Is Your Rifle Ready? By Darrell Holland

[ADMIN]

Every year, hundreds of hunters take to the field unprepared for the task at hand, having spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a dream hunt, only to have it end in failure. Are you going to be the next member to join this growing fraternity?

In over 30 years of hunting around the world, I’ve been quite fortunate to have never experienced a rifle failure. I’ve had modest scope failures (fogging), but it didn’t result in a missed or wounded animal.

Can a hunter have 30 years of good luck? Or, is there a method, a way of eliminating mechanical failures when we go afield in pursuit of big game?Read More...

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Is Your Rifle Ready?, By Darrell Holland. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

[HUAINAMACHERO]

Darrell,
Great article!!! I am one of the users of the old WD40, hmmmm, you are making me think about it now Hey, after knowing all of this I would hate myself for loosing a buck of a lifetime for a mechanical error that could have been prevented. Very informative article.

[Goofycat]

Originally Posted by ADMIN

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Is Your Rifle Ready?, By Darrell Holland. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

Darrell, I have a ton of different lube brands in various containers I have bought over the years. Can you suggest which products are those which are dry lubes? I may have one on the shelf and not even know it, and don't want to buy another one if I don't need to.

As for galling, my .22-250 (built by you 14 years ago) seemed to have had problems with stiff bolt opening/closing after I required the Leupold base screws to be removed by another local gunsmith. The screws seemed to be welded in and needed removal so as to replace the original fixed bases with quick release bases. There was no problem removing the screws by the local gunsmith, but sometime after I had replaced the old bases with the new ones, I noticed that the bolt operated with difficulty. I took it to the second gunsmith (the first one was not available) and was told that I had "major problems."

I thought the problem might have originated with the gunsmith who had removed the screws and the old bases originally, but thought about it and concluded that I might have installed the QR bases with one of the longer screws being placed in front, rather than in back. This very slight protrusion allowed the bolt to operate, but with difficulty. After putting the shorter screws in front and the longer ones in back, the bolt operated flawlessly. I might have noticed the problem right away, but I hadn't shot the rifle in several years and initially didn't pay enough attention to the problem.

The moral: make sure the short and long base mounting screws are placed into the right holes and use a Loctite or similar material that will allow those screws to be removed when the time arrives.

BTW, great article. It is the only one that I have seen published where the proper way to prepare and lube the bolt mechanism has been discussed.

[30-338]

Hi Darrell....I always read and profit from your articles! But what impressed me the most about this one is the beautiful prose. Are we seeing the machinist blossom into a writer?
"The beavers had been working overtime...the leaves were starting to blush with color" Wow! I always knew you were talented... but as a writer...I guess so!

Thanks again Darrell and excuse my tongue in cheek teasing. 30-338 John S

PS...have you ever heard of someone "shimming" a firing pin because it was hitting the primer with too much force? Sounds unusual to me...your comments?

[EdmontonSoldier]

niced

[EdmontonSoldier]

wait nvm

[lgrant]

Originally Posted by ADMIN

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Is Your Rifle Ready?, By Darrell Holland. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

I own a Rem. model 700-7mm mag. After reading a free-floating bedding article I check my forearm and discovered it was not free-floating. With the exception of 1-2 inches at the top of the forearm it was free-floating, so I sanded that area that was touching the barrel until it was totally free-floating. I found out later that Remingtion does allow the top of the forearm to touch the barrel. Have I messed up my rifle and do I need to purchase a new stock? I hope I have explained this problem so you can understand what I have done.

Thanks for your help,