A few weeks ago there was a post on how many rounds of practice ammo do you shoot through your DG Rifle prior to hunting with it. I will carry that post a bit further and say you need to totally know your rifle backwards and forwards. Practice cycling various types of ammo, etc. About a year ago I purchased a Dakota 76 African. I figured it had to be a perfect rifle, totally dependable. Wrong! I first became concerned when it would not feed Trophy Bonded Solids (due to the semi-flat nose). Then I found that the last round in a magazine sat on the rails after you cycled it, it did not eject the final cartridge in the stack. And finally the ejection was sometimes very positive sometimes "lazy". Not exactly the formula for success with buffalo. Luckily, all of this was uncovered well in advance of my upcoming trip to Tanzania.

A trip to Roger Ferrell saved me from selling my Dakota. Roger smoothed and polished the feed ramp. It now feeds TB Sledgehammers. He replaced the ejector pin spring, polished the rails a little and also replaced the extraction / ejector bar on the bolt. It had been poorly installed at Dakota and the claw barely held the cartridge on the bolt face. I am not posting this to bash Dakota. In these days of sloppy production I am certain you can find these issues on any production rifle made. I am posting this to hopefully save someone some major grief, stress or worse on their trip. Know your rifle well. Work with it. And hopefully have a very good gunsmith handy, like Roger Ferrell. Good Hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Hugh W:
About a year ago I purchased a Dakota 76 African. I figured it had to be a perfect rifle, totally dependable. Wrong! I first became concerned when it would not feed Trophy Bonded Solids (due to the semi-flat nose). Then I found that the last round in a magazine sat on the rails after you cycled it, it did not eject the final cartridge in the stack. And finally the ejection was sometimes very positive sometimes "lazy".

Roger smoothed and polished the feed ramp. It now feeds TB Sledgehammers. He replaced the ejector pin spring, polished the rails a little and also replaced the extraction / ejector bar on the bolt. It had been poorly installed at Dakota and the claw barely held the cartridge on the bolt face. I am not posting this to bash Dakota. In these days of sloppy production I am certain you can find these issues on any production rifle made. Good Hunting.

Was this a new or used rifle?If I spent what Dakota charges on a rifle and needed all this done I would not only bash Dakota,I would ask them to pay for the work done to make it right.Sounds down right negligent for them to let a DG rifle to leave the factory like that.

I just bought a custon 416 and it didnt feed to my satisfaction so its back at the shop being straighted out. The rifle maker said he would do whatever necessary to fix it and he didnt even sell it to me.

Hugh, I will echo what you had to say about Roger Ferrell. My 375 had developed a feeding issue. The bolt would fail to pick up a round about one time in fifty. I had it to two gunsmiths prior to Roger and they both charged me for service and it still had the problem. I took it to Roger he got it fixed in short order. Thank goodness as I will be in Africa in the not too distant future. I took him two other guns on this trip to lay his healing hands upon. He is not the average gunsmith.

Over the last 40 years I have owned dozens of custom and factory bolt and double rifles. I can only think of one that didn't need at least a little tweeking before I was completely satisfied with them. That one was a Ruger 77 in 270 that Al Biesen built for me in 1971.

CHEERs!
465H&H

You all may think me a fool but,i usualy carried the rifle picked for the hunt with me for several weeks taking pot shots around my land. My wife is an artist and she helped me out with life sized chacoal schetches reding in the brain ,spine and shoulders. After many hours you become one with the gun and know you spot on that paticular game by instinct. You can do the same thing at a range, but the "hunting" pratice makes you a much better shot and doesnt put your P.H. in a spot he shouln'dt be if you had done your home work. Charlie

All rifles need a good wringing out before you take them hunting...At least 300 rounds is my minimum, unless I get careless, and I do sometimes.

"The best way to attain rifle control is to carry your favorite rife yourself not only when you are hunting but whenever you go out. Dry shoot it at anything and everything. Do all the excercises you can think of with it." W.D.M. Bell