maybe differnt parts? Although id assume they should have the same accuracy

In Europe nobody shoots over 150 yards so it can work here. I have a beautiful brand new combination gun with blued barrels but I never believed in any type of steel finish as a good rust protection, I don't know why, I have allways a little bit oil on the gun surface, it doesn't matter even if the barrel is made out of stainless steel or inox or something like that, I like oil because every gun works smoother and better in my opinion. Nice video 👍

Did you remove the rail, clean the oil out of the holes, and blue loctite back to proper torque?

Well Savage bought Steven’s… so you can forget about a refund even after 3 trips through their service department. One full year and still not shooting worth a Tinker’s cuss - their service dept is the worst! Saying they suck would insult things that suck! Friends don’t let friends buy anything associated with Savage.

Cheaper barrels always seem to need some break-in before they shoot. I'd be curious to see how this does reshooting after the first groups.

I've got a 76 chevy monte Carlo still to this day. I'll never let it go. Still runs, not fancy but it runs.

I got my wife a black ace tactical pump. Its an import from turky, and its actually a pretty solid shooter, weve put a few thousand rounds through it and it's still shooting straight and srtong.

There are lots of decent used rifles out there that are great choices. For medium game rifles don’t pass up some of the lever actions that can be had for good prices

Hi Jim. Quick question from Canada...How come you never use safety glasses when shooting?

That's a shame about the Hornady whitetail. My savage ultralite 6.5cm loves it. It would have given your 1moa challenge a run for the money

I brought a Rem 783 in 30-06 ... its a tck driver . Eats every thing I feed it produces over 3200fps with 150gr SST

The only Turkish gun I have is a Girson shotgun. It’s been perfect practically. Basically once the super benelli patent expired they made a copy of the inertia semi auto system and it’s been just great. As far as bolt guns go savage 110 and rem 700 have been good

Hey with all the shooting everyone does I would like to see a video testing the best ear protection for rifle shooting. Everyone knows ear muffs suck with rifles but I personally have bought several different hearing protection and still haven’t found a quality hearing enhancing unit. Just an idea. The channel is great. Love the videos. @backfire

6.5 creed walnut shoots 1/2 moa consistently with hornady 140 hp bt. Just over 1 moa with a couple reloads. It dislikes ball powders which is surprising after teardown of the hornady revealing ball powder.

There is a difference between a company taking their design to Turkey and having them made to their specs and a company finding something that is designed and made in Turkey and bringing it back to the US. Benelli gets Stoeger shotguns made in Turkey and they seem to be descent quality. Winchester has guns they design in the US made in Turkey and they are good guns. The Steven appears to be designed in Turkey and it shows.

Do you think you could put out a review or something about the new weather by 307 chambered in 7mm prc?

Wasn’t the plastic case because the ammo was introduced at the same time as a prospective replacement infantry rifle and meant to go with that? The plastic casing was done for the weight decrease as a “bonus” for picking the rifle contract ?

Sorry Jim but this video was a fail. I agree with all the comments regarding your choice of shooter for this test. I suggest that you redo the video with you as the shooter and then use a lead sled for the same test. Compare all three results and then draw some conclusions. It would be a shame to trash a rifle that may or may not deserve it.

He yanked the hell out the trigger on second three round group with true velocity ammo.

A video with a brief overview of all the common hunting rounds would be great. I'm mainly shooting 556 and a little 308 and got a little lost in the sauce when you start talking about all these more hunting oriented rounds

Might have been a good idea for yourself to also try the sub moa attempt, the little guy flinches quite a bit 💪🎯