3 Inexpensive Mystery Guns to Try in 2023

I (John Lovell) decided this year to buy three guns that I normally would never purchase. They're not in my wheelhouse for a variety of reasons, but that doesn't mean they're not worth a try. So I branched out to see how some less expensive guns would hold up under action on the range.

#1: ATI Omni Hybrid 300 Blackout

This polymer AR-15 300 Blackout made me nervous from the start because plastic and metal are kind of like oil and water when combined. 

It's extremely difficult to keep things appropriately torqued when metal is being joined with plastic, especially at the stress points. I need to feed a few hundred more rounds through the ATI to really know, but there are my initial observations.

Cons of the Polymer 300 Blackout

- Just as I suspected, there was definitely more wiggle and give than I would have liked.

- I experienced a fair amount of feed problems and stoppages (unless I used a magazine specifically designed for 300 blackout rounds).

- I had to fashion my own makeshift front sight with duct tape and an allen wrench.

- There was the abiding fear that the gas in that polymer upper was going to take my face off with a blazing ball of fire.

The Pros of the Polymer 300 Blackout

- The growing capability to build polymer rifles could be a good thing for the future of gun ownership. We're not quite there yet, but every little step brings us closer.

- I don't have a lot of 300 blackout rifles in my closet, so here's one more.

- It's got a pretty good price tag on it (but is that really worth the sacrifice in peace of mind?).

#2: Mossberg Patriot .308

I've emphasized 6.5 Creedmoor rounds to the expense of the .308 options out there, so to balance things out a bit in my arsenal and test a more economical, high-powered rifle, I added the Patriot.

The Pros of the Mossberg Patriot

  - It shoots .308 and 7.62, the latter of which I have muy mucho a bunch of. So yay for that.

  - It shoots perfectly well and reliably.

  - It's tactically proficient and could double as a good hunting rifle.

  - At $400, it's very reasonably priced.

  - And it's a black rifle, but it won't terrify woke snowflakes as much as my others.

Cons of the Mossberg Patriot

- It's simple and well-built. Maybe it lacks some of the finer machining and the bells and whistles of many more expensive .308 rifles out there, but I really enjoyed the price-tag-to-performance ratio.

#3:The Classic Mosin Nagant

I've never owned a beast of a rifle like this, but felt it was time--especially after finding a 1953 version at a pawn shop, with a bayonet. It's one of the top guns of all time.

Pros of the Mosin Nagant

- It's a classic. An heirloom gun.

- It's chambered in the readily-abundant 7.62.

- It's got a bayonet. Perhaps this isn't the highest priority quality I look for in a gun, but it's still pretty awesome. When things go down, if I run out of ammo, I'm going to spear some zombies in the face.

- It's a lot of fun to shoot. It's got that nostalgia-inducing cannon-like rifle report, but the good engineering and balance helps with recoil management. It certainly doesn't kick the way you'd expect.

- Which is surprising given its classic construction of metal and wood, another quality that makes this rifle a lovely experience on the range.

Cons of the Mosin Nagant

- It's got a funny name.

- It was developed by the Soviets (but came to me through capitalistic means, so I didn't exploit the working class while I sat on my butt doing nothing to receive what I didn't earn).

- It sounds a little like a canon going off. But in certain situations, that's a plus.

Train Hard. Train Smart. Stay Free.