Montana Rifle Company DGR 505 Gibbs review

[CAustin]

One would think these Montana Rifle folks would realize that they just blew a great opportunity to enhance their credibility. A lot of people on this site have followed the saga Matt and we are all disappointed like you.
I will not buy a rifle from them because of this. They don't have a proven product number one. Number two their customer service is very poor. Three the level of communication you received during the process does not instill confidence in the company.
Now if they had delivered the new rifle that passed the tests you asked for we could all sing the praises of the Montana Rifle Company.......but such is not the case.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

i just got to sit down and play with the rifle and its vastly better then the first rifle. but sadly it has a couple major issues which i feared would be the case.

1. when you attempt to cycle the gun quickly it will often push a cartridge into the chamber without grabbing it with the extractor, this means the bolt will not fully close.

2. it wont reliably feed flat point bullets such as the Woodleigh 600gr PP or the North Fork 600gr CPS. it will feed the Woodleigh 525gr RN but it shaves off pieces of lead.

3. if you operate the gun quickly the last cartridge will often pop up from the magazine. this will either fall out of the gun or get pushed into the chamber without engaging the extractor which wont let you fully close the bolt.

im very glad i didnt get my hopes up on this thing because i would be much more upset then i currently am.

-matt

This sucks Matt, but I think you're getting closer to having a functioning rifle. Sending it back to MRC would seem to be the worse thing to do, though they should make it right. I would give a call to Wayne at American Hunting Rifles a call. His expertise is with CZ's but lots of work with big bores. My guess is he's seen these problems before and knows what to do.

1 and 3 may be fixed with just a little work on the extractor and a different spring. Number 2 may be fixed with just some polishing here and there. I know it sucks to have to pay someone to make it the way it should be, but at this point that may be your only choice.

 

[Wheels]

Matt,

Unless you want the rifle and want to fix it, or let them try to fix it, I think I would push them to refund you your money. You have put up with enough. I know they won't want to do it but.......

Does Montana know about this thread?

I bet you a number of us here on AH would be willing to send them emails that they should refund your money if you want us to.

A thread like this can be started on a number of other hunting/shooting sites. Are you torqued enough to do it if they respond in the negative? I would be.

You should make a video showing/demonstrating all of the things your new rifle doesn't do and send them a copy. Let them know it will be posted on Youtube under Montana Rifle Company along with all the past problems you have had with them if they don't refund your money. I bet a few of your friends here on AH will help move the video up to the top of the first page if you want us to.

I don't know much about the WWW and electronic media, but I bet there are others here on the site that do and can help with a lot better ideas than I have come up with.

Let us know if we can help.

All the best.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Wheels,
I made Larry at MRC very aware of the bad publicity he was getting and tried to lead them in the right direction.
Matt sent me his list of tests and mine performed all of them without issue. I used three different types of ammo including 600gr Woodleighs. Only issue that I had was two separate rounds of A-Square when chambered were hard to close the bolt on. the other 8 rounds fed and chambered flawlessly. I would personally run every round that I planned to hunt DG with through the rifle prior to the hunt and would have caught that problem. I haven't mic'd the cases but I'm guessing it is a cartridge issue.
The only issue with my rifle was a small rub mark on the top of the stock from the POS plano case that it was shipped in. I made Larry aware of this within 10 minutes of receiving the gun. He wanted me to ship the gun back immediately for repair/replacement which I declined. I bought the rifle to use, not to put in a presentation case and look at.
I really hope that they will either fix or refund Matt's gun/Money. If I can do anything to help please let me know.
Cody

 

[Wheels]

Cody,

Hopefully MRC will do the right thing for Matt.

I was not in the market for a Montana rifle before this but I do know if they don't make it right for Matt I will never be in the market for one. If any one I know mentions being interested in a Montana, I will refer them to this thread.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Cody,

Hopefully MRC will do the right thing for Matt.

I was not in the market for a Montana rifle before this but I do know if they don't make it right for Matt I will never be in the market for one. If any one I know mentions being interested in a Montana, I will refer them to this thread.

