One of Us
| quote: Originally posted by surestrike:
Having owned 3 Dakota's 2 M-97's and one M-76 I have to say that I continue to be severely under whelmed by Dakota rifles.
M-404 was an African model. It shot well but the blueing was turning purple due to improper temperature during the bluing process and the magazine box was made out of some kind of tin foil like metal which failed at approximately 100 rounds. I got all of it fixed and the rifle is primo now but with what I paid for that thing it should not have needed any aftermarket repairs.
My M-97's were in .330 DAK and the other a light weight hunter in .300 WM. The .300WM never did iron out and had function and accuracy issues it's whole life.
You are money ahead to simply buy a M-70 and have some custom work done to it or go with CZ that has been AHR'd. Just sayin'.
The Cabelas price for a M-97 synthetic even at $1,000 off is obscene for what you are getting. You can but the EXACT same rifle which is a Baretta Mato for 2 to $3,000 grand less. The ONLY difference in a M-97 is that it is Baretta Mato that has been stamped Dakota.
RIP OFF!!
Good point about the Beretta! |
| | | Posts: 15784 | Location: Australia and Saint Germain en Laye | Registered: 30 December 2013 | 
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One of Us
| quote: Originally posted by surestrike:
Having owned 3 Dakota's 2 M-97's and one M-76 I have to say that I continue to be severely under whelmed by Dakota rifles.
M-404 was an African model. It shot well but the blueing was turning purple due to improper temperature during the bluing process and the magazine box was made out of some kind of tin foil like metal which failed at approximately 100 rounds. I got all of it fixed and the rifle is primo now but with what I paid for that thing it should not have needed any aftermarket repairs.
My M-97's were in .330 DAK and the other a light weight hunter in .300 WM. The .300WM never did iron out and had function and accuracy issues it's whole life.
You are money ahead to simply buy a M-70 and have some custom work done to it or go with CZ that has been AHR'd. Just sayin'.
The Cabelas price for a M-97 synthetic even at $1,000 off is obscene for what you are getting. You can but the EXACT same rifle which is a Baretta Mato for 2 to $3,000 grand less. The ONLY difference in a M-97 is that it is Baretta Mato that has been stamped Dakota.
RIP OFF!!
Dakota quality was all over the map depending on when you purchased your rifles. While Don was running the show, the metal quality was excellent, however, he did struggle at times with his stock finishing folks. After Don, build quality seriously went into the tank and I am not sure they have recovered much. Probably the best Dakotas came out from 1994 to 1998. One thing is for sure, Don's designs and action production was the best in the industry for 15+ years. Today, there are plenty of folks who can design and build excellent actions, but Don set the bar pretty high for a long time.
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Just Remember, We ALL Told You So.
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| | | Posts: 22442 | Location: Occupying Little Minds Rent Free | Registered: 04 October 2012 |
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