Lemons!

P

pyscodog

Active member
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has got burned on gun deals. I know we all hate to admit it too. Heres my latest......

I was about to leave the Wannamaker last week-end. I was tired of the crowd, my feet and back were killing me and I was ready to go home and relax. A heavy barrel rifle caught my eye as I was about to leave but I stopped to look at it. It was a 700 Remmy fluted heavy barrel with220 Swift stamped on the side of the barrel. No Remington marks showing at all, so my thoughts are this is a custom barreled rifle. After a bit of haggling, we settled on a price. Not a great one but a price. I had bought an 870 Wingmaster that was just a cheap project gun so I had plenty to carry and was tired. Went to my smiths the following day to mess with the 870 and he gave me a box of 64 grain HSM Police Ammunition. Next day I headed to the range to see what the Swift would do. Just to shorten the story, the 870will shoot tighter groups. So I come home, get out my Hornady OAL gauge and a 50 grain Blitz to check OAL and load a few rounds. I pushed and pushed and finally reached the lands. Not only was the bullet out of the case but the push rod was about an inch and a half past the mouth of the case. NOT GOOD!! I knew I was in trouble now. So...I pulled the stock of and low and behold, there's all the Remington markings on the bottom of the barrel hidden under the fore-end of the stock. Seems as though the barrel had been set back at least once, maybe twice and there isn't enough shoulder left to do it again.I know buying gun show guns or used guns in general is a 50/50 shot. Guess I lost this time. But on a good note, the little 870 is solid as a rock. Just needed a good clean up.

Any of you have "Lemon" stories to tell? Misery loves company.
 
Ya, made me sick at first, then I was PO'ed, then I got mad at myself for not taking time to look the rifle over better. Its such a big show and the crowds are terrible so really looking something over correctly is tough. Shame on me, shame on him too. He was fishing for a sucker and I bit the hook. Its all good now.I had a 7mm08 barrel stashed away and buying a nice stock from a member here so it will work out. Its just not a Swift.
 
If you're going to buy used rifles in this world, you need to be on your game.

Most of them in 25 caliber and larger are generally pretty safe bets unless they have visible barrel/rifling defects, and even then one might sneak up on you in terms of actual barrel condition. Issues like it might need to be bedded are not issues for me if I find that I've bought one like that. That's just part of it being a factory rifle and the roulette you play with them.

As for small caliber used rifles, I'll trade or buy into a used Sako as most are generally in great condition, but for the most part I shy away from any of the normal run of the mill factory guns in hot-rod small calibers. Many have been shot a lot or shot until they got extremely hot, but they still might look nice on the outside. Only if I know direct information about the particular rifle will I buy it.

Gun shows are nothing more than flea markets for people who are into peddling not so bueno guns. Even the bigger more respected gun shows attract those people like flies.

No major issues to share.

JMO.
 
To bad there isn't such a thing as a "pocket size" bore scope. Something you could carry in a jacket pocket or pouch. Or is there????
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogSo am I the only one that's ever bought a lemon or just the only one who will admit it on a public forum?

Well no, I've admitted on several forums when the WSM fever was
high.

I wanted a stainless, left handed bolt action in 7WSM but could
find one NO WHERE. Finally read an article by John Barsness who
was very pleased with a 300WSM made by the Montana Rifle Co. So
I called them up and they could make a barreled action with what
I wanted. (Should have seen the red flag when they would
guarantee NOTHING.)

The only stock maker I could find to make a stock for it was
Richard's Microfit. It took three times longer to receive than
what they originally said. Upon receiving it, I observed that
it appeared they used wrasp jaws to clamp it and actually took
a belt sander to reshape and get all the marks out of it.

Once everything was done, reshaping and doing a LOT of work to
their 96%(HA!) inlet, I pillared and bedded it. The end result
was a beautiful rifle. Then to the range, again and again and
again and again....... Never could get it to shoot decent
groups.

Another poster over on 24Hour Campfire posted that he had the
same bad results with his model 1999 Montana Rifle Co. 7WSM,
and that he tried to so much that he shot the barrel out of it.

Last year I got a Lyman bore scope and ran it through the
chamber, throat and bore. To make a long story short, it showed
a horror story of a small wonder why it wouldn't shoot.

They may have improved since then, but I am going by the "cheat
me once" rule.
mad.gif
 
Thats sucks Danno. Got a feeling your lemon cost a lot more than mine lemon did and you even went to a reputable (choking) company.
 
Interesting topic, I'm trying to think of a time when I got ripped off like that and can't really. I've gotten a couple lemon AR barrels but they were refunded by the sellers. Like Winny, small bore used rifles get a very skeptical look from me, but I got lucky on 2 Ruger tang safety Swifts. One each bull and sporter barrels. Those are long gone but they still shot well when I traded them.

Maybe the biggest disappointment was a gorgeous m70 featherweight in 270, an 80's model xtr. Beautiful wood, hardly used with a Leupold scope I picked up for $500 iirc. Try as I might with bedding and load work it was barely a 2 moa rifle. Though it pained me it got traded for my MkV 270 wby that shot under 3/4" with the first box of factory ammo.
 
Never ever buy a used hot rod caliber with out a bore scope. I have a Hawkeye and I use it. Has saved me a lot of money. Even if I have to go home to get it. If they wait, if I have the time etc... If not, no skin off me. I didn't need it.


My lemon of all time is the Bergara rifle I bought brand new. The firing pin hole is .085 the firing pin is .075 that equals cratered primers on mild loads and dangerous conditions with upper book loads. With small primer brass they have had some ruptured primers that result in a broken bolt shroud. They blame it all on the reloader and the small primer because their guns are "made around a large rifle primer". Then say to just shoot it and that it's perfectly safe. Wholey [beeep] that's wrong in so many ways.

My bolt is off to the shop to get bushed,,,,, but the firing pin is case hardened and can not be turned down to fit the bushing. So a new firing pin must be machined from 4140 steel. Good grief. This is a new rifle and all the problems are mine. Plus now the wait for the bushing job is 3-4 months.
 
Very nice rifle. Shoots good too, but they aren't cheap. When I lay down good money, I don't expect to have petty problems and loose tolerance.
 
I can relate to spending good money. I feel like I paid top dollar plus some for an action.I have replaced the barrel, now waiting on a stock. But on a good note, the rifle has a fantastic trigger and the bolt feels like its on bearings, extremely smooth bolt and the trigger breaks like glass at a little over a pound. So I guess it wasn't a total loss.
 
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