I completely understand that, the worst rifle I have ever owned was a beautiful Weatherby Mark V. Returned the rifle three times and it would do the exact same POI shift every time. I asked every time if they had fired it and made sure it was corrected. Each time it was supposedly corrected, each time it did the same thing.
25 years later im still pissed off over that rifle.

 

[colorado]

Sorry to hear Matt, you might want to call Duane Wiebe and send it to him. He also makes custom bottom metal so your 505 might be able to hold another round in the magazine. I hear his rifles are works of art. I'm sending my son's LH M70 Stainless Classic in 416 Rem to him for new bottom metal and a go through. Sounds like your closer to a working rifle than before. I wouldn't give up on it, I'd send it to a top shelf gunsmith and have him look it over.

Here's a link

http://customgunandrifle.com/

 

[matt85]

matt not good............just thinking i am sure with the money you have spent on all these big bores in bolt and double type rifles you could have had a nice VC built, or one of those heym doubles they were selling at the reduced price at sci for the 150th anniversary.........

i try not to think about that....

-matt

 

[matt85]

Matt,

Unless you want the rifle and want to fix it, or let them try to fix it, I think I would push them to refund you your money. You have put up with enough. I know they won't want to do it but.......

Does Montana know about this thread?

I bet you a number of us here on AH would be willing to send them emails that they should refund your money if you want us to.

A thread like this can be started on a number of other hunting/shooting sites. Are you torqued enough to do it if they respond in the negative? I would be.

You should make a video showing/demonstrating all of the things your new rifle doesn't do and send them a copy. Let them know it will be posted on Youtube under Montana Rifle Company along with all the past problems you have had with them if they don't refund your money. I bet a few of your friends here on AH will help move the video up to the top of the first page if you want us to.

I don't know much about the WWW and electronic media, but I bet there are others here on the site that do and can help with a lot better ideas than I have come up with.

Let us know if we can help.

All the best.

at this point i would prefer a refund of my $2200 but i just dont see it happening and im not big enough into social media to try what your suggesting.

Sorry to hear Matt, you might want to call Duane Wiebe and send it to him. He also makes custom bottom metal so your 505 might be able to hold another round in the magazine. I hear his rifles are works of art. I'm sending my son's LH M70 Stainless Classic in 416 Rem to him for new bottom metal and a go through. Sounds like your closer to a working rifle than before. I wouldn't give up on it, I'd send it to a top shelf gunsmith and have him look it over.

Here's a link

http://customgunandrifle.com/

ill send him an email and see what he says, thank you.

-matt

 

[IdaRam]

I made Larry at MRC very aware of the bad publicity he was getting and tried to lead them in the right direction.
Cody

I did the very same thing at SHOT Show this year and urged them to get this squared away ASAP.
Although I have never owned a MRC product, I've considered them a friend in the industry for 10 years. They had a booth right across the aisle from me when they attended their first SHOT show and have always been decent folks. Sad and troubling to see unresolved problems...
Matt, I feel your pain bro. Sorry it hasn't played out as hoped.

 

[matt85]

Sorry to hear Matt, you might want to call Duane Wiebe and send it to him. He also makes custom bottom metal so your 505 might be able to hold another round in the magazine. I hear his rifles are works of art. I'm sending my son's LH M70 Stainless Classic in 416 Rem to him for new bottom metal and a go through. Sounds like your closer to a working rifle than before. I wouldn't give up on it, I'd send it to a top shelf gunsmith and have him look it over.

Here's a link

http://customgunandrifle.com/

here is the response i got from Duane Wiebe:

Bummer...I personally don't have much regard for the action....but it SHOULD work. I'd like to be accomodating, but haven' t taken any general gunsmithing jobs for some years now...B acked up at least two years. You might be thinking of asking for recommendation,...again, I 'd have to pass on that too. Why not demand a refund?

-matt

 

[ZG47]

He then he cuts out a corresponding socket into the barrel channel of the forearm, (about half way between the forend tip and the front of the magazine box) but, with extra space/cut somewhat longer behind where this "recoil lug" will rest.
Next he cuts a piece of machine threaded rod or the threaded end of a machine bolt to fit laterally/side to side into the extra space behind where the "recoil lug" will rest.

Then he coats the lug with grease or releasing agent of some sort, so that the glass bedding compound will not stick to it and he glass beds the threaded rod stub into place, tight behind where the lug will be
It helps absorb some of the recoil into yet another part of the stock, instead of most of it bashing against the tang and magazine box areas only.
He told me he likes to use threaded stock for this part because it ensures a very firm bond between the rod and the glass bedding compound.

Seems to me a plain/non-threaded stub of steel rod or square stock would work fine or perhaps, no metal added at all, because glass bedding by itself is quite strong but, I am no Gunsmith and might be way off on that.

Velo Dog

Neither epoxy not concrete will adhere as well to smooth steel as it will to threaded or deformed steel. That is why, as a carpenter I only use round steel in welded mesh form (and as premade stirrups) for concreting, always use deformed steel for epoxied plate anchors and, as a shooter, will always prefer threaded steel to smooth when gluing steel rod into a gun stock, for whatever purpose.

 

[Velo Dog]

Velo Dog

Neither epoxy not concrete will adhere as well to smooth steel as it will to threaded or deformed steel. That is why, as a carpenter I only use round steel in welded mesh form (and as premade stirrups) for concreting, always use deformed steel for epoxied plate anchors and, as a shooter, will always prefer threaded steel to smooth when gluing steel rod into a gun stock, for whatever purpose.

I'm sure you're right.

 

[Royal27]

Ugh....

 

[sierraone]

Matt85 sounds like some serious issues. To hear you say things were not bad in my mind is a vote of no confidence. I'm sure this is an expensive rifle from a custom maker! One would think that the builders would inspect as you did and fix problems before shipping!

CAustin, I'm late to the conversation, but I'm with you, something is wrong with this picture.

 

[sierraone]

Sorry to hear that Matt. It would indeed be a shame to not have it on the buff hunt.

That has to be frustrating! I had little issues with Ann's 375 Ruger feeding but they seem to be resolving themselves as we get rounds through it... Just a bit rough on the machining. You have to wonder if they could not just take 5 minutes to check these things over... But this is a $860 rifle I am talking about.

I wish they would offer an ultragrade like Winchester does. I'd pay a bit extra. I really like the innovations of Ruger, but the quality could be a tad bit better. I returned a scope ring for a lower one and that was on backorder so took a while..... Then when I got it, it has a bur on the bottom where they just did sloppy work, tried to file it as I cannot wait for a replacement and mounted a nice Z5 Swaro on it (this is on 6.5 Creedmoor), the damned thing shoots so far to the left I bottomed out the windage and still cannot get it on target... Took it off and filed some more but have not got back out to shoot it yet. Frustrating to hear American Made and then deal with this type stuff.

I have a standard Safari Express 375 H & H M70 and a Ultragrade 30-06 M70... That Ultra is smooth as silk, just love it... The Safari Express is good, but extra money is worth the extra polishing on the Ultra to me, although the wood is so nice it is tough to take it hunting and risk scratching it.

I know I am late to conversation....When you refer to ultra grade m70s, do you actually mean super grades?

 

[ActionBob]

Actually it is a Custom High Grade... sorry for the brain fart.

 

[sierraone]

Actually it is a Custom High Grade... sorry for the brain fart.

I don't think I have seen one before. I have two super grades, which printed on the floor plate. They are not custom guns, just much higher quality finish and wood than a standard model 70. My older one is a 1964 .458 push feed model, my newer one is a 2012 FN/Winchester .264 with class II wood, claw extractor and high end trigger and barrel. Were custom high grades actually made in the Winchester custom shop in New Haven? If they were, you probably don't want to take it in the bush. When you have the time, would you send me a pic of one?

 

[matt85]

 

[spike.t]

matt what was the thing that went off topic , been to st malo for a friends bday lunch for the day and 19 hours later i am home....................